Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Class'

A pesquisa partiu da seguinte pergunta: quais as repercussões sobre a situação escolar das crianças das camadas populares do aumento das camadas médias na escola pública? Para respondê-la realizamos um estudo etnográfico em uma escola do município de Ribeirão Preto na qual esse fenômeno estava presente. Foram realizadas observações em sala de aula e em outros espaços da escola, além de entrevistas com diretores, orientadores, professores, pais e alunos. Os resultados da pesquisa de campo foram surpreendentes, pois revelaram que a relação entre usuários de camadas médias e a escola pública é muito mais complexa do que supúnhamos. Levadas por dificuldades econômicas, algumas famílias das camadas médias transferem os filhos da rede particular para a pública. Numa tentativa de pôr a escola pública em moldes que não afetem o seu prestígio, alguns pais participam da APM e do Conselho de Escola. Imersos no preconceito social contra os pobres, desejam excluir alunos pobres vistos como mais ameaçadores. Mas a equipe dirigente e o corpo docente não permitem, utilizando a defesa de tais alunos como forma de se contrapor aos pais na disputa pelo poder que se instala. Diante desta resistência, os pais deixam de participar de tais órgãos, mas procuram exercer pressão direta no fazer dos professores. As crianças, imersas neste universo de conflito e preconceito, reproduzem a discriminação na relação com os colegas.<br>The research has arisen from the following question: \"what are the repercussions on lower class children due to the increase of middle class students in public schools?\" In order to answer that question, we have carried out an ethnological study in a school in the city of Ribeirão Preto where this phenomena was evident. Not only observations (inside the classroom and in other areas in the school) were made, but also interviews with directors, advisers, teachers, parents and pupils. The results of the field research were stunning since they show that the relation between students from the middle class and the public school is much more complex than we would imagine. Due to economic problems, some families, which belong to the middle class, transfer their children from private schools to public ones. Some parents end up joining an APM (an association of parents and teachers) and the School Council so that they can \"control\" the public school in such a way that it does not affect their prestige. As parents are immersed in social prejudice against the poor, they want to exclude poor students once they are seen as the most threatening ones. However, the directors and the teaching faculty do not allow that to happen - they defend poor students as a way of opposing to parents in the fight for power. Having to face this opposition, parents normally give up taking part of school groups but, on the other hand, they put pressure on what teachers are doing. The children, immersed in this universe of conflict and prejudice, propagate discrimination in the relation with their colleagues.

En aquest treball es tracten dos problemes. El primer és un problema d’aproximació en la classe de Zygmund per funcions del subespai I_1(BMO), que és l’espai de funcions contínues amb derivada a BMO en el sentit de les distribucions. Considerem la distància definida per la semi-norma de Zygmund. En el Capítol 1, donada una funció f de la classe de Zygmund en la recta real amb suport compacte, trobem una estimació de la seva distància al subespai I_1(BMO). A més, aquest resultat s’expressa en termes de les segones diferències de f, que defineixen la seva semi-norma de Zygmund. Com a corol·lari, obtenim una caracterització de la clausura de l’espai I_1(BMO) en aquesta semi-norma. Els mètodes presentats en aquesta primera part no es poden aplicar al cas de la classe de Zygmund a l’espai euclidià de dimensió n>1. Tanmateix, presentem un resultat anàleg per mesures de Zygmund en dimensió n>=1. En aquest cas, el subespai que considerem és el de mesures absolutament contínues amb derivada de Radon-Nykodim en l’espai BMO. En el Capítol 2, considerem l’espai de funcions amb continuïtat Hölder de paràmetre 0<s<=1 (prenent la classe de Zygmund en el cas s=1) definides en l’espai euclidià de dimensió n>=1. Per 0<s<=1, la imatge de BMO pel potencial de Riesz I_s en el sentit de les distribucions temperades mòdul polinomis, que denotem per I_s(BMO), és subespai de la classe de Hölder de paràmetre s. En particular, en el cas n=s=1 aquesta definició coincideix amb la de I_1(BMO) en el Capítol 1. Aleshores, donada una funció f de la classe de Hölder de paràmetre 0<s<=1 amb suport compacte, trobem una estimació de la seva distància al subespai I_s(BMO). La distància que prenem és la que defineix la semi-norma de Hölder corresponent. Com abans, aquest resultat també ve expressat en termes de les segones diferències de f. A més a més, mostrem dues estimacions equivalents. Una en termes dels coeficients de la sèrie d’ondetes de f i l’altra en termes de la segona derivada hiperbòlica de l’extensió harmònica de f al semi-espai superior. En el Capítol 3, estudiem un problema sobre funcions internes al disc unitat. El Lema de Löwner afirma que la mesura de Lebesgue en el cercle unitat és invariant per tota funció interna f que fixi l’origen. És a dir, qualsevol conjunt mesurable E en el cercle unitat i la seva preimatge per f tenen la mateixa mesura de Lebesgue. Pel cas en què una funció interna f no té cap punt fix en el disc unitat, C. I. Doering i R. Mañé van estudiar una mesura infinita en el cercle unitat que depèn del punt fix de Denjoy-Wolff de f i que és quasi-invariant. Aquí generalitzem el resultat de Doering i Mañé, definint la seva mesura prenent un punt qualsevol del cercle unitat. Per altra banda, J. L. Fernández i D. Pestana van estudiar la distorsió del contingut de Hausdorff de conjunts en el cercle unitat per funcions internes que fixen l’origen. Fent servir un contingut de Hausdorff basat en la mesura definida per Doering i Mañé, presentem una generalització del resultat de Fernández i Pestana per funcions internes sense cap punt fix en el disc unitat.<br>En este trabajo se tratan dos problemas. El primero es un problema de aproximación en la clase de Zygmund por funciones del subespacio I_1(BMO), que es el espacio de funciones continuas con derivada en BMO en el sentido de las distribuciones. Consideramos la distancia definida por la semi-norma de Zygmund. En el Capítulo 1, dada una función f de la clase de Zygmund en la recta real con soporte compacto, encontramos una estimación de su distancia al subespacio I_1(BMO). Además, este resultado se expresa mediante las segundas diferencias de f, que definen su semi-norma de Zygmund. Como corolario, obtenemos una caracterización de la clausura del espacio I_1(BMO) en esta semi-norma. Los métodos presentados en esta primera parte no son aplicables al caso de la clase de Zygmund en el espacio euclidiano de dimensión n>1. No obstante, presentamos un resultado análogo para medidas de Zygmund en dimensión n>=1. En este caso, el subespacio que consideramos es el de medidas absolutamente continuas con derivada de Radon-Nykodim en el espacio BMO. En el Capítulo 2, consideramos el espacio de funciones continuas Hölder de parámetro 0<s<=1 (tomando la clase de Zygmund en el caso s=1) definidas en el espacio euclidiano de dimensión n>=1. Para 0<s<=1, la imagen de BMO por el potencial de Riesz I_s en el sentido de las distribuciones temperadas módulo polinomios, que denotamos I_s(BMO), es subespacio de la clase de Hölder de parámetro s. En particular, en el caso n=s=1 esta definición coincide con la de I_1(BMO) en el Capítulo 1. Entonces, dada una función f de la clase de Hölder de parámetro 0<s<=1 con soporte compacto, encontramos una estimación de su distancia al subespacio I_s(BMO). La distancia que tomamos es la que define la semi-norma de Hölder correspondiente. Como antes, este resultado también se expresa mediante la segundas diferencias de f. Así mismo, mostramos dos estimaciones equivalentes. Una en términos de los coeficientes de la serie de ondículas de f i la otra en términos de la segunda derivada hiperbólica de la extensión armónica de f al semi-espacio superior. En el Capítulo 3, estudiamos un problema sobre funciones internas en el disco unidad. El Lema de Löwner afirma que la medida de Lebesgue en la circunferencia unidad es invariante para toda función interna f que fije el origen. Es decir, cualquier conjunto medible E en la circunferencia unidad y su preimagen por f tienen la misma medida de Lebesgue. Para el caso en el que una función interna f no tiene ningún punto fijo en el disco unidad, C. I. Doering y R. Mañé estudiaron una medida infinita en la circunferencia unidad que depende del punto fijo de Denjoy-Wolff de f y que es cuasi-invariante. Aquí generalizamos el resultado de Doering y Mañé, definiendo su medida tomando un punto cualquiera de la circunferencia unidad. Por otro lado, J. L. Fernández y D. Pestana estudiaron la distorsión del contenido de Hausdorff de conjuntos en la circunferencia unidad para funciones internas que fijan el origen. Usando un contenido de Hausdorff basado en la medida definida por Doering y Mañé, presentamos una generalización del resultado de Fernández y Pestana para funciones internas sin punto fijo en el disco unidad.<br>In this work we deal with two different problems. The first one is an approximation problem in the Zygmund class by functions in the subspace I_1(BMO), which is the space of continuous functions with derivative in BMO in the sense of distributions. We consider the distance defined by the Zygmund semi-norm. In Chapter 1, given a function f in the Zygmund class in the real line with compact support, we find an estimate of its distance to the subspace I_1(BMO). In addition, this result is expressed in terms of the second differences of f, which define its Zygmund semi-norm. As a corollary, we obtain a characterisation of the closure of I_1(BMO) in this semi-norm. The methods presented in this first part are not applicable to the Zygmund class in the euclidean space of dimension n>1. However, we present an analogous result for Zygmund measures in dimension n>=1. In this case, the subspace that we consider is the space of absolutely continuous measures with Radon-Nykodim derivative in BMO. In Chapter 2, we consider the space of Hölder continuous functions with parameter 0<s<=1 (taking the Zygmund class when s=1) defined on the euclidean space of dimension n>=1. For 0<s<=1, the image of BMO under the Riesz potential I_s in the sense of tempered distributions modulo polynomials, denoted by I_s(BMO), is a subspace of the Hölder class of parameter s. In particular, in the case n=s=1 this definition coincides with that of I_1(BMO) in Chapter 1. Then, given a function f in the Hölder class of parameter 0<s<=1 with compact support, we find an estimate of its distance to I_s(BMO). We take here the distance defined by the corresponding Hölder semi-norm. As before, this result is also expressed in terms of the second differences of f. Moreover, we also show two more equivalent estimates. One in terms of the coefficients of the wavelet series of f and the other in terms of the second hyperbolic derivative of the harmonic extension of f on the upper half-space. In Chapter 3, we study a problem about inner functions in the unit disk. Löwner's Lemma states that the Lebesgue measure in the unit circle is invariant under any inner function f fixing the origin. In other words, every measurable set E in the unit circle has the same Lebesgue measure as its preimage under f. In the case that an inner function has no fixed point in the unit disk, C. I. Doering and R. Mañé studied an infinite measure in the unit circle that depends on the Denjoy-Wolff fixed point of f and that has the property of being quasi-invariant. Here we generalise the result of Doering and Mañé taking any point of the unit circle to define their measure. In a similar way, J. L. Fernández and D. Pestana studied the distortion of Hausdorff contents in the unit circle under inner functions fixing the origin. Using a Hausdorff content based in the measure defined by Doering and Mañé, we present a generalisation of the result of Fernandez and Pestana for inner functions without fixed points in the unit disk.

Submitted by Renata Lopes (renatasil82@gmail.com) on 2016-09-08T17:53:18Z No. of bitstreams: 1 luizvicentefonsecaribeiro.pdf: 580548 bytes, checksum: d09b28349d4dc324e7300204e34c3649 (MD5)<br>Approved for entry into archive by Diamantino Mayra (mayra.diamantino@ufjf.edu.br) on 2016-09-09T10:48:36Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 luizvicentefonsecaribeiro.pdf: 580548 bytes, checksum: d09b28349d4dc324e7300204e34c3649 (MD5)<br>Made available in DSpace on 2016-09-09T10:48:36Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 luizvicentefonsecaribeiro.pdf: 580548 bytes, checksum: d09b28349d4dc324e7300204e34c3649 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-05-13<br>FAPEMIG - Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais<br>Esta dissertação consiste em uma revisão de literatura acerca das abordagens de diferentes perspectivas sobre o fenômeno da pobreza. Está na agenda da discussão teórica e metodológica o objetivo de estabelecer outra forma de definir e mensurar o fenômeno da pobreza. Para isso foi preciso vencer proposições das demais perspectivas e suas respectivas abordagens. A Perspectiva Econômica, com a abordagem através da dimensão da renda, a Perspectiva Sociológica com base no estruturalismo marxista ortodoxo e também aquela racionalidade culturalista que foca sua abordagem no conceito de subculturas de classe e máadaptação, a Perspectiva de Amartya Sen e sua dimensão cognitiva focada em seu conceito de capacidades. O objetivo foi o de propor uma estratégia analítica que focaliza o que determina os resultados materiais obtidos pelas pessoas em uma economia de corte capitalista. O realismo crítico foi adotado como suporte meteórico de toda a pesquisa. A hipótese foi de que um modelo de classes bem construído responde melhor aos dilemas presentes no amplo campo do tema escolhido porque este tipo de perspectiva encontra respostas que estão arraigadas na estrutura do mundo e ao colocar-se em primeiro plano o tema geral da pobreza, a classe detém uma importância explicativa primordial porque o aspecto material é o único fator ao qual pode-se atribuir uma primazia causal. As privações geradas pela exclusão de ativos em um sistema capitalista não são simplesmente um infeliz subproduto da busca do lucro capitalista, eles são uma condição necessária para esta persecução.<br>This dissertation is a literature review of approaches from different perspectives on the phenomenon of poverty. Theoretical and methodological discussions are on the agenda of economists and sociologists in order to establish another way of defining and measuring the phenomenon of poverty. For this proposition was necessary to overcome the remaining areas and their approaches. The Economic Perspective and the approach through the income paradigm, the Sociological Perspective on the basis of orthodox Marxist structuralism and also that his culturalist rationality approach that focuses on the concept of subcultures of class and poor adjustment, as Amartya Sen and his concept of capabilities. The objective was to propose an analytical strategy that focuses on determining the substantive results obtained by people in a capitalist economy. Critical realism has been adopted as metateoric support of the research. The hypothesis was that a class model better respond to the dilemmas present in the broad field of the theme chosen. This perspective finds answers that are embedded in the structure of the world and place itself in the foreground of the general topic of poverty. The class holds a primordial explicative importance because the material aspect is the only factor that can be assigned as a asymmetric cause. The deprivations created by the exclusion of assets in a capitalist system are not simply an unfortunate byproduct of the capitalist pursuit of profit, they are a necessary condition for this pursuit.

Aquesta investigació té com a objectiu analitzar el fenomen social de la classe mitjana xinesa, posant atenció especial en la construcció social de la identitat mitjançant l’anàlisi de les pràctiques i representacions socials a la Xina urbana contemporània. L’estudi consisteix en l’anàlisi d’entrevistes semiestructurades mantingudes a Beijing entre l’any 2017 i l’any 2018, del discurs oficial de la classe mitjana xinesa a partir de les esmenes a la Constitució de la República Popular de la Xina (RPX) i dels textos i discursos dels líders de l’Estat-partit i, finalment, del contingut dels articles sobre classe mitjana publicats a Renmin wang (People’s Daily online) —el portaveu del Comitè Central del Partit Comunista Xinès— des de principis del segle XXI. Per això, l’etnografia no es centra únicament en proporcionar un exemple categòric de la construcció d’una identitat de classe mitjana a Beijing, sinó que també explora el camp social de la Xina urbana contemporània com a espai multidimensional de mobilitat social, de noves pràctiques i representacions socials —és a dir, de nous estils de vida. Tot i que s’ha emprat un esquema conceptual associat a l’obra de Pierre Bourdieu, alguns resultats obtinguts qüestionen la seva conceptualització de “classe real” i la seva formulació sobre les condicions homogènies d’existència de classe i la seva capacitat de generar pràctiques socials similars. El model de Bourdieu permet descobrir una sèrie de característiques definidores que indiquen que la formació dels grups de classes mitjanes a la RPX constitueix principalment un fenomen de reproducció social en comptes d’un procés de formació de classe. D’altra banda, el resultat d’aquesta recerca determina de quina manera la tesi de la “cleavage society” o l’anomenada cristal·lització de classes rau principalment en el consum —és a dir, el capital econòmic—, i no tant en una identitat &#8216;de classe’ reconeixedora o &#8216;classe real’. La migració interna a la RPX és una forma de consum d’un determinat estil de vida, una pràctica suzhi (&#8216;de qualitat’) i una manera de construir-se com a subjecte de classe mitjana, civilitzat i modern. Tanmateix, a la Xina urbana es construeix progressivament una identitat de classe mitjana no només amb pràctiques de consum, sinó també amb l’experiència de participar en noves activitats al barri basada en principis oberts, públics i solidaris, i també en accions col·lectives contra la vulneració dels seus drets com a propietaris. Així doncs, aquesta investigació mostra la validesa i la configuració del concepte de classe —juntament amb els de racialització, gènere i sexualitat— per a produir una representació precisa de la institucionalització, legitimació i reproducció tant de la desigualtat com del privilegi a les societats contemporànies.<br>Esta investigación tiene como objetivo analizar el fenómeno de la clase media china, poniendo especial énfasis en la construcción social de la identidad mediante el análisis de las prácticas y representaciones sociales en China urbana contemporánea. Se utiliza una metodología mixta que incluye el análisis de entrevistas semiestructuradas llevadas a cabo en Beijing entre 2017 y 2018, el discurso oficial de la clase media china a través de las enmiendas a la Constitución de la República Popular de China (RPC) y de textos y discursos de los líderes del Estado-partido y, finalmente, del contenido de los artículos sobre clase media publicados en Renmin wang (Diario del Pueblo en Línea) —portavoz oficial del Comité Central del Partido Comunista Chino— desde principios del siglo XXI. Por lo tanto, el objetivo de este estudio no es brindar únicamente un ejemplo categórico de la construcción social de la identidad en la clase media, sino explorar también el campo social de China urbana contemporánea como espacio multidimensional de movilidad social, de nuevas prácticas y representaciones sociales —es decir, de nuevos estilos de vida. Aunque estas observaciones parten del esquema conceptual propuesto por Pierre Bourdieu, los resultados obtenidos cuestionan su conceptualización de la ’clase real’ y su formulación respecto a las condiciones homogéneas de existencia de las clases y su capacidad generadora de prácticas sociales similares. El modelo de Bourdieu permite descubrir una serie de características definidoras que indican que la formación de los grupos de clases medias en la RPC constituye principalmente un fenómeno de reproducción social en lugar de un proceso de formación de clase. Por otra parte, el resultado de esta investigación determina de qué manera la tesis de la ‘cleavage society’ o cristalización de clases se fundamenta principalmente en el consumo —es decir, el capital económico—, y no tanto en una identidad de ‘clase’ reconocible o ‘clase real’. La migración interna en la RPC es una forma de consumo de un determinado estilo de vida, una práctica suzhi (&#8216;de calidad’) y una manera de construirse como sujeto de clase media, civilizado y moderno. Además, en las ciudades chinas se construye progresivamente una identidad de clase media no solo con prácticas de consumo, sino también con la experiencia de participar en nuevas actividades vecinales basadas en principios abiertos, públicos y solidarios, y en acciones colectivas contra la vulneración de sus derechos como propietarios. Así, esta investigación muestra la validez y la configuración del concepto de clase —junto a los de etnicidad, género y sexualidad— para producir una representación precisa de la institucionalización, legitimación y reproducción tanto de la desigualdad como del privilegio en las sociedades contemporáneas<br>This research aims to explore the social phenomenon of the Chinese middle class, with particular focus on the social construction of identity by analysing social practices and representations in contemporary urban China. The study is framed in the analysis of semi-structured interviews collected in Beijing between 2017 and 2018, the official discourse of the Chinese middle class through the amendments to the Chinese Constitution, the main texts and speeches of the Party-state leaders and, finally, the content of articles on middle class published on Renmin Wang (People’s Daily online) —the mouthpiece of Central Committee of the Communist Party of China— since the early 21st century. Therefore, the aim of this research is not only to provide a categorical example of the social construction of identity within Beijing’s middle class, but also to explore the social field in Contemporary urban China as a multidimensional space of social mobility, new social practices and representations —that is, new lifestyles. While these observations have been derived by employing a conceptual schema associated with the work of Pierre Bourdieu, some results obtained question his conceptualization of “real class” and his formulation on homogeneous conditions of class as homogeneous systems of dispositions capable of generating similar practices. As a result, this study has discovered a number of defining characteristics that indicate that the formation of the middle-classes groups in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) constitutes a social reproduction phenomenon rather than a class formation process. Moreover, the findings of the case study undertaken in Beijing are also supportive of the thesis of a cleavage society or the so-called class crystallization is maintained primarily through consumption —that is, economic capital—, but not through a recognizable ‘class’ identity or ‘real class’. Also, this study has shown that domestic migration in the PRC is also a form of lifestyle consumption, a suzhi (‘quality’) practice and a way to fashion oneself as a middle-class, civilized and modern subject. However, a middle-class identity is progressively constructed in urban China not only through consumption practices but also through the experience of participating in new activities in their neighbourhood life based on principles of openness, publicity and solidarity, and also in collective action against violation of their private-property rights as homeowners. Besides, the research revealed the validity and the configuration of the concept of class —together with racialization, gender and sexuality— to produce an accurate representation of the institutionalization, legitimatization and reproduction of both inequality and privilege in contemporary societies.

In this thesis, we present numerical examples of class invariants constructed by DeShalit-Goren in [14]. These class invariants are an attempt to generalize the classical theory of elliptic units. The hope is that a better understanding of these class invariants would lead to other cases of Stark's conjectures expressing the value of derivatives of Artin L-functions at s = 0 in term of a regulator of linear forms in logarithms of S-units.

The purpose of this thesis is to study the development process and final applications of class scheduling systems. This study helped in listing the additional features required to build a better system for class scheduling. Thus a system, Class Scheduler, is developed using Visual Basic as a front-end application which meets the class scheduling requirements including the functions of querying, generating reports and checking for constraints. Versions of class scheduling had been developed using Visual C++ in 1995 and using COBOL in 1983. A comparison of the development process and the resultant systems is made in this thesis.<br>Department of Computer Science

Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Centro Tecnológico. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Engenharia de Produção.<br>Made available in DSpace on 2012-10-19T23:09:34Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 195194.pdf: 1625327 bytes, checksum: 9119824aa695b15196a2d41828cbe7b6 (MD5)<br>Este trabalho aborda o modelo de ensino Virtual Class que possui um ambiente tridimensional e que utiliza tecnologias baseadas na Realidade Virtual. Foram enfatizadas questões técnicas e teóricas no desenvolvimento e uso deste ambiente. Esta discussão é apoiada em dados de projetos já concluídos ou em desenvolvimento, ilustrando o levantamento das pesquisas realizadas nesta área. O projeto Virtual Class foi desenvolvido com base numa análise sobre a simulação aplicada à educação nas suas diversas vertentes. A evolução tecnológica permite sua utilização em inúmeras áreas. O Virtual Class modela um ambiente comum para usuário levando em consideração o conhecimento prévio que o usuário tem sobre o mesmo. Esse fator facilita a interação do usuário com o mundo virtual. O usuário encontra no Virtual Class, por exemplo, uma academia de ginástica. Neste ambiente, o usuário pode realizar experiências que não seriam possíveis de realizar numa academia no mundo real. Ele pode experimentar por exemplo, fazer um trabalho em um aparelho com uma carga muito acima do que realmente consegue suportar e assim visualizar de forma virtual o que pode vir a acontecer com o seu organismo (músculos, articulações, etc) se tivesse realizado a mesma experiência no mundo real.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2007.<br>The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file. Title from title screen of research.pdf file (viewed on March 19, 2009) Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Submitted by Yan Bernardes Vieites Castro dos Santos (yan.vieites@gmail.com) on 2017-08-10T14:56:37Z No. of bitstreams: 1 The Prosocial Class - How Social Class Influences Prosocial Behavior (Versão Final).pdf: 1469168 bytes, checksum: b516c5d38bb18756e5b26eef64cd026d (MD5)<br>Approved for entry into archive by ÁUREA CORRÊA DA FONSECA CORRÊA DA FONSECA (aurea.fonseca@fgv.br) on 2017-08-10T16:23:38Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 The Prosocial Class - How Social Class Influences Prosocial Behavior (Versão Final).pdf: 1469168 bytes, checksum: b516c5d38bb18756e5b26eef64cd026d (MD5)<br>Made available in DSpace on 2017-08-18T19:40:22Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 The Prosocial Class - How Social Class Influences Prosocial Behavior (Versão Final).pdf: 1469168 bytes, checksum: b516c5d38bb18756e5b26eef64cd026d (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-07-19<br>The concept of noblesse oblige establishes that the differential in privileges between the rich and the poor should be balanced by a differential in duties towards those in need. However, the empirical findings regarding which are the most prosocial groups havebeenascontroversialasthisassertive. Whereasresearchintheso-calledpsychological framework has advocated a negative relationship between social class and prosocial behavior, the economic approach has claimed the opposite (i.e., positive) direction to be true. This article sought to disentangle conflicting findings from these strands of research across two different studies. In the first study, we conducted a series of focus groups in both wealthy and impoverished areas. Results suggested that research in the domain of social class has been circumscribed to an almost conventionalized few prosocial behaviors that are not representative neither of wealthy nor of poor individuals. In the second study, we conducted surveys in the same areas. Results revealed that, despite having less resources and opportunities to help others, lower social class individuals are more prosocial than their upper-class counterparts. Furthermore, prosociality differences cannot be explained by a different pattern of targets of help across the social spectrum. Implications for practice and research on prosociality are also discussed.

This research examines the relationship between 'race' and class in Britain. This is achieved by considering how these two concepts articulate in the overall structuring of class relationships in a society which is typified by the incorporatation of black labour into a majority white society, This relationship is examined through an investigation of those black workers who occupy a position in the objectively defined middle class. The basic theme underlying this research is that 'race, in the form of structural racism, plays a significant role at two levels. Firstly, it serves to structure the class position of black labour in Britain. Secondly, it serves to determine the type of race, class and political consciousness generated by black labour. The study was carried out in the London area. Occupation was used as an indicator of 'objective' class position when selecting respondents to be included in the two survey populations required for the research. A 'network' approach was used to actually locate the respondents. In-depth interviews were carried out with all the respondents. The study concludes that the concepts of 'race' and class are not independent of each other in the overall structuring of class relationships between black and white labour. It is argued that the inter-relationship identified between these two concepts serves to highlight the fact that the structural position of black labour, the type of consciousness generated and the type of decisions taken by those who took part in the research are to a large extent a result of the structural constraints deriving from the effects of structural racism in Britain.

This study utilizes a multi-method approach to analyzing the experience of working class and lower class women's experience in graduate school. A quantitative analysis is used to determine the number of working class and lower class females in graduate school using parents' education as a proxy. Most first-generation females in graduate school were found in Research I universities in the field of Education. A qualitative analysis includes semi-structured interviews of 34 women from two Research I institutions in the Southwest in the fields of Education, Psychology, Health Sciences and Biology. Data consists of the women's definitions of social class, values and experiences as well as their perceptions of graduate school culture and their mobility process during their graduate school experience. The women in this study revealed a contemporary definition of social class unlike academic Marxist and other sociological definitions. Their experiences of graduate student culture reveal a direct conflict with their social class values. Finally, their mobility experience in graduate school reveals contradictory feelings of pride and hiding their accomplishments from family.

The Multidrug drug resistance (MDR) phenotype is a major limitation to chemotherapy. The MDR phenotype arises when class I P-glycoproteins (P-gps) are overexpressed in cultured cells in vitro and in tumor cells in vivo. P-gps are encoded in rodents by three genes: mdr1, mdr2 and mdr3. Class I P-gps (Mdrl, Mdr3) confer drug resistance upon transfection in non-resistant cells and act as ATP dependent drug efflux pumps, class II P-gps (Mdr2) do not convey MDR but act as lipid flippases in the canalicular membranes of hepatocytes. P-gps are composed of twelve transmembrane domains and two nucleotide binding sites. The membrane spanning domains (MSD) of Pgp show the lowest level of similarity amongst family members and are postulated to be responsible for the different substrate specificities of the two classes of P-gp. In this study, chimeric cDNAs were constructed between class I and class II P-gps. The cDNAs were optimized for expression and study in yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Pichia pastoris) expression systems. The ATPase activity of the expressed constructs was studied by vanadate induced trapping of nucleotides.

This thesis examines the ways in which social class has repercussions for people's quotidian interactions through the evaluations they make about themselves and others. The setting for this research is two districts in the county of Essex and differently deprived small areas within them. Rather than being a homogeneous county, as is often suggested through the employment of stereotypical representations, 1 show how class and place are mutually constitutive and integral to the boundaries drawn between these small areas of Essex by residents. Bourdieusain concepts of habitus, capital and field - especially habitus - are employed in the presentation of a theoretical framework which speaks of the classed, hierarchical evaluations we all make in our everyday lives as 'felt hierarchies of class'. This is an individualized framework that we each carry with us and use as a point of reference to guide our understandings of others; we 'class' others and place them at 'appropriate' paints in our felt hierarchy of class relative to ourselves and others, a process triggered by the meanings that particular 'class clues' hold for us. The thesis argues that individual perception, filtered by the habitus, is centra! 10 class positioning and judgement. Moreover, the class categories often imposed by academics upon people are less valuable to our understanding of how people feel about class than the positions in felt hierarchies that people allocate to themselves and others and reference in future evaluations. If we wish to understand the current relationship between people and class then we must highlight individualized meanings and place participants at the centre of research. The classing process is multifaceted and class clues are ripe with meaning which allow us to infer much about others and understand our classed selves. The thesis aims to shed light upon the complexities of everyday classing practice.

This study is concerned with the dynamical processes occurring during the formation of low mass stars. Observations of protostars in the Perseus and Serpens molecular clouds show evidence for outflowing gas which is used to calculate the energetics of the molecular outflows. In the case of three objects, FIRS1, SMM4 and SVS13, more detailed analysis is carried out to attempt to determine the outflow structure, and detect rotational and infall motions in the circumstellar envelopes. The effects that the angular resolution of the observations have on the results is also considered. Continuum emission from dust in circumstellar accretion discs is observed using the JCMT-CSO single baseline interferometer, enabling disc growth rates and formation timescales to be estimated. It is found that even the most deeply embedded protostars in the survey have substantial circumstellar discs, and the disc mass is not seen to significantly increase with time, placing constraints on models of disc formation and evolution. Further investigation of the kinematics in two Class I sources in the Taurus molecular cloud, TMC1 and TMC1A, clearly shows rotation in the circumstellar envelopes, permitting accurate estimates of the central stellar masses. The results confirm that these sources have accreted the bulk of their final masses, and when combined with measurements of their bolometric luminosities enables strict upper limits to the mass infall rates to be calculated. The mass infall rates differ from the rates predicted by the 'standard' model of star formation by an order of magnitude, implying that core collapse does not proceed at a constant rate during the embedded protostellar stage. Alternative models of core collapse are discussed.

Thesis (M. Eng.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 2004.<br>Includes bibliographical references (p. 63-64).<br>A tracking-rail power audio amplifier was designed and partially implemented to deliver up to 100W into an 8Q load with very low signal distortion and high power efficiency. The design uses a class-A amplifier, known for its low signal distortion but low power efficiency (less than 50%), to amplify the audio signal. Class-D amplifiers, known for their high power efficiency (greater than 85%) but high signal distortion, provide a signal output that will serve as the supply voltages of the output stage of the class-A amplifier. Thus, the rails will track the audio signal, highly increasing the power efficiency of the Class-A amplifier. This amplifier can achieve a theoretical efficiency of 80%, but, in practice, it is closer to 70%.<br>by Angel A. Caballero.<br>M.Eng.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Chemistry, 2010<br>Vita. Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.<br>Includes bibliographical references.<br>I. Total Synthesis of All Class III Galbulimima Alkaloids We describe the total synthesis of (+)- and (-)-galbulimima alkaloid 13, (-)-himgaline anad (-)-himbadine. The absolute stereochemistry of natural (-)-galbulimima alkaloid 13 is revised to 2S. Sequential use of catalytic cross-coupling and cross-metathesis reactions followed by an intramolecular Diels-Alder reaction provided the required trans-decalin AB-ring system and masked the Cl 6-carbonyl as an N-vinyl carbamate for late stage unveiling in the form of the necessary C16-enone. A vinyl-radical cyclization secured the C-ring while successful execution of our strategy for introduction of the CDE-ring system in complex galbulimima alkaloids provided the target pentacycle with complete diastereoselection. II. Total Synthesis of (-)-Himandrine We describe the first total synthesis of (-)-himandrine, a member of the class II galbulimima alkaloids. Noteworthy features of this chemistry include a diastereoselective Diels- Alder reaction in the rapid synthesis of the tricycle ABC-ring system in enantiomerically enriched form, the use of a formal [3+3] annulation strategy to secure the CDE-ring system with complete diastereoselection, and successful implementation of our biogenetically inspired oxidative spirocyclization of an advanced intermediate. The successful and direct late-stage formation of the F-ring in the hexacyclic core of himandrine drew on the power of biogenetic considerations and fully utilized the inherent chemistry of a plausible biosynthetic intermediate.<br>by Meiliana Tjandra.<br>Ph.D.

In the software industry today many programmers spend countless hours maintaining existing Java programs. The cost of code maintenance affects a company in many ways such as the budget, time management and resources. Making management decisions regarding these issues could be assisted, if maintenance cost of Java classes could be predicted. The goal of this thesis was to create a new model predicting the maintenance effort based on the Java class complexity. It seems clear the complexity of a Java class can directly relate to the amount of time it will take to perform maintenance on the class. To develop the new maintenance effort model, a test bed of Java classes was assembled representing a sample of Java classes from the workplace. Then a variety of Java class metrics were calculated using these classes. Using the backward elimination process of regression analysis in SPSS, a new model was created predicting maintenance effort. The metrics that best predicted maintenance effort were the depth of an inheritance tree, the number of times a class has been deployed to the customer and the lines of code. Together, these metrics together were able to predict 85% of the maintenance effort on the set of Java classes tested.

Presenta el proyecto titulado “Clases sin Estrés” el cual tiene como objetivo mejorar el nivel de enseñanza en los niños de 9 – 13 años eliminando el proceso estresante que se maneja actualmente en los colegios a través de una técnica de relajación previa al proceso de enseñanza. La metodología utilizada será una técnica llamada Mind Fulness que significa “Atención Plena”, dado que este modelo es un éxito en países como España que es utilizada en más de 200 colegios y en países como EEUU, Holanda y Alemania que tienen previsto considerarla en su currículo escolar para el año 2020, por arrojar índices positivos en el rendimiento de los niños, estamos convencidos que esta metodología va permitir que el proceso de aprendizaje en los niños sea sin estrés. Conforme al análisis efectuado en el presente documento se concluye que aplicando la técnica de Mind Fulness en el proceso de enseñanza en niños se reducirá el bajo rendimiento en los niños y a su vez los niños serán más felices porque causará un impacto positivo en su vida personal. En consecuencia, una educación de calidad permitirá a los niños del futuro enfrentar problemas de diversa índole y los llevará a tomar las mejores decisiones tanto en el ámbito personal como profesional. Finalmente, como beneficio para “Class For Kids” que es una empresa con fines de lucro y de acuerdo a análisis, este negocio que se pondrá en marcha permitirá obtener altos índices de rentabilidad, debido a que existe un gran mercado potencial que está insatisfecho en temas de enseñanza a niños.

The following thesis contains an extensive account of the theory of class groups. First the form class group is introduced through equivalence classes of certain integral binary quadratic forms with a given discriminant. The sets of classes is then turned into a group through an operation referred to as "composition''. Then the ideal class group is introduced through classes of fractional ideals in the ring of integers of quadratic fields with a given discriminant. It is then shown that for negative fundamental discriminants, the ideal class group and form class group are isomorphic. Some concrete computations are then done, after which some of the most central conjectures concerning the average behaviour of class groups with discriminant less than $X$ -- the Cohen-Lenstra heuristics -- are stated and motivated. The thesis ends with a sketch of a proof by Bob Hough of a strong result related to a special case of the Cohen-Lenstra heuristics.<br>Följande mastersuppsats innehåller en utförlig redogörelse av klassgruppsteori. Först introduceras formklassgruppen genom ekvivalensklasser av en typ av binära kvadratiska former med heltalskoefficienter och en given diskriminant. Mängden av klasser görs sedan till en grupp genom en operation som kallas "komposition''. Därefter introduceras idealklassgruppen genom klasser av kvotideal i heltalsringen till kvadratiska talkroppar med given diskriminant. Det visas sedan att formklassgruppen och idealklassgruppen är isomorfa för negativa fundamentala diskriminanter. Några konkreta beräkningar görs sedan, efter vilka en av de mest centrala förmodandena gällande det genomsnittliga beteendet av klassgrupper med diskriminant mindre än $X$ -- Cohen-Lenstra heuristiken -- formuleras och motiveras. Uppsatsen avslutas med en skiss av ett bevis av Bob Hough av ett starkt resultat relaterat till ett specialfall av Cohen-Lenstra heuristiken.

Il mio elaborato affronta il tema della class action, introdotta per la prima volta in Italia nel 2010, dopo molti rinvii. Paragonando la disciplina italiana con quella statunitense, ne chiarisce le occasioni di opportuno utilizzo e le potenzialità di questo strumento in entrambi gli ordinamenti. Successivamente vengono passati in rassegna e confrontati alcuni dei più importanti casi di azione di classe nazionali e internazionali – alcuni dei quali ancora in corso (es. caso Volkswagen) - osservando come con tale “riunione delle loro forze” i consumatori assumano un peso processuale che individualmente non potrebbero mai avere. Infine si esplorano le novità del 2013, tra cui una proposta di legge giunta alla Camera che prospetta il cambiamento della procedura della class action, trasferendone la disciplina dal codice del consumo a quello di procedura civile e si sottolineano le prospettive di evoluzione futura.

Thesis advisor: Willaim A. Gamson<br>What are the class culture differences among US progressive social movement groups? This mixed-methods study finds that activists speak and act differently depending on their class background, current class and upward, downward or steady class trajectory, confirming previous research on cultural capital and conditioned class predispositions. In 2007-8, 34 meetings of 25 groups in four movement traditions were observed in five states; 364 demographic surveys were collected; and 61 interviews were conducted. I compared activists' approaches to six frequently mentioned group problems. * Lifelong-working-class activists, usually drawn in through preexisting affiliations, relied on recruitment incentives such as food and one-on-one relationships. Both disempowered neophytes and experienced powerhouses believed in strength in numbers, had positive attitudes towards trustworthy leaders, and stressed loyalty and unity. * Lifelong-professional-middle-class (PMC) activists, usually individually committed to a cause prior to joining, relied on shared ideas to recruit. They focused more on internal organizational development and had negative attitudes towards leadership. Subsets of PMC activists behaved differently: lower professionals communicated tentatively and avoided conflict, while upper-middle-class people were more assertive and polished. * Upwardly mobile straddlers tended to promote their moral certainties within groups. A subset, uprooted from their working-class backgrounds but not assimilated into professional circles, sometimes pushed self-righteously and brought discord into groups. * Voluntarily downwardly mobile activists, mostly young white anarchists, drew the strongest ideological boundaries and had the most distinct movement culture. Mistrustful of new people and sometimes seeing persuasion as coercive, they had the weakest recruitment and group cohesion methods. Analysis of class speech differences found that working-class activists spoke more often but more briefly in meetings, preferred more concrete speech, and used more teasing and self-deprecating humor. The professional-middle-class (in background and/or current class) spoke longer but less often, preferred more abstract vocabulary, and used less negative humor. Group styles were formed by the interplay of members' predominant class trajectories and groups' movement traditions. Better understanding these class culture differences would enable activists to strengthen cross-class alliances to build more powerful social movements<br>Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2012<br>Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences<br>Discipline: Sociology

Submitted by Renata Lopes (renatasil82@gmail.com) on 2016-02-01T14:39:32Z No. of bitstreams: 1 susanamariamaia.pdf: 2486403 bytes, checksum: f7827b205378e4dff4dd5dc5e87c2b19 (MD5)<br>Approved for entry into archive by Adriana Oliveira (adriana.oliveira@ufjf.edu.br) on 2016-02-01T15:50:18Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 susanamariamaia.pdf: 2486403 bytes, checksum: f7827b205378e4dff4dd5dc5e87c2b19 (MD5)<br>Made available in DSpace on 2016-02-01T15:50:18Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 susanamariamaia.pdf: 2486403 bytes, checksum: f7827b205378e4dff4dd5dc5e87c2b19 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-06-09<br>CAPES - Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior<br>Esta dissertação tem por objeto central discutir a relevância da luta coletiva no processo de formação da consciência de classe. O universo pesquisado refere-se a uma ocupação urbana, denominada Comunidade Dandara, nascida em 09 de abril de 2009, na cidade de Belo Horizonte, capital mineira. A ação foi fruto da atuação conjunta das Brigadas Populares, do Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra (MST) e da Comissão Pastoral da Terra (CPT). Nosso objetivo foi o de identificar elementos do processo de formação da consciência de classe naquele território específico. Para tanto, estruturamos uma base teórica e histórica que pudesse nos fornecer chaves de leitura para a análise daquele universo de pesquisa. No primeiro capítulo fizemos um estudo aprofundado acerca das categorias classe, luta de classes, consciência de classe e alienação, tendo como eixo central a esfera da vida cotidiana, como espaço de reprodução das relações sociais, e os momentos do processo de formação da consciência delimitados a partir da tradição marxista. Discorremos, ainda, sobre a emancipação política e emancipação humana como campos que delimitam a intensidade da ação política da classe trabalhadora. No segundo capítulo realizamos uma discussão acerca das determinações históricas e conjunturais que compõem o cenário do capitalismo contemporâneo, como forma de compreender o impacto destas determinações na constituição da questão urbana no Brasil e nas lutas sociais pelo direito à cidade. Apresentamos a ação dos movimentos sociais urbanos no Brasil a partir de um de seus expoentes mais significativos, o Movimento dos Trabalhadores Sem-Teto (MTST). Este foi o caminho percorrido para chegarmos ao universo de pesquisa, a ocupação urbana em Belo Horizonte. A linha investigativa foi a pesquisa qualitativa, onde utilizamos como instrumentos metodológicos, a pesquisa bibliográfica, a observação em campo e a entrevista semi-estruturada. Entrevistamos três segmentos representativos da história da ocupação: lideranças da ocupação, militantes dos movimentos que articularam a ocupação e militantes da Rede de apoio. A partir da investigação realizada identificamos na experiência da ocupação Dandara, elementos que apontam para o desenvolvimento de uma consciência crítica junto aos indivíduos. Essa é constituída no cotidiano da luta coletiva através de diversos aprendizados possibilitados pela inserção dos indivíduos em lutas de outras ocupações e lutas sociais diversas; pela participação na organicidade da ocupação, entre seus espaços organizativos e atividades massivas; pelo desenvolvimento de processos comunitários de solidariedade e humanização das relações. A consciência se dá na luta, identificamos na experiência investigada uma consciência embrionária, que eleva os indivíduos de sua condição imediata, porém ainda com limitações para a constituição do que denominamos consciência para si que favoreça a construção de um processo de emancipação humana.<br>This dissertation is the central object discuss the relevance of collective struggle in the formation of class consciousness. The study universe refers to an urban occupation, called Community Dandara, born April 9, 2009, in the city of Belo Horizonte, capital of Minas Gerais. The action was the result of joint efforts of the Popular Brigades, the Rural Landless Workers Movement (MST) and the Pastoral Land Commission (CPT). Our goal was to identify elements in the formation of class consciousness that particular territory. To this end, we designed a theoretical and historical basis that could provide us with reading keys for the analysis of that research universe. In the first chapter we made a thorough study of the categories of class, class struggle, class consciousness and alienation, whose central axis sphere of everyday life, as a space of reproduction of social relations, and the moments of the process of formation of consciousness delimited from the Marxist tradition. Furthermore, we discuss the political emancipation and human emancipation as fields that define the intensity of the political action of the working class. In the second chapter we held a discussion on the historical and conjunctural determinations that make up the landscape of contemporary capitalism as a way to understand the impact of these determinations in the constitution of the urban question in Brazil and in social struggles for the right to the city. Here is the action of urban social movements in Brazil from one of its most significant exponents, the Movement of Homeless Workers (MTST). This was the path taken to reach the universe of research, urban occupation in Belo Horizonte. The investigative line was qualitative research, which we used as methodological tools, bibliographic research, field observation and semi - structured interview. We interviewed three representative segments of the history of occupation: occupation leaders, militant movements that articulated the occupation and the militant network of support. From the investigation identified the experience of occupation Dandara, elements that point to the development of a critical awareness among individuals. This consists in daily collective struggle through various learning enabled by the inclusion of individuals in other occupations and on various social struggles; by participation in the organic nature of the occupation, among its organizational spaces and massive activities; community processes for developing solidarity and humanizing relations. Consciousness gives the fight, identified in the experiment investigated an embryonic consciousness that elevates individuals in their immediate condition, but still had limitations for the creation of what we call consciousness itself conducive to the construction of a process of human emancipation.

Submitted by Filipe dos Santos (fsantos@pucsp.br) on 2016-11-21T11:25:27Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Silvia Mara Novaes Sousa Bertani.pdf: 5236253 bytes, checksum: 1d2803d80d9c1af2f40555de3ddf27a1 (MD5)<br>Made available in DSpace on 2016-11-21T11:25:27Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Silvia Mara Novaes Sousa Bertani.pdf: 5236253 bytes, checksum: 1d2803d80d9c1af2f40555de3ddf27a1 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-09-30<br>Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior<br>Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico<br>This doctoral thesis is the study of the theory of prosperity of the neo-pentecostal denomination of churches and in particular the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God. The overall objective is to understand the theory of iurdiana prosperity provides access to a "new" social class, entrepreneurial. The specific objective is to understand the relationship between the spiritual capital and the trajectory of the faithful iurdiano entrepreneur to a "new" social class: the entrepreneurial middle class. For realization of our objectives was used qualitative methodology and intentional quantitative based on questionnaires, interviews and analysis of programs and religious events of the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God. Ten interviews intentionally selected were analyzed. For the construction of the research object, we are relying on the theory of cultural reproduction of Pierre Bourdieu and empirical research conducted within the group in question. The choice of the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God was made to be that one of the most important religious institutions and more faithful. We chose to study this issue in a specific region of São Paulo, the local Brás region of high concentration of neo-Pentecostal evangelicals and faithful of the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God<br>Esta tese de doutorado se constitui no estudo sobre a teoria da prosperidade das igrejas de denominação neopentecostal e, em especial da Igreja Universal do Reino de Deus. O objetivo geral é compreender se a teoria da prosperidade iurdiana propicia o acesso a uma “nova” classe social, a empreendedora. O objetivo específico é a compreensão da relação entre o capital espiritual e a trajetória do fiel iurdiano empreendedor a uma “nova” classe social: a classe média empreendedora. Para realização de nossos objetivos foi utilizada metodologia qualitativa e a quantitativa intencional baseada na aplicação de questionários, entrevistas e análise de programas e eventos religiosos da Igreja Universal do Reino de Deus. Foram analisadas dez entrevistas selecionadas intencionalmente. Para a construção do objeto de pesquisa, nos apoiamos na teoria da reprodução cultural de Pierre Bourdieu e em pesquisas empíricas realizadas no contexto do grupo em análise. A escolha da Igreja Universal do Reino de Deus se fez por ser essa uma das instituições religiosas mais importantes e com maior número de fiéis. Optou-se pelo estudo desse tema em uma região específica da cidade de São Paulo, a região do Brás local de grande concentração de evangélicos neopentecostais e fiéis da Igreja Universal do Reino de Deus

The primary goal of this dissertation is to lay the groundwork for the eventual combination of micro and macro levels of class analysis into a unified theory. The first steps of this process require the creation of a micro level theory of class identity formation, a slight reconceptualization of the class map upon which the macro level theory is based, and an elaboration of the partial macro level theory provided by Wright (1997). At the micro level, I find the factors which contribute to class identity formation depend on which class identities are being distinguished. This result echoes the findings of Centers [1949] 1961, but moves beyond his analysis by quantifying the contribution of each of the factors to the predicted probability of selecting a class identity. At the macro level, I find that including partial ownership in Wright's class map uncovers important hidden variation among Wright's non-owning class locations. Separating partial owners from non-owners illustrates an important source of division in class consciousness not possible using Wright's class map. Finally, I further elaborate Wright's partial theory of class consciousness by demonstrating that McPherson's concept of socio-structural space can be usefully applied to the class structure, which provides a set of hypotheses to explain how class formation affects class consciousness. The solidarity hypothesis is supported, suggesting class based homogeneous friendship relations strengthen class consciousness in the polar class locations. Increasing class based social distance between friends, decreases the strength of an individual's class consciousness. While just the first steps, these advancements in theory and empirical results help further the cause of creating a unified theory of class by strengthening our understanding of both the micro and macro levels of class analysis. With these improvements in place, further work at both levels of analysis can continue the process of integrating the two levels of analysis.

Adults from the middle-classes are up to three times more likely to be regularly involved in sport than those from the working-class. The reason for this participation anomaly has been consistently linked to the differing lifestyles and opportunities to which young people from working and middle-class backgrounds are exposed. More specifically, working-class children are more likely to develop narrow, class-related leisure profiles and sporting repertoires during their childhood that serve to limit the likelihood of them remaining physically active in adulthood. In relation to this, one of the key aims of physical education (PE) in mainstream schools is to develop the range of skills and knowledge for all pupils and widen their sporting repertoires in an attempt to promote long-term participation throughout their lives. However, not only has PE provision in British mainstream schools been shown to be unsuccessful in promoting working-class pupils’ sporting/ability development, some suggest that the subject may even be perpetuating the social difference that has been shown to exist in relation to sports participation between social class groups. In order to address these issues the study set out to examine the extent to which the wider social background of white, working-class ‘lads’ and the actions and attitudes of their PE teachers came to impact on the way the lads influenced and experienced their PE curriculum/lessons. It also aimed to examine the impact that school PE then had on their sporting repertoires and participation in sport/active leisure outside of school. A total of 24 days were spent in Ayrefield Community School (ACS), a purposively selected, working-class state secondary school as part of a case study design. Over 60 practical PE lessons were observed that led to differing roles being adopted and guided conversations being conducted before, during, and after these lessons. Eight focus group interviews were also conducted with specifically chosen lads as well as one with the four members of male PE staff. Additional observations were also carried out during off-site trips, external visits, and in a range of classroom-based lessons. The findings were then considered and examined in relation to the work of the sociologists Norbert Elias and Pierre Bourdieu. The findings revealed that the pressures related to the modern education system and the social expectations linked to their working-class backgrounds caused a split between the lads at ACS in to three broad groups, namely: Problematics, Participants and Performers. These groupings came to impact on the ways that these lads engaged and achieved in school as well as the ways in which they came to negotiate and experience PE. The ‘Problematic’ group held largely negative views of education, but valued PE, especially when playing football, the ‘Participants’ were relatively successful at school yet apathetic regarding the content and delivery of their PE lessons, and a Performer group of lads emerged who engaged and achieved highly at school and participated in a range of activities in PE, but showed little intention of participating outside of school due to their pragmatic attitude to ‘learning’ in PE. Despite these differing school and PE experiences between the lads’ groups, the potential and actual impact of school PE on their sporting repertoires, skills, and interests was ultimately constrained by a range of issues. In the first instance the lads’ narrow, class-related leisure profiles and sporting repertoires linked closely to recreational participation with friends, alongside a lack of proactive parenting were significant limiting factors. In addition, the ability of some lads to constrain the actions of PE staff and peers to get what they wanted in PE rather than what they needed, and the negative views of most lads to skill development and structured PE lessons meant that PE at ACS was never likely to have a positive impact on the sporting repertoires and participation types/levels of its male pupils either currently or in their future lives.

<p> This study examined the social class of African American students in an upper middle class high school and their engagement in school influenced by a parent advisory group consisting of upper and middle class African American men. Student engagement has become a hot topic for school policy makers, administration, teachers, and parents at all educational levels. The question of how best to engage students for academic success is the priority. Although research suggests middle and upper class students do well in school as compared to lower class and working class students, the upper and middle class African American students in this particular school were failing until a group of parents intervened. The school experienced increased student engagement resulting in higher GPA, increased graduation rates, increased numbers of college enrollments and graduation rates, and a reduction in the achievement gap. Using the narrative inquiry method, a qualitative approach, the researcher listened to the participants' authentic voices and conveyed their story. Using a semi-structured conversational interview protocol, the participants shared their "lived" stories about the impact that a parent advisory group had on student engagement at the high school of interest. Findings suggest that when adults exhibit care, build meaningful relationships, and communicate that students are valued, student engagement increases and students are successful in school. The participants explained how the identity, behavior, and status of a group of parents gave options to a group of students in order to increase their academic success and hope for the future.</p>

Part One (Chapters 1-3) discusses the theoretical and historical development of our ideas about class and the intersections of class and taste. Part Two (Chapters 4-8) focuses on Perry’s work. Chapter One explores the differing conceptions of class that are used in contemporary theorising to form a background to my discussion of the role of class in the work of Grayson Perry. Chapter Two looks at models of class: the way in which class has been imaged/imagined in both the popular and political imaginary. The social imaginaries of class are an important context for the discussion of Perry, for his work makes use of and reinvents these models. This chapter also discusses how the language of meritocracy has shaped political policy and influenced how people perceive social mobility. In Chapter Three the focus is on class and taste with specific reference to Bourdieu’s work Distinction: A social critique of the judgement of taste (1986). Bourdieu’s thesis draws attention to the way in which the exercise of taste (both in art and in the realm of everyday life) functions to reinforce and legitimate existing social divisions. Here, the aim is to highlight the way in which Bourdieu’s theory can throw an illuminating light on Perry’s position, as expressed in his Reith Lecture series and elsewhere and in his artistic practice. Taken together these chapters provide the context for the detailed discussion of Perry and class in Part Two of the thesis. The chapters that make up Part Two are as follows. Chapter Four provides a biography of Grayson Perry. These details about Perry’s early life are important because it is here that we find the foundations of his future success as an artist. This chapter also discusses a selection of Perry’s pots. Chapter Five discusses Perry’s exhibition Unpopular Culture (2008). Based on a detailed discussion of selected exhibits my aim is to show that although Perry’s work is not explicitly political, it does carry an implicit politics of class. The influence of Walter Benjamin is important here. Benjamin recognized that ‘culture’ was not an ‘independent realm of values’ that gave representation to the nation as a whole. His aim was to find images that revealed ‘…the bald economic determination of existence’ (Benjamin, 1999, p: 43). I argue that we can find this same political sensibility in Perry’s approach. Many of the photographs in this exhibition reveal how class is an objectivist category anchored in material and social conditions. Perry’s decision to define his role as an artist-ethnographer enables him to make work that is responsive to his subjects. Chapter Six focuses on Perry’s television documentary series All in the Best Possible Taste (2012) in which we accompany the artist as he travels to the different regions of Britain to find answers to the question of what people like and why. The answers he elicits to this apparently simple question form the basis for his tapestry series The Vanity of Small Differences (2012). Chapter Seven presents a detailed analysis of the six tapestries that make up The Vanity of Small Differences (2012). Taken together these tapestries reveal the ways in which class is both made and unmade through culture. Chapter Eight presents a discussion of Perry’s exhibition entitled Who Are You? The fourteen portraits that made up the exhibition were on show at the National Portrait Gallery in 2014. These works were also the culmination of a three-part documentary series Grayson Perry: Who Are You? Perry said that during this research he wanted to speak to people on a more individual level and to hear their personal stories. Here the focus was not ostensibly on class identity but on ‘modern British identity in all its complexity and diversity’ (Brown, 2015). But as we shall see, these complex identifications are always criss-crossed by class differences, not least because as Perry himself acknowledges, class ‘does so inhabit you’ (Perry 2016). This statement reveals what really lies at the heart of Perry’s art and his politics.

Personalized medicine is an emerging field that promises to bring radical changes in healthcare and may be defined as “a medical model using molecular profiling technologies for tailoring the right therapeutic strategy for the right person at the right time, and determine the predisposition to disease at the population level and to deliver timely and stratified prevention”. The sequencing of the human genome together with the development and implementation of new high throughput technologies has provided access to large ‘omics’ (e.g. genomics, proteomics) data, bringing a better understanding of cancer biology and enabling new approaches to diagnosis, drug development, and individualized therapy. ‘Omics’ data have the potential as cancer biomarkers but no consolidated guidelines have been established for discovery analyses. In the context of the EDERA project, funded by the Italian Association for Cancer Research, a structured pipeline was developed with innovative applications of existing bioinformatics methods including: 1) the combination of the results of two statistical tests (t and Anderson-Darling) to detect features with significant fold change or general distributional differences in class comparison; 2) the application of a bootstrap selection procedure together with machine learning techniques to guarantee result generalizability and study the interconnections among the selected features in class prediction. Such a pipeline was successfully applied to plasmatic microRNA, identifying five hemolysis related microRNAs and to Secondary ElectroSpray Ionization-Mass Spectrometry data, in which case eight mass spectrometry signals were found able to discriminate exhaled breath from breast cancer patients from that of healthy individuals.

As políticas públicas de desenvolvimento e distribuição de renda levadas a efeito durante a primeira década do nosso século alteraram os patamares de renda da parcela mais pobre da população brasileira, fenômeno que estaria dando origem àquilo que se passou a chamar de nova classe média brasileira. A redução das desigualdades sociais estaria atrelada, assim, a um processo de mobilidade social. Esse estudo se ocupa desse fenômeno. Para isso, apresenta, inicialmente, uma análise das políticas sociais implementadas, a partir de 2003, nos âmbitos econômico e educacional. A seguir, discute os conceitos de classe social e de mobilidade social, optando por considerar o fenômeno à luz do conceito de capital cultural, de Pierre Bourdieu, com o qual se define o traço distintivo da educação superior como marca da classe média. Assim, propôs-se a investigar a emergência desse traço em universitários oriundos de classes populares, que estariam em processo de mobilidade social. O trabalho de campo, que ouviu 35 estudantes de 16 diferentes cursos da Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, em metodologia de caráter qualitativo, permitiu verificar que os alunos entrevistados mantém seu perfil original de classe trabalhadora, embora sejam inequívocos os ganhos da realização do curso superior, em termos de realização própria e de perspectivas de futuro, tanto para o estudante quanto para o seu grupo social, o que aponta para uma alteração do perfil da classe trabalhadora, e não para a emergência de uma nova classe média.<br>Public policies aimed at promoting development and income distribution carried out during the first decade of the current century changed the income levels of the poorest segment of the population, a phenomenon that could explain the rise of what became known as the new Brazilian middle class. Therefore, the reduction of social inequalities could be linked to a process of social mobility. This study addresses this issue. It starts with an analysis of social policies implemented since 2003 in the economic and educational spheres. Next, social concepts of class and social mobility are discussed in light of Pierre Bourdieus cultural capital concept, which allows defining higher education as the peculiarity of the middle class. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the emergence of this trait among college students from lower classes who were undergoing a process of social mobility. A qualitative survey conducted with 35 students from 16 different courses at the Rio de Janeiro State University showed that students maintained their original working class profile, although the benefits of a higher education were unequivocal in terms of self-fulfillment and future prospects for both the students and their social class. Thus, results of this study suggest changes in the working class profile, and not to the emergence of a new middle class.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Sydney, 2001.<br>Title from title screen (viewed Apr. 22, 2008). Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy to the Dept. of History, Faculty of Arts. Degree awarded 2001; thesis submitted 2000. Includes bibliographical references. Also available in print form.

This paper deals with arbitration clauses and class action waiver clauses inserted in consumer contract forms. Both clauses are deemed to be valid and enforceable in the Italian law system, although the decisions of the Corte di Cassazione consider the arbitration clause an unfair term, therefore null and void. Arbitration clause, indeed, is not an unfair term since it does not prevent the exercise of the jurisdiction according to article 33, section 2, letter t) of the Italian Consumer Code. Further, arbitration clause does not lead to a material unbalance of the contract according to article 33, section 1 of the Italian Consumer Code: as a matter of fact, arbitration clause does not restrict the rights of action of consumers, as they can recur to a class-wide suit, anyhow. In particular, consumer may recur to class arbitration suits. Similarly, neither class action waiver clause could be considered an unfair term according to article 33 of the Italian Consumer Code, since it does not refrain consumers from recurring to individual suits in order to enforce their rights. Furthermore, class action waiver clause does not lead to a material unbalance of the agreement, since Italian class action system is largely underexploited, yet. Comparative method has been crucial for the scope of work: on one hand, the study of the American model has inspired the work, since Federal Supreme Court already settled arbitration clause issue and class action waiver clause issue by four decisions issued within years 2009/2015. Indeed, the Supreme Court ruled for the validity and enforceability of these clauses, therefore, barring consumers from recurring to class action suits or class arbitration suits as well as to any kind of individual suit, since cost-benefit ratio is totally inefficient. On the other hand, the in-depth analysis of origins of class action in the common law systems revealed the real nature of Italian class action regulations adopted in 2009 and 2019. American class action provision currently in force, i.e. Rule 23 FRCP, is the outcome of principles of representative suit arising from centuries of case law. Indeed, procedural provisions disclaimed by Rule 23 FRCP, especially those regarding the certification phase, are provided in order to grant the plaintiff with a standing to sue in representation of the absent class members: class members which will be actually bound by the decision issued in the class action suit. In other words, procedural prescriptions become the source of the power of the plaintiff to sue in representation of the class. On the contrary, Italian class action regulations do not provide any representative power of the plaintiff, although American rules were the blueprint for the Italian legislator. Therefore, unlike Rule 23 FRCP, Italian class action reg-ulations, instead of being the source of power of the plaintiff to introduce a class action, are just procedural provisions adding to ordinary ones. Thus, the consumer has the right to freely use these special procedural devices and, therefore, consumers are free (i) to renounce to class action suit; or (ii) to adopt class action provisions in a class arbitration regulation.

With the advent of the Semantic Web and Semantic Technologies, ontologies have become one of the most prominent paradigms for knowledge representation and reasoning. The popular ontology language OWL, based on description logics, became a W3C recommendation in 2004 and a standard for modelling ontologies on the Web. In the meantime, many studies and applications using OWL have been reported in research and industrial environments, many of which go beyond Internet usage and employ the power of ontological modelling in other fields such as biology, medicine, software engineering, knowledge management, and cognitive systems. However, recent progress in the field faces a lack of well-structured ontologies with large amounts of instance data due to the fact that engineering such ontologies requires a considerable investment of resources. Nowadays, knowledge bases often provide large volumes of data without sophisticated schemata. Hence, methods for automated schema acquisition and maintenance are sought. Schema acquisition is closely related to solving typical classification problems in machine learning, e.g. the detection of chemical compounds causing cancer. In this work, we investigate both, the underlying machine learning techniques and their application to knowledge acquisition in the Semantic Web. In order to leverage machine-learning approaches for solving these tasks, it is required to develop methods and tools for learning concepts in description logics or, equivalently, class expressions in OWL. In this thesis, it is shown that methods from Inductive Logic Programming (ILP) are applicable to learning in description logic knowledge bases. The results provide foundations for the semi-automatic creation and maintenance of OWL ontologies, in particular in cases when extensional information (i.e. facts, instance data) is abundantly available, while corresponding intensional information (schema) is missing or not expressive enough to allow powerful reasoning over the ontology in a useful way. Such situations often occur when extracting knowledge from different sources, e.g. databases, or in collaborative knowledge engineering scenarios, e.g. using semantic wikis. It can be argued that being able to learn OWL class expressions is a step towards enriching OWL knowledge bases in order to enable powerful reasoning, consistency checking, and improved querying possibilities. In particular, plugins for OWL ontology editors based on learning methods are developed and evaluated in this work. The developed algorithms are not restricted to ontology engineering and can handle other learning problems. Indeed, they lend themselves to generic use in machine learning in the same way as ILP systems do. The main difference, however, is the employed knowledge representation paradigm: ILP traditionally uses logic programs for knowledge representation, whereas this work rests on description logics and OWL. This difference is crucial when considering Semantic Web applications as target use cases, as such applications hinge centrally on the chosen knowledge representation format for knowledge interchange and integration. The work in this thesis can be understood as a broadening of the scope of research and applications of ILP methods. This goal is particularly important since the number of OWL-based systems is already increasing rapidly and can be expected to grow further in the future. The thesis starts by establishing the necessary theoretical basis and continues with the specification of algorithms. It also contains their evaluation and, finally, presents a number of application scenarios. The research contributions of this work are threefold: The first contribution is a complete analysis of desirable properties of refinement operators in description logics. Refinement operators are used to traverse the target search space and are, therefore, a crucial element in many learning algorithms. Their properties (completeness, weak completeness, properness, redundancy, infinity, minimality) indicate whether a refinement operator is suitable for being employed in a learning algorithm. The key research question is which of those properties can be combined. It is shown that there is no ideal, i.e. complete, proper, and finite, refinement operator for expressive description logics, which indicates that learning in description logics is a challenging machine learning task. A number of other new results for different property combinations are also proven. The need for these investigations has already been expressed in several articles prior to this PhD work. The theoretical limitations, which were shown as a result of these investigations, provide clear criteria for the design of refinement operators. In the analysis, as few assumptions as possible were made regarding the used description language. The second contribution is the development of two refinement operators. The first operator supports a wide range of concept constructors and it is shown that it is complete and can be extended to a proper operator. It is the most expressive operator designed for a description language so far. The second operator uses the light-weight language EL and is weakly complete, proper, and finite. It is straightforward to extend it to an ideal operator, if required. It is the first published ideal refinement operator in description logics. While the two operators differ a lot in their technical details, they both use background knowledge efficiently. The third contribution is the actual learning algorithms using the introduced operators. New redundancy elimination and infinity-handling techniques are introduced in these algorithms. According to the evaluation, the algorithms produce very readable solutions, while their accuracy is competitive with the state-of-the-art in machine learning. Several optimisations for achieving scalability of the introduced algorithms are described, including a knowledge base fragment selection approach, a dedicated reasoning procedure, and a stochastic coverage computation approach. The research contributions are evaluated on benchmark problems and in use cases. Standard statistical measurements such as cross validation and significance tests show that the approaches are very competitive. Furthermore, the ontology engineering case study provides evidence that the described algorithms can solve the target problems in practice. A major outcome of the doctoral work is the DL-Learner framework. It provides the source code for all algorithms and examples as open-source and has been incorporated in other projects.