Problem: Konkurser drar med sig höga kostnader på olika sätt, och genom åren har många försök gjorts att finna modeller som kan förutse konkurser och därigenom undvika dem. Några av de mest beprövade modellerna är Altmans olika Z-scoremodeller, som genom åren visat olika resultat. Allt fler företag blir också verksamma inom tjänstesektorn, och forskningen menar att dessa företag skiljer sig från tillverkande företag när det gäller dess nyckeltal, vilket alltså borde påverka möjligheterna att förutse konkurser enligt de modeller som idag finns. Syfte: Kontrollera huruvida Altmans Z´´-scoremodell fungerar på små- och medelstora tjänsteföretag i Sverige, men även om korrelation mellan ett företags kreditbetyg och dess Z´´-score föreligger. Metod: Uppsatsen är skriven utifrån ett positivistiskt synsätt med deduktiv ansats, och bygger på kvantitativ sekundärdata. Analyser görs genom hypotesprövning. Slutsats: Altmans Z´´-scoremodell fungerar dåligt på tjänsteföretag inom segmentet små- och medelstora företag i Sverige. Resultatet blir detsamma, även om modellen tillämpas på    tillverkande företag och handelsföretag. Däremot går det se skillnad på nyckeltal i företag försatta i konkurs och friska företag, bland annat genom att konkursföretag har sämre lönsamhet, balanslikviditet och skuldsättningsgrad. Fortsatt forskning: Forskningen går isär när det gäller möjligheterna att förutse konkurser, och det finns fortfarande många aspekter att pröva. Förslag på fortsatt forskning är därför att undersöka hur nyckeltalen verkligen skiljer sig åt, och om det därigenom är möjligt att undvika konkurser. Ytterligare alternativ kan vara att undersöka variablerna i Z´´-scoremodellen, och eventuellt justera dessa för bättre utfall. / Problem: Bankruptcy is associated with a high cost in different ways, and over the years, many attempts have been made to find models that can predict failures and thru that avoid them. Some of the most proven models are Altmans Z-score in various forms, which over the years have shown different results. More and more companies work with services, and research says that these companies differ from manufacturing companies when it comes to its economic ratios, which should affect the possibilities in predicting bankruptcy according to today available models. Purpose: Check whether the Altman Z´´-score model works on small- and medium-sized services companies in Sweden, but also check if correlation exist between a company's credit rating and its Z´´-score. Method: The thesis is written with a positivist and deductive approach, based on quantitative secondary data. Analyses are made by hypothesis testing. Conclusion: Altman's Z´´-score does not work on small- and medium-sized service companies in Sweden. The result is the same, even if the model is applied to manufacturing and trading companies. However, it is possible to see differences between bankrupt companies and healthy companies. Some ratios that show differences are profitability, balance sheet liquidity and leverage, which all are lower in bankrupt companies. Continued research: Researchers are divided when it comes to the possibilities to predict bankruptcy, and there are still many aspects to consider. Suggestions for continued researchis to examine how ratios really differ, and if it is thru that is possible to avoid bankruptcy. Another angle might be to examine the variables of the Z´´-score-model, and maybe adjust them for more accurate result.

Bakgrund: Många företag går i konkurs varje år vilket är förknippade med kostnader för de enskilda intressenterna och för samhället i stort. För att kunna vidta eventuella åtgärder innan konkursen är ett faktum är det av intresse att veta om någon av de modeller som forskare tagit fram för att förutspå konkurser faktiskt fungerar. Syfte: Syftet med denna undersökning är att ta reda på om det går att applicera någon av ett urval av etablerade konkursmodeller på svenska industri- och tillverkningsföretag. Teori: Studien kommer att testa tre olika forskares modeller och metoder: Altmans, Platts och Platts samt Pompes och Bilderbeeks. Metod: I denna studie kommer enbart en deduktiv forskningsansats att användas och datainsamlingen är kvantitativ då nyckeltal hämtas från de aktuella företagens årsredovisningar. Urvalet baseras på de företag som ansökte om konkurs under år 2011 och de som representerar kontrollgruppen har slumpmässigt valts ut bland de företag inom avgränsningen som inte gått i konkurs det aktuella året. Resultat och slutsats: Altmans och Platts och Platts modeller visar sig inte vara applicerbara på svenska företag. Dock är vissa av Pompes och Bilderbeeks nyckeltal tillämpliga till att använda för konkursprognostisering för svenska företag. / Background: Companies are going bankrupt every year which is associated with costs for individual parties with interests in the company and for society in general. To be able to take any action before bankruptcy is a fact, it is interesting to know if any of the models that scientists developed to predict bankruptcies actually works. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to determine whether it is possible to apply a selection of the established bankruptcy models on Swedish manufacturing companies. Theory: The study will test three different researchers' models and methods: Altman's, Platt's and Platt's, as well as Pompe's and Bilderbeek's. Methodology: In this study, only a deductive research approach will be used and the data collection is quantitative since the ratios are obtained from the relevant companies' financial statements. The selection is based on the companies that filed for bankruptcy in 2011 and the firms which represent the control group were selected at random among the companies within the delimitation that didn't go bankrupt during the current year. Result and conclusion: Altmans and Platts and Platts models turn out not to be applicable on Swedish companies. Some of Pompes and Bilderbeeks ratios are relevant for use in bankruptcy prediction for Swedish companies though.

Introduktion: Produktplacering I TV och datorspel har ökat dramatisk under senare åren. Detta till stor del för att datorspelutvecklare idag kan återge pro-dukter med hög detaljrikedom. En hög återgivningsgrad är dock ingen förut-sättning för att lyckas med en produktplacering.  Istället torde det finnas fler faktorer som påverkar spelares attityd emot de produkter som exponeras i spel. Denna studie försöker bidra med kriterier som kan vara viktiga för en spelare vid produktplacering i förstapersonsskjutarspel. Forskningsfråga: Vilka kriterier kan vara betydelsefulla för generation Y och Z rörande produktplacering i FPS-spel? Metod: Denna studie behandlar FPS-spel som ett fall. Den startar kvalitativt inriktad för att sedan övergå mer kvantitativt. De empiriska data som har bli-vit insamlade är först från en fokusgrupp som hjälpt till att skapa de kriterier som sedan undersöks genom en enkät. Resultat: utifrån fokusgruppen tolkade författarna av studien åtta kriterier som antogs vara av betydelse för FPS-spelare. Slutsats: Informationssamlande, dynamisk produktplacering och tematisk överensstämmelse  anses vara av stor betydelse för båda generationerna. / Introduction: Product placements in TV and computer games have increased dramatically in recent years. This is largely due to the fact that it’s possible for computer game developers to show great details in the games through graphic rendering. However, a high graphic rendering is not likely to be the sole factor affecting players’ attitudes toward the products exposed in a game. This study tries to provide some of the other criteria that might be im-portant when using product placement in first-person-shooter-games. Research question: Which criteria can be significant for generation Y and Z concerning product placement in FPS-games? Methods: This study treats the FPS-game genre as a case. The study is di-vided in two parts with the first part starting of qualitatively oriented and the second parts proceeds in a more quantitatively oriented manner. The empiri-cal data that was gathered came from a focus group and the empirical data was later tested by a questionnaire. Results: Eight possible criteria for successful product placement in FPS-games were derived from the focus group. Conclusion: Information gathering, thematic congruence and dynamic prod-uct placement is considered to be of high importance for both generations.

Η εφεύρεση του laser έδωσε την δυνατότητα μελέτης της αλληλεπίδρασης ύλης-φωτός σε υψηλές εντάσεις ακτινοβολίας με αποτέλεσμα να οδηγηθούμε σε φαινόμενα κατά τα οποία οι συνήθεις οπτικές παράμετροι δε μπορούν να θεωρηθούν σταθερές, αλλά εξαρτώνται από την ένταση. Σε αυτή την περίπτωση, η συχνότητα δύναται να μεταβληθεί κατά την διάδοση της ακτινοβολίας σε ένα μέσο, ενώ η αρχή της επαλληλίας κυμάτων παραβιάζεται. Ο κλάδος της μη γραμμικής οπτικής μελετά φαινόμενα αλληλεπίδρασης της ύλης με ακτινοβολίες υψηλής έντασης. Αυτά τα φαινόμενα προέρχονται από την μεταβολή των οπτικών ιδιοτήτων της ύλης λόγω ισχυρών ηλεκτρικών πεδίων και η μη γραμμικότητα αυτών των φαινόμενων έγκειται στο ότι η απόκριση του υλικού είναι μη γραμμική συνάρτηση της έντασης της ακτινοβολίας. Οι θεμελιώδεις φυσικές αρχές που διέπουν τα μη γραμμικά φαινόμενα έχουν πλέον πλήρως αποσαφηνιστεί και το ενδιαφέρον έχει πια στραφεί στην μελέτη των μη γραμμικών οπτικών ιδιοτήτων διαφόρων υλικών. Σκοπός των ερευνών αυτών αποτελεί η εύρεση υλικών με μεγάλη μη γραμμική απόκριση, που θα μπορούσαν να χρησιμοποιηθούν σε διάφορες εφαρμογές στις οπτικές τηλεπικοινωνίες και στην οπτική επεξεργασία της πληροφορίας (π.χ. ως οπτικοί διακόπτες). Σε αυτήν την εργασία λοιπόν μέσω των τεχνικών ΟΚΕ και Z-Scan, ασχοληθήκαμε με την μελέτη της μη γραμμικής απόκρισης μιας σειράς παραγώγων φουλλερενίων, οι οπτικές ιδιότητες των οποίων είναι άμεσα συνδεδεμένες με την δομή τους και τον τρόπο σύνδεσης των επιμέρους ενώσεων από τις οποίες αποτελούνται.Στο πρώτο μέρος αυτής της εργασίας παρατίθενται οι βασικότερες έννοιες της μη γραμμικής οπτικής και περιγράφονται ορισμένα πολύ σημαντικά μη γραμμικά φαινόμενα. Στο δεύτερο μέρος παρουσιάζονται οι τεχνικές ΟΚΕ και Z-Scan οι οποίες χρησιμοποιήθηκαν για την μελέτη των μη γραμμικών οπτικών παραμέτρων των δειγμάτων των παραγώγων των φουλλερενίων στο πειραματικό μέρος της εργασίας αυτής και στη συνέχεια αναλύεται ο τρόπος επεξεργασίας των πειραματικών δεδομένων. Τέλος στο τρίτο μέρος περιγράφονται τα πειράματα που διεξήχθησαν, τα αποτελέσματα καθώς και τα συμπεράσματα που προέκυψαν. / The development of lasers has been a turning point in the history of science. It gave birth to the new field of nonlinear optics (NLO), which is the study of the interaction between intense light radiation and matter. In this regime, the response of matter cannot be considered linearly dependent on the intensity of the applied field, giving rise to significant new types of behavior and a wide spectrum of novel phenomena. Nonlinear optics has now become a rapidly growing field. It is at the forefront of progress in the area of photonics and optoelectronics. This vast development necessitates new materials with large nonlinearities, suitable for NLO applications in the laser and the optical communication technologies (e.g. optical switches). In that context, fullerenes have justifiably attracted considerable interest due to their intriguing physical and chemical properties; the extensive delocalization of their charge, as well as, their small reorganization energy can give rise to fast and high nonlinear optical response. Inevitably, the interest of the scientific community has now turned to the study of sophisticatedly altered fullerene derivatives. Depending on their ability to act as excellent electron acceptors, fullerenes are one of the most prominent chromophores that have been incorporated into multi-component molecular structures. Novel synthetic methods that enable the chemical modification of pristine molecules with electron donating moieties have been developed. This chemical functionalization of fullerenes can result in strong donor-acceptor interactions and photo-induced electron transfer, invigorating their nonlinear optical response. Their potential usage, which can range from photonics and photovoltaics implementations to applications in the biomedical area, is the main driving force of all this research. In the present study, the measurements were performed via the Z-Scan and the Optical Kerr Effect (OKE) techniques. The third order nonlinear susceptibility χ(3) and the second order hyperpolarizability γ of the derivatives were determined employing 4 ns and 35 ps laser pulses respectively, at excitation wavelength of 532 nm. In that respect, the main aim of the current study is threefold. Firstly, to provide a complete overview of the third order nonlinear parameters determined. Secondly, to briefly discuss the linkage between the observed nonlinearities with the molecular structures of the examinant hybrids, as well as, the possible effect of photo-induced charge transfer. Lastly, to shed light upon the role of the different pulse duration in the measurements and the dominant contributing physical processes related. Consequently, the first part of this work provides some basic concepts of nonlinear optics and the physical processes related with it. Then reference will be made to the experimental techniques used, including the fundamental background of the data analysis procedure. Finally, the nonlinearities observed in the picosecond and nanosecond regime are presented.

The dissertation is dedicated to the detailed numerical modelling of generation dynamics of actively and/or passively Q-switched diode laser longitudinally pumped solid-state lasers, characterization of spatial and temporal laser properties and for the demonstration of application possibility of created minilasers. A detailed theoretical model for the description of generation dynamics using travelling wave approach is presented. In this model more parameters of active laser medium, pump sources and resonator architecture are taken into account. In this thesis the results which show the principal difference between results obtained using the laser travelling wave model and point laser model are presented. Using point laser model the problems of generated pulse timing jitter in passively Q-switched lasers are described and its lowering possibilities using different pumping methods are suggested. In this thesis new, based by the second order moment, laser beam characterisation by knife-edge method is presented. Also laser pulse compression possibilities in tetrachloride CCL4 medium are described. It is showed that using seed signal it is possible to obtain shorter (< 60 ps) and more stable optical pulses. In this thesis application possibilities of created minilasers are presented: the experimental results of the Z-scan measurements obtained using pulses with different pulse shapes for fused silica are presented; also experiments, in which, created minilasers for paper cleaning... [to full text] / Disertacija skirta diodais kaupinamų kietojo kūno lazerių su aktyviąja ir pasyviąja kokybės moduliacija generacijos dinamikos detalesnei skaitmeninei analizei, lazerio impulsų laikinių ir erdvinių parametrų charakterizavimui ir sukurtų minilazerių panaudojimo galimybių demonstracijai. Generacijos dinamikos detalesniai skaitmeniniai analizei, darbe pristatomas sukurtas bėgančiųjų bangų modelis, kuriame atsižvelgiama ne tik į daugelį procesų vykstančių lazerio aktyviajame elemente, bet ir į rezonatoriaus konfigūraciją bei kaupinimo šaltino parametrus. Pateikiami skaitinio modeliavimo rezultatai demonstruojantys šio modelio privalumus lyginant su dažniausiai naudojamu taškiniu lazerio modeliu. Naudojant taškinį lazerio modelį yra nagrinėjama generuojamų impulsų laikinio tirtėjimo problema pasyvios kokybės moduliacijos lazeriuose ir pasiūlyti mažinimo būdai naudojant skirtingus kaupinimo būdus. Darbe taip pat pateiktas naujas, antraisiais momentais pagrįstas, pluošto charakterizavimo judančiu peiliu metodas. Nagrinėjamos lazerių impulsų spūdos galimybės tetrachlorido CCL4 skystyje ir pademonstruota, kad naudojant užkrato signalą galima gauti trumpesnius (< 60 ps) ir stabilesnius optinius impulsus. Darbe pademonstruotos sukurtų minilazerių pritaikymo galimybės: aprašomas netiesinio lūžio rodiklio kvarciniame stikle matavimas Z-skenavimo metodu ir gautų duomenų apdorojimo procedūra įskaitant naudojamų impulsų erdvinę ir laikinę formą; aprašomi eksperimentai, kuriuose sukurti... [toliau žr. visą tekstą]

No description available.

This dissertation focuses on the textual analysis of the representation of female and male characters in the drama book Ishashalazi, based on the two drama stories: Kwakuhle kwethu! and Umninimuzi. Both of these stories depict male and female characters differently. The findings of this study suggest that the representation of male characters in the selected stories is generally in line with patriarchal attitudes and reflect women's suppression. Male characters are positively represented by most texts and reflect triumph, intelligence, and strength and these forms of representation affirm the traditionally held beliefs about men as rulers and heads of families. On the contrary, this study finds that the representation of women differs greatly from that in which males are represented. Women are given feminine roles represented negatively as failures or as being capricious and disrespectful of social norms. The division of labour into gender-hyper-specific roles widens the gap of differences in the representation of female and male characters. Situated in the imbalance representation is culture. Texts and Ishashalazi in particular, echo unequal representation of male and female characters by promoting the observation of cultural principles in the roles played by characters. African culture is the major phenomenon that promotes patriarchy and ensures that women remain suppressed by the rule of men. Such processes are perpetuated by texts that we read every day. Texts are powerful means of sending messages. It is through texts that social actions and processes are interpreted and acted. Thus textual meaning is both visible and invisible. Through analysis of the two drama plays the hidden meaning of text is disclosed and it is through this analysis that actions that promote the marginalization of women are challenged. Family is one of the institutions where women are oppressed on the pretext of culture (Cameron. 1990). The findings of this study allude to Cameron's observation that the roles assigned to female characters serve as a valuable clue to the constitution of women's silence. Roles represented by female characters in Ishashalazi do not gain the respect of the greater community instead, some (such as women who violate cultural principles) actually damage the reputation of women and tarnish their image. Thus culture oppresses women while giving opportunities to their male counterparts to dominate and exercise authority over women. It is with such social actions and processes that this study concerns itself. Sexist language and stereotypes used by society continue to pose problems that reflect negatively on women. In responding to such challenges this study analyses the representation of female and male characters from a feminist standpoint and calls for the emancipation of women and children. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2009.

Disertacija skirta diodais kaupinamų kietojo kūno lazerių su aktyviąja ir pasyviąja kokybės moduliacija generacijos dinamikos detalesnei skaitmeninei analizei, lazerio impulsų laikinių ir erdvinių parametrų charakterizavimui ir sukurtų minilazerių panaudojimo galimybių demonstracijai. Generacijos dinamikos detalesniai skaitmeniniai analizei, darbe pristatomas sukurtas bėgančiųjų bangų modelis, kuriame atsižvelgiama ne tik į daugelį procesų vykstančių lazerio aktyviajame elemente, bet ir į rezonatoriaus konfigūraciją bei kaupinimo šaltino parametrus. Pateikiami skaitinio modeliavimo rezultatai demonstruojantys šio modelio privalumus lyginant su dažniausiai naudojamu taškiniu lazerio modeliu. Naudojant taškinį lazerio modelį yra nagrinėjama generuojamų impulsų laikinio tirtėjimo problema pasyvios kokybės moduliacijos lazeriuose ir pasiūlyti mažinimo būdai naudojant skirtingus kaupinimo būdus. Darbe taip pat pateiktas naujas, antraisiais momentais pagrįstas, pluošto charakterizavimo judančiu peiliu metodas. Nagrinėjamos lazerių impulsų spūdos galimybės tetrachlorido CCL4 skystyje ir pademonstruota, kad naudojant užkrato signalą galima gauti trumpesnius (< 60 ps) ir stabilesnius optinius impulsus. Darbe pademonstruotos sukurtų minilazerių pritaikymo galimybės: aprašomas netiesinio lūžio rodiklio kvarciniame stikle matavimas Z-skenavimo metodu ir gautų duomenų apdorojimo procedūra įskaitant naudojamų impulsų erdvinę ir laikinę formą; aprašomi eksperimentai, kuriuose sukurti... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / The dissertation is dedicated to the detailed numerical modelling of generation dynamics of actively and/or passively Q-switched diode laser longitudinally pumped solid-state lasers, characterization of spatial and temporal laser properties and for the demonstration of application possibility of created minilasers. A detailed theoretical model for the description of generation dynamics using travelling wave approach is presented. In this model more parameters of active laser medium, pump sources and resonator architecture are taken into account. In this thesis the results which show the principal difference between results obtained using the laser travelling wave model and point laser model are presented. Using point laser model the problems of generated pulse timing jitter in passively Q-switched lasers are described and its lowering possibilities using different pumping methods are suggested. In this thesis new, based by the second order moment, laser beam characterisation by knife-edge method is presented. Also laser pulse compression possibilities in tetrachloride CCL4 medium are described. It is showed that using seed signal it is possible to obtain shorter (< 60 ps) and more stable optical pulses. In this thesis application possibilities of created minilasers are presented: the experimental results of the Z-scan measurements obtained using pulses with different pulse shapes for fused silica are presented; also experiments, in which, created minilasers for paper cleaning... [to full text]

In this study, a measurement of the production cross section of Standard Model Z bosons in proton-proton collisions in the decay channel Z to tau tau is performed with data of 1.34 fb-1 - 1.55fb-1 recorded by the ATLAS experiment at the LHC at a center-of-mass energy of 7 TeV. An event selection of the data is applied in order to obtain a sample enriched with Z to tau tau events. After background estimations using data and Monte Carlo (MC) simulations, the fiducial cross sections in the sub-channels Z to tau tau to e tau_h + 3nu and Z to tau tau to mu tau_h + 3nu are measured. Together with the geometrical and kinematical acceptance, A_Z, and the well known tau lepton branching fractions, these results are combined to a total inclusive Z to tau tau cross section. A_Z is obtained from MC studies only, and the combination of the channels is done including statistical and systematical uncertainties using the BLUE method. The result is a measured total inclusive cross section of 914.4 plus minus 14.6(stat) plus minus 95.1(syst) plus minus 33.8(lumi) pb. This is in agreement with theoretical predictions from NNLO calculations of 964 plus minus 48 pb and also with measurements previously performed by the ATLAS and CMS experiments. With the increased amount of data, the statistical uncertainty could be reduced significantly compared to previous measurements. Furthermore, a testbeam analysis is performed to study the operation of the electromagnetic and hadronic endcap calorimeters, EMEC and HEC, and of the forward calorimeter, FCal, in the high particle fluxes expected for the upgraded LHC. The high voltage return currents of the EMEC module are analysed in dependence of the beam intensity. The results are compared to model predictions and simulations to extract the point of critical operation. Overall, the results for the critical beam intensities and the critical high voltage currents are in agreement with the predictions, but the assigned uncertainties are rather large. The general behaviour of the high voltage current in dependence of the beam intensity above the critical intensity could be confirmed very well. The testbeam data show that the EMEC can be operated up to highest LHC luminosities, and that ATLAS conserves its excellent calorimeter performance in this detector area. / In dieser Studie wird eine Wirkungsquerschnittsmessung des Standardmodell-Z-Bosons im Zerfallskanal Z nach tau tau mit Kollisionsereignissen entsprechend 1.34 fb-1 bis 1.55 fb-1 aufgezeichneter Daten des ATLAS-Experiments am LHC bei einer Schwerpunktsenergie von 7 TeV durchgefuehrt. Hierbei kommt eine spezielle Ereignisselektion der Daten zum Einsatz, die zum Ziel hat, einen mit Z nach tau tau Ereignissen angereicherten Datensatz zu erhalten. Nach einer Untergrundabschaetzung mit Hilfe von experimentellen Daten und Monte-Carlo(MC)-Simulationen wird eine spezifische Wirkungsquerschnittsmessung in den Unterkanaelen Z nach tau tau nach e tau_h + 3nu und Z nach tau tau nach mu tau_h + 3nu erreicht, welche zunaechst nur Ereignisse in der geometrischen und kinematischen Akzeptanzregion umfasst. Zusammen mit der Selektionseffizienz dieser Akzeptanzregion, A_Z, und den bekannten Tau-Lepton-Verzweigungsverhaeltnissen koennen diese Ergebnisse zu einem totalen, inklusiven Z nach tau tau Wirkungsquerschnitt kombiniert werden. Hierbei wird A_Z ausschliesslich aus MC-Studien bestimmt und die Kombination unter Beruecksichtigung der statistischen und systematischen Fehler der Einzelkanaele mit der BLUE-Methode durchgefuehrt. Das Ergebnis ist ein totaler, inklusiver Wirkungsquerschnitt von 914.4 plus minus 14.6(stat) plus minus 95.1(syst) plus minus 33.8(lumi) pb. Dies stimmt innerhalb der Messunsicherheiten sowohl mit theoretischen Vorhersagen aus NNLO Rechnungen von: 964 plus minus 48 pb als auch mit Messungen, die zuvor im Zuge der ATLAS- und CMS-Experimente durchgefuehrt wurden, ueberein. Im Vergleich zu den bisherigen Messungen koennen die statistischen Fehler mit dem groesseren Datensatz deutlich reduziert werden. Weiterhin wird eine Teststrahlstudie zur Pruefung der Funktionalitaet der elektromagnetischen und hadronischen Endkappenkalorimeter, EMEC und HEC, und des Vorwaertskalorimeters FCal in den zukuenftigen, hohen Teilchenflussdichten des verbesserten LHC praesentiert. Die Hochspannungsstroeme des EMEC-Moduls werden in Abhaengigkeit von der Strahlintensitaet analysiert. Weiterhin werden die Ergebnisse mit Modellvorhersagen und Simulationen verglichen, um die Punkte nichtlinearen (kritischen) Betriebes zu extrahieren. Die Ergebnisse fuer die kritische Strahlintensitaet und die kritischen Stroeme stimmen mit Modellrechnungen und Simulationen ueberein, die jedoch mit grossen Unsicherheiten behaftet sind. Das vorhergesagte Verhalten der Hochspannungsstroeme in Abhaengigkeit von der Strahlintensitaet oberhalb der kritischen Intensitaet konnte sehr genau bestaetigt werden. Die Teststrahldaten zeigen, dass das EMEC bis zu den hoechsten LHC-Luminositaeten arbeiten kann und ATLAS in dieser Detektorregion seine exzellenten Kalorimetereigenschaften beibehaelt.

One of the dominant backgrounds in new physics searches at the Large Hadron Collider comes from the leptonic decays of Standard Model W and Z bosons recoiling off jets associated with the underlying event. The ratio of the W+jets and Z+jets cross sections, Rn, is predicted with high precision due to the similar masses and production mechanisms of the W and Z bosons. Any significant departures of Rn from predicted values would be an indication of new physics. This thesis studies a strategy to enhance the sensitivity of Rn to a specific type of signal. A measurement of the ratio Rn is presented, and its sensitivity to pair production of top quarks and leptoquarks is studied. Using a set of topology-discriminating variables, based upon calorimeter topoclusters, the sensitivity of Rn to top quark and leptoquark signals is enhanced using multivariate analysis techniques. / Graduate