The correlation coefficient (CC) is a standard measure of the linear association between two random variables. The CC plays a significant role in many quantitative researches. In a bivariate normal distribution, there are many types of interval estimation for CC, such as z-transformation and maximum likelihood estimation based methods. However, when the underlying bivariate distribution is unknown, the construction of confidence intervals for the CC is still not well-developed. In this thesis, we discuss various interval estimation methods for the CC. We propose a generalized confidence interval and three empirical likelihood-based non-parametric intervals for the CC. We also conduct extensive simulation studies to compare the new intervals with existing intervals in terms of coverage probability and interval length. Finally, two real examples are used to demonstrate the application of the proposed methods.

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Prior research on covenants show that they are frequently included in corporate debt agreements as means of mitigating bondholder-stockholder conflicts. As covenants should be more frequently included when there is a higher degree of bondholder-stockholder conflict, what is then the relation between covenants and spread? Our results show that on the Norwegian corporate debt market, bonds that include covenants have a higher spread than those that do not. The results of an OLS-regression using some of the most common covenants, Z’-score and bond spread shows that the 43 % of bond spread can be explained by whether the bond includes dividend restrictions, equity restrictions and poison puts, and the Z’-score of the issuer.

This research mainly tries to confirm the relationship between distress risk and stock returns in the Taiwan market. According to three factor theory raised by Fama-French (1992), the higher book-to-market ratio brings higher stock returns because of the higher distress risk, and also mentioned about the three significant factors in explaining expected stock return: risk, firm size, and book-to-market ratio (here replace it with price-to-book ratio). There are many studies had proved that high risk accompanies high expected stock return, but some other obtained the contrary outcome. It still depends on different characteristics of enterprises, industries, and countries. Following other researches, this paper use ¡§Z-Score¡¨ bankruptcy prediction model as the proxy of distress risk, and take the subsequent realized stock returns of the distress publicly-traded firms as a proxy of systematic risk. As it may be doubted of using Z-Score in the Taiwan stock market, this research add ¡§TCRI¡¨ to compare with. ¡§TCRI¡¨ is the credit rating score raised by Taiwan Economic Journal (TEJ). Because of the same results of rating on sample companies, it supported the application of Z-Score in Taiwan stock market. In analyzing the relationship between distress risk and stock return, this research find that firm size, distress risk and price-to-book ratio effect are significant enough to explain the expected stock return,(although distress risk and price-to-book ratio are only significant in Y-3) similar to the findings of Fazilah Samad (2009) et al. This research also found that the theoretical expectation of the size effect on distress risk does not hold in the case of the Taiwan distress publicly-traded firms, but price-to-market ratio (PB ratio) does. Unlike the findings of Fazilah Samad (2009) et al. and Griffin and Lemmon (2002), the outcome shows that there is a significant inverse relationship between PB ratio and distress risk, similar to the theory and our original expectation. It directly proved that the lower PB ratio brings higher distress risk in Taiwan market, but inconclusive to deduce that it also brings higher stock return. Meanwhile, this research tries to find out if there is a difference between distress companies and most distress companies. Besides of firm size, there is no significant difference between these two groups, and they are similar as it was closer to distress happened. Although there is not significant relationship between three factors and stock return, this study reveals the decreasing trend of financial performance among those distress firms before facing distress circumstances. It shows again that Z-Score is suitable for Taiwan market although our sample companies including manufacturing and non-manufacturing companies.

Polymer liquid crystal possesses advantages of polymer in chemical industry and liquid crystal in display industry,so it is attracted more attention in science and technology. Diacrylate is a polymer liquid crystal with photosensitive property, so ,it can be applied to optical storage . He-Ne laser induced polymerization in diacrylate mesogen RM257 and RM82 had been verified in previous study. Furthermore, holography pattern can be recorded in RM257 and RM82 by controlling both the temperature of sample and the time of exposing. In this study, we consider the study of nonlinear optical properties of diacrylate using Z-SCAN techeique.¡¨Z-SCAN¡¨ is a simply yet highly sensitive single-beam experimential technique ,it can be used to measure both nonlinear absorption and nonlinear refraction.In this study ,we measured effect of absorption of diacrylate in irradiation of He-Ne laser using Z-SCAN technique.To investigate the reason that He-Ne laser induced polymerization in both RM257 and RM82.

There are two inter-related themes of this thesis: Economic development and global governance. We develop a perspective of &ndash / what we call &ndash / &lsquo / Institutional International Political Economy&rsquo / (IIPE) in order to: i) assess the likelihood of developmental success on the part of the Third World countries in the twenty-first century, and ii) analyze the developmental and world-systemic implications of the so-called &lsquo / global governance model&rsquo / , which we conceptualize as an ultra-liberal capitalist project on the part of the &lsquo / commanding heights&rsquo / of the contemporary &lsquo / world-economy&rsquo / . Our IIPE-perspective relies on an &lsquo / institutionalist&rsquo / synthesis of the classic works of Karl Polanyi, Joseph Schumpeter and Fernand Braudel. In the light of this perspective, &lsquo / state-led development&rsquo / seems to be inconceivable in the face of &lsquo / governance&rsquo / , which is an attempt to disintegrate the &lsquo / institutional substance&rsquo / of the state-as-we-know-it into &lsquo / market-like processes&rsquo / . Nevertheless, &lsquo / governance&rsquo / is bound to become the victim of its own success insofar as it destroys the indispensable political institutions upon which capitalism has survived as a historical world-system in the past.

In this study, 59 epidemiologically unrelated Salmonella strains isolated from foods in T&uuml / rkiye and 49 Salmonella strains obtained from National Salmonella Reference Laboratories of Germany were analysed. For the characterization of strains, analyses such as serotyping, phage typing, antibiotyping and molecular biological characterization were done. The strains exhibited 17 different serotypes with S. Enteritidis serotype and PT21 phage type being the most prevalent in Turkish isolates. The highest antimicrobial resistance was observed against NAL for Turkish strains, whereas it was against SUL for strains from German origin. Molecular typing of all strains exhibited different plasmid profiles and PFGE patterns. There were 1-4 plasmids/profile for Turkish strains and 1-7 plasmids/profile for German strains. The PFGE patterns revealed 42 different subgroups, having two major clusters with 44,3% arbitrary homology. Among 72 resistant strains, the most prevalent resistance genotypes were observed as blatem-1 (%56, AMP resistance) / floR (%100, CHL and FFC resistance) / aphA1 (%100, KAN and NEO resistance) / tet(A) (%53, TET resistance) / aadA1 (%82, SPE and STR resistance) / sulI (%78, SUL resistance). The class I integron variable region analyses exhibited 700 bp (1 strain), 1000 bp (37 strain), 1200 bp (16 strain) and 1600 bp (3 strain) integrons.

This research is dedicated to make a foreseeing of the future state of the Kizildere Geothermal Field in order to suggest acceptable solutions to the current problems. The non-isothermal mechanism of the geothermal field is simulated for the pressure and temperature variables. For this purpose, a finite element model (696 four-nodal elements with 750 nodes) of the field is formulated by considering the geological conditions and the present wells already drilled in the area. Then the model is calibrated to the field for the natural state by using appropriate physical properties, boundary and initial conditions. Comparison of the simulated and the observed pressures and temperatures has emphasized a very successful calibration study. After the calibration, response of the field to the production and injection for the period of 1984-2006 has been simulated by applying a history matching study. History matching runs have yielded very good correlations between the observed and the computed values of the pressure and temperature variables. The calibrated and history matched model has been applied to the field to simulate the future performance of the field for different production and injection scenarios. In the first scenario the field is simulated for the next 10-year production period keeping the on-going production conditions. Then, the influence of the production of two new wells has been investigated in two different scenarios. In the forth scenario, the effect of injection from one of the production wells has been simulated.

This study analyzes the J-curve effect for Turkey&rsquo / s bilateral trade with her three main trading partners / Germany, USA and Italy, for consumption, capital and intermediate goods. The bounds test is used to test for cointegration among the trade balance, the real bilateral exchange rate, the real domestic income and the real foreign income. The results show that the real exchange rate is not a significant determinant of trade in the short run. In the long run, it is significant only for trade with USA in consumption goods. Moreover, J-curve does not exist for Turkey&rsquo / s bilateral trade with Germany, USA, and Italy in consumption, capital and intermediate goods. The results support existence of a link between the bilateral trade balances and the real domestic income both in the short run and the long run.

The main objective of the thesis is to study the forces that built up the morphology of the old city of Sulaimaniyah and the reasons of its existence. It focuses on the morphological elements of property (ownership elements of streets, blocks and parcels) and their existence in spite of the impacts of modernism in the transformation of these elements. Modernity in Sulaimaniyah city affected the city in terms of the transformation of traditional life pattern and traditional structure into modern function. Modern function covers a new administrative system and new commercial functions. The city adapted itself to these new institutions. As a consequence, the power of state displayed itself in the form of building roads, and then the new larger and regular parcels were created to adapt new functions. Furthermore, the study aims to establish the historical evolution of the city starting from its foundation and the periods, which are signified by the introduction of modernism concepts. This study is analyzed through a morphological research depending on the physical elements as quantitative characteristics. It starts with an evolutionary plan analysis, which is a tool of morphological study and covers the old part of the city in macro scale, mezzo scale, and consequently, micro scale. The old fabric of Sulaimaniyah city as organic fabric faced the modernism&#039 / s impact gradually due to the construction of streets. In spite of this fact, preserving old fabric&#039 / s morphology behind the power of ownership pattern is still surviving. In this thesis, typology is another research method, which is used to analyze the evolution of the building fabric of the city in both functional and formal configuration. In addition, a comparison of traditional and modern building types in the old city shows that there are similarities between these types, which suggest that these types are part of the old fabric of the city and they define the morphology of the old city. The study concluded that the morphology of the old city is the product of property in two dimensions (ownership parcels), and the building types on them.