High-dimensional integrals arise in a variety of areas, including quantum physics, the physics and chemistry of molecules, statistical mechanics and more recently, in financial applications. In order to approximate multidimensional integrals, one may use Monte Carlo methods in which the quadrature points are generated randomly or quasi-Monte Carlo methods, in which points are generated deterministically. One particular class of quasi-Monte Carlo methods for multivariate integration is represented by lattice rules. Lattice rules constructed throughout this thesis allow good approximations to integrals of functions belonging to certain weighted function spaces. These function spaces were proposed as an explanation as to why integrals in many variables appear to be successfully approximated although the standard theory indicates that the number of quadrature points required for reasonable accuracy would be astronomical because of the large number of variables. The purpose of this thesis is to contribute to theoretical results regarding the construction of lattice rules for multiple integration. We consider both lattice rules for integrals over the unit cube and lattice rules suitable for integrals over Euclidean space. The research reported throughout the thesis is devoted to finding the generating vector required to produce lattice rules that have what is termed a low weighted discrepancy . In simple terms, the discrepancy is a measure of the uniformity of the distribution of the quadrature points or in other settings, a worst-case error. One of the assumptions used in these weighted function spaces is that variables are arranged in the decreasing order of their importance and the assignment of weights in this situation results in so-called product weights . In other applications it is rather the importance of group of variables that matters. This situation is modelled by using function spaces in which the weights are general . In the weighted settings mentioned above, the quality of the lattice rules is assessed by the weighted discrepancy mentioned earlier. Under appropriate conditions on the weights, the lattice rules constructed here produce a convergence rate of the error that ranges from O(n−1/2) to the (believed) optimal O(n−1+δ) for any δ gt 0, with the involved constant independent of the dimension.

With the growth of geo-referenced data and the sophistication and complexity of spatial databases, data mining and knowledge discovery techniques become essential tools for successful analysis of large spatial datasets. Spatial clustering is fundamental and central to geographical data mining. It partitions a dataset into smaller homogeneous groups due to spatial proximity. Resulting groups represent geographically interesting patterns of concentrations for which further investigations should be undertaken to find possible causal factors. In this thesis, we propose a spatial-dominant generalization approach that mines multivariate causal associations among geographical data layers using clustering analysis. First, we propose a generic framework of multi-purpose exploratory spatial clustering in the form of the Template-Method Pattern. Based on an object-oriented framework, we design and implement an automatic multi-purpose exploratory spatial clustering tool. The first instance of this framework uses the Delaunay diagram as an underlying proximity graph. Our spatial clustering incorporates the peculiar characteristics of spatial data that make space special. Thus, our method is able to identify high-quality spatial clusters including clusters of arbitrary shapes, clusters of heterogeneous densities, clusters of different sizes, closely located high-density clusters, clusters connected by multiple chains, sparse clusters near to high-density clusters and clusters containing clusters within O(n log n) time. It derives values for parameters from data and thus maximizes user-friendliness. Therefore, our approach minimizes user-oriented bias and constraints that hinder exploratory data analysis and geographical data mining. Sheer volume of spatial data stored in spatial databases is not the only concern. The heterogeneity of datasets is a common issue in data-rich environments, but left open by exploratory tools. Our spatial clustering extends to the Minkowski metric in the absence or presence of obstacles to deal with situations where interactions between spatial objects are not adequately modeled by the Euclidean distance. The genericity is such that our clustering methodology extends to various spatial proximity graphs beyond the default Delaunay diagram. We also investigate an extension of our clustering to higher-dimensional datasets that robustly identify higher-dimensional clusters within O(n log n) time. The versatility of our clustering is further illustrated with its deployment to multi-level clustering. We develop a multi-level clustering method that reveals hierarchical structures hidden in complex datasets within O(n log n) time. We also introduce weighted dendrograms to effectively visualize the cluster hierarchies. Interpretability and usability of clustering results are of great importance. We propose an automatic pattern spotter that reveals high level description of clusters. We develop an effective and efficient cluster polygonization process towards mining causal associations. It automatically approximates shapes of clusters and robustly reveals asymmetric causal associations among data layers. Since it does not require domain-specific concept hierarchies, its applicability is enhanced. / PhD Doctorate

Sport events and attractions which encourage both participants and spectators are seen as significant contributors to the tourism economy (Delpy, 1998; Glyptis, 1991; Standeven & DeKnop, 1999). Further, Gratton and Taylor (2000) note that sport related travel accounts for 7% of total expenditure on sport. To date, the main focus of event sport tourism research has been on the economic impact of large-scale sport events (Burgan & Mules, 1992; Crompton, 1995; Mules & Faulkner, 1996; Walo, Bull, & Breen, 1996). However, Higham (1999) posits that smaller scale events such as regular season games may be of greater benefit to the host community as these events are hosted within existing infrastructure and therefore limit the need for public expenditure. However, fans who travel to regular season competition are a market segment that has been largely ignored by both sport and tourism marketers. Sport marketers have focused on home game attendance, media viewership and product purchases, while tourism marketers have focused on leveraging the destination. Anecdotal evidence suggests that fans who travel organise a substantial proportion of their discretionary time and income around this activity. Recent research by Gibson, Willming and Holdnak (2002, 2003) has begun to understand the behaviours of sport fans who travel to home games. This study seeks to understand the behaviours and experiences of those who travel to attend away games. In particular the study asks: What motivates fans to travel to follow professional sport teams, what experiences fans have and seek during the travel, and what place does travelling to follow a sport team have in the overall consumption behaviour of sport fans. This study examined the motives and experiences of six fan groups travelling interstate to follow their Australian Football League (AFL) team in the 2001 season. As the behaviours and experiences of those who travel to follow sport teams have not previously been explored, exploratory analysis using an iterative process of constant comparison between data colleted from the research setting and the existent literature. Using this method the researcher was able to describe the social world under investigation without preconceived hypotheses. The researcher travelled interstate with each fan group, and collected data via participant observation and interviews with key informants. Data were coded using standard protocols for analysis of qualitative data (Spradley, 1980). The researcher read through the transcripts and field notes and coded all phrases and opinions from the manuscript. Data were analysed through the process of data reduction, selective sampling of the literature, and selected sampling of the data (Stern, 1980). From the initial codes, data reduction identified core variables and emergent themes. Through this grounded theory methodology, a conceptual model was developed which illustrates the motives and experiences of those who travel to follow professional sport teams. Three distinct types of groups were identified, each garnering a distinctive sport tourism experience. The groups identified were: supporter groups, long-term travel groups, and temporary travel groups. While travel to follow the team is the stated rationale for all three groups, the game experience for each is substantially different, four major themes emerged which distinguished the groups and the experiences that they had. These were: (1) group structure, (2) trip characteristics, (3) socialisation, and (4) game experience and reaction to game outcome. Each type of group was found to have a distinct group structure, communication pattern, but differed in terms of the objects to which they identified. Findings suggest that sport fans do not necessarily identify with the team or related object, but can identify with a smaller social group, which has a shared interest in the team. These elements of group structure and point of identification were found to have a reciprocal relationship with various travel elements that were utilised by each group including the mode of transport, temporal elements, choice of destination, and activities at the destination. In particular, the travel elements were chosen so that each group type could best express and experience that which is core to each group. Further analysis suggested that the experience of each of the groups was influenced by the continual development of the group both before and during the travel experience. For the supporter groups and long-term travel groups, rituals, symbols, and folklore played a key role in the experience. These elements of performance were used to continually shape and interpret the travel experience. One would expect that the game would have elevated importance, as it is the activity that legitimates each group. However, the on-field game did not have prime importance. Instead the different points of identification of each group were used as a basis through which the game was experienced. Key implications for sport and tourism marketing suggest that the sport tourism experience is more than an experience of place or an experience of watching the sport. Identification with a small social group is sufficient to generate travel to follow a team. By providing a setting which immerses participants in a particular identity for a prolonged period of time, the act of travelling itself can create a social climate that encourages participants to undertake the trip week after week, and form deep connection to the team. Implications for practice and future research directions are also discussed.

Sports injury prevention has been the focus of a number of recent public health initiatives due to the acknowledgement that sports injuries are a significant public health problem in Australia Whilst Australian football is one of the most popular participation sports in the country, only very limited data is available about football injuries The majority of sports injury data available for this sport is from hospital emergency departments and elite-level injury surveillance Overall there is a paucity of data from treatment settings other than hospitals In particular, there is a lack of information about the injuries sustained by community-level, junior and recreational Australian football participants. One good potential source of football injury data is sports medicine clinics. Analysis of injury presentations to sports medicine clinics was undertaken to provide a detailed description of the epidemiology of Australian football injuries that present to this treatment setting and to determine the implications for injury prevention in this sport. In addition, the data from sports medicine clinics was compared with existing sources of Australian football injury data to determine how representative sports medicine clinic data is of other football injury data sources and to provide recommendations for future injury surveillance n Australian football. The results contained in this thesis show that Australian football is the sport most associated with injury presentation at sports medicine clinics. The majority of injured Australian football players presenting to sports medicine clinics are community-level or junior participants which suggests that sports medicine clinics are a good source of information on the injuries sustained by sub-elite football participants. Competition is the most common context in which Australian football players presenting to sports medicine clinics are injured. The major causes of injuries to Australian football players are being struck by another player, collisions and overuse. Injuries to Australian football players predominantly involve the lower limb. Adult players, players who stopped participating immediately after noticing their injury and players with overuse injuries are the most likely to sustain a more severe injury (i.e. more than four weeks before a full return to football participation and a moderate/significant amount of treatment expected). The least experienced players (five or less years of participation) are more likely to require a significant amount of treatment than the more experienced players. The prevention of lower limb injuries, injuries caused by body contact and injuries caused by overuse should be a priority for injury prevention research in Australian football due to the predominance of these injury types in the pattern of Australian football injuries Additionally, adult players, as a group, should be a focus of injury prevention activities in Australian football due to the association between age and injury severity. Overall, the pattern of Australian football injuries presenting to sports medicine clinics appears to be different than reported by club-based and hospital emergency department injury surveillance activities. However, detailed comparison of sports medicine clinic Australian football data with other sources of Australian football injury data is difficult due to the variable methods of collecting and reporting injury information used by hospital emergency department and club-based injury surveillance activities. The development of a standardised method for collecting and reporting injury data in Australian football is strongly recommended to overcome the existing limitations of data collection in this sport. In summary, sports medicine clinics provide a rich source of Australian football injury data, especially from the community and junior levels of participation. The inclusion of sports medicine clinic data provides a broader epidemiological picture of Australian football injuries. This broader understanding of the pattern of Australian football injuries provides a better basis for the development of injury prevention measures in this sport.

Embedded real-time applications have to allow interaction between the control computer and the controlled environment. Controlling the environment requires in particular to take into account its time constraints and critical logical conditions. One of the main programmer efforts in real-time application's development is to trace the incoming events, and to perform reactions based on the current system status, according to the application requirements. All this have to be handled, although external events may come in the middle of a critical reaction, which may disturb it. This problem involves two difficulties: „X The cognitive efforts to percept the problem, and consequently to express the solution. „X The correct translation of this solution to code. Two requirements were defined in this research in order to achieve high-quality performance: clearness and robustness, clearness in the design, and robustness in the execution. In this work the author proposes a methodology and a tool for real-time application's development that uses or implies an innovated form of design based on natural-cognitive researches. This design method has clear compilation's rules to produce an Object-Oriented light-code, suitable for embedded platforms. These compilation's rules introduce to the code implicit security and synchronization's elements, to support robust execution. In this methodology, clear development phases were defined, using a high-degree of reuse and even polymorphism, which were emphasized in the research. Several existing ideas were improved/adapted and synthesized together with the author's innovation, creating the Arts'Codes method for real-time application development. The work includes cognitive evaluations, assuring the natural skills of the design. Arts'Codes method proposes a natural VPL (Visual Programming Language) for real-time applications, based on hierarchic components. This VPL is built on a minimum of diagrams: one for the static architecture and one for the dynamic behaviour, with a similar restricted notation at all levels. These two diagrams (static architecture and dynamic behaviour) are interleaved in a unified view. This method was implemented by building a suitable graphic editor, which automatically compiles the applications diagrams in a light and robust Object-Oriented code (based on Parallel Automata FSM), and by building an execution compact software platform. Furthermore, the parallel automata FSM are translated automatically in PTL temporal formula defining the goals and the behaviours of the components, permitting to prove a-priory that the components behaviours are consistent to their goals. The execution platform is based on a restricted implementation of the synchrony hypothesis and on a powerful model of execution: the parallel automata FSM. These Parallel Automata describe the dynamic behaviours of the components and allows implementing run-time exceptions handling too. In addition, the research proposes a tri-processor execution hardware platform, which supports a hybrid synchronous/multi-threading execution. This method will contribute to versatile, clear and robust real-time application's development.

<p>It was hypothesized that in a decision-making situation, individuals will not only think of an optimal alternative but also as the most promising alternative, choose the alternative that is closest to their optimal alternative. Therefore, based on participants’ optimal alternative, five alternatives, each equal in terms of constant Multi-attribute Utility, were presented to participants. Two of the alternatives were constructed to be most similar to the participant’s optimal alternative, two alternatives were associated with two non-compensatory rules, and one alternative was not linked to any decision making rule. Results showed that participants thought not only of an optimal alternative in the given decision-making situation, they also chose the alternative that was most similar to their optimal. This alternative also got highest preference ratings. These findings present an optimal alternative. In addition, they demonstrate the influence that such an alternative have on the outcome in a decision-making situation.</p>

<p>Although research in business ethics has of late received increased attention from researchers and practitioners, little has been written on the practical effects of its implementation.</p><p>The aim of the present study is, therefore, to explore the meaning and implications of business ethics from a practical perspective. To these ends, a qualitative study, mainly based on a grounded theory approach, has been carried out. The target of analysis is a corpus material derived from informants from 9 companies ranging from different sectors: 2 from the manufacturing sector, 1 company from the pharmaceutical sector and 6 companies from the financial sector.</p><p>The results show that almost all the companies under consideration have set up some ethical structures for implementing their ethical practices, and lived up to the embraced ethical values in their business conduct. The results also indicate that the companies have actually responded favorably to the requirements and demands of various stakeholders.</p><p>Furthermore, the emerging structures constitute the basis of a fully operative concept for organizing and implementing an ethical business conduct in organizations. This concept mainly consists of the following categories: ethics, rules, institutionalization, observing and abiding. These can all be applied separately or as a whole and as such be an instrument for measuring an organizations ethical level.</p><p> </p>

<p>This thesis discusses the validity of the Capital Protection Rules under the new Companies Act.</p><p>The areas of particular interest and cause for debate focus on the advantages and disadvantages for creditors under the laws regarding minimum capital requirements, capital distributions, stock acquisitions, stock minimization, loan restrictions and forced liquidation.</p><p>How could creditors receive better protection?</p><p>What changes would have to be made to the Capital Protection Rules to provide better protection and what would be the consequences of these changes to the shareholders, the government and the creditors.</p><p>Could or should we model the Norwegian or American Judicial system in this situation?</p><p>Included is an in depth report on the Swedish Capital Protection Rules outlining what they are, what they entail and what the reasoning was behind them. Also included are the EU equivalents and Norwegian and American Capital Protection Rules.</p> / <p>I uppsatsen företas en ändamålsprövning av kapitalskyddsreglerna i nya aktiebolagslagen</p><p>De problem som analyseras är främst:</p><p>• Vilka fördelar respektive nackdelar för borgenärerna medför de regler som rör minimikapitalet, vinstutdelning, förvärv av egna aktier, minskning av aktiekapitalet, låneförbudet samt tvångslikvidation?</p><p>• Hur skulle reglerna kunna ändras för att ge borgenärerna ett bättre skydd?</p><p>• Vilka skulle konsekvenserna för borgenärerna, aktieägarna och staten kunna bli om kapitalskyddsreglerna ändrades för att ge borgenärerna ett bättre skydd?</p><p>• Samt finns det regler i den norska eller amerikanska rättsordningen som skulle kunna tjäna som förebilder vid en ändring av de svenska kapitalskyddsreglerna?</p><p>Uppsatsens innehåller bl.a. en grundläggande redogörelse av de svenska kapitalskyddsreglerna, vilka de är, hur de ser ut och motiven bakom reglerna. Vidare redogörs även för hur den EG-rättsliga regleringen på området ser ut samt för hur norsk och amerikansk kapitalskyddslagstiftning är uppbyggd.</p>

<p>Suffering from a terminal illness, or being chronically sick or severely disabled is not pleasant, which most of us will never experience life like this. However, there are people who are living in precisely that kind of constant, excruciating pain, agony and misery, 24 hours of the day, 365 days a year, stuck in a “living Hell” with no way of ending their enforced but unwanted torment – other than the highly controversial ‘therapy’ of euthanasia.</p><p>Those of us who are relatively healthy have a choice in how and when we end our lives. We can decide to wait until our life ends naturally, or we can speed up the process by committing suicide in whatever manner we choose. But, because of their illness or disability, the patients discussed in this thesis are being denied that same choice – because they must ask for help to die, they have had their right to decide matters such as when, where and how to go, for themselves taken away from them by people who believe that they know better than the patient what is best for them.</p><p>In Chapter 1, I will clarify some of the many, often contradicting, definitions and ideas associated with euthanasia.</p><p>In Chapter 2, because death is a very personal subject and everyone has different reasons why they want to die, I have used extracts from two very personal letters explaining why they sought euthanasia.</p><p>In Chapter 3, I will show how a patient considering euthanasia can use two Ends and Means arguments (Utilitarianism and Deontology) to decide if killing themselves would be the moral course of action to end their suffering. I will also discuss the morality of euthanasia eastern and western society.</p><p>In Chapter 4, the discussion turns to who would be the best person to help the patient die. I will examine how euthanasia can comply with various professional and personal codes of conduct and discuss the ideal character of the would-be euthaniser.</p><p>In Chapter 5 (the final chapter) I will conclude by using the information from the previous chapters to answer two important questions:</p><p>1. Whether it is ethical for a patient to even be thinking about euthanasia in the first place.</p><p>2. Who is (ethically) the best person to ask to kill the patient</p><p>This thesis is not about whether or not euthanasia should be legalised (as I will explain – euthanasia is already going on, albeit illegally) but to discuss the morality of asking someone else to go against all matter of strictly enforced and deeply ingrained legal, moral and professional rules imposed by society in order to help the patient die.</p>

<p>Pupil achievement and behaviour in schools was earlier seen as given by socioeconomic and biological factors. But since the late 1970s the school effectiveness research has come to give school factors a much greater role for pupils’ attainments. Research has shown that schools´ pedagogical and social climate, which is to be seen as a complex product of deeply felt values and norms held by school principals and teachers and developed through practical actions, can explain variations in effectiveness between schools. Effectiveness is here to be seen as a higher mean cognitive and non cognitive student outcome than is expected with regard to initial attainment or family background. In this context all schools can be effective.</p><p>The purpose of this dissertation is to study the pedagogical and the social climate in two secondary schools in order to answer the question of how the climate can describe their conditions for future evolvement in effectiveness. The method of data collection is qualitative enquiries and has been conducted through interviews with principals, teachers and pupils. Our two schools are based in the same council and have a similar intake of pupils. The results derived from the study show that one school has a better pedagogical and social climate than the other which at the same time gives it greater conditions for future effectiveness.</p>