Record keeping and management of electrical utilities inside buildings is an important aspect to ensure effective electrical distribution. The ability to find the location of each electrical feature inside a building and extract information about it helps to solve network problems faster. The use of a spatial database structure facilitates the maintenance and general operations of an electrical network across different buildings. The aim of this study is to design and develop a 3D data model to provide a management system for electrical utilities inside buildings. The geodatabase provides integrated information between different electrical components forming the network inside the specified buildings in the study area. A prototype called the PUK geodatabase was designed and developed for the NWU Potchefstroom Campus as a 3D data model. The data model consists of raster and vector data used in network datasets, relationship classes and topology rules. The aim of this project was accomplished through the 3D analysis capabilities of the model. The research determined that the prototype called the PUK geodatabase can be utilized as a 3D management system for electrical utilities across the different floor levels of a building. / Thesis (M.Sc. (Geography and Environmental Studies))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012

Baigiamajame magistro darbe nagrinėjama požeminių komunikacijų vizualizacija trimačiame modelyje. Šiame magistriniame darbe išnagrinėta 3D duomenų svarba ir pranašumas prieš 2D vizualizavimą. Buvo atliktas požeminių komunikacijų projektavimo tyrimas trima��io vaizdavimo programine įranga, ištirtas šių technologijų naudojimas užsienyje bei naudojimo perspektyvos Lietuvoje. Darbą sudaro 10 dalių: įvadas, informacijos vizualizavimo aplinkos, 3D duomenų modelio esmė, 3D programinės įrangos galimybės inžinerijoje,3D vizualizavimo programinė įranga,3D modeliavimo koordinačių sistemos, trimačio geoinformacinių sistemų modelio sudarymas, požeminių komunikacijų trimačio geoinformacinių sistemų modelio sudarymo metodika, požeminių komunikacijų duomenų surinkimo reikalavimai, požeminių komunikacijų 3D skaitmeninio modelio kūrimas, požeminių komunikacijų trimačio modelio naudojimas Lietuvoje ir pasaulyje,išvados, literatūros sąrašas. / In the magistrate thesis are researching visualization of Underground communications at 3D data model. In the thesis analyse 3D model data significance and advantage against 2D model data. Also researching program equipment projection of Underground communications 3D data model, technology usage in foreign countries and opportunities for use in Lithuania. Structure: introduction, information visualization surrounding, 3D data model essence, 3D data program equipment opportunity in the engineering, 3D data model equipment, 3D data model coordinate systems, 3D data model formation, formation model of underground communication at 3D data model, data assemblage standards of underground communications, underground communication 3D data model creation, 3D data model usage in the world and Lithuania, conclusions, references.

Record keeping and management of electrical utilities inside buildings is an important aspect to ensure effective electrical distribution. The ability to find the location of each electrical feature inside a building and extract information about it helps to solve network problems faster. The use of a spatial database structure facilitates the maintenance and general operations of an electrical network across different buildings. The aim of this study is to design and develop a 3D data model to provide a management system for electrical utilities inside buildings. The geodatabase provides integrated information between different electrical components forming the network inside the specified buildings in the study area. A prototype called the PUK geodatabase was designed and developed for the NWU Potchefstroom Campus as a 3D data model. The data model consists of raster and vector data used in network datasets, relationship classes and topology rules. The aim of this project was accomplished through the 3D analysis capabilities of the model. The research determined that the prototype called the PUK geodatabase can be utilized as a 3D management system for electrical utilities across the different floor levels of a building. / Thesis (M.Sc. (Geography and Environmental Studies))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012

This study suggests a two-step approach to identifying and interpreting regional convergence clubs in Europe. The first step involves identifying the number and composition of clubs using a space-time panel data model for annual income growth rates in conjunction with Bayesian model comparison methods. A second step uses a Bayesian space-time panel data model to assess how changes in the initial endowments of variables (that explain growth) impact regional income levels over time. These dynamic trajectories of changes in regional income levels over time allow us to draw inferences regarding the timing and magnitude of regional income responses to changes in the initial conditions for the clubs that have been identified in the first step. This is in contrast to conventional practice that involves setting the number of clubs ex ante, selecting the composition of the potential convergence clubs according to some a priori criterion (such as initial per capita income thresholds for example), and using cross-sectional growth regressions for estimation and interpretation purposes. (authors' abstract)

2007年中次級房貸爆發後，美國信用評等機構的中立地位，受到質疑以及攻擊。回顧過去評等的，國際信評公司對美國恩隆(Enron)，在爆發前才降為「投機等級」；在亞洲金融危機發生之後，歐美信評公司普遍給予亞洲國家過低之評等，對亞洲地區經濟復甦造成一定程度之負面效應。一連串的金融事件引發了投資人對於信用評等效力的疑慮：信用評等還是能代表中立客觀的評價嗎？是否擁有較公開財務資料更多更完整的訊息？果真如此，對於問題的發生是否有發現及反應的能力？本研究利用相對買賣價差以及Panel data、Simultaneous Model檢測信用評等對股票流動性之影響，再進一步討論信評與財務結構的關係實證分析信用評等對台灣證券市場流動性存在正向關係，並且影響財務結構。本研究實証結果的價值是提供影響市場流動性的因素中，信用評等也是促成流動性的原因之ㄧ。信用評等所帶來的流動性提供了對投資者、金融機構以及資本市場更穩定並且更有效率的機制。

The research reported in this thesis is focused on the creation of a CAE system to support Reverse Engineering. It is centred around the computational representation of products (Product Model) and manufacturing capabilities (Manufacturing Model). These models are essential for modem and future software systems aimed to assist the design process, enabling data sharing among the participants who use various computational tools. Reverse Engineering is employed as a particular context and motivation for exploring the application of the models. The research builds on the achievements of the recently finished Model Oriented Simultaneous Engineering System (MOSES) project, undertaken jointly by Leeds University and the Department of Manufacturing Engineering of Loughborough University. MOSES' work on information modelling was analysed and combined together with the original proposals of the author to elaborate a suitable support to Reverse Engineering, applicable to redesign in general. A process for Reverse Engineering is proposed and documented and a data model driven CAE system to support it is specified. The CAE system includes a Product Model, a Manufacturing Model and two software application environments. The Product Model of the system is based on the information requirements of the Reverse Engineering process and is suitable for representing multi-component products, from different perspectives through its life cycle. The applications assist the characteristic activities of Reverse Engineering. In particular, the system is used for exploring the application of Product and Manufacturing Models in supporting Design for Manufacture. The theoretical research is tested by the use of a case study which explores the Reverse Engineering of a component. This work is supported by a prototype software instance of the CAE system. The case study component is an axle which forms part of a product designed and manufactured by a collaborating company.

The thesis aims at identifying the reasons behind the heterogeneous inflation performance of countries across Central and Eastern Europe. The impact of a large number of variables is being assessed in a dynamic panel data model covering 20 countries over the period 2003-2013. The empirical results suggest that cross-country differences in inflation are attributed to the structure of the economy, to the capital deepening effects and openness. Along with the structural factors, cyclical positions also prove to be of particular importance in explaining inflation across the region, since during the last decade most of the Central and Eastern European countries have experienced fast GDP growth, a credit boom and increased domestic demand that in turn fueled inflation.

A influência do clima sobre a agricultura tem sido constantemente discutida na literatura econômica, e os resultados sugerem que este setor deve ser o mais afetado conforme as projeções atuais sobre o clima. No caso do Brasil, a temática tem sua importância destacada, uma vez que o setor agrícola e suas atividades vinculadas representam parte expressiva do PIB nacional, de modo que o desempenho econômico se apresenta vinculado aos resultados do setor. Ademais, a agricultura brasileira apresenta significativa participação no mercado internacional, sendo o país um importante player no que diz respeito à oferta global de commodities. Portanto, estudos e pesquisas que auxiliem na redução dos potenciais impactos do clima na agricultura brasileira ganham relevância, dados os efeitos sobre o mercado internacional de commodities e sobre a economia nacional. Neste contexto, o presente estudo avaliou empiricamente o impacto potencial do clima na produção agrícola dos principais estados produtores do país, por meio da estimação das elasticidades entre as variáveis temperatura e precipitação e o valor real de produção nestes estados. A fim de atingir o objetivo proposto, foi utilizado um modelo de efeitos fixos, aplicado a uma base de dados em painel, com dez estados entre 1990 e 2012. Os resultados encontrados sugerem impactos significativos do clima na agricultura, sendo aqueles relacionados à temperatura de magnitude expressivamente superior aos de precipitação. Quanto à temperatura, as relações estimadas foram predominantemente negativas, e para a precipitação ocorreu o inverso. Além disso, observaram-se respostas bastante divergentes entre os estados, sendo que o Rio Grande do Sul e o Espírito Santo se mostraram os mais vulneráveis às variações climáticas. Apenas em Goiás a agricultura respondeu positivamente a aumentos de temperatura, e na Bahia e no Mato Grosso não foram encontradas relações estatisticamente significativas. / The influence of climate on agriculture has been constantly discussed in the economic literature, and the results suggest that this should be the sector most affected according the current climate projections. In the Brazilian case, the issue is particular relevant, since the agricultural sector and its related activities represent a significant part of the national GDP, then, the country\'s economic performance is linked to the sector\'s result. Moreover, Brazilian agriculture has a significant share on the international market, and the country is an important player on the global commodities supply. Therefore, studies and researches might generate results to mitigate the potential climate impacts on Brazilian agriculture. In this context, this research evaluated the potential impact of climate variables on agricultural production at the states level, through the elasticities estimation among the climate variables, temperature and precipitation, and the state\'s agricultural production real values. It was estimated a fixed effects panel model, considering ten states from 1990 to 2012. The results suggest significant impacts of climate on agriculture, especially those related to temperature, which were significantly greater than the precipitation effects. For temperature, the results estimated were predominantly negative, and for precipitation, the opposite happened. In addition, there were widely divergent responses among states; the Rio Grande do Sul and the Espírito Santo were the most vulnerable states to climate variations. Only in Goiás the agriculture responded positively to increases in temperature, and in Bahia and Mato Grosso there was no statistically significant relationships between temperature and agricultural production.

The topic of the thesis is putting up the application architecture of the organization based othe the actual state, identified requirements, the operational model. The thesis contains description of the business architecture domain, requirements metodology and creation of the operational model of the organization. For the main solution is used the conceptual data model. Application architecture design is presented by the aplication landscape model with the desctiption of the architecture layers and the integration concept including a master data managment concept.

Com o avanço da geração de informação georeferenciada torna-se extremamente importante desenvolver técnicas que auxiliem na melhora da visualização dessas informações. Neste sentido os web maps tornam-se cada vez mais comuns na difusão dessas informações. Esses sistemas permitem ao usuário explorar tendências geográficas de forma rápida e sem necessidade de muito conhecimento técnico em cartografia e softwares específicos. As áreas do mapa onde ocorre um mesmo evento com maior incidência geram visualizações confusas e que não possibilitam uma adequada tomada de decisão. Essas áreas, quando representadas através de pontos (o que é bastante comum), provocará uma sobreposição massiva de dados, devido à densidade de informações. Esta dissertação propõe uma técnica que utiliza um modelo de dados multidimensional para auxiliar a exibição das informações em um web map, de acordo com o contexto do usuário. Esse modelo organiza os dados por níveis geográficos e permite assim uma melhor compreensão da informação exibida. Os experimentos desenvolvidos mostraram que a técnica foi considerada de fácil utilização e de uma necessidade pequena de conhecimento para a execução das tarefas. Isso pode ser visto que das 59 consultas propostas para serem geradas apenas 7 precisam de mudanças significativas para serem executadas. Esses resultados permitem comprovar que o modelo se apresenta como uma boa alternativa para a tomada de decisão sobre mapas produzidos em ambiente web. / The advancement of generation of geo-referenced information becomes extremely important to develop techniques that help in improving the display of this information. In this sense the web maps become increasingly common in the dissemination of such information. These systems allow the user to explore geographical trends quickly and without much technical knowledge in cartography and specific software . The map areas where there is a single event with a higher incidence generate confusing views and not allow proper decision making. These areas , as represented by points (which is quite common) , will cause a massive overlay data , due to the density of information. This work proposes a technique that uses a multidimensional data model to support the display of information on a web map, according to the user's context . This model organizes data by geographical levels and thus allows a better understanding of the information displayed. Developed experiments showed that the technique was considered easy to use and a small need for knowledge to perform the tasks. It can be seen that the 59 queries proposals to be generated only 7 significant changes need to be executed. These results allow to prove that the model is presented as a good alternative for decision-making on maps produced in a web environment.