Nessa dissertação estudamos Sistemas Dinâmicos do ponto de vista da Otimização Ergódica. Analizamos o problema da maximização da integral de potenciais com respeito a probabilidades invariantes pela dinâmica. Mostramos que toda medida ergódica e unicamente maximizante para algum potencial. Verificamos que o conjunto de potenciais com exatamente uma medida maximizadora e residual. Esses resultados são obtidos atrav es de técnicas da Teoria Ergódica e Análise Convexa. / In this thesis we study dynamical systems trough the viewpoint of ergodic optimization. We analyze the problem of maximizing integrals of potentials with respect to invariant probabilities. We show that every ergodic measure is uniquely maximizing for some potential. We also verify that the set of potentials with exactly one maximizing measure is residual. This results are obtained through techniques of ergodic theory and convex analysis.

The energy levels, lifetimes, oscillator strengths, and transition probabilities of N II lines have been reported in this thesis. We have used the Hartree-Fock (HF) and Multiconfiguration Hartree-Fock (MCHF) methods in our calculations. The relativistic operators mass correction, one-body Darwin term, spin-orbit interaction, and spin-other-orbit have been included in the Breit-Pauli Hamiltonian in our calculations of atomic parameters of singly-ionized nitrogen. We considered 70 levels of the 2s2 2p2, 2s2 2p3, 2s2 2p 3p, 2s2 2p 3s, 2s2 2p 4p, 2s2 2p 3d, 2s2 2p 4s, and 2s2 2p 4d configurations of N II. Our results have been compared with other available calculations and measurements, and generally a good agreement is found.

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Dans cette thèse, nous nous intéressons à deux modèles de feux de forêts définis sur Z. On étudie le modèle des feux de forêts sur Z avec propagation non instantanée dans le chapitre 2. Dans ce modèle, chaque site a trois états possibles : vide, occupé ou en feu. Un site vide devient occupé avec taux 1. Sur chaque site, des allumettes tombent avec taux λ. Si le site est occupé, il brûle pendant un temps exponentiel de paramètre π avant de se propager à ses deux voisins. S’ils sont eux-mêmes occupés, ils brûlent, sinon le feu s’éteint. On étudie l’asymptotique des feux rares c’est à dire la limite du processus lorsque λ → 0 et π → ∞. On montre qu’il y a trois catégories possibles de limites d’échelles, selon le régime dans lequel λ tend vers 0 et π vers l’infini. On étudie formellement et brièvement dans le chapitre 3 le modèle des feux de forêts sur Z en environnement aléatoire. Dans ce modèle, chaque site n’a que deux états possibles : vide ou occupé. On se donne un paramètre λ > 0, une loi ν sur (0 ,∞) et une suite (κi)i∈Z de variables aléatoires indépendantes identiquement distribuées selon ν. Un site vide i devient occupé avec taux κi. Sur chaque site, des allumettes tombent avec taux λ et détruisent immédiatement la composante de sites occupés correspondante. On étudie l’asymptotique des feux rares. Sous une hypothèse raisonnable sur ν, on espère que le processus converge, avec une renormalisation correcte, vers un modèle limite. On s’attend à distinguer trois processus limites différents / The aim of this work is to study two differents forest-fire processes defined on Z. In Chapter 2, we study the so-called one dimensional forest-fire process with non instantaeous propagation. In this model, each site has three possible states: ’vacant’, ’occupied’ or ’burning’. Vacant sites become occupied at rate 1. At each site, ignition (by lightning) occurs at rate λ. When a site is ignited, a fire starts and propagates to neighbors at rate π. We study the asymptotic behavior of this process as λ → 0 and π → ∞. We show that there are three possible classes of scaling limits, according to the regime in which λ → 0 and π → ∞. In Chapter 3, we study formally and briefly the so-called one dimensional forest-fire processes in random media. Here, each site has only two possible states: ’vacant’ or occupied’. Consider a parameter λ > 0, a probability distribution ν on (0 ,∞) as well as (κi)i∈Z an i.i.d. sequence of random variables with law ν. A vacant site i becomes occupied at rate κi. At each site, ignition (by lightning) occurs at rate λ. When a site is ignited, the fire destroys the corresponding component of occupied sites. We study the asymptotic behavior of this process as λ → 0. Under some quite reasonable assumptions on the law ν, we hope that the process converges, with a correct normalization, to a limit forest fire model. We expect that there are three possible classes of scaling limits

Please read the abstract in the section 00front of this document / Dissertation (MSc (Mathematics of Finance))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Mathematics and Applied Mathematics / unrestricted

Um Jogo Markoviano Alternado (Alternating Markov Game - AMG) é uma extensão de um Processo de Decisão Markoviano (Markov Decision Process - MDP) para ambientes multiagentes. O modelo AMG é utilizado na tomada de decisão sequencial de n agentes quando são conhecidas as probabilidades de transição das ações a serem tomadas por cada agente. Nesse trabalho estamos interessados em AMGs com probabilidades de transição de estados imprecisas, por exemplo, quando elas são dadas na forma de intervalos de probabilidades. Apresentamos um novo modelo de AMG, que chamamos de Jogo Markoviano Alternado com Probabilidades Imprecisas (Alternate Markov Game with Imprecise Probabilities - AMGIP) que permite que as imprecisões nas probabilidades de transições de estados sejam dadas na forma de parâmetros sujeitos a restrições lineares que estende trabalhos anteriores em que a imprecisão é dada por intervalos de probabilidades (AMG-INTERVAL). Dizemos que a imprecisão representa escolhas da Natureza. A imprecisão desses modelos implica no valor do jogo ser dado por uma função intervalar. Existem diversas formas de calcular a solução do jogo, que depende do comportamento da Natureza e dos critérios de preferência dos jogadores diante das escolhas da Natureza. Assim, neste trabalho discutimos diversas soluções para o AMG-IP e AMG-INTERVAL. Também como resultado do estudo das relações existentes entre os MDPs e os AMGs, propomos um novo modelo chamado de AMG-ST (Alternating Markov Game with Set-valued Transition), capaz de modelar a incerteza do modelo MDP-ST (Markovian Decision Process with Set-valued Transition) como um jogo entre o agente e a Natureza, isto é, um jogo em que a Natureza faz o papel de um dos jogadores. / An Alternating Markov Game (AMG) is an extension of a Markov Decision Process (MDP) for multiagent environments. This model is used on sequencial decision making for n agents when we know the state transition probabilities of actions being taken by each agent. In this work we are interested in AMGs with imprecise probabilities on state transition function, for example, when they are given by probabilities intervals. We present a new AMG model, which we call Alternating Markov Game with Imprecise Probabilities (AMG-IP) that allows imprecision on state transition probabilities given by parameters subject to linear constraints that extend previous works which the imprecision is given by probabilities intervals (AMG-INTERVAL). We say that the imprecision represents the Nature choices. The imprecision of these models implies the game value is given by interval function. There are several ways to calculate the solution of the game, that depend on the behavior of the Nature and the preference criteria of the players on the choices of Nature. Therefore, in this work we discuss various solutions to AMG-IP and AMG-INTERVAL. Also from our study on the relationship among the MDPs and AMGs, we propose a new model called Alternating Markov Game with Set-valued Transition (AMG-ST), that can be used to model the uncertainty of an MDP-ST (Markovian Decision Process with Set-valued Transition) as a result of the match between the agent and the Nature, i.e., a game where the Nature is seen as one of the players.

This dissertation investigates the manner in which facts are proven with specific emphasis on the role which the concept of ‘probabilities’ plays in achieving the ‘burden of proof. It is illustrated that the concept of ‘probabilities’ plays a central role throughout the process of determining the accountability of a litigant, including fact-finding during the evaluation of the adduced evidence and the application of the burden of proof. This study distinguishes between the findings of individual facts, as opposed to the finding of whether the case of a party, as reflected by the cumulative effect of the individually proven facts, has been proven. It is submitted that, despite traditionally perceived views, the concept of ‘probabilities’ is applied in exactly the same manner to both these aspects of a legal dispute, the only variable being the degree of probabilities as determined by a specific stage and nature of the litigation. The research focuses on both criminal and civil cases. The dissertation is based on current South African practices as reflected in judgments in different law reports and, to some extent, on English and American legal practices. Copyright / Dissertation (LLM)--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Procedural Law / unrestricted

The present thesis is devoted to the construction of a probability measure which counts the pairs of closed commuting subgroups in infinite groups. This measure turns out to be an extension of what was known in the finite case as subgroup commutativity degree and opens a new approach of study for the class of near abelian groups, recently introduced in [24, 27]. The extremal case of probability one characterises the topologically quasihamiltonian groups, studied originally by K. Iwasawa [30, 31] in the abstract case and then by F. K¨ummich [35, 36, 37], C. Scheiderer [45, 46], P. Diaconis [11] and S. Strunkov [48] in the topological case. Our probability measure turns out to be a useful tool in describing the distance of a profinite group from being topologically quasihamiltonian. We have been inspired by an idea of H. Heyer in the present context of investigation and in fact we generalise some of his techniques, in order to construct a probability measure on the space of closed subgroups of a profinite group. This has been possible because the space of closed subgroups of a profinite group may be approximated by finite spaces and the consequence is that our probability measure may be approximated by finite probability measures. While we have a satisfactory description for profinite groups and compact groups, the case of locally compact groups remains open in its generality.

Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Civil Engineering, 1979. / MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND ENGINEERING. / Bibliography: leaves 201-208. / by William Simon Dershowitz. / M.S.