Due to the changing scope of data management towards the management of heterogeneous and distributed systems and applications, integration processes gain in importance. This is particularly true for those processes used as abstractions of workflow-based integration tasks; these are widely applied in practice. In such scenarios, a typical IT infrastructure comprises multiple integration systems with overlapping functionalities. The major problems in this area are high development effort, low portability and inefficiency. Therefore, in this paper, we introduce the vision of invisible deployment that addresses the virtualization of multiple, heterogeneous, physical integration systems into a single logical integration system. This vision comprises several challenging issues in the fields of deployment aspects as well as runtime aspects. Here, we describe those challenges, discuss possible solutions and present a detailed system architecture for that approach. As a result, the development effort can be reduced and the portability as well as the performance can be improved significantly.

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[pt] O presente trabalho investiga a relação entre controles de capital e contas externas nas economias da América Latina e aborda a ideia de otimalidade dos controles de capital em uma pequena economia aberta. O trabalho apresenta controles de capital como contracíclicos, em que esses são usados para mitigar choques adversos na conta corrente. Usando dados para a economia brasileira, os resultados também sugerem que controles de capital podem mitigar a volatilidade da economia e permitir ganhos de bem-estar no estado estacionário. Ao mesmo tempo, o trabalho mostra que, com impostos (controles) excessivos, o controle de capital pode perder sua capacidade de gerar ganhos de bem-estar, o que, por sua vez, alude a uma certa parcimônia na introdução dos mesmos. / [en] The present work investigates the relationship between capital controls and external accounts in Latin American economies and addresses the idea of capital control s optimality in a small open economy. The work presents capital controls as countercyclical, where they are intended to mitigate adverse shocks in the current account. Also, using data for the Brazilian economy, the results suggest that capital controls may mitigate the volatility of the economy and allow welfare gains in the steady state. At the same time, the work shows that, at excessive taxation, an ad-hoc capital control loses its capacity to generate welfare gains, which in turn alludes certain parsimony in their introduction.

This work aims to explore practical one-step-ahead forecasting of structurally changing data, an unstable behaviour, that real-life data connected to human activity often exhibit. This setting can be characterized as monitoring process. Various forecast models, methods and approaches can range from being simple and computationally "cheap" to very sophisticated and computationally "expensive". Moreover, different forecast methods handle different data-patterns and structural changes differently: for some particular data types or data intervals some particular forecast methods are better than the others, something that is usually not known beforehand. This raises a question: "Can one design a forecast procedure, that effectively and optimally switches between various forecast methods, adapting the forecast methods usage to the changes in the incoming data flow?" The thesis answers this question by introducing optimality concept, that allows optimal switching between simultaneously executed forecast methods, thus "tailoring" forecast methods to the changes in the data. It is also shown, how another forecast approach: combinational forecasting, where forecast methods are combined using weighted average, can be utilized by optimality principle and can therefore benefit from it. Thus, four classes of forecast results can be considered and compared: basic forecast methods, basic optimality, combinational forecasting, and combinational optimality. The thesis shows, that the usage of optimality gives results, where most of the time optimality is no worse or better than the best of forecast methods, that optimality is based on. Optimality reduces also scattering from multitude of various forecast suggestions to a single number or only a few numbers (in a controllable fashion). Optimality gives additionally lower bound for optimal forecasting: the hypothetically best achievable forecast result. The main conclusion is that optimality approach makes more or less obsolete other traditional ways of treating the monitoring processes: trying to find the single best forecast method for some structurally changing data. This search still can be sought, of course, but it is best done within optimality approach as its innate component. All this makes the proposed optimality approach for forecasting purposes a valid "representative" of a more broad ensemble approach (which likewise motivated development of now popular Ensemble Learning concept as a valid part of Machine Learning framework). / Denna avhandling syftar till undersöka en praktisk ett-steg-i-taget prediktering av strukturmässigt skiftande data, ett icke-stabilt beteende som verkliga data kopplade till människoaktiviteter ofta demonstrerar. Denna uppsättning kan alltså karakteriseras som övervakningsprocess eller monitoringsprocess. Olika prediktionsmodeller, metoder och tillvägagångssätt kan variera från att vara enkla och "beräkningsbilliga" till sofistikerade och "beräkningsdyra". Olika prediktionsmetoder hanterar dessutom olika mönster eller strukturförändringar i data på olika sätt: för vissa typer av data eller vissa dataintervall är vissa prediktionsmetoder bättre än andra, vilket inte brukar vara känt i förväg. Detta väcker en fråga: "Kan man skapa en predictionsprocedur, som effektivt och på ett optimalt sätt skulle byta mellan olika prediktionsmetoder och för att adaptera dess användning till ändringar i inkommande dataflöde?" Avhandlingen svarar på frågan genom att introducera optimalitetskoncept eller optimalitet, något som tillåter ett optimalbyte mellan parallellt utförda prediktionsmetoder, för att på så sätt skräddarsy prediktionsmetoder till förändringar i data. Det visas också, hur ett annat prediktionstillvägagångssätt: kombinationsprediktering, där olika prediktionsmetoder kombineras med hjälp av viktat medelvärde, kan utnyttjas av optimalitetsprincipen och därmed få nytta av den. Alltså, fyra klasser av prediktionsresultat kan betraktas och jämföras: basprediktionsmetoder, basoptimalitet, kombinationsprediktering och kombinationsoptimalitet. Denna avhandling visar, att användning av optimalitet ger resultat, där optimaliteten för det mesta inte är sämre eller bättre än den bästa av enskilda prediktionsmetoder, som själva optimaliteten är baserad på. Optimalitet reducerar också spridningen från mängden av olika prediktionsförslag till ett tal eller bara några enstaka tal (på ett kontrollerat sätt). Optimalitet producerar ytterligare en nedre gräns för optimalprediktion: det hypotetiskt bästa uppnåeliga prediktionsresultatet. Huvudslutsatsen är följande: optimalitetstillvägagångssätt gör att andra traditionella sätt att ta hand om övervakningsprocesser blir mer eller mindre föråldrade: att leta bara efter den enda bästa enskilda prediktionsmetoden för data med strukturskift. Sådan sökning kan fortfarande göras, men det är bäst att göra den inom optimalitetstillvägagångssättet, där den ingår som en naturlig komponent. Allt detta gör det föreslagna optimalitetstillvägagångssättetet för prediktionsändamål till en giltig "representant" för det mer allmäna ensembletillvägagångssättet (något som också motiverade utvecklingen av numera populär Ensembleinlärning som en giltig del av Maskininlärning).

The objective of this exploratory study was to conceptualise the constructs of psychological optimality in order to derive a definition of the concept and to compile a personality profile of the psychologically optimal individual. A sample of 200 employees in a large electricity utility were randomly selected. A psychometric battery comprising seven questionnaires was compiled and administered. The empirical investigation revealed four factors as indicative of psychological optimality. The factors comprise lntrapersonal dimensions, namely successful coping in stressful situations, an internal locus of control, and Interpersonal dimensions, namely interpersonal sensitivity and a commitment to society. It seems that work behaviour would be largely determined by the intra- and interpersonal behaviours. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M. Com. (Industrial Psychology)

Text in Afrikaans / Die doel van hierdie ondersoek is om die verskil in effek tussen direktiewe en nie-direktiewe insette van die fasiliteerder, tydens sensitiwiteitopleiding, te bepaal deur sommige kliente voor te berei op die ervaring deur middel van 'n uitdeelstuk en ander kliente nie voor te berei nie. Die sensitiwiteitgroepe word deurgaans op ongestruktureerde wyse hanteer en met behulp van 'n kwantitatiewe meting en verwerking met t-toetse asook 'n kwalitatiewe meting word hipoteses getoets. Die instrumente wat gebruik word is die POI, Rotter, Firo-B en 'n oopvraag-tegniek. Die resultate dui daarop dat persone wat voorberei word op die ervaring 'n groter interne lokus van kontrole openbaar. / The aim of this study is to determine the difference in effect between directive and non-directive inputs by the facilitator during sensitivity training, by preparing some clients for the experience with the aid of a handout while other clients go through the same experience unprepared. The sensitivity groups are run on an unstructured basis and effects are measured with a quantatitive measurement and calculated with t-tests as well as qualitative. measurement, thereby testing the hypotheses. The instruments that are used are the POI, Rotter, Firo-B and an open question technique. The results seem to indicate that people who are prepared for the experience show a higher internal locus of control. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M.A. (Bedryfsielkunde)

本論文探討法語借詞進入國語音韻系統時所採取的音韻調整策略，並從優選理論和語料庫的角度來分析借詞現象，主軸為法語子音和鼻母音的調整模式。 本研究建置一個法語借詞語料庫，並統計音段保留、替代、或刪除的趨向。研究發現，音段保留與調整為主要的轉譯策略，唯有韻尾子音[ʁ]傾向於刪除。數據分析顯示法語借詞中的語言變異(variation)極為普遍，此現象說明國語中的法語借詞尚未完全詞彙化 (lexicalization)，而是仍在持續進行。因此本論文採用ROE模型 (rank-ordering model of EVAL, Coetzee 2006)來解釋法語借詞轉譯的變異現象。 法語音段的調整現象和變異情形可訴諸於制約的排序與互動。根據ROE模型，制約係以中界線(cut-off line)加以區隔，違反中界線以上的候選值會直接淘汰，而僅違反中界線以下的候選值皆可成為優選值。本研究發現，中界線以上的制約包含結構制約、信實制約、以及聯合制約(conjoined constraint);中界線以下的制約則多為信實制約。音韻表徵(phonological features)如[labial]與[nasal]在轉譯的過程中必須保留，而是否違反[voice]與[spread glottis]等表徵僅會造成語言變異。 制約的交錯排序、互動，以及中界線的位置對於法語借詞的現象提出了解釋。借詞音韻並非自成一個系統，而是反映了借入語和普遍語法皆存在的制約。 / This thesis investigates the phonological adaptations of French loanwords in Mandarin. The focus is on the loanword adjustment of French consonants and nasal vowels. A loanword corpus is established. Based on the statistical analysis, the adaptation pattern of each foreign segment is provided. The thesis observes that preservation and adaptation are the major strategies in loanword adaptation. The only exception is [ʁ] in the coda position, which has segment deletion as the major substitute. Variant substitutes are common in French loanwords, which suggest that the loanword adaptation of French is an ongoing process in Mandarin. Optimality Theory (Prince and Smolensky 1993/2004) is the major framework in this thesis. To account for variations, Coetzee’s (2006) rank-ordering model of EVAL (ROE) is also used for analysis. A critical cut-off line divides the constraints into two parts: constraints above the cut-off line, and constraints below the cut-off line. Violations of the former are fatal, while violations of the latter lead to variations. The fatal constraints place restrictions on illicit segments, segment combinations, and prosodic preferences. These crucial constraints include markedness constraints, faithfulness constraints, or even the conjunction of the two. Constraints below the cut-off line are mostly IDENT constraints. Violations of IDENT features such as [voice] and [spread glottis] bring only variations. This is contrary to the violations of IDENT [nasal] and IDENT [labial], which result in ill-formedness. Based on the constraint ranking and the position of the cut-off line, the thesis shows that loanword phonology does not form an idiosyncratic grammar. Instead, it includes the constraints that are latent in L1 and reflects universal grammar.

Die vorliegende Arbeit zum Thema der numerischen Analysis von Eigenwertproblemen befasst sich mit fünf wesentlichen Aspekten der numerischen Analysis von Eigenwertproblemen. Der erste Teil präsentiert einen Algorithmus von asymptotisch quasi-optimaler Rechenlaufzeit, der die adaptive Finite Elemente Methode mit einem iterativen algebraischen Eigenwertlöser kombiniert. Der zweite Teil präsentiert explizite beidseitige Schranken für die Eigenwerte des Laplace Operators auf beliebig groben Gittern basierend auf einer Approximation der zugehörigen Eigenfunktion in dem nicht konformen Finite Elemente Raum von Crouzeix und Raviart und einem Postprocessing. Die Effizienz der garantierten Schranke des Eigenwertfehlers hängt von der globalen Gitterweite ab. Der dritte Teil betrachtet eine adaptive Finite Elemente Methode basierend auf Verfeinerungen von Knoten-Patchen. Dieser Algorithmus zeigt eine asymptotische Fehlerreduktion der adaptiven Sequenz von einfachen Eigenwerten und Eigenfunktionen des Laplace Operators. Die hier erstmals bewiesene Eigenschaft der Saturation des Eigenwertfehlers zeigt Zuverlässigkeit und Effizienz für eine Klasse von hierarchischen a posteriori Fehlerschätzern. Der vierte Teil betrachtet a posteriori Fehlerschätzer für Konvektion-Diffusion Eigenwertprobleme, wie sie von Heuveline und Rannacher (2001) im Kontext der dual-gewichteten residualen Methode (DWR) diskutiert wurden. Zwei neue dual-gewichtete a posteriori Fehlerschätzer werden vorgestellt. Der letzte Teil beschäftigt sich mit drei adaptiven Algorithmen für Eigenwertprobleme von nicht selbst-adjungierten Operatoren partieller Differentialgleichungen. Alle drei Algorithmen basieren auf einer Homotopie-Methode die vom einfacheren selbst-adjungierten Problem startet. Neben der Gitterverfeinerung wird der Prozess der Homotopie sowie die Anzahl der Iterationen des algebraischen Löser adaptiv gesteuert und die verschiedenen Anteile am gesamten Fehler ausbalanciert. / This thesis "on the numerical analysis of eigenvalue problems" consists of five major aspects of the numerical analysis of adaptive finite element methods for eigenvalue problems. The first part presents a combined adaptive finite element method with an iterative algebraic eigenvalue solver for a symmetric eigenvalue problem of asymptotic quasi-optimal computational complexity. The second part introduces fully computable two-sided bounds on the eigenvalues of the Laplace operator on arbitrarily coarse meshes based on some approximation of the corresponding eigenfunction in the nonconforming Crouzeix-Raviart finite element space plus some postprocessing. The efficiency of the guaranteed error bounds involves the global mesh-size and is proven for the large class of graded meshes. The third part presents an adaptive finite element method (AFEM) based on nodal-patch refinement that leads to an asymptotic error reduction property for the adaptive sequence of simple eigenvalues and eigenfunctions of the Laplace operator. The proven saturation property yields reliability and efficiency for a class of hierarchical a posteriori error estimators. The fourth part considers a posteriori error estimators for convection-diffusion eigenvalue problems as discussed by Heuveline and Rannacher (2001) in the context of the dual-weighted residual method (DWR). Two new dual-weighted a posteriori error estimators are presented. The last part presents three adaptive algorithms for eigenvalue problems associated with non-selfadjoint partial differential operators. The basis for the developed algorithms is a homotopy method which departs from a well-understood selfadjoint problem. Apart from the adaptive grid refinement, the progress of the homotopy as well as the solution of the iterative method are adapted to balance the contributions of the different error sources.

by Yam Pui Suen, Josephine. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2000. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 96-102). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / Acknowledgement --- p.iii / Abstract --- p.iv / Chapter Chapter 1 --- Introduction --- p.1 / Chapter 1.1 --- Second language phonological acquisition --- p.1 / Chapter 1.2 --- The application of Optimality Theory --- p.3 / Chapter 1.3 --- Objectives --- p.5 / Chapter 1.4 --- Research issues --- p.7 / Chapter Chapter 2 --- Second Language Acquisition --- p.9 / Chapter 2.1 --- Interlanguage --- p.9 / Chapter 2.2 --- Studies in second language acquisition: language transfer and developmental factors --- p.10 / Chapter 2.3 --- Studies on the effects of language transfer on second language phonology --- p.12 / Chapter 2.4 --- Studies on the effects of developmental factors on second language phonology --- p.14 / Chapter 2.4.1 --- Markedness Differential Hypothesis --- p.15 / Chapter 2.4.2 --- Marked Cluster Constraints --- p.15 / Chapter 2.4.3 --- Interlanguage Structure Conformity Hypothesis --- p.17 / Chapter 2.5 --- The Critical Period Hypothesis --- p.19 / Chapter 2.6 --- The age factor in first language acquisition --- p.21 / Chapter 2.7 --- The age factor in second language acquisition --- p.22 / Chapter 2.7.1 --- Supporting evidence in phonological research --- p.23 / Chapter 2.7.2 --- Counter evidence in phonological research --- p.24 / Chapter 2.7.3 --- Summary --- p.26 / Chapter Chapter 3 --- The Theoretical Framework of Optimality Theory --- p.28 / Chapter 3.1 --- Transformational Grammar and Optimality Theory --- p.28 / Chapter 3.2 --- Optimality Theory --- p.30 / Chapter 3.3 --- Constraints under Optimality Theory --- p.34 / Chapter 3.4 --- Optimality Theory and second language acquisition studies --- p.36 / Chapter Chapter 4 --- "The syllable structure of English, Mandarin and Cantonese" --- p.41 / Chapter 4.1 --- The syllable structure of English --- p.42 / Chapter 4.2 --- The syllable structure of Mandarin --- p.44 / Chapter 4.3 --- The syllable structure of Cantonese --- p.45 / Chapter 4.4 --- "Constraints in coda position of English, Mandarin and Cantonese" --- p.49 / Chapter Chapter 5 --- Methodology and Findings --- p.51 / Chapter 5.1 --- Methodology --- p.51 / Chapter 5.1.1 --- The subjects --- p.51 / Chapter 5.1.2 --- Material for data collection --- p.54 / Chapter 5.1.3 --- Procedures --- p.56 / Chapter 5.2 --- Findings --- p.57 / Chapter 5.2.1 --- Young Mandarin and Cantonese learners --- p.58 / Chapter 5.2.2 --- Adult Mandarin and Cantonese learners --- p.66 / Chapter 5.2.3 --- Summary of the Mandarin and Cantonese learners' production --- p.72 / Chapter Chapter 6 --- Discussion and Conclusion --- p.75 / Chapter 6.1 --- Constraint ranking --- p.76 / Chapter 6.2 --- Epenthesis and unreleased plosive: words with singleton coda --- p.79 / Chapter 6.3 --- Epenthesis and unreleased plosive: words with biliteral coda --- p.81 / Chapter 6.3.1 --- Nasal-Plosive' coda --- p.81 / Chapter 6.3.2 --- Plosive-plosive' coda --- p.83 / Chapter 6.4 --- Standard pronunciation --- p.89 / Chapter 6.5 --- The age factor --- p.91 / Chapter 6.6 --- Conclusion --- p.93 / Chapter 6.7 --- Future research --- p.95 / References --- p.96 / Appendix