The theory of Grobner bases has garnered the interests of a large number of researchers in computational algebra due to its applications not only in mathematics but also in areas like control systems, robotics, cryptography to name a few. It is well known that the computation of Grobner bases takes time doubly exponential in the number of indeterminates rendering it impractical in all but a few places.The current known algorithms for Grobner bases depend on the term order over which Grobner bases is computed. In this thesis, we study computational complexity of some problems in computational ideal theory. We also study the algebraic formulation of combinatorial optimization problems. Gritzmann and Sturmfels (1993) posed the following question: Given a set of generators, decide whether it is a Gr¨obner bases with respect to some term order. This problem, termed as the Grobner Basis Detection(GBD)problem, was introduced as an application of Minkowski addition of polytopes. It was shown by Sturmfels and Wiegelmann (1997) that GBD is NP-hard. We study the problem for the case of zero-dimensional ideals and show that the problem is hard even in this special case. We study the detection problem in the case of border bases which are an alternative to Grobner bases in the case of zero dimensional ideals. We propose the Border Basis Detection(BBD) problem which is defined as follows: Given a set of generators of an ideal, decide whether that set of generators is a border basis of the ideal with respect to some order ideal. It is shown that BBD is NP-complete. We also formulate the rainbow connectivity problem as a system of polynomial equations such that solving the polynomial system yields a solution to it. We give an alternate formulation of the rainbow connectivity problem as a membership problem in polynomial ideals.

In this study we analyse relationship between classical approach to valuation of linear interest rate derivatives and post-crisis approach when the valuation better reflects credit and liquidity risk and economic costs of the transaction on top of the risk-free rate. We discuss the method of collateralization to diminish counterparty credit risk, its impact on derivatives pricing, and how overnight indexed swap (OIS) rates became market standard for discounting future derivatives' cash flows. We show that using one yield curve to both estimating the forward rates and discounting the expected future cash flows is no longer possible in arbitrage free market. We review in detail three fundamental interest rate derivatives (interest rate swap, basis swap and cross-currency swap) and we derive discount factors used for calculating the present value of expected future cash flows that are consistent with market quotes. We also investigate drivers behind basis spreads, in particular, credit and liquidity risk, and supply and demand forces, and show how they impact valuation of derivatives. We analyse Czech swap rates and propose an estimation of CZK OIS curve and approximate discount rates in case of cross-currency swaps. Finally, we discuss inflation markets and consistent valuation of inflation swaps.

An ordering on bases in Banach spaces is defined as a natural generalization of the notion of equivalence. Its theory is developed with emphasis on its behavior with respect to shrinking and boundedly-complete bases. We prove that a bounded operator mapping a shrinking basis to a boundedly-complete one is weakly compact. A well-known result concerning the factorization of a weakly compact operator through a reflexive space is then reinterpreted in terms of the ordering. Next, we introduce a class of Banach spaces whose norm is constructed from a given two-dimensional norm N. We prove that any such space XN is isomorphic to an Orlicz sequence space. A key step in obtaining this correspondence is to describe the unit circle in the norm N with a convex function ϕ. The canonical unit vectors form a basis of a subspace YN of XN . We characterize the equivalence of these bases and the situation when the basis is boundedly-complete. The criteria are formulated in terms of the norm N and the function ϕ. 1

Purpose and questions: The Swedish School Law states that education in preschools and schools shall rest on a scientific base. The aim of this study is to examine to what extent and in what ways that preschool teachers are acquiring and getting information about research. It also aims to investigate the possibilities and the problems that may arise due to the requirement that education in preschools should have a scientific base. In what extent does preschool teachers believe that scientific basis and new research has significance for their work? How does preschool teachers get information about research and in what extent? What are the opportunities and problems that preschool teacher faces when it comes to new research? Theory: The theory that are used is Illeris learning theory. Also the postmodern view of the world, with its perspective on knowledge and the reflexive term is used. Method: The research is done with a quantitative method, web survey. The analysis is done with more of a mix between quantitative and qualitative analysis method. The response rate is 30,5 % for the survey, which is 25 preschool teachers. Conclusion: The preschool teachers in this study states that they comes in contact with research mainly by seeking it out themselves. They overall states that it's interesting to read these texts and they understand them. Furthermore the majority of the teachers states that research has relevance to their professional practice and that the research they have read has changed their preschool. The majority of the teachers also states that it's important that the preschool education is resting on a scientific base. Generally the preschool teachers in this study have the skills and motivation they need to read, get information and knowledge through research and to use the acquired knowledge in their preschools. The biggest problem for them to use more research is lack of time.

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This thesis addressed the problem of recognizing 3-D objects, using shape information extracted from range images, and parameterized volumetric models. The domains of the geometric shapes explored is that of complex curved objects with articulated parts, and a great deal of similarity between some of the parts. These objects are exemplified by animal shapes, however the general characteristics and complexity of these shapes are present in a wide range of other natural and man-made objects. In model-based object recognition three main issues constrain the design of a complete solution: representation, feature extraction, and interpretation. this thesis develops an integrated approach that addresses these three issues in the context of the above mentioned domain of objects. For representation I propose a composite description using globally deformable superquadratics and a set of volumetric primitives called geons: this description is shown to have representational and discriminative properties suitable for recognition. Feature extraction comprises a segmentation process which develops a method to extract a parts-based description of the objects as assemblies of defoemable superquadratics. Discontinuity points detected from the images are linked using 'active contour' minimization technique, and deformable superquadratic models are fitted to the resulting regions afterwards. Interpretation is split into three components: classification of parts, matching, and pose estimation. A Radical Basis Function [RBF] classifier algoritm is presented in order to classify the superquadratics shapes derived from the segmentation into one of twelve geon classes. The matching component is decomposed into two stages: first, an indexing scheme which makes effective use of the output of the [RBF] classifier in order to direct the search to the models which contain the parts identified. this makes the search more efficient, and with a model library that is organised in a meaningful and robust way, permits growth without compromising performance. Second, a method is proposed where the hypotheses picked from the index are searched using an Interpretation Tree algorithm combined with a quality measure to evaluate the bindings and the final valid hypotheses based on Possibility Theory, or Theory of Fuzzy Sets. The valid hypotheses ranked by the matching process are then passed to the pose estimation module. This module uses a Kalman Filter technique that includes the constraints on the articulations as perfect measurements, and as such provides a robust and generic way to estimate pose in object domains such as the one approached here. These techniques are then combined to produce an integrated approach to the object recognition task. The thesis develops such an integrated approach, and evaluates its perfomance inthe sample domain. Future extensions of each technique and the overall integration strategy are discussed.

Cette thèse comprend trois sujets différents, tous en rapport à des problèmes de structures électroniques. Ces trois sujets sont présentés dans trois parties indépendantes.Cette thèse commence par une introduction générale présentant les problématiques et les principaux résultats.La première partie traite de la théorie de la fonctionnelle de la densité lorsqu'elle est appliquée aux modèles d'électrons avec spins polarisés. Cette partie est divisée en deux chapitres. Dans le premier de ces chapitres, nous introduisons la notion de N-représentabilité, et nous caractérisons les ensembles de matrices de densité de spin représentables. Dans le second chapitre, nous montrons comment traiter mathématiquement le terme de Zeeman qui apparaît dans les modèles comprenant une polarisation de spin. Le résultat d'existence qui est démontré dans (Anantharaman, Cancès 2009) pour des systèmes de Kohn-Sham sans polarisation de spin est étendu au cas des systèmes avec polarisation de spin.Dans la seconde partie, nous étudions l'approximation GW. Dans un premier temps, nous donnons une définition mathématique de la fonction de Green à un corps, et nous expliquons comment les énergies d'excitation des molécules peuvent être obtenues à partir de cette fonction de Green. La fonction de Green peut être numériquement approchée par la résolution des équations GW. Nous discutons du caractère bien posé de ces équations, et nous démontrons que les équations GW0 sont bien posées dans un régime perturbatif. Ce travail a été effectué en collaboration avec Eric Cancès et Gabriel Stoltz.Dans le troisième et dernière partie, nous analysons des méthodes numériques pour calculer les diagrammes de bandes de structures cristallines. Cette partie est divisée en deux chapitres. Dans le premier, nous nous intéressons à l'approximation de Hartree-Fock réduite (voir (Cances, Deleurence, Lewin 2008)). Nous prouvons que si le cristal est un insolant ou un semi-conducteur, alors les calculs réalisés dans des supercellules convergent exponentiellement vite vers la solution exacte lorsque la taille de la supercellule tend vers l'infini. Ce travail a été réalisé en collaboration avec Salma Lahbabi. Dans le dernier chapitre, nous présentons une nouvelle méthode numérique pour le calcul des diagrammes de bandes de cristaux (qui peuvent être aussi bien isolants que conducteurs). Cette méthode utilise la technique des bases réduites, et accélère les méthodes traditionnelles. Ce travail a été fait en collaboration avec Eric Cancès, Virginie Ehrlacher et Damiano Lombardi / This thesis contains three different topics, all related to electronic structure problems. These three topics are presented in three independent parts.This thesis begins with a general introduction presenting the problematics and main results.The first part is concerned with Density Functional Theory (DFT), for spin-polarized models. This part is divided in two chapters. In the first of these chapters, the notion of N-representability is introduced and the characterizations of the N-representable sets of spin-density 2X2 matrices are given. In the second chapter, we show how to mathematically treat the Zeeman term in spin-polarized DFT models. The existence of minimizers that was proved in (Anantharaman, Cancès 2009) for spin-unpolarized Kohn-Sham models within the local density approximation is extended to spin-polarized models.The second part of this thesis focuses on the GW approximation. We first give a mathematical definition of the one-body Green's function, and explain why methods based on Green's functions can be used to calculate electronic-excited energies of molecules. One way to compute an approximation of the Green's function is through the self-consistent GW equations. The well-posedness of these equations is discussed, and proved in the GW0 case in a perturbative regime. This is joint work with Eric Cancès and Gabriel Stoltz.In the third and final part, numerical methods to compute band-diagrams of crystalline structure are analyzed. This part is divided in two chapters.In the first one, we consider a perfect crystal in the reduced Hartree-Fock approximation (see (Cances, Deleurence, Lewin 2008)). We prove that, if the crystal is an insulator or a semi-conductor, then supercell calculations converge to the exact solution with an exponential rate of convergence with respect to the size of the supercell. This is joint work with Salma Lahbabi. In the last chapter, we provide a new numerical method to calculate the band diagram of a crystal (which can be either an insulator or a conductor). This method, based on reduced basis techniques, speeds up traditional calculations. This is joint work with Eric Cancès, Virginie Ehrlacher, and Damiano Lombardi

We present a unifying framework for the global optimization of functions which are expensive to evaluate. The framework is based on a Bayesian interpretation of radial basis function interpolation which incorporates existing methods such as Kriging, Gaussian process regression and neural networks. This viewpoint enables the application of Bayesian decision theory to derive a sequential global optimization algorithm which can be extended to include existing algorithms of this type in the literature. By posing the optimization problem as a sequence of sampling decisions, we optimize a general cost function at each stage of the algorithm. An extension to multi-stage decision processes is also discussed. The key idea of the framework is to replace the underlying expensive function by a cheap surrogate approximation. This enables the use of existing branch and bound techniques to globally optimize the cost function. We present a rigorous analysis of the canonical branch and bound algorithm in this setting as well as newly developed algorithms for other domains including convex sets. In particular, by making use of Lipschitz continuity of the surrogate approximation, we develop an entirely new algorithm based on overlapping balls. An application of the framework to the integration of expensive functions over rectangular domains and spherical surfaces in low dimensions is also considered. To assess performance of the framework, we apply it to canonical examples from the literature as well as an industrial model problem from oil reservoir simulation.

This research has identified meanings attached by participants to the YMCA’s Christian basis within the context of volatile environments by engaging with voices in a qualitative, inductive, small-scale research project within the English YMCA. My proposition was that people working in the YMCA were appointed on the understanding that it was Christian-based, that the corporate and collective agreed means of association were located primarily in the Christian basis and that the YMCA attached significant meaning to its Christian basis whilst operating within an inclusive environment. Thematic descriptions of voices in communication were identified using a mixed set of research methods. The data were analysed in a between-method triangulation to produce adialectic towards meaning. Methods included: a literature review, interviews in a pilot study, a comparative historical review, facilitated groups, field visits and website surveys. I engaged various literary sources for interpretative perspectives on voices to differentiate participant’s relationships with the Christian basis in terms of audibility, affinity and attitude. The majority of participants felt that they had been appointed on the understanding that the YMCA is Christian-based, but very few had actually been given an opportunity, or felt it necessary, to make sense of it in their work. The Christian basis did not command a universally accepted meaning amongst participants. Instead, it was often perceived to have limited meaning, but with a degree of historical status attached to it. For the majority of participants, the actual corporate and collective agreed means of motivation was defined as care for young people within an inclusive environment and without any overt reference to the Christian basis and its meaning. However, where the Christian basis did feature locally it elicited communication that was complex, layered and variable in its nature. In these circumstances it produced powerful models of inclusive Christian service. The research identified three implications for further consideration: (a) ineffective communication between member YMCAs resulting in; (b) the creation of disjointed and remote islands of understanding about the Christian basis; and (c) in turn generating informal disassociations as a key factor in diminishing the value of the Christian basis within local member YMCAs.

This dissertation considers certain issues in support vector machines (SVMs), including a description of their construction, aspects of certain exponential kernels used in some SVMs, and a presentation of an algorithm that computes the necessary elements of their operation with proof of convergence. In its first section, this dissertation provides a reasonably complete description of SVMs and their theoretical basis, along with a few motivating examples and counterexamples. This section may be used as an accessible, stand-alone introduction to the subject of SVMs for the advanced undergraduate. Its second section provides a proof of the positive-definiteness of a certain useful function here called E and dened as follows: Let V be a complex inner product space. Let N be a function that maps a vector from V to its norm. Let p be a real number between 0 and 2 inclusive and for any in V , let ( be N() raised to the p-th power. Finally, let a be a positive real number. Then E() is exp(()). Although the result is not new (other proofs are known but involve deep properties of stochastic processes) this proof is accessible to advanced undergraduates with a decent grasp of linear algebra. Its final section presents an algorithm by Dr. Kallman (preprint), based on earlier Russian work by B.F. Mitchell, V.F Demyanov, and V.N. Malozemov, and proves its convergence. The section also discusses briefly architectural features of the algorithm expected to result in practical speed increases.