Indiscernibility, interchangeability and resemblance relations may be named as weak-identity relations or identity-like relations. Indeed,identical objects can be thought to satisfy all these three relations. According to realist view, these relations are defined on the basis of properties of objects. While indiscernibility is a context-independent relation, since indiscernibility is defined in terms of all properties of objects, interchangeability and resemblance relations are defined in terms of some significant properties of objects and thus they should be regarded as context-dependent. We should consider the following points while comparing rivalling theories of resemblance: 1. The theory explaining resemblance relations between objects should cover as many domains as possible. Instead of simply admitting that objects of a given type may resemble each other, the theory should explain how these relations are possible. 2. Objects do not just resemble or they do not / resemblance is a relation that admits degrees. Thus the theory providing a finer analysis of close and weak resemblances should be preferred. In comparison to resemblance nominalism, realist theory of resemblance is strongerwith respect to both points. The criticism that realist view may not explain degrees of resemblance can be rejoined by removing the indeterminacy as to the nature of this notion.Among knowledge representation systems, property and attribute systems provide a simple but strong models for analytic ontology. Weak identity relations can easily be defined in these systems and the results following from these definitions can be seen to conform to our intuitions about weak identity relations.

Introduction: Oil/gas communities across Northeastern British Columbia are experiencing rapid in-migration of young, primarily male workers in response to an economic ‘boom’ in the oil/gas sectors. Accompanying the ‘boom’ has been a rise in rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among young people, with Chlamydia rates among youth in the Northeast exceeding the provincial average by 22%. Previous research indicates that socio-cultural and structural determinants of youth sexual behaviour and access to STI testing are important for understanding youth sexual health disparities – and represent key targets for STI prevention efforts. No other research has explored STIs in this rapidly developing, under-resourced context. Therefore, objectives of this thesis were to: (1) Examine how socio-cultural and structural features related to the oil/gas ‘boom’ affect the sexual behaviour of young people in Fort St. John (FSJ), BC; (2) Gather the perspectives of youth and their service providers on the socio-cultural and structural barriers to STI testing in FSJ; (3) Develop recommendations to improve the accessibility of STI testing. Results: Participants identified 4 main ways in which the socio-cultural and structural conditions created by the ‘boom’ affect sexual behaviours, fuelling the spread of STIs in FSJ: mobility of oil/gas workers; binge partying; high levels of disposable income; and gendered power dynamics. As well, 5 key barriers to STI testing among youth were identified: limited opportunities for access; geographic inaccessibility; local social norms; limited information; and negative interactions with providers. Discussion: These data indicate that the conditions fostered by the ‘boom’ in FSJ exacerbate sexual health inequalities among young people. They can be more widely contextualized as an example of the unintended – but not unexpected – health and social implications of a resource-extraction ‘boom’, illustrating the fallacy of ‘development’ as representing uniformly positive ‘progress’. Recommended actions include STI prevention and testing service delivery models that incorporate a locally tailored public awareness campaign, outreach to oil/gas workers, condom distribution, expanded clinic hours and drop-in appointments, specialized training for health care providers, and intersectoral partnerships between public health, non-profit organizations, and industry. An ongoing knowledge translation internship has been undertaken to implement some of these recommendations.

一定歷史時期的正當性觀念反映了對應時期的社會價值規範。中國古代在西周之後的普遍共識是權力源自天命。本文以「天人關係」的發展為線索，以孔孟荀正當性觀念為軸，上溯西周時期「天命有德」觀念的興起，下及西漢初期董仲舒的「天人感應」理論，系統梳理了西漢初期以前儒家正當性觀念的發展。 西周之後，「血緣」與「德」成為能否享有天命的兩個影響因素。孔子在尊重世襲權力正當性的同時，通過「正名論」強調世襲君主既然享有君之名，就應該行君之實，對君主權力的道德基礎提出了要求。其對「仁」進行了重新詮釋，使得人本原存在的道德性被揭示出來，由此樹立了道德的主體性。同時通過對「仁」作為禮之質的說明，將「禮」作為一種外在制度和規範轉化為個體內在本質的實現。由此君主作為道德個體，權力的使用應該以「仁」為基礎。孟子則在孔子「仁」論的基礎上，進一步由「仁」而「仁義」並舉。通過性善論和「天人一貫」的哲學認識，將天道與人道貫通，為民意乃是天意奠定了理論基礎。君主需要以「仁義」為基礎，實行「德政」，才能獲得民心，從而享有天下。荀子不再從道德主體的價值自覺著手，而是通過對君主制的正當性論證，間接為處於君主制頂端的君主權力的正當性進行證明。董仲舒則在論證天的神聖性和道德性基礎上重新樹立了天的至高權威，通過「天人感應」來「假天以伸民」，對君主權力的道德基礎進行規範。 本文第一章介紹論文的研究主題和範圍、意義以及研究現狀，進而交待本文研究方法和論文章節安排。第二章：分析儒家天命觀的興起及其內涵。第三、四、五章則以孔孟荀為代表，來討論早期儒家的政治正當性觀念。第六章：分析「天人感應」與董仲舒的政治正當性思想。第七章：結語。對全文進行回顧和總結，檢討論文的成果。

Electrified Vehicles (EVs), including Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEVs) and Pure Electric Vehicles (PEVs), can provide substantial improvements in energy efficiency, emission reduction, and lifecycle cost over conventional vehicles solely powered by Internal Combustion Engines (ICE). Progress on electrification of marine vessels has been made, but the pace has been impacted by factors such as the different operational load profile of vessels, relatively small production levels and longer or varied lifetimes. In this dissertation, hybrid electric and pure electric propulsion system designs for fishing boats and passenger ferries are studied based on in-field acquired operational data. A new integrated marine propulsion system modeling and simulation method and a dedicated mobile data acquisition system have been introduced to analyze the energy efficiency, emission reduction, and lifecycle costs of new or retrofitted fishing boats and passenger ferries with hybrid electric and pure electric powertrains. Following the automotive industry Model Based Design (MBD) approach, modeling and simulation of electrified vessels using the acquired operation profile have been carried out using backward and forward-facing methods. Series hybrid electric and pure electric powertrain system designs with powertrain component models and rule-based system control, including a properly sized electric Energy Storage System (ESS) with a Supercapacitor (SC) or battery, have been studied. The total CO2 equivalent (CO2e) or Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions and lifecycle costs of various new, electrified vessel propulsion system designs have been evaluated. Clean propulsion system solutions for fishing boats and passenger ferries with detailed powertrain system and control system designs are given which provide a foundation for further research and development. This dissertation also addresses the environmental impact of Natural Gas (NG) as a transportation fuel, particularly for marine transportation use. A systematic evaluation of GHG emissions is provided for the upstream fuel supply chain of natural gas fuel in British Columbia (BC), Canada. The Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) lifecycle GHG emissions produced in both the upstream supply chain and the downstream vessel propulsion are estimated quantitatively using manufacturer data and propulsion system models of marine vessels. Extensive data have been collected from oil and gas companies that have active operations in BC to determine the upstream supply chain GHG emissions of the NG fuel under three scenarios. The energy efficiency and emissions of natural gas engines are compared with traditional diesel fuel marine engines and generators. The results obtained indicate that LNG fuel can lower CO2e by 10% to 28% with reduced local air pollutants such as sulfur oxides and particulates, compared to conventional diesel fuel. However, engine methane slip during combustion should be monitored as it can have a significant impact on the GHG emissions and so offset the environmental benefits of LNG. / Graduate

Dans cette thèse on s’intéresse au problème des décompositions canoniques polyadiques de tenseurs d’ordre $N$ potentiellement grands et sous différentes contraintes (non-négativité, aspect creux lié à une possible surestimation du rang du tenseur). Pour traiter ce problème, nous proposons trois nouvelles approches itératives différentes: deux approches déterministes dont une approche proximale, et une approche stochastique. La première approche étend les travaux de thèse de J-P. Royer au cas de tenseurs de dimension $N$. Dans l’approche stochastique, nous considérons pour la première fois dans le domaine des décompositions tensorielles, des algorithmes génétiques (mimétiques) dont principe général repose sur l’évolution d’une population de candidats. Dans le dernier type d’approche, nous avons considéré un algorithme proximal pré-conditionné (le Block-Coordinate Variable Metric Forward-Backward), algorithme fonctionnant par blocs de données avec une matrice de pré-conditionnement liée à chaque bloc et fondé sur deux étapes successives principales : une étape de gradient et une étape proximale. Finalement, les différentes méthodes suggérées sont comparées entre elles et avec d’autres algorithmes classiques de la littérature sur des données synthétiques (à la fois aléatoires ou proches des données observées en spectroscopie de fluorescence) et sur des données expérimentales réelles correspondant à une campagne de surveillance des eaux d’une rivière et visant à la détection d’apparition de polluants. / In this PhD thesis, we consider the problem of the Canonical Polyadic Decomposition (CPD) of potentially large $N$-th order tensors under different constraints (non-negativity, sparsity due to a possible overestimation of the tensor rank, etc.). To tackle such a problem, we propose three new iterative methods: a standard gradient based deterministic approach, a stochastic approach (memetic) and finally a proximal approach (Block-Coordinate Variable Metric Forward-Backward). The first approach extends J-P. Royer's works to the case of non-negative N-th order tensors. In the stochastic approach, genetic (memetic) methods are considered for the first time to solve the CPD problem. Their general principle is based on the evolution of a family of candidates. In the third type of approaches, a proximal algorithm namely the Block-Coordinate Variable Metric Forward-Backward is presented. The algorithm relies on two main steps: a gradient step and a proximal step. The blocks of coordinates naturally correspond to latent matrices. We propose a majorant function as well as a preconditioner with regard to each block. All methods are compared with other popular algorithms of the literature on synthetic (fluorescence spectroscopy like or random) data and on real experimental data corresponding to a water monitoring campaign aiming at detecting the appearance of pollutants.

abstract: Modeling dynamic systems is an interesting problem in Knowledge Representation (KR) due to their usefulness in reasoning about real-world environments. In order to effectively do this, a number of different formalisms have been considered ranging from low-level languages, such as Answer Set Programming (ASP), to high-level action languages, such as C+ and BC. These languages show a lot of promise over many traditional approaches as they allow a developer to automate many tasks which require reasoning within dynamic environments in a succinct and elaboration tolerant manner. However, despite their strengths, they are still insufficient for modeling many systems, especially those of non-trivial scale or that require the ability to cope with exceptions which occur during execution, such as unexpected events or unintended consequences to actions which have been performed. In order to address these challenges, a theoretical framework is created which focuses on improving the feasibility of applying KR techniques to such problems. The framework is centered on the action language BC+, which integrates many of the strengths of existing KR formalisms, and provides the ability to perform efficient reasoning in an incremental fashion while handling exceptions which occur during execution. The result is a developer friendly formalism suitable for performing reasoning in an online environment. Finally, the newly enhanced Cplus2ASP 2 is introduced, which provides a number of improvements over the original version. These improvements include implementing BC+ among several additional languages, providing enhanced developer support, and exhibiting a significant performance increase over its predecessors and similar systems. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.S. Computer Science 2014

Este trabalho propõe a tradução do discurso Panegírico, de autoria do ateniense Isócrates. A versão vem acompanhada de notas, que visam a fornecer um breve comentário das passagens mais importantes do texto. Um estudo introdutório, cujo primeiro capítulo pretende discutir algumas questões propostas pelo texto, tratando de sua composição, do tratamento dos fatos históricos e um breve relato das principais interpretações modernas do Panegírico. O capítulo seguinte aborda o problema dos bárbaros no Panegírico e como o retrato de Isócrates dos povos não gregos visa a reforçar as propostas feitas pelo autor em seu texto. Na parte final do estudo, examina-se a relação desse texto com obras precedentes tratando das mesmas questões que o Panegírico. / This work proposes to translate the Panegyricus, a speech by the Athenian Isocrates. Endnotes have been added, in order to comment the most important passages in the text. In addition, an introductory study is included to clarify the some points of the text, such as the problems posed by the composition of the text, its treatment of the historical facts and a brief review of the main modern interpretations of the Panegyricus. The next chapter discusses the role which the barbarians play in the Panegyricus and how Isocrates portrait of the non-Greek peoples serves the propositions advanced by the author in his text. The final part of the study examines the relation of the Panegyricus with texts treating the same questions.

How amazing would it be to prevent illegal copies of computer games? Game developers work with the hope that they can make good profit out of their games, but when they know that they would not sell much they will be so disappointed and that is because once a few original copies of their games are released, soon or late, there will be illegal copies available in the market. Working on how to distinguish between a legal copy and an illegal copy is the general topic of this thesis. / In a game there are many images and textures used for graphical purposes. One of the most recent texture file extensions used in modern games to store Microsoft DirectDraw Surface which is the basic image unit in Microsoft DirectX graphics is DirectDraw Surface or DDS in short. In this thesis, it was attempted to embed as many bits (watermark/ message) as possible and retrieve the bits after embedding to mark the file in a distinguishable way. The result has been very promising under different circumstances. / +46723136160

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