Many people have already questioned whether Greece would default: investors, economists, politicians and general public. The Greek debt crisis has also caused a great turmoil in the EU causing fears of its spreading to other countries with poor fiscal situation in Eurozone through bond markets. Finally the rescue package was prepared for Greece consisting of EUR 110 billion loan facility from both Eurozone and IMF. We study the Greek fiscal crisis in the thesis. We try to find its real causes in the historical chapter and we also show the methodology which can be used to assess the credit risk of Greek government using bond market information and CDS contracts information. In the empirical part we study the evolution of the probability of default of Greek government during the debt crisis using parsimonious model based on the bond market information.

This thesis addresses a multi-agent search problem where several agents, equipped with sensors and communication devices, search an unknown area. Lack of information about the search space is modeled as an uncertainty density distribution. A sequential deploy and search (SDS) strategy is formulated where the agents are first deployed to maximize single step search effectiveness. To achieve an optimal deployment, a multi-center objective function defined using the Voronoi cells and the uncertainty distribution is optimized. It is shown that the critical points of this objective function are the centroids of the Voronoi cells. A proportional control law is proposed that makes the agents move to their respective “centroids”. Assuming agents to be first order dynamical systems and using LaSalle's invariance principle, it is shown that the closed-loop system converges globally asymptotically to the critical points. It is also shown that the sequential deploy and search strategy is spatially distributed with respect to the Delaunay graph corresponding to any given agent configuration. Next, a combined deploy and search (CDS) strategy is proposed where, instead of first deploying agents and then performing the search, the agents engage in search operation as they move toward the centroids. This strategy gives rise to shorter agent trajectories compared to the SDS strategy. Then the problem is formulated with practical constraints such as sensor range limits and limit on maximum speed of the agents. A few issues relating to implementation of the proposed search strategies are also addressed. Finally, the assumption of homogeneous agents is relaxed and agents equipped with sensors with heterogeneous capabilities are considered. A generalized Voronoi partitioning scheme is proposed and used to formulate a heterogeneous locational optimization problem. In this problem the agents are deployed in the search space optimizing the sensor effectiveness. As earlier, the two search strategies are proposed. Simulation experiments are carried out to validate the performance of the proposed search strategies. The simulation results indicate that both the proposed search strategies perform quite well even when the conditions deviated from the nominal. It is also shown that the combined deploy and search strategy leads to shorter and smoother trajectories than those of the sequential deploy and search strategy with the same parameters.

信用衍生性商品（credit derivatives）是用於移轉信用風險之契約，契約是由保護買方（protection buyer）與保護賣方（protection seller）所簽定，由保護買方支付保險金（可為躉繳或分期支付）以獲得信用的保護，而保護賣方則需在律定之信用事件發生時支付償金予保護買方做為補償。近年來頻傳金融事件，巴塞爾銀行監理委員會（Basel Committee on Banking Supervision）也不得不制定新版的巴塞爾協定以要求銀行強化信用風險控制與分散，而信用衍生性商品亦有助於信用風險的移轉與抵減的功能。 本篇針對利用conditional Markov chain來建構信用違約交換與第n次信用違約交換之評價模型，並利用模擬的方式來求算出各商品之利差。藉由現實中的資料取得參數的估計值放入模型內則可以模擬出各種不同的狀況，進而做出避險的策略。 此外，本篇亦探討如何利用Gibbs sampler來改良conditional Markov chain的模擬方法，以模擬當信用衍生性商品中的資產組合有傳染效果的情況。

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS) has established educational programs throughout the world. The aim of these programs is to help students in gaining and understanding and personal witness of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ while they pursue secular studies. This project is an online resource, a handbook of instruction, designed for LDS religious educators across the globe to access and interact with, so as to facilitate teaching in the LDS classroom. Produced in Net Objects Fusion 3.0 this multimedia handbook makes use of text, graphics, and other information to teach and provide quality material and perspective for the LDS volunteer seminary teacher. This project is best viewed using Netscape Communicator 4.0 on a minimum 17 inch monitor. The online resource for teachers is offered with the following purposes in mind: (i) to inspire teachers to more effective and powerful teaching in the LDS classroom (ii) to help teachers understand the principles around quality religious instruction (iii) to guide teachers in the application of these principles so that quality religious instruction is assured (iv) to help teachers develop quality teaching skills for religious instruction / 1 computer optical disc ; 4 3/4 in + abstract.

銀行承載許多公司借款、各式擔保貸款及各式信用貸款等，使金融機構面臨龐大各式信用風險問題。在新版巴塞爾資本協定針對信用風險之計算方法做了重大修正，其中信用衍生性商品已具有信用風險抵減之功能。故本研究將針對一籃子信用標的針對信用結構式商品中具有量身訂作的單一分券信用違約交換與單一分券擔保債權憑進行更深入之研究並使用加入Vasicek Model特例Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process表示違約強度之隨機動態過程利用類似風險性債券之概念求得出封閉解以替代存活函數，來為簡化起見在無風險利率假設為一固定常數使用Copula方法評價單一分券信用違約交換與單一分券擔保債權憑。 　　在數值模擬部分，本篇利用實際市場資料建構出一合成單一分券擔保債權憑證產品，先針對違約動態模型與Copula函數之相關參數以實際市場資料做計與校正，再以評價公式以計算出合理信用價差，其結果可知當Copula函數越能描繪具有信用違約相關之信用違約事件，則當發生信用標的資產先後違約聚集情形會越高，以本研究實際產品資料特性而言Clayton Copula最能表現出違維聚集之情形，但在反應在第一次發生違約的權益分券上反而沒有其他兩種Copula函數用蒙地卡羅法所模擬出之違約次數高反而更低，做所求出來的信用價差也相對來的低，反而在反應違約聚集部分的先償違約交換具有較高信用價差。而在VaR值之衡量上可能因信用標的資產比較少，並沒有明顯之差異。

本研究針對每日利率區間型連動式債券，以及一籃子信用連結式債券－首次違約型進行評價與避險分析。由於法令的開放，結構型商品推陳出新，商品設計條款日趨繁複。利用理論的模型運用於市場上的結構型商品，使發行者與投資人清楚了解商品的利潤與風險。 在每日區間型利率連動式債券的評價模型上，採用Hall and White(1994)的利率三元樹模型求算債券價值。透過市場可90天期商業本票報價，建構符合市場利率期間結構之利率模型，並以路徑函數計算配息，以求算利率連動債券合理價格。 在一籃子信用連動式債券可拆解為持有固定利息債券，並賣出一信用交換。參考Kijima與Muromachi（2000）模型設定，模擬出不同回收率下的第一違約信用交換價值；使用Hall and White的利率三元樹模型，計算連動債券中的固定利息債券價格，最後，針對參數可能的變動進行敏感度分析。

The continuous microreactor-assisted solution deposition (MASD) process was used for the deposition of CdS thin films on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) glass. The MASD system, including a T-junction micromixer and a microchannel heat exchanger is capable of isolating the homogeneous particle precipitation from the heterogeneous surface reaction. The results show a dense nanocrystallite CdS thin films with a preferred orientation at (111) plane. Focused-ion-beam was used for TEM specimen preparation to characterize the interfacial microstructure of CdS and FTO layers. The band gap of the microreactor-assisted deposited CdS film was determined at 2.44 eV. X-ray Photon Spectroscopy show the bindings of energies of Cd 3d₃/₂, Cd 3d₅/₂, S 2p₃/₂ and S 2p₁/₂ at 411.7 eV, 404.8 eV, 162.1 eV, and 163.4 eV, respectively. The film growth kinetics was studied by measuring the film thickness deposited from 1 minute to 15 minutes in physical (FIB-TEM) and optical (reflectance spectroscopy) approaches. A growth model that accounts for the residence time in the microchannel using empirical factor (η) obtained from previous reported experimental data. Applying this factor in the proposed modified growth model gives a surface reaction rate of 1.61*10⁶ cm⁴ mole⁻¹s⁻¹, which is considerable higher than the surface reaction rates obtained from the batch CBD process. With the feature of separating homogeneous and heterogeneous surface reaction, the MASD process provides the capability to tailor the surface film growth rate and avoid the saturation growth regime in the batch process. An in situ spectroscopy technique was used to measure the UV-Vis absorption spectra of CdS nanoparticles formed within the continuous flow microreactor. The spectra were analyzed by fitting the sum of three Gaussian functions and one exponential function in order to calculate the nanoparticle size. This deconvolution analysis shows the formation of CdS nanoparticles range from 1.13 nm to 1.26 nm using a residence time from 0.26 s to 3.96 s. Barrier controlled coalescence mechanism seems to be a reasonable model to explain the experimental UV-Vis data obtained from the continuous flow microreactor, with a rate constant k' value of 2.872 s⁻¹. Using CFD, low skewness value of the RTD curve at high flow rate (short τ) suggests good radial mixing at high flow rate is responsible for the formation of smaller CdS nanoparticles with a narrower size distribution. The combination of CdS nanoparticle solution with MASD process resulted in the hindrance of CdS thin film deposition. It is hypothesized that the pre-existing sulfide (S²⁻) ions and CdS nanoparticles changes the chemical species equilibrium of thiourea hydrolysis reaction. Consequently, the lack of thiourea slows down the heterogeneous surface reaction. To test the scalability of the MASD process, a flow cell and reel-to-reel (R2R)-MASD system were setup and demonstrated for the deposition of CdS films on the FTO glass (6" x 6") substrate. The film deposition kinetics was found to be sensitive to the flow conditions within the heat exchanger and the substrate flow cell. The growth kinetics of the CdS films deposited by R2R-MASD process was investigated by with a deposition time of 2.5 min, 6.3 min, and 9 min. In comparison with the continuous MASD process, the growth rate in R2R-MASD is higher, however more difficult to obtain a linear relationship with the deposition time. / Graduation date: 2012 / Access restricted to the OSU Community at author's request from Jan. 13, 2012 - Jan. 13, 2013

Submitted by RICARDO MEDEIROS DOS SANTOS DA SILVA (rmedeiros@gmail.com) on 2015-09-21T23:50:40Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Implied Hazard Rates Analysis Through Brazilian Corporate Debt.pdf: 1429524 bytes, checksum: f2517a6c1a79a440b38d24a6957278bf (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Renata de Souza Nascimento (renata.souza@fgv.br) on 2015-09-21T23:57:40Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Implied Hazard Rates Analysis Through Brazilian Corporate Debt.pdf: 1429524 bytes, checksum: f2517a6c1a79a440b38d24a6957278bf (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-09-22T14:02:44Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Implied Hazard Rates Analysis Through Brazilian Corporate Debt.pdf: 1429524 bytes, checksum: f2517a6c1a79a440b38d24a6957278bf (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-08-26 / The Brazilian corporate debt market is mostly underdeveloped. Most of the participants do not explore and trade in the secondary market, which is specially the case for debentures. In spite of this fact, there are a myriad of tools that could help market participants analyze credit risk, which could make them more willing to trade these risks in the secondary market. This dissertation provides an arbitrage-free model that extracts the implied Risk- Neutral Mean Loss Rates from market prices. It is a reduced form version of the model proposed by Duffie and Singleton (1999) and defines the term-structure of interest rates as a Piece-Wise Constant Function. Through this model, we were able to analyze the implied Risk-Neutral Mean Loss curve through different instruments of Brazilian corporate issuers, using bonds, CDS and debentures. We were able to compare the different curves and decide, in each case analyzed, which of them are best to take on the company’s credit risk, via bonds, CDS or debentures. / No Brasil, o mercado de crédito corporativo ainda é sub-aproveitado. A maioria dos participantes não exploram e não operam no mercado secundário, especialmente no caso de debêntures. Apesar disso, há inúmeras ferramentas que poderiam ajudar os participantes do mercado a analisar o risco de crédito e encorajá-los a operar esses riscos no mercado secundário. Essa dissertação introduz um modelo livre de arbitragem que extrai a Perda Esperada Neutra ao Risco Implícita nos preços de mercado. É uma forma reduzida do modelo proposto por Duffie and Singleton (1999) e modela a estrutura a termo das taxas de juros através de uma Função Constante por Partes. Através do modelo, foi possível analisar a Curva de Perda Esperada Neutra ao Risco Implícita através dos diferentes instrumentos de emissores corporativos brasileiros, utilizando Títulos de Dívida, Swaps de Crédito e Debêntures. Foi possível comparar as diferentes curvas e decidir, em cada caso analisado, qual a melhor alternativa para se tomar o risco de crédito da empresa, via Títulos de Dívida, Debêntures ou Swaps de Crédito.

This thesis reports a passive method for Fermi level regulation in quantum dot assemblies through ground state transfer between QDs. Here, ZnTe/CdS, and PbSe/CdSe core/shell QDs were used as valence band electron donors, while Cu containing CdS or ZnSe acts as electron acceptor QDs. Prior to study of ground state charge transfer process, this report discusses the synthesis of ZnTe/CdS, and PbSe/CdSe core shell QDs, which are later used to study charge transfer. Since ZnTe QDs are unstable and prone to oxidation, a CdS coated ZnTe QDs were used. Growing a CdS shell on ZnTe core is difficult because high reduction potential of Te. To overcome this problem, partially reduced sulphur is used for the synthesis of ZnTe/CdS. The peculiar optical properties exhibited by ZnTe/CdS also have been discussed. Even though the synthesis of Lead chalcogenide nanoparticles has been investigated previously, certain inconsistencies between the behavior expected from known mechanisms and empirical observations. An anion exchange mechanism is proposed and demonstrated to be involved in PbSe formation. Both ZnTe and PbSe based QDs are extensively used to study hole injection and copper containing QDs were used as acceptors. The charge transfer has been studied using optical spectroscopy. The structure and composition of the assemblies was identified using powder crystallography, electron-microscopy and composition analysis. The unique physical and chemical properties of these materials are exciting both fundamentally as well as from the point of view of applications.

Ce travail de thèse a pour enjeux de rendre accessible à la communauté scientifique francophone en analyse dudiscours la manière dont le postulat critique s’est mis en place dans les sciences du langage européennes delangue anglaise à partir des années 1970 avec la Critical Linguistics jusqu’à son évolution actuelle donnant formeet programme à un courant de recherche connu sous les noms de Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) et de CriticalDiscourse Studies (CDS). Au moyen de nombreuses traductions réalisées dans le but de donner accès aux textes dece courant, nous faisons émerger, à travers leurs publications marquantes, comment sont nés ces courants, etcomment ils se sont établis scientifiquement et institutionnellement dans le paysage des sciences du langageanglophones en tant que disciplines désormais pleinement reconnues et disposant d'une reconnaissanceimportante dans les institutions universitaires. Malgré l’éclectisme de ces disciplines, qui pourrait à première vues’apparenter à un éclatement, nous identifions dans une exploration épistémologique ce qui fait leur unité et leurcohésion interne : principe critique appliquée à l’analyse du discours, posture définie du chercheur comme partieprenante de la société, focalisation sur des problématiques sociales construites comme objets de recherche,interdisciplinarité théorique pour ne jamais se limiter dans l’analyse, et pragmatisme dans le choix desméthodologies de recherche, toujours envisagées comme étant au service d’une analyse la plus complète possibledes aspects sémiotiques et discursifs des problèmes sociaux. Dans notre dernière partie, nous donnonsprécisément à voir des manières de faire de l’analyse du discours en CDS. À travers la présentation et l’analysedes grandes approches et tendances méthodologiques des CDS, nous montrons comment les chercheurss’emparent de problèmes sociaux concrets pour proposer des analyses répondant à une visée d’émancipation,démêlant ce qu'il en est des rapports entre langage et pouvoir. Nous montrons que ces analyses sont basées à lafois sur une théorisation critique du discours, de l’idéologie et de la société dans une visée interdisciplinaire(mêlant librement aux théories linguistiques des concepts issus des sciences sociales, de l’homme ou de lacognition), et sur des méthodologies qui empruntent sans restriction à toutes les branches des sciences dulangage pour appréhender le discours de manière complète, tant sous l’angle de son contenu que de samatérialité, analysant par exemple conjointement les macropropositions sémantiques, les stratégies rhétoriques,la représentation des acteurs sociaux ou les microphénomènes syntaxiques. / With this thesis, we are aiming at presenting how critique was incorporated into linguistics and discourseanalysis, first in the United-Kingdom in the 1970s and later spread to all European Anglophone discourseanalysis where it became its own discipline, Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) or alternatively, Critical DiscourseStudies (CDS). With a francophone audience in mind, we have translated excerpts of the major publications ofthe field to French in order to present first how CDA and CDS came into being as established disciplines, startingfrom Critical Linguistics. Then, we explore the main tenets of CDA and CDS and what constitutes them ascoherent scientific fields despite what appears at first sight to be a very eclectic body of works gathered underthese labels. We show that it has to do with critique as a governing principle for discourse analysis; how theresearcher’s position in society is defined; social problems as starting points for research; and a very pragmaticapproach when choosing methodological tools. Our last part presents the major approaches to “doing CDA”,from the founders’ approaches (Wodak’s Discourse Historical Approach, Fairclough’s Dialectical-RelationalApproach, Van Dijk’s Socio-Cognitive Approach, Van Leeuwen’s Representation of Social Actors) to largercurrent trends (CDA with a Cognitive Linguistics or Gender Studies input, Social Semiotics, Forensic Linguistics).