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Thesis (PhD (Statistics and Actuarial Sciences))--Stellenbosch University, 2008. / We consider the problem of model assessment by risk estimation. Various approaches to risk estimation are considered in a uni ed framework. This a discussion of various complexity dimensions and approaches to obtaining bounds on covering numbers is also presented. The second type of training sample interval estimator discussed in the thesis is Rademacher bounds. These bounds use advanced concentration inequalities, so a chapter discussing such inequalities is provided. Our discussion of Rademacher bounds leads to the presentation of an alternative, slightly stronger, form of the core result used for deriving local Rademacher bounds, by avoiding a few unnecessary relaxations. Next, we turn to a discussion of PAC-Bayesian bounds. Using an approach developed by Olivier Catoni, we develop new PAC-Bayesian bounds based on results underlying Hoe ding's inequality. By utilizing Catoni's concept of \exchangeable priors", these results allowed the extension of a covering number-based result to averaging classi ers, as well as its corresponding algorithm- and data-dependent result. The last contribution of the thesis is the development of a more exible shell decomposition bound: by using Hoe ding's tail inequality rather than Hoe ding's relative entropy inequality, we extended the bound to general loss functions, allowed the use of an arbitrary number of bins, and introduced between-bin and within-bin \priors". Finally, to illustrate the calculation of these bounds, we applied some of them to the UCI spam classi cation problem, using decision trees and boosted stumps. framework is an extension of a decision-theoretic framework proposed by David Haussler. Point and interval estimation based on test samples and training samples is discussed, with interval estimators being classi ed based on the measure of deviation they attempt to bound. The main contribution of this thesis is in the realm of training sample interval estimators, particularly covering number-based and PAC-Bayesian interval estimators. The thesis discusses a number of approaches to obtaining such estimators. The rst type of training sample interval estimator to receive attention is estimators based on classical covering number arguments. A number of these estimators were generalized in various directions. Typical generalizations included: extension of results from misclassi cation loss to other loss functions; extending results to allow arbitrary ghost sample size; extending results to allow arbitrary scale in the relevant covering numbers; and extending results to allow arbitrary choice of in the use of symmetrization lemmas. These extensions were applied to covering number-based estimators for various measures of deviation, as well as for the special cases of misclassi - cation loss estimators, realizable case estimators, and margin bounds. Extended results were also provided for strati cation by (algorithm- and datadependent) complexity of the decision class. In order to facilitate application of these covering number-based bounds,

Combinatorial Group Testing (CGT) is a process of identifying faulty interactions (“errors”) within a particular set of items. Error Locating Arrays (ELAs) are combinatorial designs that can be built from Covering Arrays (CAs) to not only cover all errors in a system (each involving up to a certain number of items), but to locate and identify the errors as well. In this thesis, we survey known results for CGT, as well as CAs, ELAs, and some other types of related arrays. More importantly, we give several new results. First, we give a new algorithm that can be used to test a system in which each component (factor) has two options (values), and at most two errors are present. We show that, for systems with at most two errors, our algorithm improves upon a related algorithm by Mart´ınez et al. in terms of both robustness and efficiency. Second, we give the first adaptive CGT algorithm that can identify, among a given set of k items, all faulty interactions involving up to three items. We then compare it, performance-wise, to current-best nonadaptive method that can identify faulty interactions involving up to three items. We also give the first adaptive ELA-building algorithm that can identify all faulty interactions involving up to three items when safe values are known. Both of our new algorithms are generalizations of ones previously given by Mart´ınez et al. for identifying all faulty interactions involving up to two items.

The purpose of the present thesis is to analyse a particular ritual treatment, the so-called mouth- washing, appearing in diverse rituals of ancient Mesopotamia and its implications for the status of the ritual object treated in this way. Instead of generalizing the function of this element as known from the eponymous Mouth washing ritual for induction of cult images, this thesis considers its employment in all its attested occurrences. The author assumes a strongly metaphorical character of mouth-washing and analyses the concept of purity underlying it. Its shifting significance in different rituals is observed and a typology of these is outlined. A following case study is devoted to the Ritual for covering a kettledrum. A close examination of the sources reveals a possible development of the tradition as well as the ritual's interconnectedness with the Mouth washing ritual. This relation is treated as a case of interrituality, a concept introduced by Burkhard Gladigow. The divine status of the kettledrum is achieved through the ritual for its covering which intentionally employs elements used in the ritual induction of cult images. A special emphasis laid on the kettledrum's status in Seleucid Uruk corresponds with wider socio-historical changes. Methodologically, the offered interpretation rests...

Le problème de tournées de véhicules est un des problèmes d’optimisation combinatoire les plus connus et les plus difficiles. Il s’agit de déterminer les tournées optimales pour une flotte de véhicules afin de servir un ensemble donné de clients. Dans les problèmes classiques de transport, chaque client est normalement servi à partir d’un seul nœud (ou arc). Pour cela, on définit toujours un ensemble donné de nœuds (ou arcs) obligatoires à visiter ou traverser, et on recherche la solution à partir de cet ensemble de nœuds (ou arcs). Mais dans plusieurs applications réelles où un client peut être servi à partir de plus d’un nœud, (ou arc), les problèmes généralisés qui en résultent sont plus complexes. Le but principal de cette thèse est d’étudier trois problèmes généralisés de tournées de véhicules. Le premier problème de la tournée sur arcs suffisamment proche (CEARP), comporte une application réelle intéressante en routage pour le relevé des compteurs à distance ; les deux autres problèmes, problème de tournées couvrantes multi-véhicules (mCTP) et problème généralisé de tournées sur nœuds (GVRP), permettent de modéliser des problèmes de conception des réseaux de transport à deux niveaux. Pour résoudre ces problèmes, nous proposons une approche exacte ainsi que des métaheuristiques. Pour développer la méthode exacte, nous formulons chaque problème comme un programme mathématique, puis nous construisons des algorithmes de type branchement et coupes. Les métaheuristiques sont basées sur le ELS (ou Evolutionary Local Search) et sur le GRASP (ou Greedy Randomized Adaptive Search Procedure). De nombreuses expérimentations montrent la performance de nos méthodes. / The Routing Problem is one of the most popular and challenging combinatorial optimization problems. It involves finding the optimal set of routes for fleet of vehicles in order to serve a given set of customers. In the classic transportation problems, each customer is normally served by only one node (or arc). Therefore, there is always a given set of required nodes (or arcs) that have to be visited or traversed, and we just need to find the solution from this set of nodes (or arcs). But in many real applications where a customer can be served by from more than one node (or arc), the generalized resulting problems are more complex. The primary goal of this thesis is to study three generalized routing problems. The first one, the Close-Enough Arc Routing Problem(CEARP), has an interesting real-life application to routing for meter reading while the others two, the multi-vehicle Covering Tour Problem (mCTP) and the Generalized Vehicle Routing Problem(GVRP), can model problems concerned with the design of bilevel transportation networks. The problems are solved by exact methods as well as metaheuristics. To develop exact methods, we formulate each problem as a mathematical program, and then develop branch-and-cut algorithms. The metaheuristics are based on the evolutionary local search (ELS) method et on the greedy randomized adaptive search procedure (GRASP) method. The extensive computational experiments show the performance of our methods.

Este trabalho consiste de duas partes. Na primeira, desenvolvemos uma teoria de Nielsen equivariante para raizes de G-aplicações $f:X\\to Y$ equivariantes entre G-espaços topológicos Hausdorff, conexos, normais, localmente conexos por caminhos e semilocalmente simplesmente conexos, onde G é um grupo topológico, Na segunda parte, estudamos a questão da realização do G-número de Nielsen de raizes quando este é zero. / This work consists of two parts. In the firs one, we develop an equivariant Nielsen root theory for G-maps. We consider equivariant maps $f:X\\to Y$ between Hausdorff, connected, normal, locally path connected and semilocally simply connected G-spaces, where G is a topological group. In the second part, we study the question of the realization of G-Nielsen root number when it is zero.

Submitted by Angela Maria de Oliveira (amolivei@uepg.br) on 2017-12-14T11:25:10Z No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 811 bytes, checksum: e39d27027a6cc9cb039ad269a5db8e34 (MD5) LUIS MIGUEL SCHIEBELBEIN.pdf: 7282167 bytes, checksum: ea6dc8bd40a37c7d77ca2ee7016e1d08 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-12-14T11:25:10Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 811 bytes, checksum: e39d27027a6cc9cb039ad269a5db8e34 (MD5) LUIS MIGUEL SCHIEBELBEIN.pdf: 7282167 bytes, checksum: ea6dc8bd40a37c7d77ca2ee7016e1d08 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-06-13 / Culturas como o milho são altamente influenciadas pelo sistema de manejo e cobertura do solo, época de semeadura e pelas condições meteorológicas locais durante o seu ciclo. A interação entre estes fatores resultará no acúmulo de matéria seca pela cultura que será revertido em produtividade. Na avaliação do efeito de diferentes densidades populacionais de plantas, coberturas de inverno e épocas de semeadura sobre a disponibilidade de água no solo condicionada pelos atributos físicos do solo e os componentes de rendimento da cultura do milho, conduziu-se um ensaio nas safras 2014/2015 e 2015/2016 no município de Ponta Grosa, PR, utilizando-se como híbrido o P30F53YH. O delineamento experimental foi o de parcelas subdivididas, repetidas em três épocas de semeadura (15 de setembro, 30 de outubro e 15 de dezembro), constando de coberturas de inverno nas parcelas (palhada de aveia, pousio e solo nu) e de cinco populações de plantas (40.000, 60.000, 80.000, 100.000 e 120.000 plantas ha-1) nas subparcelas. Foram avaliadas características morfológicas da planta (altura de planta, diâmetro de colmo, altura de inserção de espiga, número de folhas, área foliar e índice de área foliar), além dos componentes de rendimento (número de fileiras por espiga, número de grãos por fileira, massa de mil grãos e massa de espiga) e produtividade, em quatro plantas por subparcela. Foi realizado o balanço hídrico sequencial para as duas safras em estudo. O solo da área foi caracterizado, tendo sido determinada a sua densidade global, textura e ajustando-se para as profundidades de 0 a 0,10 m, 0,10 a 0,20 m, 0,20 a 0,30 m, 0,30 a 0,40 e 0,40 a 1,0 m as curvas de retenção de água pelo modelo proposto por van Genuchten (1980). A partir destes atributos, determinou-se a distribuição da porosidade total do solo e a sua classificação quanto à função. Utilizaram-se métodos de estatística multivariada na análise das informações, objetivando a obtenção de respostas globais a partir das variáveis levantadas. Foi ajustado um modelo senoidal de crescimento de plantas, o qual demonstrou alta correlação com o regime vigente dos elementos meteorológicos locais, permitindo a determinação do ponto de inflexão da taxa de crescimento da planta em altura e a sua relação com a temperatura, a radiação solar global, a disponibilidade de água no solo e o saldo de radiação. Não foram observados períodos de estiagem durante as duas safras. Não se observou efeito das diferentes coberturas de solo sobre o crescimento das plantas e produtividade. A produtividade final e os demais parâmetros morfológicos obtidos encontraram-se dentro do padrão esperado para o híbrido. As populações de plantas afetaram a produtividade, tendo sido crescente até a população de 120.000 plantas ha-1, sob as quais também foi encontrado o maior índice de área foliar. O solo era homogêneo em toda área de cultivo não se constatando efeito de cobertura de solo sobre os componentes de rendimento e a produtividade final da cultura. Houve efeito interativo entre épocas de semeadura, população de plantas e cobertura do solo para as semeaduras realizadas em 30 de outubro e 15 de dezembro (2014/2015) e para 15 de setembro (2015/2016) sobre a produtividade do milho. As produtividades e os demais parâmetros morfológicos obtidos foram expressos na localidade estudada em decorrência do potencial genético do híbrido de milho. / Crops such corn (Zea mays L.) are highly influenced by the management practices, soil coverings, sowing dates and local meteorological conditions throughout the crop growing season at a given site. The interaction among such factors will result in dry matter accumulation by the crop that will in turn be converted into productivity. At the assessment of the effects of different planting populations, winter coverings and sowing dates on soil water availability conditioned by the soil physical attributes, as well as on the yield components of the crop, a field trial was carried out at the years of 2014/2015 and 2015/2016 in Ponta Grossa, State of Paraná, Brazil, with P30F53YH as the genotype considered herein. The experimental design was a split plot scheme repeated over three sowing dates (September 15, October 30, and December 15), taking into account three different winter coverings (oat straw, fallow, and bare soil) and five planting populations (40,000; 60,000; 80,000; 100,000 and 120,000 plants ha-1) in the split plots. Morphological features of the plants (plant height, stalk diameter, insertion height of ears, number of leaves, leaf area, and leaf area index) along with yield components (number of rows per ear, number of grains per row, a thousand mass of grains, and mass of ears) plus yield in four plants per split plot were evaluated in the current study. Sequential water balances were performed throughout two crop growing seasons. The soil of the experimental area was characterized, having the soil bulk density and texture been determined and adjusting for the soil layers 0-0.10, 0.10-0.20, 0.20-0.30, 0.30-0.40, and 0.40-0.50 m water retention curves by the model proposed by van Genuchten (1980). From such physical attributes of the soil the distribution of soil total porosity and its classification regarding a more fitting mathematical function were determined. Multivariate statistical methods were used at the analyses of information in order to search for global responses from the studied variables. A sinusoidal model of crop growing was adjusted, which showed a high correlation with the regime of local meteorological elements, allowing therefore for the determination of inflexion points of plant growth rates in height and its relationship with temperature, global solar radiation, soil water availability and net radiation. Significant periods of draught over the course of the crop growing seasons were not observed. Moreover, effects of different soil coverings on corn growing and yield were not detected as well. The final yield and all morphological features of the crop obtained were found to be within the expected standard for the genotype of corn in study. Planting populations affected yield, with increasing values up to planting populations over 120,000 plants ha-1, under which the highest leaf area indices were found. The soil was homogeneous at the entire experimental area and no effect of soil covering on yield components and crop final productivity was identified at all. An interactive effect of sowing dates, planting populations and soil coverings for the sowing dates of October 30 and December 15 (2014/2015) and also for September 15 (2015/2016) on corn yield was observed. Biological yield along with all morphological parameters of the plants were expressed as a result of the genetic potential of the corn genotype at the studied site.

Submitted by JOSIANE SANTOS DE OLIVEIRA (josianeso) on 2018-04-12T13:49:50Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Deborah Luisa Detânico Vieira_.pdf: 1504339 bytes, checksum: 49a2adc770aff79d216c818e22dea099 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-04-12T13:49:50Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Deborah Luisa Detânico Vieira_.pdf: 1504339 bytes, checksum: 49a2adc770aff79d216c818e22dea099 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-05-17 / Nenhuma / Com a crescente demanda de serviços de voz e, principalmente, dados móveis se fez necessário o desenvolvimento das tecnologias de quarta geração (4G). O padrão Long Term Evolution (LTE), desenvolvido pela Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), foi escolhido pela International Telecommunications Union (ITU) como tecnologia para atender os requisitos da quarta geração de serviços móveis. Para as operadoras inserirem esta nova tecnologia em suas redes existentes, se faz necessário um estudo meticuloso de planejamento, muito embora, na prática, este planejamento seja desenvolvido de forma empírica. O problema de planejamento de redes é conhecido e bem estudado no ramo da computação, conhecido como problema de recobrimento de conjuntos e classificado, pela sua complexidade, como NP-difícil. Dadas as características diferenciadas da arquitetura da rede do LTE, este trabalho busca resolver o problema de planejamento de redes de quarta geração (4G), utilizando uma modelagem matemática aplicada a uma metaheurística híbrida, composta de Algoritmo Genético e Busca Tabu. Almejase resolver o problema de cobertura de uma determinada região, cobrindo a maior área possível com o menor número possível de Base Stations (BS), visando ao planejamento com maior assertividade e redução do custo de implantação da rede 4G. / With the constantly demand of voice services and mostly in mobile data, there was the need the development of the mobile services of fourth generation (4G). The pattern Long Term Evolution, developed by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) was chosen by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) as technology to attend the requirements of the fourth generation of mobile services. For the mobile operators introduce and apply this new generation in their own existing networks, they need to do an extensive research and planning, even if, in practical means, it is applied using the empirical way. The network planning problem is widely known and studied in computing area as set-covering problem ans classified as NPhard. Due the unique characteristics of network architecture of LTE, this work aims to solve the mobile’s fourth generation planning problem using a mathematics modelling apply to a hybrid metaheuristics, composed with Genetic Algorithm and Tabu Search. It aims solve the coverage problem of a specific region, covering the largest area possible with the fewest number of Base Sations (BS) possible, seeking the best compliance and cost reduction of the LTE network deployment.

Submitted by Silvana Teresinha Dornelles Studzinski (sstudzinski) on 2015-06-19T15:40:42Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Eduardo Augusto Martins.pdf: 5700123 bytes, checksum: 4789112a51c3fa9b5a888aa5987298e9 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-06-19T15:40:42Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Eduardo Augusto Martins.pdf: 5700123 bytes, checksum: 4789112a51c3fa9b5a888aa5987298e9 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013 / Nenhuma / Sistemas centralizados de medição de energia são atualmente uma escolha para automatizar redes e garantir o funcionamento do complexo sistema de distribuidoras de energia elétrica. Atualmente, estes sistemas compõem as chamadas smart grids, redes inteligentes de geração, transmissão e distribuição de energia, dotadas de dispositivos de comunicação de dados, possibilitando a aplicação de sistemas distribuídos, com base na troca de informações entre equipamentos, formando uma nova rede, também de alta complexidade, para interligação e controle de dados. No Brasil, um trabalho inédito vem sendo desenvolvido na criação deste tipo de rede: a utilização de uma infraestrutura avançada de medição, baseada em sistemas de medição centralizada, alocadas em áreas de grandes concentrações urbanas, com objetivos de diminuição, ou até mesmo eliminação de perdas comerciais de distribuição de energia, emerge como novidade na aplicação de redes inteligentes de distribuição de energia elétrica no país. Este trabalho tem por objetivo a descrição do desenvolvimento de uma solução computacional, baseada em um método de busca metaheurística conhecido como Simulated Annealing para apoio à formulação de projetos de redes otimizadas de infraestrutura avançada de medição que utilizam equipamentos de sistemas de medição centralizados em uma rede de distribuição de energia elétrica, garantindo máxima cobertura da rede, atendimento a todos os clientes geograficamente localizados na região de projeto, minimizando custos de instalação dos sistemas. Na busca deste objetivo, este trabalho apresenta a redução do problema de otimização para o Problema do Recobrimento, a construção do modelo matemático, a implementação computacional e as aplicações na forma de simulações e resultados. A metodologia proposta, aplicada ao sistema computacional como forma de simulação, permite uma análise muito rápida e dinâmica de topologias de rede a serem projetadas para utilização em projetos de redes de comunicações, onde se utilizam sistemas de medição centralizados. O sistema computacional permite a alteração das características de simulação e das características das redes, dependendo das restrições impostas pela área geográfica em estudo. A estratégia apresenta bons resultados na formação de topologias de redes de comunicação para sistemas de medição centralizada, bem como otimização na utilização de equipamentos, reduzindo custos de instalação na rede. / Centralized systems of energy measurement are actually a choice for automating networks and ensure the operation of the complex system of electricity distribution. Currently, these systems comprise the so-called smart grid generation, transmission and distribution of energy, equipped with data communication devices, enabling the implementation of distributed systems, based on the exchange of information between devices, forming a new network, of high complexity, and for interconnection data control. In Brazil, a new work is being developed for creating this type of network: the use of an advanced infrastructure for measurement, centralized measurement systems allocation in areas of large urban concentrations, with goals of reducing, or even eliminating, commercial losses of power distribution, that emerges as a novelty in applying smart grid distribution of electricity in the country. This work aims at describing the development of a computational solution, based on a metaheuristic search method known as Simulated Annealing to support the design of optimized network for advanced metering infrastructure using equipment measurement systems on a centralized network of power distribution, ensuring maximum coverage, service to all customers geographically located in the area and minimizing installation costs of the systems. In pursuit of this goal, the work presents the reduction of the optimization problem to the covering problem, the mathematical model construction, computational implementation and application in the form of simulations and results. The methodology applied to the computing system like a simulation, allows an very fast and dynamic analysis of the network topologies to be designed for use in projects where communication networks are used in centralized measurement systems. The computing system allows modification of simulation features and characteristics of networks, depending on the constraints imposed by the geographical area under consideration. The strategy presents good results in the formation of network topologies communication systems for centralized measurement and optimizing the use of equipment, reducing installation costs in the network.

Combinatorial Group Testing (CGT) is a process of identifying faulty interactions (“errors”) within a particular set of items. Error Locating Arrays (ELAs) are combinatorial designs that can be built from Covering Arrays (CAs) to not only cover all errors in a system (each involving up to a certain number of items), but to locate and identify the errors as well. In this thesis, we survey known results for CGT, as well as CAs, ELAs, and some other types of related arrays. More importantly, we give several new results. First, we give a new algorithm that can be used to test a system in which each component (factor) has two options (values), and at most two errors are present. We show that, for systems with at most two errors, our algorithm improves upon a related algorithm by Mart´ınez et al. in terms of both robustness and efficiency. Second, we give the first adaptive CGT algorithm that can identify, among a given set of k items, all faulty interactions involving up to three items. We then compare it, performance-wise, to current-best nonadaptive method that can identify faulty interactions involving up to three items. We also give the first adaptive ELA-building algorithm that can identify all faulty interactions involving up to three items when safe values are known. Both of our new algorithms are generalizations of ones previously given by Mart´ınez et al. for identifying all faulty interactions involving up to two items.