The question about how to determine the rank of a tensor has been widely studied in the literature. However the analytical methods to compute the decomposition of tensors have not been so much developed even for low-rank tensors. In this report we present analytical methods for finding real and complex PARAFAC decompositions of 2 x 2 x 2 tensors before computing the actual rank of the tensor. These methods are also implemented in MATLAB. We also consider the question of how best lower-rank approximation gives rise to problems of degeneracy, and give some analytical explanations for these issues.

This thesis contains four articles related to mathematical aspects of Density Functional Theory. In Paper A, the theoretical justification of density methods formulated with current densities is addressed. It is shown that the set of ground-states is determined by the ensemble-representable particle and paramagnetic current density. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that the Schrödinger equation with a magnetic field is not uniquely determined by its ground-state solution. Thus, a wavefunction may be the ground-state of two different Hamiltonians, where the Hamiltonians differ by more than a gauge transformation. This implies that the particle and paramagnetic current density do not determine the potentials of the system and, consequently, no Hohenberg-Kohn theorem exists for Current Density Functional Theory formulated with the paramagnetic current density. On the other hand, by instead using the particle density as data, we show that the scalar potential in the system's Hamiltonian is determined for a fixed magnetic field. This means that the Hohenberg-Kohn theorem continues to hold in the presence of a magnetic field, if the magnetic field has been fixed. Paper B deals with N-representable density functionals that also depend on the paramagnetic current density. Here the Levy-Lieb density functional is generalized to include the paramagnetic current density. It is shown that a wavefunction exists that minimizes the "free" Hamiltonian subject to the constraints that the particle and paramagnetic current density are held fixed. Furthermore, a convex and universal current density functional is introduced and shown to equal the convex envelope of the generalized Levy-Lieb density functional. Since this functional is convex, the problem of finding the particle and paramagnetic current density that minimize the energy is related to a set of Euler-Lagrange equations. In Paper C, an N-representable Kohn-Sham approach is developed that also include the paramagnetic current density. It is demonstrated that a wavefunction exists that minimizes the kinetic energy subject to the constraint that only determinant wavefunctions are considered, as well as that the particle and paramagnetic current density are held fixed. Using this result, it is then shown that the ground-state energy can be obtained by minimizing an energy functional over all determinant wavefunctions that have finite kinetic energy. Moreover, the minimum is achieved and this determinant wavefunction gives the ground-state particle and paramagnetic current density. Lastly, Paper D addresses the issue of a Hohenberg-Kohn variational principle for Current Density Functional Theory formulated with the total current density. Under the assumption that a Hohenberg-Kohn theorem exists formulated with the total current density, it is shown that the map from particle and total current density to the vector potential enters explicitly in the energy functional to be minimized. Thus, no variational principle as that of Hohenberg and Kohn exists for density methods formulated with the total current density. / <p>QC 20140523</p>

Le projet de cette thèse est double. Le premier concerne l’extension des résultats précédents sur les conditions nécessaires d’optimalité pour des problèmes avec contraintes d’état, dans le cadre du contrôle optimal ainsi que dans le cadre de calcul des variations. Le deuxième objectif consiste à travailler sur deux nouveaux aspects de recherche : dériver des résultats de viabilité pour une classe de systèmes de contrôle avec des contraintes d’état dans lesquels les conditions dites ‘standard inward pointing conditions’ sont violées; et établir les conditions nécessaires d’optimalité pour des problèmes de minimisation de coût moyen éventuellement perturbés par des paramètres inconnus.Dans la première partie, nous examinons les conditions nécessaires d’optimalité qui jouent un rôle important dans la recherche de candidats pour être des solutions optimales parmi toutes les solutions admissibles. Cependant, dans les problèmes d’optimisation dynamique avec contraintes d’état, certaines situations pathologiques pourraient survenir. Par exemple, il se peut que le multiplicateur associé à la fonction objective (à minimiser) disparaisse. Dans ce cas, la fonction objective à minimiser n’intervient pas dans les conditions nécessaires de premier ordre: il s’agit du cas dit anormal. Un phénomène pire, appelé le cas dégénéré montre que, dans certaines circonstances, l’ensemble des trajectoires admissibles coïncide avec l’ensemble des candidats minimiseurs. Par conséquent, les conditions nécessaires ne donnent aucune information sur les minimiseurs possibles.Pour surmonter ces difficultés, de nouvelles hypothèses supplémentaires doivent être imposées, appelées les qualifications de la contrainte. Nous étudions ces deux problèmes (normalité et non dégénérescence) pour des problèmes de contrôle optimal impliquant des contraintes dynamiques exprimées en termes d’inclusion différentielle, lorsque le minimiseur a son point de départ dans une région où la contrainte d’état est non lisse. Nous prouvons que sous une information supplémentaire impliquant principalement le cône tangent de Clarke, les conditions nécessaires sous la forme dite ‘Extended Euler-Lagrange condition’ sont satisfaites en forme normale et non dégénérée pour deux classes de problèmes de contrôle optimal avec contrainte d’état. Le résultat sur la normalité est également appliqué pour le problème de calcul des variations avec contrainte d’état.Dans la deuxième partie de la thèse, nous considérons d’abord une classe de systèmes de contrôle avec contrainte d’état pour lesquels les qualifications de la contrainte standard du ‘premier ordre’ ne sont pas satisfaites, mais une qualification de la contrainte d’ordre supérieure (ordre 2) est satisfaite.Nous proposons une nouvelle construction des trajectoires admissibles (dit un résultat de viabilité) et nous étudions des exemples (tels que l’intégrateur non holonomique de Brockett) fournissant en plus un résultat d’estimation non linéaire. L’autre sujet de la deuxième partie de la thèse concerne l’étude d’une classe de problèmes de contrôle optimal dans lesquels des incertitudes apparaissent dans les données en termes de paramètres inconnus. En tenant compte d’un critère de performance sous la forme de coût moyen, une question cruciale est clairement de pouvoir caractériser les contrôles optimaux indépendamment de l’action du paramètre inconnu: cela permet de trouver une sorte de ‘meilleur compromis’ parmi toutes les réalisations possibles du système de contrôle tant que le paramètre varie. Pour ce type de problèmes, nous obtenons des conditions nécessaires d’optimalité sous la forme du Principe du Maximum (éventuellement pour le cas non lisse). / The project of this thesis is twofold. The first concerns the extension of previous results on necessary optimality conditions for state constrained problems in optimal control and in calculus of variations. The second aim consists in working along two new research lines: derive viability results for a class of control systems with state constraints in which ‘standard inward pointing conditions’ are violated; and establish necessary optimality conditions for average cost minimization problems possibly perturbed by unknown parameters.In the first part, we examine necessary optimality conditions which play an important role in finding candidates to be optimal solutions among all admissible solutions. However, in dynamic optimization problems with state constraints, some pathological situations might arise. For instance, it might occur that the multiplier associated with the objective function (to minimize) vanishes. In this case, the objective function to minimize does not intervene in first order necessary conditions: this is referred to as the abnormal case. A worse phenomenon, called the degenerate case shows that in some circumstances the set of admissible trajectories coincides with the set of candidates to be minimizers. Therefore the necessary conditions give no information on the possible minimizers.To overcome these difficulties, new additional hypotheses have to be imposed, known as constraint qualifications. We investigate these two issues (normality and non-degeneracy) for optimal control problems involving state constraints and dynamics expressed as a differential inclusion, when the minimizer has its left end-point in a region where the state constraint set in nonsmooth. We prove that under an additional information involving mainly the Clarke tangent cone, necessary conditions in the form of the Extended Euler-Lagrange condition are derived in the normal and non-degenerate form for two different classes of state constrained optimal control problems. Application of the normality result is shown also for the calculus of variations problem subject to a state constraint.In the second part of the thesis, we consider first a class of state constrained control systems for which standard ‘first order’ constraint qualifications are not satisfied, but a higher (second) order constraint qualification is satisfied. We propose a new construction for feasible trajectories (a viability result) and we investigate examples (such as the Brockett nonholonomic integrator) providing in addition a non-linear stimate result. The other topic of the second part of the thesis concerns the study of a class of optimal control problems in which uncertainties appear in the data in terms of unknown parameters. Taking into consideration an average cost criterion, a crucial issue is clearly to be able to characterize optimal controls independently of the unknown parameter action: this allows to find a sort of ‘best compromise’ among all the possible realizations of the control system as the parameter varies. For this type of problems, we derive necessary optimality conditions in the form of Maximum Principle (possibly nonsmooth).

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / In the first experiment high spin states in 194Tl, excited through the 181Ta (18O, 5n) heavyion fusion evaporation reaction were studied using the AFRODITE array at iThemba LABS. The γ-γ coincidences, RAD ratios and linear polarization measurements were carried out and the previously known level scheme of 194Tl was significantly extended. A total of five rotational bands four of which are new were observed. A pair of rotational bands associated with the πh9/2 ⊗ νi−1 13/2 configuration at lower spins and with the πh9/2 ⊗ νi−3 13/2 configuration at higher spins was found and interpreted as the first possible chiral bands followed above the band crossing. The two 4-quasiparticle bands show exceptionally close near-degeneracy in the excitation energies. Furthermore close similarity is also found in their alignments and B(M1)/B(E2) reduced transition probability ratios. In the second experiment lifetimes in 194Tl were measured using the DSAM technique with the excited states in this nucleus populated through the 181Ta (18O, 5n) reaction. A total of 25 lifetimes and 30 reduced transition probabilities of magnetic dipole B(M1) and electric quadrupole B(E2) have been evaluated. Furthermore B(M1) and B(E2) reduced transition probabilities in Bands 1 and 4, which have been regarded as chiral candidates, were found to be close to each other and reveals strong splitting along spin values. This further supports the proposed chiral nature of these two bands.

Cette thèse traite de deux sujets: la résolubilité forte d'équations différentielles stochastiques à dérive hölderienne et bruit hypoelliptique et la simulation de processus progressifs-rétrogrades découplés de McKean-Vlasov. Dans le premier cas, on montre qu'un système hypoelliptique, composé d'une composante diffusive et d'une composante totalement dégénérée, est fortement résoluble lorsque l'exposant de la régularité Hölder de la dérive par rapport à la composante dégénérée est strictement supérieur à 2/3. Ce travail étend au cadre dégénéré les travaux antérieurs de Zvonkin (1974), Veretennikov (1980) et Krylov et Röckner (2005). L'apparition d'un seuil critique pour l'exposant peut-être vue comme le prix à payer pour la dégénérescence. La preuve repose sur des résultats de régularité de la solution de l'EDP associée, qui est dégénérée, et est basée sur une méthode parametrix. Dans le second cas, on propose un algorithme basé sur les méthodes de cubature pour la simulation de processus progessifs-rétrogrades découplés de McKean-Vlasov apparaissant dans des problèmes de contrôle dans un environnement de type champ moyen. Cet algorithme se divise en deux parties. Une première étape de construction d'un arbre de particules, à dynamique déterministe, approchant la loi de la composante progressive. Cet arbre peut être paramétré de manière à obtenir n'importe quel ordre d'approximation (en terme de pas de discrétisation de l'intervalle). Une seconde étape, conditionnelle à l'arbre, permettant l'approximation de la composante rétrograde. Deux schémas explicites sont proposés permettant un ordre d'approximation de 1 et 2. / This thesis deals with two subjects: the strong well-posedness of stochastic differential equations with Hölder drift and hypoelliptic noise and the simulation of decoupled forward backward stochastic differential equations of McKean-Vlasov type. In the first work, we study a class of degenerate system with hypoelliptic noise. We prove that strong well-posedness holds for this system when the drift is only H\"{o}lder, with Hölder exponent larger than the critical value 2/3. This work extends to the degenerate setting the earlier results obtained by Zvonkin (1974), Veretennikov (1980) and Krylov and Röckner (2005). The existence of a threshold for the Hölder exponent in the degenerate case may be understood as the price to pay to balance the degeneracy of the noise. Our proof relies on regularization properties of the associated PDE, which is degenerate in the current framework and is based on a parametrix method. In the second work, we propose a new algorithm to approach weakly the solution of a McKean-Vlasov stochastic differential equation. Based on the cubature method, the algorithm is deterministic differing from the usual methods based on interacting particles. It can be parametrized in order to obtain a given order of convergence. Then, we construct implementable algorithms to solve decoupled forward backward stochastic differential equations of McKean-Vlasov type, which appear in some stochastic control problems in a mean field environment. We give two algorithms and show that they have convergence of orders one and two under appropriate regularity conditions.

Let F : Kn &rarr; Kp be a polynomial map, where K = R or C. Motivated by the characterization of the integral closure of ideals in the ring On by means of analytic inequalities proven by Lejeune-Teissier [46], we define the set Sp(F) of special polynomials with respect to F. The set Sp(F) can be considered as a counterpart, in the context of polynomial maps Kn &rarr; Kp, of the notion of integral closure of ideals in the ring of analytic function germs (~&lceil;+. In this work, we are mainly interested in the determination of the convex region S0(F) formed by the exponents of the special monomials with respect to F. Let us fix a convenient Newton polyhedron &lceil; + ~&sube; Rn. We obtain an approximation to S0</sub (F) when F is strongly adapted to ~&sube; +, which is a condition expressed in terms of the faces of ~&lceil;+ and the principal parts at infinity of F. The local version of this problem has been studied by Bivià-Ausina [4] and Saia [71]. Our result about the estimation of S0(F) allows us to give a lower estimate for the Lojasiewicz exponent at infinity of a given polynomial map with compact zero set. As a consequence of our study of ojasiewicz exponents at infinity we have also obtained a result about the uniformity of the ojasiewicz exponent in deformations of polynomial maps Kn &rarr; Kp. Consequently we derive a result about the invariance of the global index of real polynomial maps Rn &rarr; Rn. As particular cases of the condition of F being adapted to ~&lceil;+ there appears the class of Newton non-degenerate polynomial maps at infinity and pre-weighted homogeneous maps. The first class of maps constitute a natural extension for maps of the Newton non-degeneracy condition introduced by Kouchnirenko for polynomial functions. We characterize the Newton non-degeneracy at infinity condition of a given polynomial map F : Kn &rarr; Kp in terms of the set S0((F, 1)), where (F, 1) : Kn &rarr; Kp+1 is the polynomial map whose last component function equals 1. Motivated by analogous problems in local algebra we also derive some results concerning the multiplicity of F. / Seja F :Kn &rarr; Kp uma aplicação polinomial, onde K = C ou K = R. Motivados pela caracterização do fecho integral de ideais no anel On por meio de desigualdades analíticas provadas por Lejeune-Teissier [46], definimos o conjunto Sp(F) de polinomios especiais com respeito a F. O conjunto Sp(F) pode ser considerado como um homólogo, no contexto das aplicações polinomiais Kn &rarr; Kp, da noção de fecho integral de ideais no anel de germes de funções analíticas (Kn 0) &rarr; K. Neste trabalho, estamos interessados principalmente na determinação da região convexa S0 (F) formado pelos expoentes dos monômios especiais com respeito a F. Fixado um poliedro de Newton conveniente ~&lceil; + ~&sube; Rn, é obtida uma aproximação de S0(F), quando F é fortemente adaptada a &lceil; + o qual é uma condição expressada em termos das faces de ~&lceil; + e as partes principais no infinito de F. A versão local deste problema foi estudado por Bivià-Ausina [4] e Saia [71]. Nosso resultado sobre a estimativa de S0(F) nos permite dar uma estimativa inferior para o expoente Lojasiewicz no infinito de uma aplicação polinomial Kn &rarr; Kp, com conjunto F-1(0) compacto. Como uma consequência do estudo dos expoentes de Lojasiewicz no infinito também foi obtido um resultado sobre a uniformidade do expoente Lojasiewicz em deformações de aplicações polinomiais Kn &rarr; Kp e consequentemente, um resultado sobre a invariância do índice global de aplicações polinomiais reais Rn &rarr; Rn. Como casos particulares da condição de F ser adaptada a ~&lceil; + aparecem a classe de aplicações polinomiais Newton não degeneradas e as aplicações polinomiais pre-quase homogêneas. A primeira classe de aplicações constitui uma extensão natural da condição Newton não-degeneração introduzida por Kouchnirenko para funções polinomiais. Caracterizamos a condição Newton não-degeneração para uma determinada aplicação polinomial F : Kn &rarr; Kp em termos do conjunto S0((F, 1)), onde (F, 1) : Kn &rarr; Kp+1 é a aplicação polinomial cuja última função componente é igual a 1. Motivados por problemas análogos em álgebra local, também obtivemos alguns resultados sobre a multiplicidade de F.

Eugenics movements developed early this century in more than 20 countries, including Australia. However, for many years the vast literature on eugenics focused almost exclusively on the history of eugenics in Britain and America. While some aspects of eugenics in Australia are now being documented, the history of this movement largely remained to be written. Australians experienced both fears and hopes at the time of Federation in 1901. Some feared that the white population was declining and degenerating but they also hoped to create a new utopian society which would outstrip the achievements, and avoid the poverty and industrial unrest, of Britain and America. Some responded to these mixed emotions by combining notions of efficiency and progress with eugenic ideas about maximising the growth of a white population and filling the "empty spaces". It was hoped that by taking these actions Australia would avoid "racial suicide" or Asian invasion and would improve national fitness, thus avoiding "racial decay" and starting to create a "paradise of physical perfection". This thesis considers the impact of eugenics in Australia by examining three related propositions: 1. that from the 1910s to the 1930s, eugenic ideas in Australia were readily accepted because of concerns about declining birth rate; 2. that, while mainly derivative, Australian eugenics had several distinctive Australian qualities; 3. that eugenics has a legacy in many disciplines, particularly family planning and public health. This examination of Australian eugenics is primarily from the perspective of the people, publications and organisations which contributed to this movement in the first half of this century. In addition to a consideration of their achievements, reference is also made to the influence which eugenic ideas had in such diverse fields as education, immigration, law, literature, politics, psychology and science.

Eugenics movements developed early this century in more than 20 countries, including Australia. However, for many years the vast literature on eugenics focused almost exclusively on the history of eugenics in Britain and America. While some aspects of eugenics in Australia are now being documented, the history of this movement largely remained to be written. Australians experienced both fears and hopes at the time of Federation in 1901. Some feared that the white population was declining and degenerating but they also hoped to create a new utopian society which would outstrip the achievements, and avoid the poverty and industrial unrest, of Britain and America. Some responded to these mixed emotions by combining notions of efficiency and progress with eugenic ideas about maximising the growth of a white population and filling the "empty spaces". It was hoped that by taking these actions Australia would avoid "racial suicide" or Asian invasion and would improve national fitness, thus avoiding "racial decay" and starting to create a "paradise of physical perfection". This thesis considers the impact of eugenics in Australia by examining three related propositions: 1. that from the 1910s to the 1930s, eugenic ideas in Australia were readily accepted because of concerns about declining birth rate; 2. that, while mainly derivative, Australian eugenics had several distinctive Australian qualities; 3. that eugenics has a legacy in many disciplines, particularly family planning and public health. This examination of Australian eugenics is primarily from the perspective of the people, publications and organisations which contributed to this movement in the first half of this century. In addition to a consideration of their achievements, reference is also made to the influence which eugenic ideas had in such diverse fields as education, immigration, law, literature, politics, psychology and science.

Dans le chapitre 1, nous développons le “corps d’Okounkov” pour une (1,1)-classe pseudo-effective sur une variété kählerienne compacte. Nous démontrons la formule de différentiabilité des volumes de classes grosses pour les varétés kähleriennes sur lesquelles les cônes nef modifiés et les cônes nef coı̈ncident. Par conséquent, nous démontrons l’inégalité de Morse transcendante de Demailly pour ces variétés kähleriennes particulières, y compris les surfaces kähleriennes. Ensuite, nous construisons le corps d’Okounkov généralisé pour toute (1,1)-classe grosse, et nous donnons une caractérisation complète des corps d’Okounkov généralisés sur les surfaces. Nous démontrons que cela se rapporte le volume euclidien standard du corps au volume de la classe grosse correspondant défini par Boucksom, ce qui permet de résoudre un problème proposé par Lazarsfeld et Mustaţă dans le cas des surfaces. Nous étudions aussi le comportement des corps d’Okounkov généralisé sur le bord du cône gros.Dans le chapitre 2, nous étudions la dégénérescence des courbes entières qui sont les feuilles de feuilletages sur des variétés projectives. Nous généralisons l’approximation diophantienne de McQuillan pour les feuilletages de dimension 1 avec des singularités absolument isolées. Comme une application, nous donnons une nouvelle preuve du théorème de Brunella, c’est-à-dire, toutes les feuilles d’un feuilletage générique de degré superieur à 2 dans CP^n est hyperbolique. Ensuite, nous introduisons la notion singularités faiblement réduites pour les feuilletages de dimension 1. L’hypothèse de singularités faiblement réduites est moins exigeante que celle de singularités réduites, mais joue le même rôle dans l’étude de la conjecture de Green-Griffiths-Lang. Finalement, nous discutons d’une stratégie pour démontrer cette conjecture pour les surfaces complexes.Dans le chapitre 3, nous démontrons la non-dégénérescence de la mesure de volume au sens de Kobayashi-Eisenman pour une variété dirigée singulière, c’est-à-dire l’hyperbolicité de la mesure au sens de Kobayashi, lorsque le faisceau canonique est gros au sens de Demailly.Dans le chapitre 4, notre premier objectif est de traiter des questions d’effitivité liées aux conjectures de Kobayashi et Debarre, reliant sur le travail de Brotbek et celui en collaboration avec Darondeau. Ensuite, nous combinons ces techniques pour étudier la conjecture sur l’amplitude des fibrés de Demailly-Semple proposés par Diverio et Trapani, et nous obtenons des estimations effectives liées à ce problème. Notre résultat contient à la fois les conjectures de Kobayashi et Debarre, avec certaines estimations effectives.Le but du chapitre 5 est double: d’une part, nous étudions une conjecture du type Fujita proposée par Popa et Schnell, et nous donnons une borne effective linéaire sur la génération globale générique de l’image directe du faisceau pluricanonique tordu. Nous signalons également la relation entre la constante de Seshadri et la borne optimale. D’autre part, nous donnons une réponse affirmative à une question de Demailly-Peternell-Schneider dans un cadre plus général. Comme des applications, nous généralisons les théorèmes de Fujino et Gongyo sur les images des variétés de Fano faibles aux cas KLT, et nous raffinons un résultat de Broustet et Pacienza sur la connexité rationnelle de l’image.Dans le chapitre 6, nous donnons une preuve concrète et constructive de l’équivalence entre la catégorie de fibrés de Higgs semistables de classes de Chern nulles, et celle des représentations linéaires du groupe fondamental d’une variété kählerienne compacte lisse. / In Part 1 of this thesis, we construct “Okounkov bodies” for an arbitrary pseudo-effective (1,1-class on a Kähler manifold. We prove the differentiability formula of volumes of big classes for Kähler manifolds on which modified nef cones and nef cones coincide. As a consequence we prove Demailly’s transcendental Morse inequality for these particular Kähler manifolds; this includes Kähler surfaces. Then we construct the generalized Okounkov body for any big (1,1)-class, and give a complete characterization of generalized Okounkov bodies on surfaces. We show that this relates the standard Euclidean volume of the body to the volume of the corresponding big class as defined by Boucksom; this solves a problem raised by Lazarsfeld and Mustaţă in the case of surfaces. We also study the behavior of the generalized Okounkov bodies on theboundary of the big cone.Part 2 deals with Kobayashi hyperbolicity-related problems. Chapter 2’s goal is to study the degeneracy of leaves of the one-dimensional foliations on higher dimensional manifolds. The first part of Chapter 2 generalizes McQuillan’s Diophantine approximations for one-dimensional foliations with absolutely isolated singularities, on higher dimensional manifolds. As an application, we give a new proof of Brunella’s hyperbolicity theorem, that is, all the leaves of a generic foliation of degree larger than 2 in CP 6n is hyperbolic. In the second part of Chapter 2 we introduce the so-called weakly reduced singularities for one-dimensional foliations on higher dimensional manifolds. The “weakly reduced singularities” assumption is less demanding than the one required for “reduced singularities”, but play the same role in studying the Green-Griffiths-Lang conjecture. Finally we discuss a strategy to prove the Green-Griffiths-Lang conjecture for complex surfaces.In Chapter 3, assuming that the canonical sheaf is big in the sense of Demailly, we prove theKobayashi volume-hyperbolicity for any (possibly singular) directed variety.In Chapter 4, our first goal is to deal with effective questions related to the Kobayashi and Debarre conjectures, relying on the work of Brotbek and his joint work with Darondeau. We then combine these techniques to study the conjecture on the ampleness of the Demailly-Semple bundles raised by Diverio and Trapani, and also obtain some effective estimates related to this problem. Our result integrates both the Kobayashi and Debarre conjectures, with some effective estimates.The purpose of Chapter 5 is twofold: on the one hand we study a Fujita-type conjecture by Popa and Schnell, and give an effective (linear) bound on the generic global generation of the direct image of the twisted pluricanonical bundle. We also point out the relation between the Seshadri constant and the optimal bound. On the other hand, we give an affirmative answer to a question by Demailly-Peternell-Schneider in a more general setting. As applications, we generalize the theorems by Fujino and Gongyo on images of weak Fano manifolds to the Kawamata log terminal cases, and refine a result by Broustet and Pacienza on the rational connectedness of the image.In Chapter 6, we give a concrete and constructive proof of the equivalence between the category of semistable Higgs bundles with vanishing Chern classes and the category of all representations of the fundamental groups on smooth Kähler manifolds. This chapter is written for the complex geometers who are not familiar with the language of differential graded category used by Simpson to prove the above equivalence on smooth projective manifolds, and for those who would like to see an elementary proof of Corlette-Simpson correspondence for semistable Higgs bundles.

Let F : Kn &rarr; Kp be a polynomial map, where K = R or C. Motivated by the characterization of the integral closure of ideals in the ring On by means of analytic inequalities proven by Lejeune-Teissier [46], we define the set Sp(F) of special polynomials with respect to F. The set Sp(F) can be considered as a counterpart, in the context of polynomial maps Kn &rarr; Kp, of the notion of integral closure of ideals in the ring of analytic function germs (~&lceil;+. In this work, we are mainly interested in the determination of the convex region S0(F) formed by the exponents of the special monomials with respect to F. Let us fix a convenient Newton polyhedron &lceil; + ~&sube; Rn. We obtain an approximation to S0</sub (F) when F is strongly adapted to ~&sube; +, which is a condition expressed in terms of the faces of ~&lceil;+ and the principal parts at infinity of F. The local version of this problem has been studied by Bivià-Ausina [4] and Saia [71]. Our result about the estimation of S0(F) allows us to give a lower estimate for the Lojasiewicz exponent at infinity of a given polynomial map with compact zero set. As a consequence of our study of ojasiewicz exponents at infinity we have also obtained a result about the uniformity of the ojasiewicz exponent in deformations of polynomial maps Kn &rarr; Kp. Consequently we derive a result about the invariance of the global index of real polynomial maps Rn &rarr; Rn. As particular cases of the condition of F being adapted to ~&lceil;+ there appears the class of Newton non-degenerate polynomial maps at infinity and pre-weighted homogeneous maps. The first class of maps constitute a natural extension for maps of the Newton non-degeneracy condition introduced by Kouchnirenko for polynomial functions. We characterize the Newton non-degeneracy at infinity condition of a given polynomial map F : Kn &rarr; Kp in terms of the set S0((F, 1)), where (F, 1) : Kn &rarr; Kp+1 is the polynomial map whose last component function equals 1. Motivated by analogous problems in local algebra we also derive some results concerning the multiplicity of F. / Seja F :Kn &rarr; Kp uma aplicação polinomial, onde K = C ou K = R. Motivados pela caracterização do fecho integral de ideais no anel On por meio de desigualdades analíticas provadas por Lejeune-Teissier [46], definimos o conjunto Sp(F) de polinomios especiais com respeito a F. O conjunto Sp(F) pode ser considerado como um homólogo, no contexto das aplicações polinomiais Kn &rarr; Kp, da noção de fecho integral de ideais no anel de germes de funções analíticas (Kn 0) &rarr; K. Neste trabalho, estamos interessados principalmente na determinação da região convexa S0 (F) formado pelos expoentes dos monômios especiais com respeito a F. Fixado um poliedro de Newton conveniente ~&lceil; + ~&sube; Rn, é obtida uma aproximação de S0(F), quando F é fortemente adaptada a &lceil; + o qual é uma condição expressada em termos das faces de ~&lceil; + e as partes principais no infinito de F. A versão local deste problema foi estudado por Bivià-Ausina [4] e Saia [71]. Nosso resultado sobre a estimativa de S0(F) nos permite dar uma estimativa inferior para o expoente Lojasiewicz no infinito de uma aplicação polinomial Kn &rarr; Kp, com conjunto F-1(0) compacto. Como uma consequência do estudo dos expoentes de Lojasiewicz no infinito também foi obtido um resultado sobre a uniformidade do expoente Lojasiewicz em deformações de aplicações polinomiais Kn &rarr; Kp e consequentemente, um resultado sobre a invariância do índice global de aplicações polinomiais reais Rn &rarr; Rn. Como casos particulares da condição de F ser adaptada a ~&lceil; + aparecem a classe de aplicações polinomiais Newton não degeneradas e as aplicações polinomiais pre-quase homogêneas. A primeira classe de aplicações constitui uma extensão natural da condição Newton não-degeneração introduzida por Kouchnirenko para funções polinomiais. Caracterizamos a condição Newton não-degeneração para uma determinada aplicação polinomial F : Kn &rarr; Kp em termos do conjunto S0((F, 1)), onde (F, 1) : Kn &rarr; Kp+1 é a aplicação polinomial cuja última função componente é igual a 1. Motivados por problemas análogos em álgebra local, também obtivemos alguns resultados sobre a multiplicidade de F.