各項信用衍生性商品中，最廣為人知的商品即為違約風險交換(credit default swap; CDS)，但由於金融市場與商品的擴張，標的資產不再侷限單一資產而是增加至數家或數百家，而多個標的資產的違約風險交換稱為一籃子違約風險交換(basket default swap; BDS)。 根據Chiang et al. ((2007), Journal of Derivatives, 8-19.)，在單因子模型中應用importance sampling (IS) 來估計違約給付金額，不僅可以確保違約事件的發生，還可以提高估計的效率，因此本文延伸此一概念，將此方法拓展至多因子模型。本文分為三種方法：一為將多個獨立因子合併為一邊際因子，並針對此邊際因子做importance sampling；二為找出其最具影響性的因子應用importance sampling；最後，我們針對portfolio C 於Glasserman ((2004), Journal of Derivatives, 24-42.) 將標的資產分為獨立兩群，我們將分段利用exponential twist及Chiang et al. (2007)所提出的單因子方法，提升違約事件發生的機率。 借由數值模擬結果，發現將多個獨立因子合併為一邊際因子的方法應用於標的資產為同質模型(homogeneous model)，會有較佳的結果；對具影響性的因子應用importance sampling的方法於各種模型之下的估計結果都頗為優秀，但其variance reduction較差且流程較不符合現實財務狀況，方法三則為特殊模型的應用，其只適用於能將標的資產獨立分群的模型，並且估計準確與否和選取exponential twist的位置有重要關係，第四節我們將同時呈現兩個不同位置的估計值與variance reduction. / Credit default swap (CDS) is the most popular in many kinds of credit derivatives, but number of obligor couldn’t be one always because of the expansions of financial market and contracts. CDS which has been contained more than one obligor is called basket default swap (BDS). According to Chiang et al. ((2007), Journal of Derivatives, 8-19.), applying importance sampling to estimate the default payment in one factor model could not only guarantee the default event occurs but also improve the efficiency of estimation. So this paper extends this concept for expanding this method to multiple factors model. There are three methods for expanding: First, merge multiple factors into a marginal factor and apply importance sampling to this marginal factor; second, apply importance sampling to the factor which has higher factor loading and third, we consider portfolio C in Glasserman ((2004), Journal of Derivatives, 24-42.) and divide total obligors into two independent groups. We would use the ways of exponential twist and the method in one factor model of Chiang et al. (2007) considered in two parts to raise the probability of default event occur. Borrow by the result of numerical simulation, method 1 has better results when obligors are homogeneous model; the results of method 2 are outstanding in each model, but its efficiency is worse and the procedure doesn’t fit with the realistic financial situation; the third method is the application of the special model, it could only apply to the model which could separate obligors independently, and the accuracy of estimates is strongly correlated to the position of exponential twist. In section 4, we would display the estimator and variance reduction in two different positions.

Importance sampling is a well known variance reduction technique for Monte Carlo simulation. For quasi-Monte Carlo integration with low discrepancy sequences it was neglected in the literature although it is easy to see that it can reduce the variation of the integrand for many important integration problems. For lattice rules importance sampling is of highest importance as it can be used to obtain a smooth periodic integrand. Thus the convergence of the integration procedure is accelerated. This can clearly speed up QMC algorithms for integration problems up to dimensions 10 to 12. (author's abstract) / Series: Research Report Series / Department of Statistics and Mathematics

Many small islands depend on sustainable tourism to attain long term economic prosperity and well-being for their citizens. As they become more dependent on tourism for their growth, they are more concerned with improving their competitiveness to adapt to a highly charged competitive environment and to the dynamic market conditions. The quintessential problem is how to achieve, maintain, and enhance competitiveness. There is limited research on tourism destination competitiveness (TDC), and much less on small island destinations. This study concentrates on TDC with a special focus on Malta as a small Mediterranean island in an attempt to develop a comprehensive TDC framework that is useful to small island destinations, and advances models and measures to assess competitiveness based on importance-performance analysis techniques (IPA). To achieve its research objectives, this study adopts a methodological position reflecting pragmatist assumptions and uses a sequential, exploratory, Mixed Methods design strategy. In the qualitative first phase of the design, thirty-five in-depth interviews are conducted with key ‘experts’ in tourism. It emerges from the participants’ description that sixty tourism-specific and business-related determinants provide a broad framework for assessing TDC. In the second phase, survey research is applied in order to develop quantitative measures to reveal the relative importance of the competitiveness factors, to assess the performance of the destination on these factors, and to identify priority areas that require immediate attention for improvement. Statistical measures and procedures are modified, introduced, and tested to establish a valid model for measuring TDC. Results show that the diagonal approach and the adjusted weighted partial ranking method for measuring importance and performance are the best combination that satisfies validity criteria. When applying these techniques to assess Malta’s competitiveness relative to a competing set of Mediterranean destinations, twelve tourism attributes and fourteen business-related factors are identified as priority areas for improvement, with the competitiveness deficiency gaps in business factors being notably higher than those in tourism-specific areas. This study has several implications for the development of TDC theory, methods, and application to small islands. It provides tourism researchers, policymakers, and practitioners with a theoretically robust framework that can assist them in the formulation of policies, the management of the destination, and the implementation of strategies to optimise resource allocation in order to enhance a destination’s competitive position. Given that there are few studies that focus on the development and measurement of TDC models for small islands, this study makes a valid contribution to knowledge. The methodological approaches adopted in this inquiry have substantive application in IPA studies both within and beyond tourism studies. The study’s outcomes are also transferable to small island destinations operating in similar environments.

We consider the problem of calculating tail probabilities of the returns of linear asset portfolios. As flexible and accurate model for the logarithmic returns we use the $t$-copula dependence structure and marginals following the generalized hyperbolic distribution. Exact calculation of the tail-loss probabilities is not possible and even simulation leads to challenging numerical problems. Applying a new numerical inversion method for the generation of the marginals and importance sampling with carefully selected mean shift we develop an efficient simulation algorithm. Numerical results for a variety of realistic portfolio examples show an impressive performance gain. (author´s abstract) / Series: Research Report Series / Department of Statistics and Mathematics

Bakgrund: Psykiatrisjuksköterskan har historiskt sett pendlat mellan att vara omvårdnadsansvarig till att vara förlängd arm till andra yrkeskategorier som till exempel läkare. Studier visar att specialistsjuksköterskan har en komplex kompetens som hen upplever inte alltid lyfts av organisationen och att hen ofta upplever sig klämd emellan patienters, medarbetares och organisationens krav. Specialistsjuksköterskor i psykiatrisk vård börjar nu bli en bristvara och då deras roll, status och betydelse framstår som diffus   kan det bli svårt att rekrytera nya sjuksköterskor att utbilda sig och stanna kvar inom psykiatrisk vård. Då mycket få studier är genomförda i psykiatrisk öppenvård och med ledningsperspektiv var det av intresse att tillfråga just enhetschefer med ansvar att anställa personal. Syfte: Att beskriva enhetschefers uppfattningar om och förväntningar på specialistsjuksköterskans betydelse och roll i psykiatrisk öppenvården. Metod: Studien genomfördes som en empirisk intervjustudie med semistrukturerade frågor som ställdes individuellt till sju enhetschefer verksamma inom psykiatrisk öppenvård. Materialet bearbetades med en kvalitativ innehållsanalys med induktiv ansats. Resultat: I resultatet framkom huvudkategorin ”Arbetsuppgifter och förväntningar” med underkategorierna Bedömningar, Samordnande och samverkande roll, Läkemedelsadministrering, Utvecklingsarbete, Flexibla ansvarsområden, Bemötande och kommunikation samt Kompetens. Diskussion: Specialistsjuksköterskan har många olika roller att träda in i inom psykiatrisk öppenvård och förväntas använda sin kompetens där den behövs. / Background: Psychiatric nurses has historically oscillated between being responsible of nursing care to be an extended arm to other professionals such as physicians. Studies show that the specialist nurse has a complex competence that according to the nurses is not always highlighted by the organization and often find themselves trapped between patients, other employees and the organization's demands. Specialist nurses in psychiatric care are now becoming scarce and when their role, status and importance appears diffuse, it may be difficult to recruit new nurses to train and remain in psychiatric services. Since very few studies have been carried out in outpatient psychiatric services and management perspective, it was of interest to the matter to ask the views of unit managers with responsibility to hire staff. Aim: To describe unit managers' perceptions and expectations of the specialist nurse's importance and role in psychiatric outpatient services. Method: The study was conducted as an empirical interview study with semi-structured questions that were asked individually to seven unit managers occupied in psychiatric outpatient care. The material was processed with a qualitative content analysis with inductive approach. Results: The result showed the main category "Duties and expectations" with the subcategories Assessments, Coordinating and cooperative role, Drug administration, Development, Flexible responsibilities, Treatment and communication as well as Competence. Discussions: The specialistnurse has many variable roles to enter in psychiatric outpatient care and are expected to use their expertise where it is needed.

This thesis seeks to contribute to the growing literature on the theoretical issues surrounding the notions of space and place, by examining how they can be put to work in a historical study. This work is achieved through a reading of Foucault, who not only sketched a history of space, but also undertook a number of spatial histories. To understand this, and these histories, this thesis begins by reading Foucault's professed influence on history, Nietzsche, and goes on to highlight the key role that Heidegger plays in this understanding. Just as Heidegger is central to Foucault's work on history, it is suggested that the importance of space also stems from Heidegger, especially from his work in the 1930s which critically engages with Nietzsche and the Romantic poet Hölderlin. The importance of space, or more fundamentally place, becomes central to Heidegger's later work on modern technology, his rethinking of politics and the πόλις, and art. Reading Foucault's work on history draws out the nature of his spatial language. Not only is his work replete with spatial metaphors, but he also made analyses of actual spaces. This is most evident in Foucault's two large scale historical projects – the history of madness from the Renaissance to the beginnings of psychology in Histoire de la folie, and the study of modern discipline in the army, hospitals, schools and prisons found in The Birth of the Clinic, Discipline and Punish but also in numerous shorter pieces and lectures. His two major works are re-read as spatial histories, and the standard interpretations to an extent re-placed, in the light of the argument developed in the previous chapters. Foucault's historical approach is often described as a history of the present: given the emphasis on space, it is here rethought as mapping the present.

This diploma thesis deals with the silence between the psychotherapist and the client in individual psychotherapy. The study is mainly concerned with the importance of the silence during the process of psychotherapy, especially with the content and the benefit of the silence. In the first part of this thesis the main theoretic recourses which are necessary for understanding the second part of this study are discussed. Particularly this part is engaged in the silence, the psychotherapy, the interpersonal relationship and therapeutic relationship. In this part there is also specified the silence in the interpersonal relationship and the silence between the psychotherapist and the client. The second part of this thesis at first introduces the results of the qualitative research. This research approaches the occurrence and the characteristic of the silence in individual psychotherapy and its relation to the therapeutic relationship by processing of semistructured dialogues with the psychotherapists. This second part also contains the results of the participation of the responsibility for the quality of the silence, the influence of the silence on the result of the psychotherapy and also brings the manual of the successful work with the silence in psychotherapy.

MA thesis - Daniela Cvachová - 2011 Abstract: This thesis compares two Czech translations of the drama The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde. The comparison is based on findings of currently recognised theoreticians of translation (Levý, Knittlová, Králová, Reiss). The translation of Jiří Zdeněk Novák is half a century older than the translation by a team of young beginning translators led by Stanislav Rubáš and Zuzana Šťastná. The thesis focuses on the comparison of those aspects that are characteristic for Wilde's works and difficult for translators: lexicological problems like puns, bon mots, allusions to realia. In spite of the fact that the drama is not of a large extent, it offers a wide range of "tough nuts to crack" like that.

The proximity to nature and the importance of this A case study in Nordmalings municipality Sofia Lundqvist, Department of Geography, Umeå university, Sweden ABSTRACT In this case study, the purpose was to clarify how the prioritization of population's proximity to the natural landscape is realized in community planning. This has been done through a literature study, observations at selected affected places and personal communication. The case study takes place in Nordmalings municipality, which is a small municipality in northern Sweden located along the Bothnian Gulf. In this coastal and rural municipality there are plenty of opportunities for nature experiences. The study also highlights the interaction between municipal and regional level in terms of accessibility to protected nature.The study results are that nature is important for individuals' well-being, in forms of access to recreational and outdoor areas that increases physical activity, the possibility of fresh air and daylight. In many cases, nature is an important source for body and mind to find peace and quiet. Sustainable development of nature and population's proximity to it is therefore also an important aspect of community planning. Recreation and outdoor activities in nature increase the chances of reducing the risk of physical and mental illness. This is beneficial both to the individual and the society. Nordmaling municipality is an area with many large areas of undisturbed land and plans to increase accessibility to nature. This is to increase the population's well-being but also increase the frequency of visits by tourists.

The probability that a sum of random variables (RVs) exceeds (respectively falls below) a given threshold, is often encountered in the performance analysis of wireless communication systems. Generally, a closed-form expression of the sum distribution does not exist and a naive Monte Carlo (MC) simulation is computationally expensive when dealing with rare events. An alternative approach is represented by the use of variance reduction techniques, known for their efficiency in requiring less computations for achieving the same accuracy requirement. For the right-tail region, we develop a unified hazard rate twisting importance sampling (IS) technique that presents the advantage of being logarithmic efficient for arbitrary distributions under the independence assumption. A further improvement of this technique is then developed wherein the twisting is applied only to the components having more impacts on the probability of interest than others. Another challenging problem is when the components are correlated and distributed according to the Log-normal distribution. In this setting, we develop a generalized hybrid IS scheme based on a mean shifting and covariance matrix scaling techniques and we prove that the logarithmic efficiency holds again for two particular instances. We also propose two unified IS approaches to estimate the left-tail of sums of independent positive RVs. The first applies to arbitrary distributions and enjoys the logarithmic efficiency criterion, whereas the second satisfies the bounded relative error criterion under a mild assumption but is only applicable to the case of independent and identically distributed RVs. The left-tail of correlated Log-normal variates is also considered. In fact, we construct an estimator combining an existing mean shifting IS approach with a control variate technique and prove that it possess the asymptotically vanishing relative error property. A further interesting problem is the left-tail estimation of sums of ordered RVs. Two estimators are presented. The first is based on IS and achieves the bounded relative error under a mild assumption. The second is based on conditional MC approach and achieves the bounded relative error property for the Generalized Gamma case and the logarithmic efficiency for the Log-normal case.