Customers adoption of Internet banking has become a widely-researched topic, although it is fair to state that some research gaps still exist. This research aims to fill some of the research gaps by examining the factors that determine the relevant behaviour of three different categories of Internet banking customers in China (i.e. current users, non-users, and discontinued users), and by developing two conceptual models that are derived from different, but complementary, theoretical approaches. The Decision Making Model and the Service and Relationship Evaluation Model are developed in this research. The Decision Making Model is grounded in the technology acceptance model (TAM) and it incorporates an additional construct of perceived value of using Internet banking. Additionally, the Service and Relationship Evaluation Model is derived from the service quality evaluation and relationship quality evaluation literature. Unlike in most other Internet banking adoption studies, these two conceptual models are used complementarily to deliver a comprehensive understanding of customers Internet banking adoption in China. The models are tested using a sample of 614 Chinese Internet banking customers collected via mall-intercept personal interviews based on questionnaires. Partial Least Square (PLS) path modelling and mediation analysis are applied to test the hypotheses advanced in the two models. The key findings of this research show that perceived value is a major factor for explaining customers Internet banking adoption, thus indicating to the banks that they should reduce costs associated with using Internet banking while providing more (perceived) benefits to customers; the importance of incorporating perceived value in Internet banking adoption model(s) is also demonstrated. The findings also confirm that perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use are important factors that determine the adoption of Internet banking by all categories of customers. Current users and non-users perceptions of their behavioural control over using Internet banking contribute to their adoption of Internet banking, and such control perceptions are shaped by self-efficacy, perceived government support and technological support. Additionally, it is demonstrated that both current users and discontinued users perceived value and perceived service quality of Internet banking have positive associations with their satisfaction with Internet banking, which lead to their Internet banking adoption. Moreover, the findings reveal that current users are more likely to continue with Internet banking if they are affectively committed to their banks; they are less likely to continue with Internet banking if they are calculatively committed to their banks due to the costs associated with leaving the banks. These therefore indicate the importance of establishing high-quality customer-bank relationships and placing less strict switching cost barriers that impose less pressure on their existing customers. This research contributes to the Internet banking adoption literature by (i) identifying the important category of Internet banking discontinued users, apart from current users and non-users; and (ii) using two complementary conceptual models, which are grounded in different theoretical streams, to investigate the relevant adoption behaviour of all three categories of Internet banking customers. It hence delivers a comprehensive understanding of personal customers adoption of Internet banking in China.

The great social and economic impact of earthquakes has made necessary the development of novel structural health monitoring (SHM) solutions for increasing the level of structural safety and assessment. SHM is the process of comparing the current state of a structure’s condition relative to a healthy baseline state to detect the existence, location, and degree of likely damage during or after a damaging input, such as an earthquake. Many SHM algorithms have been proposed in the literature. However, a large majority of these algorithms cannot be implemented in real time. Therefore, their results would not be available during or immediately after a major event for urgent post-event response and decision making. Further, these off-line techniques are not capable of providing the input information required for structural control systems for damage mitigation. The small number of real-time SHM (RT-SHM) methods proposed in the past, resolve these issues. However, these approaches have significant computational complexity and typically do not manage nonlinear cases directly associated with relevant damage metrics. Finally, many available SHM methods require full structural response measurement, including velocities and displacements, which are typically difficult to measure. All these issues make implementation of many existing SHM algorithms very difficult if not impossible. This thesis proposes simpler, more suitable algorithms utilising a nonlinear Bouc-Wen hysteretic baseline model for RT-SHM of a large class of nonlinear hysteretic structures. The RT-SHM algorithms are devised so that they can accommodate different levels of the availability of design data or measured structural responses, and therefore, are applicable to both existing and new structures. The second focus of the thesis is on developing a high-speed, high-resolution, seismic structural displacement measurement sensor to enable these methods and many other SHM approaches by using line-scan cameras as a low-cost and powerful means of measuring structural displacements at high sampling rates and high resolution. Overall, the results presented are thus significant steps towards developing smart, damage-free structures and providing more reliable information for post-event decision making.

大陸的金融市場近年開放快速，推出的產品也漸趨多樣化，主要在市場上較為活躍的是股權衍生性商品與利率衍生性商品。在2007下半年，爆發次級房貸風暴，美國採取降息的手段來挽救經濟，美國的經濟仍屬疲弱，對於全球，乃至於大陸都有一定程度的影響。此時，對一般投資人而言，投資若能同時具有保本的功能，將具有相當的吸引力。 本文主要是針對大陸金融市場已發行的衍生性商品做為評價與分析，能夠讓一般的投資人知道目前大陸的金融產品發展的情況。並且分析商品適合的投資人，以及所面對的風險；對發行者來說，則探討其獲利表現與發行策略的分析。 分析的產品為興業銀行發行的掛鉤紅籌股的結構債與東亞銀行發行的每日區間計息債券以3個月期LIBOR標的。分別以蒙地卡羅模擬法與LIBOR Market Model(也稱為BGM模型)進行分析，探討發行者的利潤與何種投資人適合購買。

本論文將信用風險模型CreditGrades model延伸至可轉債評價。相對 Hung and Wang (2002) 與 Chambers and Lu (2007), 本文信用風險模型的設定較有經濟意涵。除了結構式模型(structural models) 本身就比縮減式模型 (reduced-form models) 較具經濟意涵外, 本文模型在股價愈低時, 發生違約的機率愈高, 與在真實世界公司股價愈低愈有可能發生違約的現象一致。但是 Hung and Wang (2002) 與Chambers and Lu (2007) 的設定隱含假設公司股價高低於皆不影響違約發生機率。Ayache, Forsyth and Vetzal (2003) 雖然將違約強度設定為股價的遞減函數, 試圖捕捉股價愈低違約機率愈高的現象。卻沒有說明如何估計該設定的參數。本文模型的參數校準容易而且快速。 / 本研究選用最小平方蒙地卡羅法(Least Square Monte Carlo, LSM) 進行評價。相對於樹狀法與有限差分法, 蒙地卡羅法能夠輕易評價具有路徑相依性質條款的可轉債。此外, 未來如果需要新增其它隨機因子, 比起樹狀法與有限差分法更有彈性。蒙地卡羅法的缺點為評價時間冗長, 本文以準隨機亂數(quasi-random sequences) 輔助, 縮短評價時間。 / 本文有以下發現:考慮信用風險的模型價格比起未考慮信用風險更接近市場價格; 可轉債對波動度較不敏感, 與Brennan and Schwartz (1988) 的觀察一致; 股價波動度愈大會使得可轉債價值提高, 但具有贖回條款的可轉債, 提高幅度不如沒有贖回條款的可轉債; 加入賣回條款的可轉債對利率較不敏感, 利率上升會降低可轉債的價值, 但具有賣回條款的可轉債, 下跌幅度小於沒有賣回條款的可轉債。

Many real life problems can be formulated as constraint satisfaction problems <i>(CSPs)</i>. Backtracking search algorithms are usually employed to solve <i>CSPs</i> and in backtracking search the choice of branching strategies can be critical since they specify how a search algorithm can instantiate a variable and how a problem can be reduced into subproblems; that is, they define a search tree. In spite of the apparent importance of the branching strategy, there have been only a few empirical studies about different branching strategies and they all have been tested exclusively for numerical constraints. In this thesis, we employ the three most commonly used branching strategies in solving finite domain <i>CSPs</i>. These branching strategies are described as follows: first, a branching strategy with strong commitment assigns its variables in the early stage of the search as in k-Way branching; second, 2-Way branching guides a search by branching one side with assigning a variable and the other with eliminating the assigned value; third, the domain splitting strategy, based on the least commitment principle, branches by dividing a variable's domain rather than by assigning a single value to a variable. In our experiments, we compared the efficiency of different branching strategies in terms of their execution times and the number of choice points in solving finite domain <i>CSPs</i>. Interestingly, our experiments provide evidence that the choice of branching strategy for finite domain problems does not matter much in most cases--provided we are using an effective variable ordering heuristic--as domain splitting and 2-Way branching end up simulating k-Way branching. However, for an optimization problem with large domain size, the branching strategy with the least commitment principle can be more efficient than the other strategies. This empirical study will hopefully interest other practitioners to take different branching schemes into consideration in designing heuristics.

The detection of multiple outliers can be interpreted as a model selection problem. Models that can be selected are the null model, which indicates an outlier free set of observations, or a class of alternative models, which contain a set of additional bias parameters. A common way to select the right model is by using a statistical hypothesis test. In geodesy data snooping is most popular. Another approach arises from information theory. Here, the Akaike information criterion (AIC) is used to select an appropriate model for a given set of observations. The AIC is based on the Kullback-Leibler divergence, which describes the discrepancy between the model candidates. Both approaches are discussed and applied to test problems: the fitting of a straight line and a geodetic network. Some relationships between data snooping and information criteria are discussed. When compared, it turns out that the information criteria approach is more simple and elegant. Along with AIC there are many alternative information criteria for selecting different outliers, and it is not clear which one is optimal.

Les modèles numériques de terrain, cas particulier de modèles numériques de surfaces, n'ont pas la même erreur quadratique moyenne en planimétrie qu'en altimétrie. Différentes solutions ont été envisagées pour déterminer séparément l'erreur en altimétrie et l'erreur planimétrique, disposant, bien entendu, d'un modèle numérique plus précis comme référence. La démarche envisagée consiste à déterminer les paramètres des ellipsoïdes d'erreur, centrées dans la surface de référence. Dans un premier temps, l'étude a été limitée aux profils de référence avec l'ellipse d'erreur correspondante. Les paramètres de cette ellipse sont déterminés à partir des distances qui séparent les tangentes à l'ellipse du centre de cette même ellipse. Remarquons que cette distance est la moyenne quadratique des distances qui séparent le profil de référence des points du modèle numérique à évaluer, c'est à dire la racine de la variance marginale dans la direction normale à la tangente. Nous généralisons à l'ellipsoïde de révolution. C'est le cas ou l'erreur planimétrique est la même dans toutes les directions du plan horizontal (ce n'est pas le cas des MNT obtenus, par exemple, par interférométrie radar). Dans ce cas nous montrons que le problème de simulation se réduit à l'ellipse génératrice et la pente du profil correspondant à la droite de pente maximale du plan appartenant à la surface de référence. Finalement, pour évaluer les trois paramètres d'un ellipsoïde, cas où les erreurs dans les directions des trois axes sont différentes (MNT obtenus par Interférométrie SAR), la quantité des points nécessaires pour la simulation doit être importante et la surface tr ès accidentée. Le cas échéant, il est difficile d'estimer les erreurs en x et en y. Néanmoins, nous avons remarqué, qu'il s'agisse de l'ellipsoïde de révolution ou non, que dans tous les cas, l'estimation de l'erreur en z (altimétrie) donne des résultats tout à fait satisfaisants. / A Digital Surface Model (DSM) is a numerical surface model which is formed by a set of points, arranged as a grid, to study some physical surface, Digital Elevation Models (DEM), or other possible applications, such as a face, or some anatomical organ, etc. The study of the precision of these models, which is of particular interest for DEMs, has been the object of several studies in the last decades. The measurement of the precision of a DSM model, in relation to another model of the same physical surface, consists in estimating the expectancy of the squares of differences between pairs of points, called homologous points, one in each model which corresponds to the same feature of the physical surface. But these pairs are not easily discernable, the grids may not be coincident, and the differences between the homologous points, corresponding to benchmarks in the physical surface, might be subject to special conditions such as more careful measurements than on ordinary points, which imply a different precision. The generally used procedure to avoid these inconveniences has been to use the squares of vertical distances between the models, which only address the vertical component of the error, thus giving a biased estimate when the surface is not horizontal. The Perpendicular Distance Evaluation Method (PDEM) which avoids this bias, provides estimates for vertical and horizontal components of errors, and is thus a useful tool for detection of discrepancies in Digital Surface Models (DSM) like DEMs. The solution includes a special reference to the simplification which arises when the error does not vary in all horizontal directions. The PDEM is also assessed with DEM's obtained by means of the Interferometry SAR Technique

Locating a radiating source based on range or range measurements obtained from a network of passive sensors has been a subject of research over the past two decades due to the problem’s importance in applications in wireless communications, surveillance, navigation, geosciences, and several other fields. In this thesis, we develop new solution methods for the problem of localizing a single radiating source based on range and range-difference measurements. Iterative re-weighting algorithms are developed for both range-based and range-difference-based least squares localization. Then we propose a penalty convex-concave procedure for finding an approximate solution to nonlinear least squares problems that are related to the range measurements. Finally, the sequential convex relaxation procedures are proposed to obtain the nonlinear least squares estimate of source coordinates. Localization in wireless sensor network, where the RF signals are used to derive the ranging measurements, is the primary application area of this work. However, the solution methods proposed are general and could be applied to range and range-difference measurements derived from other types of signals. / Graduate / 0544 / ismailds@uvic.ca

For precise measurement of new TeV-scale physics and precision studies of the Higgs Boson, a new lepton collider is required. To enable meaningful analysis, a centre of mass energy of 500GeV and luminosity of 10³⁴cm^-2s^-1 is needed. The planned 31km long International Linear Collider is capable of meeting these targets, requiring a final emittance of 10 micro-radians horizontally and 35nmrad vertically. To achieve these demanding emittance values, the accelerator components in the main linacs must be aligned against an accurately mapped network of reference markers along the entire tunnel. An automated system could map this tunnel network quickly, accurately, safely and repeatedly; the Linear Collider Alignment and Survey (LiCAS) Rapid Tunnel Reference Surveyor (RTRS) is a working prototype of such a system. The LiCAS RTRS is a train of measurement units that accurately locate regularly spaced retro-reflector markers using Frequency Scanning Interferometry (FSI). The unit locations with respect to each other are precisely reconstructed using a Laser Straightness Monitor (LSM) and tilt sensor system, along with a system of internal FSI lines. The design, commissioning, practical usage, calibration, and reconstruction performance of the LSM is addressed in this work. The commissioned RTRS is described and the properties of the LSM components are investigated in detail. A method of finding the position of laser beam spots on the LSM cameras is developed, along with a process of combining individual spot positions into a more robust measurement compatible with the data from other sub-systems. Laser beam propagation along the LSM is modelled and a robust method of reconstructing CCD beam spot position measurements into positions and orientations of the LSM units is described. A method of calibrating LSM units using an external witness system is presented, along with a way of using the overdetermined nature of the LSM to improve calibration constant errors by including data taken from unwitnessed runs. The reconstruction uncertainty, inclusive of both statistical and systematic effects, of the LSM system is found to be of 5.8 microns × 5.3 microns in lateral translations and 27.6 microradians × 34.1 microradians in rotations perpendicular to the beam, with an uncertainty of 51.1 microradians in rotations around the beam coming from a tilt-sensor arrangement.

The proliferation of modern wireless networks increases demand for high capacity and throughput in order to provide faster, more robust, efficient and broadband services to end users. Mobile WiMAX and LTE are examples of such networks in which for some cases they have exposed limited connectivity due to harsh environment. Relay stations are preferred to overcome problems of weak or no access for such network devices, that are placed in specific positions to maintain high quality of data transfer at low cost and provide the required connectivity anywhere anytime. These stations should be equipped with an antenna system capable of establishing communication between base station (backhaul link) and end users (access link). This thesis focuses on the design and development of a new antenna system that is suitable for a relay-based wireless network. Planar geometries of microstrip patch antennas are utilized. The antenna system comprises two antenna modules: a new design of a single antenna for access link and a new design of an antenna array for backhaul link realization. Both antenna specifications are compatible with the IEEE802.16j protocol standard. Hence, relay station should be capable of pointing its radiation pattern to the base station antenna, thus to achieve the desired radiation pattern of the relay station, a new beam-forming module is proposed, designed and developed to generate the proper radiation pattern. The beam-forming module incorporating digital phase shifters and attenuator chips is fabricated and tested. The optimization process using the Least Mean Square (LMS) algorithm is considered in this study to assign the proper phase and amplitude that is necessary to each radiation element excitation current, to produce the desired steered radiation pattern. A comprehensive study on the coupling effects for several relative positions between two new backhaul and access link antenna elements is performed. Two new antenna configurations for coupling reduction are tested and the simulated and measured results in terms of antenna radiation performances were compared and commented.