With industry expectations of billions of Internet-connected things, commonly referred to as the IoT, we see a growing demand for high-performance on-chip bus architectures with the following attributes: small scale, low energy, high security, and highly configurable structures for integration, verification, and performance estimation. Our research thus mainly focuses on addressing these key problems and finding the balance among all these requirements that often work against each other. First of all, we proposed a low-cost and low-power System-on-Chips (SoCs) architecture (IBUS) that can frame data transfers differently. The IBUS protocol provides two novel transfer modes – the block and state modes, and is also backward compatible with the conventional linear mode. In order to evaluate the bus performance automatically and accurately, we also proposed an evaluation methodology based on the standard circuit design flow. Experimental results show that the IBUS based design uses the least hardware resource and reduces energy consumption to a half of an AMBA Advanced High-Performance Bus (AHB) and Advanced eXensible Interface (AXI). Additionally, the valid bandwidth of the IBUS based design is 2.3 and 1.6 times, respectively, compared with the AHB and AXI based implementations. As IoT advances, privacy and security issues become top tier concerns in addition to the high performance requirement of embedded chips. To leverage limited resources for tiny size chips and overhead cost for complex security mechanisms, we further proposed an advanced IBUS architecture to provide a structural support for the block-based AES algorithm. Our results show that the IBUS based AES-encrypted design costs less in terms of hardware resource and dynamic energy (60.2%), and achieves higher throughput (x1.6) compared with AXI. Effectively dealing with the automation in design and verification for mixed-signal integrated circuits is a critical problem, particularly when the bus architecture is new. Therefore, we further proposed a configurable and synthesizable IBUS design methodology. The flexible structure, together with bus wrappers, direct memory access (DMA), AES engine, memory controller, several mixed-signal verification intellectual properties (VIPs), and bus performance models (BPMs), forms the basic for integrated circuit design, allowing engineers to integrate application-specific modules and other peripherals to create complex SoCs.

The participation of communities and community organizations in Municipal governance is set in terms of the law as a mechanism to deepen democracy. Municipalities are required to develop a culture of governance that complements representative democracy with community participation. However the participation of communities in local governance has not translated to the strengthening of governance and the deepening of democracy as municipalities have not done enough to involve communities in municipal affaires. Lack of human resources, and financial capacity have been cited as some of the reasons that beset municipalities and undermine citizen participation. Municipalities have taken steps to encourage community participation and these include establishment of structures to enable participation, however without the guidance and financial support of the municipalities these structures are not able to perform their functions. In spite of all the efforts made by municipalities to encourage participation, a culture of community participation has not yet taken root in local government. While the legislative framework provides for communities to participate, practice shows that the implementation of legislation is complex and requires dedicated capacities within the councils to be effective. This can be achieved when municipalities develop their own community participation policies which address their special circumstances, which must be reviewed on a regular basis. Unless communities are empowered with knowledge on the available participation mechanisms, the dream of a culture of participation will remain just that, a dream. Thus civic education coupled with capacity building of officials will assist in ensuring the development of a culture of participation. Council must also develop mechanisms to evaluate the effectiveness of community participation processes and procedures, to avoid a one size fits all approach. It is imperative that councils as the legislative arm of municipalities must lead the process and not leave everything to the executive arm.

The thesis concentrates on the International Standard ISO 10014 - Quality management -Guidelines for realizing financial and economic benefits. In the thesis management principles and the simply methodology called PDCA are described. The thesis is focused on the priniple of process approach and nutually beneficial supplier relationship. These methods according to the Standard are applicated: Drum-Buffer-Rope within process approach and the graphical method of supplier rating, the zone control charts and the comprehensive supplier performance evaluation. The benefits from the effective application of these methods and tools are described.

This Master’s thesis deals with the analysis problem of improvement combination compensation in the Firm. On the basis of findings, improvement compensation position, which should had help establish firm. The general form is of remuneration and their link to the legislative conditions. Proposal to improve the remuneration system for improvement is focused on improving performance and working staff. Great emphasis is placed on simplicity of solutions to practical applications for daily practice.

Les stratégies de volatilité ont connu un rapide essor suite à la crise financière de 2008. Or, les récentes performances catastrophiques de ces instruments indiciels ont remis en question leurs contributions en couverture de portefeuille. Mes travaux de thèse visent à repenser, réinventer la philosophie des stratégies de volatilité. Au travers d'une analyse empirique préliminaire reposant sur la théorie de l'utilité espérée, le chapitre 1 dresse le diagnostic des stratégies traditionnelles de volatilité basées sur la couverture de long-terme par la réplication passive de la volatilité implicite. Il montre que, bien que ce type de couverture bat la couverture traditionnelle, elle s'avère inappropriée pour des investisseurs peu averses au risque.Le chapitre 2 ouvre la voie à une nouvelle génération de stratégies de volatilité, actives, optionnelles et basées sur l'investissement factoriel. En effet, notre décomposition analytique et empirique du smile de volatilité implicite en primes de risque implicites, distinctes et investissables permet de monétiser de manière active le portage de risques d'ordres supérieurs. Ces primes de risques mesurent l'écart de valorisation entre les distributions neutres au risque et les distributions physiques.Enfin, le chapitre 3 compare notre approche investissement factoriel avec les stratégies de volatilité employées par les hedge funds. Notre essai montre que nos stratégies de primes de risque d'assurance sont des déterminants importants dans la performance des hedge funds, tant en analyse temporelle que cross-sectionnelle. Ainsi, nous mettons en évidence dans quelle mesure l'alpha provient en réalité de la vente de stratégies d'assurance contre le risque extrême. / Volatility strategies have flourished since the Great Financial Crisis in 2008. Nevertheless, the recent catastrophic performance of such exchange-traded products has put into question their contributions for portfolio hedging and diversification. My thesis work aims to rethink and reinvent the philosophy of volatility strategies.From a preliminary empirical study based on the expected utility theory, Chapter 1 makes a diagnostic of traditional volatility strategies, based on buy-and-hold investments and passive replication of implied volatility. It exhibits that, although such portfolio hedging significantly outperforms traditional hedging, it appears strongly inappropriate for risk-loving investors.Chapter 2 paves the way for a new generation of volatility strategies, active, option-based and factor-based investing. Indeed, our both analytical and empirical decomposition of implied volatility smiles into a combination of implied risk premia, distinct and tradeable, enables to harvest actively the compensation for bearing higher-order risks. These insurance risk premia measure the pricing discrepanciesbetween the risk-neutral and the physical probability distributions.Finally, Chapter 3 compares our factor-based investing approach to the strategies usually employed in the hedge fund universe. Our essay clearly evidences that our tail risk premia strategies are incremental determinants in the hedge fund performance, in both the time-series and the cross-section of returns. Hence, we exhibit to what extent hedge fund alpha actually arises from selling crash insurance strategies against tail risks.

<p>Technology has become increasingly more prevalent in all aspects of society since the age of the computer. The United States Military has successfully integrated the powerful processing capabilities of computers to increase the proficiency and lethality of its Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, and Airmen. However, this increased lethality comes at risk due to the inherent vulnerabilities of computer systems to spyware, malware, and counterfeit components. Inspired by the ability of canines to seek out and find electronic devices, this research sought methods to characterize components by their “scent” using precise analytical tools. Using these tools, this thesis sought to develop and utilize non-invasive methods to show proof-of-concept for electronic device classification by volatile compounds unique to different types of components. The findings of this research proved that electronic components that vary by age, origin, type, or manufacturer emit different volatile compounds available for detection using modern two-dimensional gas chromatography and solid-phase microextraction technologies. If developed further, the methods used in this research have the potential for application in the United States Department of Defense to ensure that all electronic components installed in their systems are authentic, come from a trusted source, and can be relied upon in even the most stressful operating conditions.</p>

Dans ce travail de thèse, un aperçu général sur les systèmes PON est présenté et sont étudiés les mécanismes et classification PON existants. Après, nous introduisons notre première contribution qui est un algorithme d'allocation dynamique de bande passante pour EPON. Cet algorithme proposé est désigné comme «hcDBA». Par la suite, une amélioration de l'algorithme de hcDBA avec mécanisme de prédiction précoce est présentée. Notre simulation montre bien que notre algorithme hcDBA est performant comparé aux mécanismes existants en termes de taux de perte de paquets et de délai d’accès. Dans notre seconde contribution, nous sommes intéressés au problème de consommation d’énergie qui est un sujet d’actualité dans les réseaux de télécommunication. Les études montrent aujourd’hui que les réseaux d'accès constituent une partie remarquable de la consommation totale d'énergie dans les réseaux de télécommunication. Les organisations ITU-T et IEEE ont publié la recommandation pour la conversation de l'énergie pour les réseaux PONs. Bien que, la consommation totale d'énergie des nœuds ONU est plus importantes que d'autres équipements dans le réseau d'accès fixe, les normes et la plupart des travaux de recherches ont porté sur les économies d'énergie du côté de ONU. Dans cette thèse, nous sommes concentrés sur une méthode d'efficacité énergétique basée sur la conservation de l'énergie du côté de l’OLT. La méthode proposée permet d’économiser de l'énergie en déplaçant dynamiquement des cartes d’OLT en mode de sommeil profond en fonction des charges de trafic entrant et sortant / In this thesis, general overview about PON systems is presented and existing PON mechanisms and classification are investigated. After, a novel dynamic bandwidth allocation algorithm for EPON is introduced. This proposed algorithm is named as “Half Cycling Dynamic Bandwidth Allocation-hcDBA” by the inspiration of its half cycling processing mode. Later, an improvement of hcDBA algorithm with early prediction mechanism is presented. As a result statement of the study, hcDBA algorithm performs better than existing mechanism in terms of packet loss ratio and access delays. Beside, simulation traffic behavior of EPON’s upstream channel has been investigated in order to support the decision of selecting suitable traffic generator in further studies. Energy conversation is one of the hot topics in telecommunication networks. Access networks constitute remarkable portion of the total energy consumption in telecommunication networks. ITU-T and IEEE organizations published recommendation for energy conversation in PONs. While, total energy consumption of ONUs is more than other equipment in fix access network the standards and most of the researches focused on saving energy at ONU side. In this thesis I focused on an energy efficiency method based on energy conversation on OLT side. The proposed method save energy by dynamically moving OLT cards to deep sleep mode according to the incoming and outgoing traffic loads

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Previous research has found that the clarity of information provided to raters about women managers’ performance affects ratings of their competence, likeability, and overall evaluation. The current study sought to contribute to this literature by examining whether individual differences of raters can explain the reason for differential performance evaluations of male and female managers, despite them both performing equally. For this purpose, the current research extended the findings of Heilman and colleagues by replicating their methodology while introducing a moderator variable, the rater’s Implicit Person Theory (IPT). The IPT differentiates people into either entity theorists (that is, those who believe that behavior is trait-based and therefore fixed and stable) and incremental theorists (those who believe that behavior is situationally mediated and hence, changeable). Specifically, it was proposed that the effects found in the previous study would be stronger when the rater possessed an entity theory as opposed to an incremental theory. In doing so, this research attempted to provide an understanding of why male and female managers might be given different ratings, all other things being equal. Analyses revealed results that were consistent with, as well as some that were quite inconsistent with, previous findings. Rater IPT was found to have a significant effect on ratings provided by male participants but not those of female participants. Other findings and implications are discussed and limitations and future research directions are stated.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Improving performance management is a high priority for many organizations that want to improve the performance of their employees. Recently, researchers have focused on the social context to promote behavioral change, and have created new scales to examine context, such as the feedback environment. The current study examined internal and external accountability as mediators of the relationship between the feedback environment and developmental behaviors. Participants each completed three scales measuring the feedback environment, internal and external accountability, and developmental behaviors. Results suggested that internal and external accountability both mediate the relationship between the feedback environment and developmental behaviors, but neither is a stronger mediator than the other. In addition, internal and external accountability both mediate the relationship between each component of the feedback environment and developmental behaviors, but again neither is a stronger mediator than the other. This study contributed to the literature on performance management, and emphasized the importance of training supervisors to use the feedback environment to increase perceptions of accountability for employees.

<p>Multifunctional additive manufacturing has the immense potential of addressing present needs within structural health monitoring by enabling a new additive manufacturing paradigm that redefines what a sensor is, or what sensors should resemble. To achieve this, the properties of printed components must be precisely tailored to meet structure specific and application specific requirements. However due to the limited number of commercially available multifunctional filaments, this research investigates the in-house creation of adaptable piezoresistive multifunctional filaments and their potential within structural health monitoring applications based upon their characterized piezoresistive responses. To do so, a rigid polylactic acid based-filament and a flexible thermoplastic polyurethane based-filament were modified to impart piezoresistive properties using carbon nanofibers. The filaments were produced using different mixing techniques, nanoparticle concentrations, and optimally selected manufacturing parameters from a design of experiments approach. The resulting filaments exhibited consistent resistivity values which were found to be less variable under specific mixing techniques than commercially available multifunctional filaments. This improved consistency was found to be a key factor which held back currently available piezoresistive filaments from fulfilling needs within structural health monitoring. To demonstrate the ability to meet these needs, the piezoresistive responses of three dog-bone shaped sensor sizes were measured under monotonic and cyclic loading conditions for the optimally manufactured filaments. The characterized piezoresistive responses demonstrated high strain sensitivities under both tensile and compressive loads. These piezoresistive sensors demonstrated the greatest sensitivity in tension, where all three sensor sizes exhibited gauge factors over 30. Cyclic loading supported these results and further demonstrated the accuracy and reliability of the printed sensors within SHM applications.</p>