The thesis deals with the application of laser beams for examination of material properties. The properties being examined are quality of surface finish and transmissivity of materials in the optical portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. A measuring device containing laser diodes as a source of laser beam and photodiodes for evaluation of examined phenomena serves for examination of both properties. Conversion of the signal to digital quantity and its further processing take place in a microcontroller. The data is then sent via a serial bus and a converter to a computer, where it may be saved in a user program and where the user can work with them later. The thesis contains results of reflectivity measurement of a set of metal samples with different surface finish. Transmissivity measurement was applied on a set of optical filters.

Mobile phone tracking is the ascertaining of the position or location of a mobile phone when moving from one place to another place. Location Based Services Solutions include Mobile positioning system that can be used for a wide array of consumer-demand services like search, mapping, navigation, road transport traffic management and emergency-call positioning. The Mobile Positioning System (MPS) supports complementary positioning methods for 2G, 3G and 4G/LTE (Long Term Evolution) networks. Mobile phone is popularly known as an UE (User Equipment) in LTE. A prototype method of live trajectory estimation for massive UE in LTE network has been proposed in this thesis work. RSRP (Reference Signal Received Power) values and TA(Timing Advance) values are part of LTE events for UE. These specific LTE events can be streamed to a system from eNodeB of LTE in real time by activating measurements on UEs in the network. AoA (Angle of Arrival) and TA values are used to estimate the UE position. AoA calculation is performed using RSRP values. The calculated UE positions are filtered using Particle Filter(PF) to estimate trajectory. To obtain live trajectory estimation for massive UEs, the LTE event streamer is modelled to produce several task units with events data for massive UEs. The task level modelled data structures are scheduled across Arm Cortex A15 based MPcore, with multiple threads. Finally, with massive UE live trajectory estimation, IMSI (International mobile subscriber identity) is used to maintain hidden markov requirements of particle filter functionality while maintaining load balance for 4 Arm A15 cores. This is proved by serial and parallel performance engineering. Future work is proposed for Decentralized task level scheduling with hash function for IMSI with extension of cores and Concentric circles method for AoA accuracy. / Mobiltelefoners positionering är välfungerande för positionslokalisering av mobiltelefoner när de rör sig från en plats till en annan. Lokaliseringstjänsterna inkluderar mobil positionering system som kan användas till en mängd olika kundbehovs tjänster som sökning av position, position i kartor, navigering, vägtransporters trafik managering och nödsituationssamtal med positionering. Mobil positions system (MPS) stödjer komplementär positions metoder för 2G, 3G och 4G/LTE (Long Term Evolution) nätverk. Mobiltelefoner är populärt känd som UE (User Equipment) inom LTE. En prototypmetod med verkliga rörelsers estimering för massiv UE i LTE nätverk har blivit föreslagen för detta examens arbete. RSRP (Reference Signal Received Power) värden och TA (Timing Advance) värden är del av LTE händelser för UE. Dessa specifika LTE event kan strömmas till ett system från eNodeB del av LTE, i realtid genom aktivering av mätningar på UEar i nätverk. AoA (Angel of Arrival) och TA värden är använt för att beräkna UEs position. AoA beräkningar är genomförda genom användandet av RSRP värden. Den kalkylerade UE positionen är filtrerad genom användande av Particle Filter (PF) för att estimera rörelsen. För att identifiera verkliga rörelser, beräkningar för massiva UEs, LTE event streamer är modulerad att producera flera uppgifts enheter med event data från massiva UEar. De tasks modulerade data strukturerna är planerade över Arm Cortex A15 baserade MPcore, med multipla trådar. Slutligen, med massiva UE verkliga rörelser, beräkningar med IMSI(International mobile subscriber identity) är använt av den Hidden Markov kraven i Particle Filter’s funktionalitet medans kravet att underhålla last balansen för 4 Arm A15 kärnor. Detta är utfört genom seriell och parallell prestanda teknik. Framtida arbeten för decentraliserade task nivå skedulering med hash funktion för IMSI med utökning av kärnor och Concentric circles metod för AoA noggrannhet.

In diese Dissertation, betrachte ich das Problem der Aufteilung der unteilbaren Objekte unter Agenten, ihren Vorlieben entsprechend, und die Transfers fehlen. In Kapitel 1 studiere ich den Kompromiss zwischen Fairness und Effizienz in der Klasse der strategy-proof Aufteilungsmechanismen. Das wichtigste Ergebnis ist, dass für die strategy-proof Mechanismen folgende Effizienz- und Fairness-Kriterien nicht miteinander vereinbar sind: (1) Ex-post-Effizienz und Neidfreiheit, (2) Ordnung-Effizienz und schwache Neidfreiheit und (3) Ordnung-Effizienz und gleiche-Teilung-untere-Grenze. In Kapitel 2 ist der Fokus auf zwei Darstellungen einer Zuteilung: als probabilistische Zuordnung und als Lotterie über deterministische Zuordnungen. Um die Gestaltung der praktischen Lotterie-Mechanismen zu erleichtern schlagen wir neue Werkzeuge für den Erhalt der stochastischen Verbesserungen bei Lotterien vor. Als Anwendungen schlagen wir Lotterie Mechanismen, die die weit verbreiteten Random serial dictatorship Mechanismus verbessern, und eine Lotterie-Darstellung seiner Konkurrent, die Probabilistic serial Mechanismus, vor. In Kapitel 3 schlage ich einen neuen Mechanismus vor, der Schüler an Grundschulen zuweist: Adaptive Acceptance (AA). AA sammelt von Neumann-Morgenstern Präferenzen von Studenten über Schulen und implementiert die Zuordnung unter Verwendung eines iterativen Verfahrens, das ähnlich der vorherrschenden Immediate Acceptance (IA) ist. AA verfügt über eine starke Kombination von Anreize und Effizienzeigenschaften im Vergleich zu IA und sein Rivale, Deferred Acceptance (DA). / I consider the problem of allocating indivisible objects among agents according to their preferences when transfers are absent. In Chapter 1, I study the tradeoff between fairness and efficiency in the class of strategy-proof allocation mechanisms. The main finding is that for strategy-proof mechanisms the following efficiency and fairness criteria are mutually incompatible: (1) Ex-post efficiency and envy-freeness, (2) ordinal efficiency and weak envy-freeness and (3) ordinal efficiency and equal division lower bound. In Chapter 2, the focus is on two representations of an allocation when randomization is used: as a probabilistic assignment and as a lottery over deterministic assignments. To help facilitate the design of practical lottery mechanisms, we provide new tools for obtaining stochastic improvements in lotteries. As applications, we propose lottery mechanisms that improve upon the widely-used random serial dictatorship mechanism, and a lottery representation of its competitor, the probabilistic serial mechanism. In Chapter 3, I propose a new mechanism to assign students to primary schools: the Adaptive Acceptance rule (AA). AA collects von Neumann-Morgenstern utilities of students over schools and implements the assignment using an iterative procedure similar to the prevalent Immediate Acceptance rule (IA). AA enjoys a strong combination of incentive and efficiency properties compared to IA and its rival, the Deferred Acceptance rule (DA). In case of strict priorities, AA implements the student-optimal stable matching in dominant strategies, which dominates each equilibrium outcome of IA. In case of no priorities, AA is ex-post efficient while some equilibrium outcomes of IA are not; also, AA causes loss of ex-ante efficiency less often than DA. If, in addition, students have common ordinal preferences, AA is approximately strategy-proof and ex-ante dominates DA.

In this research docket analysis is evaluated as an investigative tool in stranger rape cases. Owing to the fact that serial rapists mostly reside within the category of stranger rape cases, the researcher attempted to test the value of docket analysis in the identification of patterns and similarities among such cases which could be indicative of serial rape activity. A rape matrix was used as a docket analysis tool to analyse the content of 184 stranger rape cases which was closed as ‘undetected’. In addition to investigative shortcomings in the case dockets, the researcher identified 15 stranger rape cases which presented six unique patterns among them. These identified patterns could be indicative of serial rape activity. / Criminology / M.Tech. (Forensic Investigation)

International Telemetering Conference Proceedings / October 26-29, 1992 / Town and Country Hotel and Convention Center, San Diego, California / Due to the vast amount of data required to be collected for design/performance analysis of operational and development systems, there has evolved a real requirement for a high-speed, large capacity, data collection/record system in a small Flight/Ruggedized package. This need is realized by several user communities and factors which include the evolution of small operational vehicles (airborne, land and UAV’s), the desire of weapons manufacturers/integrators to be independent from the vehicle during vehicle integration, and a general need for a field/airborne, reliable portable data collection system for intelligence gathering, operational performance verification and on-board data processing. In the Air Defence community, the need for a ruggedized record system was highlighted after Desert Storm, in which the operational performance of the Patriot Missile was questioned and data collection was not performed to support the performance. The Aydin Vector Division in conjunction with the prime contractor, has come up with a solution to this problem which utilizes a commercially available helical scan 8mm data storage unit. This solution provides a highly reliable record system, ruggedized for airborne and field environments and a low price in comparison with the more traditional approaches currently offered. This paper will describe the design implementation of this small ruggedized, flight worthy Data collection system deemed the ATD-800. It will also discuss the performance and limitations of implementing such a system, as well as provide several applications and solutions to different operational environments to be encountered. Additionally, the paper will conclude with several product enhancements which may benefit the flight test, operational and intelligence communities in the future.

本文研究漢語的連動結構。首先我們先將連動結構的定義做一個清楚的界定，之後再從動詞間的語意面著手，對連動結構中動詞間的語意關係，提出詳盡的說明與解釋。除此之外，根據連動句中詞彙的受限性以及動詞間的語意關聯性這兩個原則，我們再進一步將漢語的連動結構區分為四個類型。最後，我們從句法的層面切入來探討漢語的連動結構。我們認為不同的語意解讀是由於不同的句法結構所導致。 / This thesis investigates serial verb constructions (SVCs) in Mandarin Chinese. The serial verb constructions are often confused with other superficially similar structures; thus, the first objective of this study is to explicitly delimitate the definition of SVCs and to differentiate them from other structures. In addition, we will further explore the semantic relationship between the serial verbs and classify SVCs into several types according to the V1-V2 correlations, the independence between sub-events, and the lexical restrictiveness of the verbs. We will then analyze the syntactic relationship of the verbs. Finally, we also propose that there are two possible structures for SVCs in Mandarin. Chapter 1 is a brief introduction of the term “serial verb construction.” We will first go over its definitions, the functions it can convey, and the geographical distribution of languages with SVC. In Chapter 2, we will present the distinguishing characteristics of SVC and distinguish it from other similar structures. In Chapter 3, we will present different semantic correlations between the VPs. In Chapter 4, we will classify Mandarin SVCs into different subtypes based on the lexical and semantic criteria. Chapter 5 presents the tentative syntactic analyses of Mandarin SVCs. Chapter 6 concludes this paper.

Ce mémoire a comme objectif premier, l’étude du film d’enquête sur les tueurs en série. Plus spécifiquement, le mémoire examine le cas du film Zodiac réalisé par David Fincher en 2007. En procédant par analyses comparatives portant sur la structure narrative, les thématiques et les mécanismes de réception du film d’enquête, nous avons tenté de mettre en lumière des hypothèses quant à l’insuccès commercial de Zodiac. La première section de l’étude examine la spécificité et les fonctions propres au film d’enquête sur les tueurs en série et parvient ainsi à tirer la conclusion qu’il prévaut de catégoriser ce corpus d’œuvres comme un sous-genre du film policier. Nous avons étudié la fonction sociale et médiatique des archétypes filmiques du tueur et de l’enquêteur afin d’atteindre une meilleure compréhension de la fascination du public américain pour ce sous-genre. La seconde section du mémoire examine comment Zodiac se détache des conventions génériques et, particulièrement, comment la mise en scène opère une démystification de la figure du tueur en série. De plus, nous avons soulevé le traitement particulier déployé par Zodiac, soit la monstration, par le biais des personnages, du travail spectatoriel de mise en récit de l’enquête. La troisième section vise à démontrer la rupture de l’horizon d’attente du spectateur chez Zodiac ainsi que la chute de l’imaginaire mythique qui est ainsi engendré. / This memoir’s main concern is the study of the serial killer movie and, more specifically the case of Zodiac directed by David Fincher in 2007. By proceding with comparative analysis concerning the structure, the themes and the public’s reception, we are able to highlight key elements that may explain Zodiac’s commercial failure. In the first section, we study the elements that are specific to the serial killer movie. Hence, we are able to conclude that this film corpus would be best categorised as a sub-genre of the crime film genre. Furthermore, we study the social and media purposes of the serial killer and detective archetypes to acheive a better understansding of the american public’s fascination towards this sub-genre. The second section investigates how Zodiac breaks away from the generic conventions and how the film narrative demystifies the serial killer figure. We have also brought up the film peculiar form, which, via the characters, illustrates the spectatorial process of mise en récit . The third section studies the way Zodiac establishes a rupture in the spectator’s expectations of the sub-genre and provokes the fall of its collective imagery.

Cette thèse développe des méthodes bootstrap pour les modèles à facteurs qui sont couram- ment utilisés pour générer des prévisions depuis l'article pionnier de Stock et Watson (2002) sur les indices de diffusion. Ces modèles tolèrent l'inclusion d'un grand nombre de variables macroéconomiques et financières comme prédicteurs, une caractéristique utile pour inclure di- verses informations disponibles aux agents économiques. Ma thèse propose donc des outils éco- nométriques qui améliorent l'inférence dans les modèles à facteurs utilisant des facteurs latents extraits d'un large panel de prédicteurs observés. Il est subdivisé en trois chapitres complémen- taires dont les deux premiers en collaboration avec Sílvia Gonçalves et Benoit Perron. Dans le premier article, nous étudions comment les méthodes bootstrap peuvent être utilisées pour faire de l'inférence dans les modèles de prévision pour un horizon de h périodes dans le futur. Pour ce faire, il examine l'inférence bootstrap dans un contexte de régression augmentée de facteurs où les erreurs pourraient être autocorrélées. Il généralise les résultats de Gonçalves et Perron (2014) et propose puis justifie deux approches basées sur les résidus : le block wild bootstrap et le dependent wild bootstrap. Nos simulations montrent une amélioration des taux de couverture des intervalles de confiance des coefficients estimés en utilisant ces approches comparativement à la théorie asymptotique et au wild bootstrap en présence de corrélation sérielle dans les erreurs de régression. Le deuxième chapitre propose des méthodes bootstrap pour la construction des intervalles de prévision permettant de relâcher l'hypothèse de normalité des innovations. Nous y propo- sons des intervalles de prédiction bootstrap pour une observation h périodes dans le futur et sa moyenne conditionnelle. Nous supposons que ces prévisions sont faites en utilisant un ensemble de facteurs extraits d'un large panel de variables. Parce que nous traitons ces facteurs comme latents, nos prévisions dépendent à la fois des facteurs estimés et les coefficients de régres- sion estimés. Sous des conditions de régularité, Bai et Ng (2006) ont proposé la construction d'intervalles asymptotiques sous l'hypothèse de Gaussianité des innovations. Le bootstrap nous permet de relâcher cette hypothèse et de construire des intervalles de prédiction valides sous des hypothèses plus générales. En outre, même en supposant la Gaussianité, le bootstrap conduit à des intervalles plus précis dans les cas où la dimension transversale est relativement faible car il prend en considération le biais de l'estimateur des moindres carrés ordinaires comme le montre une étude récente de Gonçalves et Perron (2014). Dans le troisième chapitre, nous suggérons des procédures de sélection convergentes pour les regressions augmentées de facteurs en échantillons finis. Nous démontrons premièrement que la méthode de validation croisée usuelle est non-convergente mais que sa généralisation, la validation croisée «leave-d-out» sélectionne le plus petit ensemble de facteurs estimés pour l'espace généré par les vraies facteurs. Le deuxième critère dont nous montrons également la validité généralise l'approximation bootstrap de Shao (1996) pour les regressions augmentées de facteurs. Les simulations montrent une amélioration de la probabilité de sélectionner par- cimonieusement les facteurs estimés comparativement aux méthodes de sélection disponibles. L'application empirique revisite la relation entre les facteurs macroéconomiques et financiers, et l'excès de rendement sur le marché boursier américain. Parmi les facteurs estimés à partir d'un large panel de données macroéconomiques et financières des États Unis, les facteurs fortement correlés aux écarts de taux d'intérêt et les facteurs de Fama-French ont un bon pouvoir prédictif pour les excès de rendement. / This thesis develops bootstrap methods for factor models which are now widely used for generating forecasts since the seminal paper of Stock and Watson (2002) on diffusion indices. These models allow the inclusion of a large set of macroeconomic and financial variables as predictors, useful to span various information related to economic agents. My thesis develops econometric tools that improves inference in factor-augmented regression models driven by few unobservable factors estimated from a large panel of observed predictors. It is subdivided into three complementary chapters. The two first chapters are joint papers with Sílvia Gonçalves and Benoit Perron. In the first chapter, we study how bootstrap methods can be used to make inference in h-step forecasting models which generally involve serially correlated errors. It thus considers bootstrap inference in a factor-augmented regression context where the errors could potentially be serially correlated. This generalizes results in Gonçalves and Perron (2013) and makes the bootstrap applicable to forecasting contexts where the forecast horizon is greater than one. We propose and justify two residual-based approaches, a block wild bootstrap (BWB) and a dependent wild bootstrap (DWB). Our simulations document improvement in coverage rates of confidence intervals for the coefficients when using BWB or DWB relative to both asymptotic theory and the wild bootstrap when serial correlation is present in the regression errors. The second chapter provides bootstrap methods for prediction intervals which allow relaxing the normality distribution assumption on innovations. We propose bootstrap prediction intervals for an observation h periods into the future and its conditional mean. We assume that these forecasts are made using a set of factors extracted from a large panel of variables. Because we treat these factors as latent, our forecasts depend both on estimated factors and estimated regression coefficients. Under regularity conditions, Bai and Ng (2006) proposed the construction of asymptotic intervals under Gaussianity of the innovations. The bootstrap allows us to relax this assumption and to construct valid prediction intervals under more general conditions. Moreover, even under Gaussianity, the bootstrap leads to more accurate intervals in cases where the cross-sectional dimension is relatively small as it reduces the bias of the ordinary least squares estimator as shown in a recent paper by Gonçalves and Perron (2014). The third chapter proposes two consistent model selection procedures for factor-augmented regressions in finite samples.We first demonstrate that the usual cross-validation is inconsistent, but that a generalization, leave-d-out cross-validation, selects the smallest basis of estimated factors for the space spanned by the true factors. The second proposed criterion is a generalization of the bootstrap approximation of the squared error of prediction of Shao (1996) to factor-augmented regressions which we also show is consistent. Simulation evidence documents improvements in the probability of selecting the smallest set of estimated factors than the usually available methods. An illustrative empirical application that analyzes the relationship between expected stock returns and macroeconomic and financial factors extracted from a large panel of U.S. macroeconomic and financial data is conducted. Our new procedures select factors that correlate heavily with interest rate spreads and with the Fama-French factors. These factors have strong predictive power for excess returns.

The diploma thesis "Major Zeman": Comparative analysis of verbal narratives and TV serial presentations deals with two narrative media that depict the Zeman's story: a literary narrative by Jiří Procházka and its realization as TV series. Factors affecting the resulting form of both versions were identified by means of a gradual analysis of each of the versions. These factors were external interventions made by a management of a TV company and by its professional advisors as well as a mutual rivality of producers of the series. A focus to a TV audience and a literary ambition of Procházka, who attempted to step over the boundaries of a crimi genre, played their roles as well. These all resulted in two differently conceived fiction worlds. The narrative world, built on a myth-building principle, appears to be coherent, joined by an unifying ideological line. On the contrary, the TV series world appears to be scattered.

La multiplication de l’alternative d’aménagement « ville nouvelle » à proximité des métropoles au XXe siècle dans le monde, laisse a priori croire à la reproduction d’un archétype urbain, la « cité-jardin » et a posteriori, attendre une évolution vers un prototype propre au XXIe siècle. Ces postulats incitent à un approfondissement sur la forme existante et l’image reflétée : quel paysage urbain fabriqué et à fabriquer. En ce sens, cette thèse de doctorat permet d’exploiter le binôme « ville nouvelle/paysage urbain ».De l’observation à la qualification, l’analyse s’appuie sur les pratiques traditionnelles des précurseurs du townscape (lectures pittoresque et morphologique, analyse séquentielle, silhouette, inventaire urbain), par le biais d’images fixes (photographies) et d’images en mouvement (vidéo) recueillies en France, Chine, Pays-Bas, Finlande, États-Unis et Angleterre. Les composantes de l’aménagement sont développées selon quatre thématiques : le(s) centre(s) ville(s), le tissu minéral (de la mobilité), le tissu de nature, et le « tissu vertical » ou membrane architecturale. Face au constat du manque de renouvellement dans l’interprétation graphique du paysage, une représentation prenant en compte l’expérience sensible de type « carte d’identité » est encouragée. Pluridisciplinaire, achronique et internationale, notre recherche confirme l’identité conceptuelle de la « ville nouvelle métropolitaine » du XXe siècle en s’écartant de l’idée de modèle urbain ; elle reconnait au paysage ses qualités in-transposables et sa capacité de levier dans l’aménagement du territoire ; elle accentue le rôle de l’esthétique urbaine contribuant au plaisir des « villeneuviens ». / The proliferation of new towns as an alternative development near the metropolis in the 20th Century in the world, a priori suggests the reproduction of an urban archetype, the “garden city”, a posteriori a change towards a specific 21st Century prototype might be expected. These assumptions encourage a deepening of the existing form and of its reflected image: what type of townscape built and yet to be built. The present doctoral thesis enables us to take advantage of the binomial “new town/townscape”.From observation to qualification, the analysis is based on the precursors of townscape's traditional practices: picturesque survey, serial vision, skyline, urban inventory and morphological reading. The methodology operates mainly through still images (photographs) and moving images (video) collected through fieldwork in France, China, the Netherlands, Finland, the USA and England.The major components of the “metropolitan new towns” development are presented along four themes: multipolarity or town-center(s), mineral fabric or mobility weft, natural fabric and “vertical fabric” or “architectural membrane”. Considering the lack of renewal in the graphic interpretation of townscapes, a representation such as an “Identity Map”, which expresses a more sensitive experience, is proposed.This multidisciplinary, achronic and international research confirms the facial identity of the “metropolitan new town” of the 20th Century, downplaying the notion of an urban model. It recognizes in the townscape both non-transferable qualities and a leveraging potential for territorial development. It emphasizes the role of urban aesthetics in contributing to the pleasure of new town residents.