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Discrete-Event systems (DES) is a framework in which problems are modelled as finite-state automata and a solution in the form of a supervisory control scheme can be automatically synthesized via an exhaustive search through the state space of the system. Various extensions to the standard DES framework have been introduced to allow it to be applied to a greater variety of problems. When the system in question is very large or varies with time, a limited lookahead policy can be adopted, in which control decisions are made on-the-fly by looking at finite-step projections of the behaviour of the system's underlying automata. This work presents a new approach to limited lookahead supervision which incorporates many of the extensions to DES that are already present in the literature, such as event probability and string desirability. When dealing with a limited lookahead technique, the projected system behaviour is represented as a lookahead tree with some depth limit decided on by the user. It can be difficult to strike a balance between the complexities associated with storing and analyzing the trees and the amount of information available to make decisions, both of which increase with depth. This work also presents a set of methods which are designed to aid in accurately estimating the state space of lookahead trees with the intent of simplifying the process of determining a favourable depth to use. Finally, the approaches introduced herein are applied to a simulation of an infectious disease outbreak, primarily to showcase them in action, but also for the possibility of illuminating any useful information for real-world health units. / Thesis (Master, Computing) -- Queen's University, 2012-01-20 19:35:58.007

Upper Palaeolithic cave art research has tended to focus on the images themselves, rather than the physical and social circumstances of their production. This dissertation explores and develops new practice-based ways of investigating cave art. A method analysing features of the cave environment, such as light, space and accessibility, internal conditions etc., and how these relate to traces of human activity, is developed and applied to three decorated caves from Upper Palaeolithic in southern France: Marsoulas (Haute-Garonne), Chauvet (Ardèche) and Rouffignac (Périgord). New insights are suggested into the underlying practice of cave art and its significance in Upper Palaeolithic societies. / La recherche l’art rupestre Paléolithique supérieur a eu tendance à se focaliser sur les images elles-mêmes, plutôt que les circonstances physiques et sociales de leur production. Cette dissertation explore et développe des nouvelles formes d’investigation de l’art rupestre basées sur la pratique. Une méthode pour analyser des caractéristiques de l’environnement de la grotte, comme la lumière, l’espace et l’accessibilité, des conditions internes etc., et comment ceux-ci sont associés à des traces de l’activité humaine, est développée et appliquée à trois grottes de l’époque Paléolithique supérieur dans le sud de France: Marsoulas (Haute-Garonne), Chauvet (Ardèche) et Rouffignac (Périgord). Une nouvelle vision est suggérée pour la pratique sous-jacente de l’art rupestre et son importance dans les sociétés paléolithiques.

The development of the video game industry and the increasing popularity of the medium as a form of entertainment have led to significant developments in the discipline of game studies and a growing awareness of the cultural significance of video games as cultural artefacts. While much work has been done to understand the narrative aspect of games, there are still theoretical gaps on the understanding of how video games generate their narrative experience and how this experience is shaped by the player and the game as artefact. This interdisciplinary study investigates how meaning is created in Western Role Playing Games (WRPGs) video games by analysing the narrative strategies they employ in relation to those commonly used in Heroic Epic and Fantasy narratives. It adopts the Bakhtinian concepts of chronotope and dialogue as the main theoretical tools to examine the creation and integration of narratives in WRPGs with a special focus on the time-space perspective. Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and Dragon Age Origins were chosen as representatives of the WRPG video game genre while Beowulf and the tale of Sigurd, as it appears in the Poetic Edda and the Volsung Saga, were chosen as representatives of the Heroic Epic poetic tradition. References are also made to Fantasy novels, especially the work of J.R.R. Tolkien. Textual analysis along with some techniques employed by researchers working with visual methodologies and compositional interpretation were used to analyse relevant aspects of the texts and games. The findings suggest that intertextual and genre materials considerably shape the narrative of WRPGs and exercise a profound dialogical effect on the ludonarrative harmony of the games investigated through their interaction with the game world and gameplay systems. This relationship is most visible in the chronotopic (time-space) aspect of the chosen games. The findings also suggest that Epic material dialogically orients the WRPG players' experience and adjusts their expectations and understanding of the fictional world. This study as well as the refining of chronotopic analytical tools to encompass chronotopic awareness, transportation, and flow may be of use in further chronotopic investigations of different games, literary genres, and/or other media artefacts.

Doctor of Philosophy / Physics / Christopher M. Sorensen / We present light scattering studies of irregularly shaped particles which significantly affect the climate. We built and calibrated our apparatus which was able to measure all six independent scattering matrix elements. Our apparatus detects light from 0.32° to 157° simultaneously. We studied all six scattering matrix elements of irregularly shaped Arizona Road Dust which behave differently than those of spheres. We strongly focused on the most important scattering matrix element – the phase function, scattered intensity vs. the scattering angle, which we applied Q-space analysis to. Q-space analysis involves plotting the scattering intensity vs. the magnitude of the scattering wave vector q or qR with R the radius of a particle, on a double logarithmic scale. We measured and studied the phase functions of Al₂O₃ abrasives; compared the scattering from the abrasives with the scattering of spheres. To generalize the study, we collected a large amount of experimental and theoretical data from our group and others and applied Q-space analysis. They all displayed a common scattering pattern. The power law exponents showed a quasi-universal functionality with the internal coupling parameter ρ'. In situ studies of the soot fractal aggregates produced from a burner were also conducted. A power law exponent -1.85 is seen to imply the aggregates have fractal dimension of D[subscript f]=1.85. The overall work presented shows Q-space analysis uncovers patterns common to all particles: a q-independent forward scattering regime is followed by a Guinier regime, a power law regime, and sometimes an enhanced back scattering regime. The description of the patterns applies to spheres as well, except the power law regime has more than a single power law. These simple patterns give a unified description for all particle shapes. Moreover, the power law exponents have a quasi-universal functionality with ρ' for non-fractal aggregates. The absolute value of the exponents start from 4 when ρ' is small. As ρ' increases, the exponents decrease until the trend levels off at ρ'≳10 where the exponents reach a constant 1.75±0.25. All the non-fractal particles fall on the same trend regardless of the detail of their structure.

To prosecute perpetrators of war crimes the International Criminal Court (ICC) must connect the physical actions of the offence and ‘most responsible’ offenders charged with planning, instigating and intent on carrying out crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and crimes of aggression. To date there has been no empirical study of the types of physical actions that make up this offence. There is no baseline knowledge to contextualize the offence and enable the ICC to make links between the actions on the ground and a perpetrator’s culpability. The purpose of this study was to produce the first multivariate model of war crime ground action using cases of war crime offences in Cambodia and Rwanda. The aim was to first identify a representative range offence behaviours, and secondly determine if ground actions could be differentiated into distinct forms of offending that indicate culpability, that is, knowledge and intent in carrying out the crime. Lastly, offence behaviours assessed to determine if external factors could account for variances in offender behaviour, and help the ICC account for variances in behaviour when making inferences from the models. This was achieved through content analysis, cluster analysis, smallest space analysis and multivariate analysis of variance. It was found that as many as 44 different killing and disposal methods are used over the course of war crimes in Cambodia and Rwanda and that these offence actions can be classified into four distinct themes of behaviour. The indentified conservative, expressive, integrative and adaptive theme demonstrates that offenders were committing war crime offences in different ways. Using the underlying theories attached to each mode the ICC can infer the culpability of an offender based on which theme their actions fall into. In this case offenders subscribing to the conservative theme are likely to reflect the planning and instigation components of a war crime and offenders whose actions fall within the expressive theme are likely to be using war crimes as a cover for personal gratification and gain. Finally it was found that variances of behaviour can be attributed to the geographical location and timing of the event, and helps the ICC target their investigations to locations and periods linked to conservative behaviour, the offender who performs it and thus their culpability. This study shows that multivariate analysis can contextualize ground actions in manner that allows the ICC to make informed decisions of perpetrator culpability during war crimes.

Orientador: José Flávio Morais Castro / Banca: Lucia Helena de Oliveira Gerardi / Banca: Alexandre Magno Alves Diniz / Resumo: Este estudo teve como objetivo analisar a distribuição espacial e as relações entre o Índice de Condições de Vida (ICV) e o Índice de Criminalidade Urbana (ICU) nos municípios da Região Administrativa de Campinas (SP) no ano de 2000. A partir do emprego de métodos e técnicas de classificação de dados socioeconômicos foi possível correlacioná-los em um Sistema de Informações Geográficas (SIG). A análise espacial permitiu estabelecer as possíveis relações entre o ICV e o ICU na região e verificar se os municípios com maior ICV foram os que apresentaram o maior índice de criminalidade urbana, em função do crescimento das desigualdades sociais no período. / Abstract: The objective of this work was to analyze the regional distribution and the relations between Life Level Rates (ICV) and Urban Criminal Rates (ICU) in Campinas Administrative Area (SP), in the year of 2000, using classifying techniques for socioeconomic data in a Geographical Information System (GIS). The spatial analysis evidenced some connections between the ICV and the ICU in that area. It has been verified that cities with larger ICV are the ones with higher urban criminal rates, due to the increase of social inequality during the period. / Mestre

Il semble communément admis que l’espace et le crime sont intimement liés. L’origine sociale du délinquant et les caractéristiques sociales des quartiers criminogènes ont souvent été mises en avant comme facteurs explicatifs de la concentration de la délinquance. Pourtant la localisation du crime ne semble pas être due au hasard. L’espace joue un rôle primordial tant dans la manifestation du crime que dans sa persistance. Etudier le crime du point de vue géographique et de l’analyse spatiale nécessite à la fois une définition précise de l’acte ou du comportement illicite, mais également une quantification ainsi qu’une géolocalisation à l’échelle la plus fine possible. En France le niveau départemental voire communal représente le niveau le plus bas disponible en termes de statistiques criminelles. Cependant l’analyse de la relation entre l’aménagement de l’espace urbain et la distribution spatiale du crime nécessite une donnée à l’échelle de la rue. L’agglomération de Marseille a été retenue comme espace d’étude en raison de son profil économique et social particulier. La capitale régionale de Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur compte un nombre important de quartiers concernés par la nouvelle géographie prioritaire de la politique de la ville. Elle se caractérise aussi par son titre controversé de ville la plus criminogène de France. Cette idée forgée au cours du 20ème siècle a été alimentée par le rôle de Marseille comme principal port de l’Empire Colonial Français. Les marchandises illicites surent profiter des lignes commerciales régulières pour entrer sur le territoire national via le port. Au lendemain de la seconde guerre mondiale la ville devint la capitale mondiale de la transformation de la morphine-base et de l’exportation de l’héroïne jusqu’à ce qu’en 1969 le président des Etats-Unis d’Amérique : Richard Nixon décide de mener une lutte farouche contre le trafic de stupéfiants à destination de son pays. Entre récession économique et trafic dynamique de la drogue, Marseille est chaque année concernée par près d’une quinzaine d’homicides majoritairement liés à la guerre des voyous pour le contrôle du trafic de stupéfiants. Ces « règlements de compte entre malfaiteurs» d’après la désignation officielle ne représentent qu’une infime partie de la délinquance sévissant dans la commune. Cependant ces meurtres qui sont assez rares pour être systématiquement rapportés par les différents médias sont suffisamment nombreux pour permettre une cartographie de la délinquance suite au référencement de chaque homicide dans un système d’information géographique. Une fois les analyses spatiales de la distribution d’un semis de points effectuées, une analyse d’image par morphologie mathématique a été réalisée pour délimiter scientifiquement les zones de concentration du crime. L’objectif de la recherche consistant à identifier les caractéristiques de la configuration géographique de l’aménagement urbain qui permettent d’expliquer la distribution spatiale du crime. Différentes représentations de l’espace urbain et des réseaux spatiaux convertis en graphes primaux ou duaux ont été utilisées pour discerner les quartiers les plus isolés et à l’inverse les lieux les plus centraux et intégrés. Aux différents indices mathématiques de centralité calculés sur les réseaux spatiaux s’ajoute une représentation des interactions entre les espaces ouverts sous la forme d’un graphe conçu d’après la théorie de la syntaxe spatiale. Les différents indices calculés devant vérifier si les zones de concentration des règlements de compte entre malfaiteurs à Marseille sont systématiquement localisées dans des quartiers facilement accessibles comme le laisserait suggérer la présence d’un trafic de drogue dynamique ou au contraire dans des lieux ségrégés et difficiles d’accès pouvant expliquer la dégradation urbaine et sociale perceptible dans ces espaces. / It seems to be widely agreed that space and crime are closely related. The social origin of the offenders and social characteristics of criminogenic districts have frequently been brought forward as determining factors of crime density. However, crime does not seem to be located randomly. Space takes a primordial role both in the outbreak of crime and his persistence. Study of crime with a geographical approach and space analysis requires both a clear definition of criminal act or behaviour and a quantification as well as georeferencing of the events on a finer scale. In France, the departments nay the municipalities represent the lowest level in terms of crime statistics. Nevertheless, data at the street level are required in order to understand the relation between urban pattern and crime distribution. The city of Marseille has been chosen as the study area due to it’s particular economic and social profile. The capital city of region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur has a large number of neighbourhoods concerned by the new French urban policy. Marseille counts 35 "priority districts" taking up 35 squares kilometres where about 237 877 inhabitants lived according to the census of 2013, which represents 28% of the global population of the city. The bad reputation of Marseille known as the most criminal city of France was built during the 20th century when Marseille was the main port of the French Colonial Empire. Illicit goods were brought into the national territory through regular trade routes via the harbour. After the Second World War, Marseille became the world capital of heroin production and exportation until the president of the United States of the America, Richard Nixon, decided to put up a fierce battle against drug traffic to his country. Between economic recession and dynamic drugs traffic, Marseille is impacted by about fifteen murders every year, for the most part directly linked with the dealers’ war to control drug market. The settling of scores between criminals represents only a small portion of serious and petty crimes occurring each year within the municipal boundaries. Such assassinations are rare enough to justify a regular media coverage and frequent enough to generate crime mapping. Once the crime mapping of every assassination was done, a point pattern analysis was performed. Then, an image analysis with mathematical morphology was conducted in order to determine the influence area of the phenomenon. This step has allowed to determine the bandwidth of the Kernel density estimation applied to mark out the crime hotspots. The aim of this research is to determine which characteristics of the geographical pattern of the built environment could explain crime density in some locations. Do the spaces where settling of scores take place have identical specificities ? Do the crime hotspots drastically differ from other areas ? To detect segregated districts on one hand and central places on the other hand, different representations of the urban pattern and the road network have been used. Beyond the different mathematical measures of centrality calculated on spatial network, the representation of the interactions between the open spaces into a dual graph have been fulfilled in order to apply space syntax theory. Measures calculated according space syntax methodology should prove if crime hotspots in Marseille are systematically located in easily reachable areas as suggested by the presence of a dynamic drug trade or, on the contrary, in segregated neighbourhoods difficult to access, which could explain the social and urban degradation discernible in such locations.

No / Opportunistic secondary usage of underutilised radio spectrum is currently of great interest and the use of TV White Spaces (TVWS) has been considered for Long Term Evolution (LTE) broadband services. However, wireless microphones operating in TV bands pose a challenge to TVWS opportunistic access. Efficient and proactive spectrum sensing could prevent harmful interference between collocated devices, but existing spectrum sensing schemes such as energy detection and schemes based on Random Matrix Theory (RMT) have performance limitations. We propose a new blind spectrum sensing scheme with higher performance based on RMT supported by a new formula for the estimation of noise variance. The performance of the proposed scheme has been evaluated through extensive simulations on wireless microphone signals. The proposed scheme has also been compared to energy detection schemes, and shows higher performance in terms of the probability of false alarm (Pfa) and probability of detection (Pd).

No / Dynamic Spectrum Access (DSA) for secondary usage of underutilized radio spectrum is currently of great interest for radio regulatory authorities and for cellular network operators. However, the co-existence of multiple devices operating in the same bands, such as wireless microphones which also operate in TV bands, poses a challenge to DSA. Efficient and proactive spectrum sensing could prevent harmful interference between collocated devices, but existing blind spectrum sensing schemes such as energy detection and schemes based on Random Matrix Theory (RMT) have performance limitations. We propose a new blind spectrum sensing scheme for cognitive radio. The proposed scheme uses a new formula for the estimation of noise variance. The scheme has been evaluated through extensive simulations on wireless microphone signals and shows higher performance as compared to energy detection and RMT-based sensing schemes such as MME and EME. It also shows higher performance in terms of probability of detection (Pd).