This thesis is concerned with problems related to shortest pathrouting (SPR) in Internet protocol (IP) networks. In IP routing, alldata traffic is routed in accordance with an SPR protocol, e.g. OSPF.That is, the routing paths are shortest paths w.r.t. some artificialmetric. This implies that the majority of the Internet traffic isdirected by SPR. Since the Internet is steadily growing, efficientutilization of its resources is of major importance. In theoperational planning phase the objective is to utilize the availableresources as efficiently as possible without changing the actualdesign. That is, only by re-configuration of the routing. This isreferred to as traffic engineering (TE). In this thesis, TE in IPnetworks and related problems are approached by integer linearprogramming. Most TE problems are closely related to multicommodity routingproblems and they are regularly solved by integer programmingtechniques. However, TE in IP networks has not been studied as much,and is in fact a lot harder than ordinary TE problems without IProuting since the complicating shortest path aspect has to be takeninto account. In a TE problem in an IP network the routing isperformed in accordance with an SPR protocol that depends on a metric,the so called set of administrative weights. The major differencebetween ordinary TE problems and TE in IP networks is that all routingpaths must be simultaneously realizable as shortest paths w.r.t. thismetric. This restriction implies that the set of feasible routingpatterns is significantly reduced and that the only means available toadjust and control the routing is indirectly, via the administrativeweights. A constraint generation method for solving TE problems in IP networksis outlined in this thesis. Given an "original" TE problem, the ideais to iteratively generate and augment valid inequalities that handlethe SPR aspect of IP networks. These valid inequalities are derived byanalyzing the inverse SPR problem. The inverse SPR problem is todecide if a set of tentative routing patterns is simultaneouslyrealizable as shortest paths w.r.t. some metric. When this is not thecase, an SPR conflict exists which must be prohibited by a validinequality that is then augmented to the original TE problem. Toderive strong valid inequalities that prohibit SPR conflicts, athorough analysis of the inverse SPR problem is first performed. Inthe end, this allows us to draw conclusions for the design problem,which was the initial primary concern.

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Spectral moment interpolation find application in a wide array of use cases: robust control, system identification, model reduction to name the most notable ones. This thesis aims to expand the theory of such methods in three different directions. The first main contribution concerns the practical applicability. From this point of view various solving algorithm and their properties are considered. This study lead to identify a globally convergent method with excellent numerical properties. The second main contribution is the introduction of an extended interpolation problem that allows to model ARMA spectra without any explicit information of zero’s positions. To this end it was necessary for practical reasons to consider an approximated interpolation insted. Finally, the third main contribution is the application to some problems such as graphical model identification and ARMA spectral approximation. / QC 20110906

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 1990. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves [182]-184).

This thesis investigates the factors associated with provision of education for children with autism spectrum disorders. The child is at the centre of this investigation, as the issues and constraints clearly impact on the quality of the provision delivered. Educational provision for children with autism also affects families and social agencies. The family is usually first to recognise that their child is not developing as he or she should. Typically, a diagnosis of autism or autistic spectrum disorder leads the family to the LEA in an effort to get the child's educational needs met within a school setting. Improvement in educational provision for children can only be obtained when it is based on research in this area. This is especially true for the case of children diagnosed with autism, as research is limited. What research does exist focuses on specific methodologies or proposed causes, and does not explore the effects that appropriate provision has on a child. To aid this thesis, systems theory has been employed to explore the tensions and dilemmas that exist. This ecosystemic approach is useful when teasing apart the influences both proximal and distal that benefit the child's educational experience. These influences can come from the school, home, LEA or the interactions between and among these partners. This study will examine these influences. Through the use of a case study, the researcher observed a school during its day-to-day implementation of educational provision. In addition, the views of an LEA and parents were sought through the use of interviews and a survey. The main research findings showed several factors as having influence on the child in regards to educational provision. Investigation into a school showed the difficulties associated with putting provision into practice. When faced with severe staffing shortages, absence of active leadership,, and extreme behavioural problems of the children, teaching activity was thwarted. Survey results revealed the difficulties faced by parents in securing provision. Parents reported high levels of stress that this research correlated to longer waiting times, late diagnosis, type of provision, and guidance from specialists. Significant also, was the finding that survey parents reported a statistically significant decrease in the age of diagnosis of the children. Significant findings revealed through LEA interviews found that although striving to work with families, efforts were frustrated by increasing numbers of children, limitations on the number of children accepted into favoured placements, and parental self imposed restrictions on placement choice. Lastly, this research proposed several key suggestions based on the literature review and the research undertaken to improve and promote best practice in the agreement, allocation and enactment of educational provision.

This thesis adopts the methodology of systems theory to examine the limits of anti-discrimination law. The sociology of Niklas Luhmann, alongside extensions provided by Michel Foucault and Gilles Deleuze, is applied to construct a versatile re-description of anti-discrimination law. This is an innovative approach because it articulates the social basis for discrimination alongside a legal picture of anti-discrimination within the same theoretical framework. By considering each side of this discrimination/anti-discrimination equation the capacity of law to address discrimination is put into question. The difficulty of providing a philosophically sound explanation for discrimination involves a legitimate academic question, but it also indicates its limitation. This thesis argues that this difficultly reflects a genuine divergence between the social meaning of discrimination and the ability of moral philosophy to comprehend this phenomenon. Racism is analyzed as a confluence of moral, artistic, and mass mediated communications; it is communicated through inconsistency and complex repetition. This confluence is described by tracing societal differentiations and self-descriptions, as developed by Luhmann, with an emphasis on the history of manners as a precursor to modern racism. The legal picture of anti-discrimination presented here is divided into argumentation and decision. Firstly, the description of direct and indirect discrimination in terms of justice is questioned through an examination of argumentative limits, with legal liability being re-interpreted in the light of how concepts and interests inform argumentation. Secondly, the validity of a decision is analyzed as a separate problem for anti-discrimination law. The jurisprudence of the positivist Joseph Raz is criticized from the perspective of a Luhmannian theorization of law as symbolically valid decisions. This thesis constructs an explanatory framework that redraws the limitations of anti-discrimination law by revealing [1] how racism is a protean social phenomenon, and [2] that separation of the legal understanding of anti-discrimination law into discrete streams exposes the concrete limitations available for engaging issues of justiciability.

The main body of this thesis consists of six appended papers.The papers are about the theory of the positive real interpolationwith McMillan degree constraint.In Paper A, a parameterization of the positive real residue interpolantswith McMillan degree constraint is given.For a given interpolation data and for each free parameter,a positive real interpolant, of which McMillan degree isequal to the McMillan degree of the maximum entropy interpolant, is obtained bysolving a nonlinear equation, which is homotopic to a nonlinear equation to determinethe maximum entropy interpolant.In Paper B,the state-space realization of the multivariable rational interpolant with bounded McMillan degreeis given by the block discrete-time Schwarz form.A characterization of the positive realness of the block discrete-time Schwarz form isgiven by a linear matrix inequality.In Paper C,a robust controller synthesis for the mismatch of delay in terms ofthe Nevanlinna-Pick interpolation is presented.In Paper D,a Smith predictor synthesis for unstable and minimum-phaseinput delay system and for a first orderunstable distributed delay system is given in terms of the Nevanlinna-Pick interpolation.In Paper E , we study an approximation of spectral density in termsof the generalized Kullback-Leibler distance minimization.For a given spectral density,we seek a spectraldensity by minimizingthe generalized Kullback-Leibler distance subject to a constraint onthe tangential second-orderstatistics.In Paper F, a property of Schur polynomial of real coefficientsand real Toeplitz matrix is given.Suppose that the vector of coefficients of a Schur polynomial annihilatesa Toeplitz matrix, then the Toeplitz matrix is in facta zero matrix. / QC 20100727

Denna studie belyser några svenska statliga myndigheters genomförande av FN:s konvention om barnets rättigheter. Ambitionen är att fördjupa förståelsen av och få ökad insikt om betydelsefulla förutsättningar vid ett implementeringsarbete sett ur ett systemteoretiskt perspektiv. Studien baseras på semistrukturerade intervjuer med myndighetsrepresentanter. Genom framställande av myndigheternas hierarkiska nivåer: ledarnivå, organisationsnivå och kontextnivå, skildras respektive nivås betydelse och medverkan under konkretiseringen av konventionen. Studien indikerar att en kombination av information, yttrande och förståelse mellan de olika nivåerna, är av central betydelse beträffande realiserande av Barnkonventionen.

There are currently many complex issues facing human society. There are a range of well-documented environmental problems that stem from past and current methods of human development. Declining ecosystems and species extinctions aside, many humans suffer and struggle within this mounting tide of environmental hardships as well as continuing struggles with access to education and equality within society. A large portion of these struggles arise from the disparity in wealth and the seemingly oppressive nature of economic systems for the 'have-nots' of the world. This quick overview of environmental, social, and economic conditions shows the interdependencies of the three aspects of sustainability or sustainable development. As there are calls to action from the scientific community, government, and society to address these issues of sustainable development, there are a number of voices calling for general changes within the various levels of the education system and more specifically with connecting students to the subject of sustainability. This thesis makes the argument that the most effective step in addressing both these issues is an introductory course on sustainability. Although the issues of sustainability and education are framed under different context, they both can be reduced to the concept of more holistic thinkers in society and in the classroom. A review of more discipline-specific courses incorporating sustainability, faculty surveys, and alternative learning and teaching methods strengthened the course design process. The end result is an upper level undergraduate course that uses the topics of food, water, and energy to bring a new level of understanding to the student on sustainability and holistic thinking.

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