Stochastic models, in particular Continuous Time Markov Chains, are a commonly employed mathematical abstraction for describing natural or engineered dynamical systems. While the theory behind them is well-studied, their specification can be problematic in a number of ways. Firstly, the size and complexity of the model can make its description difficult without using a high-level language. Secondly, knowledge of the system is usually incomplete, leaving one or more parameters with unknown values, thus impeding further analysis. Sophisticated machine learning algorithms have been proposed for the statistically rigorous estimation and handling of this uncertainty; however, their applicability is often limited to systems with finite state-space, and there has not been any consideration for their use on high-level descriptions. Similarly, high-level formal languages have been long used for describing and reasoning about stochastic systems, but require a full specification; efforts to estimate parameters for such formal models have been limited to simple inference algorithms. This thesis explores how these two approaches can be brought together, drawing ideas from the probabilistic programming paradigm. We introduce ProPPA, a process algebra for the specification of stochastic systems with uncertain parameters. The language is equipped with a semantics, allowing a formal interpretation of models written in it. This is the first time that uncertainty has been incorporated into the syntax and semantics of a formal language, and we describe a new mathematical object capable of capturing this information. We provide a series of algorithms for inference which can be automatically applied to ProPPA models without the need to write extra code. As part of these, we develop a novel inference scheme for infinite-state systems, based on random truncations of the state-space. The expressive power and inference capabilities of the framework are demonstrated in a series of small examples as well as a larger-scale case study. We also present a review of the state-of-the-art in both machine learning and formal modelling with respect to stochastic systems. We close with a discussion of potential extensions of this work, and thoughts about different ways in which the fields of statistical machine learning and formal modelling can be further integrated.

The field of Learning Automata (LA) has been studied and analyzed extensively for more than four decades; however, almost all the papers have concentrated on the LA working in Environments that have a finite number of actions. This is a well-established model of computation, and expedient, epsilon-optimal and absolutely expedient machines have been designed for stationary and non-stationary Environments. There are only a few papers which deal with Environments possessing an infinite number of actions. These papers assume a well-defined and rather simple uni-modal functional form, like the Gaussian function, for the Environment's infinite reward probabilities. This thesis pioneers the concept and presents a series of continuous action LA (CALA) algorithms that do not require the function of the Environment's infinite reward probabilities to obey a well-established uni-modal functional form. Instead, this function can be, but not limited to, a multi-modal function as long as it satisfies some weak constraints. Moreover, as our discussion evolves, the constraints are further relaxed. In all these cases, we demonstrate that the underlying machines converge in an epsilon-optimal manner to the optimal action of an infinite action set. Based on the CALA algorithms proposed, we report a global maximum search algorithm, which can find the maximum points of a real-valued function by sampling the function's values that could be contaminated by noise. This thesis also investigates the performance limit of the action-taking scheme, sampling actions based on probability density functions, which is used by all currently available CALA algorithms. In more details, given a reward function, we define an index of the function which is the least upper bound of the performance that a CALA algorithm can possibly achieve. Besides, we also report a CALA algorithm that meets this upper bound in an epsilon-optimal manner. By investigating the problem from a different perspective, we argue that the algorithms proposed are closely related to the family of “Stochastic Point Location” problems involving either discretized steps or d-ary parallel machines. The thesis includes the detailed proofs of the assertions and highlights the niche contributions within the broader theory of learning. To the best of our knowledge, there are no comparable results reported in the literature.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-28T14:16:17Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Anibal Pinto.pdf: 552382 bytes, checksum: fce6dc640a86b3e47699b14060975e5c (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-12-10 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / In this thesis, we search for to ascertain how the concept of infinite has undergone transformations between classical Antiquity and the sixteenth century. Influenced by the Christian tradition, we have become accustomed to consider the infinite more perfect than the finite, but the ancients regarded the infinite as something imperfect and the finite as something perfect. Some authors think that the infinite could not be comprehended by the finite intellect of humanity. We want to show in our work, that the infinite was part of the human history s thoughts, and it has been debated and studied by several authors. So, the infinite stopped being a nuisance to humans and became part of the mankind s thinking, in spite of all the possible religious crises or reasons involved with the subject. In this aspect, we try to highlight a number of different ways to thinking the infinite, from de ancient Greek s ideas, called Pre-Socratics (V to VII century BCE), until Aristotle (384-322 BCE), approaching several authors from the twelfth century to the sixteenth century, and their thoughts about infinite. Through these thinkers, the Renaissance was also highlighted in our work. Finally, we emphasized the trajectory of Giordano Bruno (1548-1600), a controversial personality in the history of mankind, a thinker with an extensive work, which one has the infinite like its central theme. The relevance of Giordano Bruno s work and how he sees the world, the universe and the infinite, were also demonstrated here. The ideas about infinite worlds, infinite universe, vacuum, place and space and the refutations of the Aristotelian ideas, permeate all the work. We ll try to demonstrate in our work the different ideas, changes and considerations on the infinite and the divine presence, associated to the ideas / Nesta tese, buscamos verificar se o conceito de infinito sofreu transformações entre a Antiguidade e o século XVI. Influenciados pela tradição cristã, acostumamonos a considerar o infinito mais perfeito do que o finito, porém os antigos consideravam o infinito como imperfeito e o finito como perfeito. Para alguns autores, o infinito não poderia ser compreendido pelo intelecto finito da humanidade. Queremos demonstrar em nosso trabalho que o infinito fez parte do pensamento na história da humanidade, e foi debatido e estudado por diversos autores. Assim, o infinito deixou de ser um incômodo aos seres humanos e passou a fazer parte do pensamento da humanidade, mesmo com todas as possíveis crises religiosas ou de razão envolvidas no tema. Em nosso trabalho, buscamos destacar diversas formas de pensar o infinito, das ideias dos gregos antigos, os chamados pré-socráticos (século VII a V a.e.c.), as de Aristóteles (384-322 a.e.c.), destacamos também diversos autores, que datam do século XII ao século XVI, e seus respectivos pensamentos sobre o infinito. Através desses pensadores, o Renascimento também ganhou destaque em nosso trabalho. Por fim, destacamos Giordano Bruno (1548- 1600), uma personalidade controversa da história da humanidade, um pensador com uma obra extensa, tendo como tema central do seu trabalho, o infinito. A relevância do seu trabalho e a forma como enxerga o mundo, o universo e o infinito foram destacados. As ideias sobre infinitos mundos, universo infinito, vácuo, lugar e espaço e as refutações das ideias aristotélicas, permeiam todo o trabalho. Procuraremos demonstrar em nosso trabalho as diferentes ideias, transformações e considerações a respeito do infinito e a presença do divino associado às ideias

[pt] Subjacente à teoria dos números ordinais transfinitos de Cantor, há uma perspectiva finitista. Segundo tal perspectiva, Deus pode bem ordenar o infinito usando, para tanto, de procedimentos similares ao ato de contar, entendido como o ato de bem ordenar o finito. Desta maneira, um diálogo natural entre Cantor e Dedekind torna-se possível, dado que Dedekind foi o primeiro a tratar o ato de contar como sendo, em sua essência, uma forma de bem ordenar o mundo espáciotemporal pelos números naturais. Nesta tese, o conceito de número ordinal transfinito, de Cantor, é entendido como uma extensão do conceito dedekindiano de número natural. / [en] Underlying Cantor s transfinite ordinal numbers theory, there is a finistic perspective. Accordingly that perspective, God can well order the infinite using, for that, similar procedures to the act of counting, understood as the act of well order the finite. That s why a natural dialog between Cantor and Dedekind becomes possible, since Dedekind was the first to consider the act of counting as being, in its essence, a way of well order the spatial-temporal world by natural numbers. In this thesis, the concept of Cantor´s transfinite ordinal number is understood as an extension of dedekindian concept of natural number.

Submitted by Luciana Ferreira (lucgeral@gmail.com) on 2016-02-23T11:48:48Z No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Uender Barbosa de Souza - 2015.pdf: 1080400 bytes, checksum: b157d208d7fefbd962ec5263785ee984 (MD5) license_rdf: 23148 bytes, checksum: 9da0b6dfac957114c6a7714714b86306 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Luciana Ferreira (lucgeral@gmail.com) on 2016-02-23T11:50:57Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Uender Barbosa de Souza - 2015.pdf: 1080400 bytes, checksum: b157d208d7fefbd962ec5263785ee984 (MD5) license_rdf: 23148 bytes, checksum: 9da0b6dfac957114c6a7714714b86306 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-02-23T11:50:57Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Uender Barbosa de Souza - 2015.pdf: 1080400 bytes, checksum: b157d208d7fefbd962ec5263785ee984 (MD5) license_rdf: 23148 bytes, checksum: 9da0b6dfac957114c6a7714714b86306 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-04-29 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / This paper presents methods to calculate some in nite sums and use the Fourier series of function f(x) = x2p with p 2 N to get results on the behavior of Zeta(2p) function Riemann, including their sum and rational multiplicity of 2p. / Neste trabalho apresentamos métodos para o cálculo de algumas somas in nitas e usamos a série de Fourier da função f(x) = x2p com p 2 N para obter resultados sobre o comportamento da função Zeta(2p) de Riemann, tais como sua soma e sua multiplicidade racional por 2p.

Submitted by Luciana Ferreira (lucgeral@gmail.com) on 2016-03-17T14:31:15Z No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Paulo Júnio de Oliveira - 2015.pdf: 1566271 bytes, checksum: a8c1caa1354936dd420024e5bc704cb9 (MD5) license_rdf: 23148 bytes, checksum: 9da0b6dfac957114c6a7714714b86306 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Luciana Ferreira (lucgeral@gmail.com) on 2016-03-17T14:33:55Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Paulo Júnio de Oliveira - 2015.pdf: 1566271 bytes, checksum: a8c1caa1354936dd420024e5bc704cb9 (MD5) license_rdf: 23148 bytes, checksum: 9da0b6dfac957114c6a7714714b86306 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-03-17T14:33:55Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Paulo Júnio de Oliveira - 2015.pdf: 1566271 bytes, checksum: a8c1caa1354936dd420024e5bc704cb9 (MD5) license_rdf: 23148 bytes, checksum: 9da0b6dfac957114c6a7714714b86306 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-11-10 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / The aim of this dissertation is to discuss the problem of infinite divisibility of bodies, a problem which was already discussed in the classic period by Aristotle and his analysis of Zeno’s paradoxes. Our working hypothesis is that in the Tractatus-Logico-Philosophicus Wittgenstein has offered a reformulation of this very problem when he discusses the process of analysis of propositions. One of the central thesis in the Tractatus is that all ordinary proposition can be completely analyzed and that this process of analysis has to be finite. Based on that, we argue that it necessarily follows that the elements present in the state of affairs described by the proposition cannot be further divided since the analysis of the proposition which describes such a state is necessarily finite. / O objetivo deste trabalho é discutir o problema da divisibilidade infinita de “corpos”, um problema que era discutido já no período clássico por Aristóteles e sua análise dos paradoxos de Zenão. Nossa hipótese de trabalho é a de que no Tractatus-Logico-Philosophicus Wittgenstein teria apresentado uma possível reformulação desse problema ao tratar da análise de proposições. Uma das teses centrais no Tractatus é a de que toda a proposição tem uma análise lógica completa e esse processo de análise tem de ter um fim. Baseado nisso, nós argumentamos que segue-se necessariamente que os elementos presentes no estado de coisas descritos pela proposição não podem prosseguir sendo subdivididos, uma vez que o processo de análise da proposição que descreve tal estado de coisas é necessariamente finito.

In this study of David Foster Wallace’s Infinite Jest, I combine the linguistic and literary theories of renowned scholar Mikhail Bakhtin to create a new lens through which to consider Wallace’s thematic project. Combining Bakhtin’s linguistic theories of dialogic conflict and heteroglossia with his literary theories on the grotesque provides an integrated stylistic methodology that illustrates the connections between Wallace’s use of imagery and style. In view of his use of both grotesque liminal imagery and dialogized heteroglossia, Wallace’s seemingly obsessive use of language is recast as a manifestation of grotesque embodiment that reflects the postmodern mileau in which he writes. I propose that Wallace crafts a series of grotesque stylistic devices that shape his words to match his theme. I propose two particular grotesque stylistic devices: narrative bleed in which the seemingly neutral narrative voice begins to reflect particular character discourses and character-to-character voice bleed in which dialogic conflict between characters is dramatically rendered within the novel.

This research examines the application of Scott McCloud's theory of the Infinite canvas, specifically the horizontal example outlined in Reinventing Comics (McCloud, 2000). It focuses on the useability and effectiveness of the Infinite canvas theory when applied as a practical example of a comic outcome for the Internet. This practical application of McCloud's horizontal Infinite canvas model has been achieved by creating a digital comic entitled Sad Reflections; a continuous horizontal narrative that is 20cm in height and 828cm in length and was designed to be viewed in a digital environment. This comic incorporates traditional comic techniques of gutters, time frames, line, with combining words and pictures, as outlined by McCloud (1993) in his first theoretical text Understanding Comics. These techniques are used to ensure that the project fulfilled the technical criteria used by the comic book industry to create comics. The project also incorporates McCloud's personally devised Infinite canvas techniques of trails, distance pacing, narrative subdivision, sustained rhythm and gradualism as outlined on his website. These new techniques are applied to assess their effectiveness in the creation of the horizontal Infinite canvas and ability to be integrated with traditional comic techniques. The focus of this project is to examine the strengths and weaknesses of McCloud's Infinite canvas theory when applied to the practical comic outcome of the Sad Reflections. Three key questions are used to guide this research. These questions are: 1. Does the application of traditional comic techniques affect the effectiveness of the Infinite canvas when implemented to a horizontal format? 2. Are the new Infinite canvas techniques as outlined by McCloud able to be applied to a horizontal format and what impact do these techniques have on the process? 3. Is the application of a horizontal Infinite canvas of benefit to future developers of web comics? Based on the outcomes of the above questions, this paper nominates strategies, considerations and suitable production processes for future developers of web comics.

The limits of the current micro-scale electronics technology have been approaching rapidly. At nano-scale, however, the physical phenomena involved are fundamentally different than in micro-scale. Classical and semi-classical physical principles are no longer powerful enough or even valid to describe the phenomena involved. The rich and powerful concepts in quantum mechanics have become indispensable. There are several commercial software packages already available for modeling and simulation of the electrical, magnetic, and mechanical characteristics and properties of the nano-scale devices. However, our objective here is to go one step further and create a physics-based problem-adapted solution methodology. We carry out computation for eigenfunctions of canonical and the associated perturbed quantum systems and utilize them as co-ordinate functions for solving more complex problems. We have profoundly worked with the infinite quantum potential-well problem, since they have closed-form solutions and therefore are analytically known eigenfunctions. Perturbation of the infinite quantum potential-well was done through a single box function, multiple box functions, and with a triangular function. The proposed solution concept utilizes the notion of

<p>This thesis is a survey of the field of languages over infinite sequences. There is active research going on in this field, during the last year several new results where published. </p><p>We investigate the language containment problem for infinite sequences, with focus on complementation of Büchi automata. Our main focus is on the approach with alternating automata by Kupferman&Vardi. The language containment problem has been proved to be in EXPSPACE. We identify some cases when we can avoid the exponential blow-up by taking advantage of properties of the input automaton. </p><p>Some of the algorithms we explain are also implemented in a Sicstus Prolog library.</p>