<p>Då artificiella intelligenta agenter försöker navigera i en virtuell värld med statiska hinder så behöver dess väg beräknas. För denna beräkning används ett lager som beskriver hur och vart agenten kan röra sig i världen kallat för sökrymd. Detta kan göras på flera olika sätt vilket ger skillnad i prestanda och minnesåtgång samt indirekta fördelar genom sättet sökrymden är uppbyggd på. Genom att jämföra dessa skillnader i olika miljöer så kan resultatet påvisa vilka egenskaper sökrymdstyperna ger i de olika miljöerna.</p><p>Rapporten visar att n-sidat polygonbaserat navigationsnät ger mycket bra egenskaper i de olika mätningarna och ger även flera fördelar på grund av dess utformning som gör att det kan anpassa sig bra till olika miljöer.</p>

La violation de CP dans le système des mésons B est étudiée auprès des usines à B depuis maintenant 8 ans. Fortes d'un premier succès apres la mesure de grande précision de l'angle beta du Triangle d'Unitarité, elles s'attèlent depuis peu à l'étude des deux derniers angles: alpha et gamma, qui sont encore très mal connus. Le travail présenté dans cette thèse concerne la mesure de l'angle gamma auprès du détecteur BABAR à SLAC en considérant les désintégrations B- en D0K*-. La méthode utilisée s'appuie sur les interférences au niveau du plan de Dalitz de la désintégration à trois corps : D0 en Ks Pi Pi, entre une contribution à l'amplitude de désintégration proportionnelle à l'élément Vub de la matrice CKM et une contribution proportionnelle à l'élément Vcb de cette même matrice. Cette méthode avait déjà été utilisée pour la mesure de l'angle gamma dans les désintégrations B- en D0 K- et B- en D*0 K-. Ce nouveau mode permet d'améliorer l'erreur statistique sur la mesure de 3 degrés, nous mesurons alors : gamma = (67 +- 28 +- 13 +- 11) degrés. La première incertitude correspond à l'erreur statistique, la deuxième à l'erreur systématique expérimentale et la troisième à l'erreur systématique associée au modèle utilisé pour décrire le plan de Dalitz D0 en Ks Pi Pi. Une présentation détaillée de ce modèle est aussi proposée car il est crucial pour l'analyse. A l'avenir, pour améliorer cette mesure, il faudra affiner la description du modèle de Dalitz à mesure que le nombre d'évènements disponibles auprès des usines à B augmentent.

The thesis explores issues relating to transformative change in the context of marine governance in the Coral Triangle, and the effects of such change processes on policy, stakeholder relations and management activities. Paper 1 studies how change-oriented actors (institutional entrepreneurs) operating at the international level can introduce and purposefully navigate large-scalechange processes. Paper 2 studies the impact of resource inequality on multi-stakeholder collaboration, and tackles the literature of boundary work so as to increase its usefulness for understanding complex, multi-level governance initiatives. Paper 3 explores how narratives about the marine environment are entwined with and influence critical aspects of marine ecosystem governance such as resource allocation, day-to-day management actions, stakeholder relations, and long-term ecological monitoring. Paper 4 investigates how actors at the local level can capture opportunities at higher institutional levels while at the same time catalyzing local potential for change by focusing on the interplay between strategies,opportunity and context. The results show that institutional entrepreneurship requires understanding of how strategies can be matched with opportunity and context, for example by offering a way for other actors to address key priorities and add value to their organizations. The results also show that behind the scene organizing is often a precondition for the introduction of transformative change. Shifting the process from an informal track to a formal track where ideas about transformative change can be deliberated among a broader set ofstakeholders is thus a major challenge. Moreover, a strong narrative is key to successfully introducing and driving transformative change. In this sense, the ability to articulate and distribute a narrative which tells a compelling story about the broader system is critical. Finally, power dynamics are constantly at play in transformation processes due to resource asymmetries. The thesis shows that differences in resources may influence the credibility, legitimacy, and salience of transformative change. / <p>At the time of the doctoral defense, the following papers were unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 2: Submitted. Paper 3: In press.</p>

It is of nearly universal acceptance that one of the pillars of American economic success over the course of the 20th century was the rapid development of infrastructure. Transportation infrastructure has been of particular importance in the rise of the United States and attributed to the spread of an increasingly mobile culture. Americans undoubtedly enjoy traveling, and the ability to do so with relative ease is of immense value to many. In Texas, the majority of economic activity takes place within what is colloquially known as the “Texas Triangle”, an area bounded by the large metropolitan areas of Houston, Dallas-Ft. Worth, and San Antonio. Intensive population growth in Texas, anchored by the triangle, has led to increasing road congestion on many routes, especially along Interstates 35 and 10. This congestion, and the wasted time and money that comes with it, are of increasing concern to the future economic vitality of the state. The Texas Triangle is also served by extensive aviation links via major airports in the major metropolitan areas, as well as smaller airports in other parts of the region. These flights, operated by American Airlines, Continental Airlines, and Southwest Airlines are frequent, but emit large amounts of greenhouse gases that contribute to ground level pollution and possibly climate change. High-speed rail has been considered by many to be a superior environmental option for intercity routes with lengths inherent to the Texas Triangle. However, given the fact that Texas is the top emitter of carbon dioxide in the U.S. and relies on an energy mix that is primarily fossil fuel powered; would a potential high-speed rail in Texas outperform the current air system environmentally, given similar passenger miles traveled? This report examines the environmental emissions of high-speed rail and compares it to the environmental emissions of our current aviation system, taking into account a life-cycle perspective. / text

One of the important operational and in some cases, also strategic business decisions, is in respect of the investment of funds. Although there are a number of assets to invest in, two particular popular investment asset classes are land and/or property. Land however, is becoming a very scarce resource. It can be argued that many companies investing in the property sectors' main income is generated from the sale of land. A new way of gaining a sustainable income stream is followed. This is done by investing in different kinds of property development projects. One of the problems that companies face is to determine whether a property development project is a good investment, meaning that it will generate sustainable and acceptable profits in the long term. Companies evaluate prospective investment opportunities by assessing whether the expected return, adjusted for project risk, exceeds the company?s required return. Different impact parameters exist and were identified in the study. Valuation methods used in determining the overall feasibility were discussed and evaluated to see the impact on the property development project. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

One of the important operational and in some cases, also strategic business decisions, is in respect of the investment of funds. Although there are a number of assets to invest in, two particular popular investment asset classes are land and/or property. Land however, is becoming a very scarce resource. It can be argued that many companies investing in the property sectors' main income is generated from the sale of land. A new way of gaining a sustainable income stream is followed. This is done by investing in different kinds of property development projects. One of the problems that companies face is to determine whether a property development project is a good investment, meaning that it will generate sustainable and acceptable profits in the long term. Companies evaluate prospective investment opportunities by assessing whether the expected return, adjusted for project risk, exceeds the company?s required return. Different impact parameters exist and were identified in the study. Valuation methods used in determining the overall feasibility were discussed and evaluated to see the impact on the property development project. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

Building a new infrastructure facility requires a significant amount of time and expense. This is particularly true for investments in transportation for their longstanding and great degree of impact on society. The scope of time and money involved does not mean, however, we only focus on the economies of scale and may ignore other aspects of the built environment. To this extent, how can we achieve a more balanced perspective in infrastructure decision-making? In addition, what aspects should be considered when making more sustainable decisions about transportation investments? These two questions are the foundations of this study. This dissertation shares its process in part with a previous research project – Texas Urban Triangle (TUT). Although the TUT research generated diverse variables and created possible implementations of spatial decision support system (SDSS), the methodology still demands improvement. The current method has been developed to create suitable routes but is not designed to rank or make comparisons. This is admittedly one of the biggest shortfalls in the general SDSS approach, but is also where I see as an opportunity to make alternative interpretation more comprehensive and effective. The main purpose of this dissertation is to develop a Spatial Decision Support System (SDSS) that will lead to more balanced decision-making in transportation investment and optimize the most sustainable high-speed rail (HSR) route. The decision support system developed here explicitly elaborates the advantages and disadvantages of a transportation corridor in three particular perspectives: construction (fixed costs); operation (maintenance costs); and externalities (social and environmental costs), with a specific focus on environmental externalities. Considering more environmental features in rail routing will offset short-term economic losses and creates more sustainable environments in long-term infrastructure planning.

Esta dissertação, vinculada à linha de pesquisa Estudos sobre Infâncias, propõe investigar como se constitui a relação professor-aluno-conhecimento na Educação Infantil. Inspirada em Meirieu (1998), identifico na educação – especialmente na Educação Infantil - a relação professor-aluno-conhecimento, compreendida como um triângulo pedagógico em que há sempre três lados em relação. Parto do pressuposto de que a relação professor-aluno-conhecimento se constitui de diferentes jeitos no dia a dia da Educação Infantil, pois reflete as diferenças, semelhanças e singularidades das pessoas que compõem o triângulo pedagógico e seus respectivos modos de participação. O fio condutor que permeou as reflexões ao longo da escrita desta dissertação é o protagonismo compartilhado, um enigma que emergiu do objetivo de identificar, em cinco livros que abordam práticas pedagógicas, a participação tanto do professor quanto das crianças na relação professor-aluno-conhecimento. Os diferentes livros analisados se referem a duas experiências brasileiras, em Freire (1983) e Junqueira Filho (1995); uma portuguesa, em Vasconcelos (1997); uma italiana, em Rabitti (1999); e outra espanhola, em Díez Navarro (2004). Identifico, nesses diferentes contextos, com aporte teórico principalmente de Meirieu (1998, 2002 e 2005) e Rinaldi (2012), que professor e crianças participam da relação professor-aluno-conhecimento na Educação Infantil a partir do protagonismo de cada um, o que na convivência no triângulo pedagógico se configura como protagonismo compartilhado. Esse modo de participação (protagonismo compartilhado) não acontece por acaso, mas é planejado, intencional, estudado, provocado, desejado, com base em princípios e práticas que incentivam e sustentam o protagonismo compartilhado entre professor e crianças na relação com o conhecimento. / This essay, linked to the Studies on Childhoods research line, aims to investigate how the teacher-student-knowledge relation consists in early childhood education. Inspired by Meirieu (1998), in contrast to Houssaye (2007) and Nóvoa (1995), I identify in education - and, in this essay, especially in early childhood education - the teacher-student-knowledge relation, understood as a pedagogical triangle in which there are always three sides related. I start from the presupposition that the teacher-student-knowledge relation consists by different ways in the day-to-day, since it reflects the differences, resemblances and singularities of the people that compose the pedagogical triangle and of their respective participation in the relation. The thread that guides the thoughts of this essay is the shared protagonism, a puzzle that emerged from the purpose of identifying, in five books that approach pedagogical practices in early childhood education, both teacher's and children's participation in the teacher-student-knowledge relation. The books describe two Brazilian experiences, in Freire (1983) and in Junqueira Filho (1995); a Portuguese, in Vasconcelos (1997); an Italian, in Rabitti (1999); and a Spanish, in Díez Navarro (2004). I recognize in these different contexts, with the theoretical support of Meirieu (1998, 2002 and 2005) and Rinaldi (2012), that teacher and children take part of the teacher-student-knowledge relation in early childhood education based on the role protagonist of each, what in the living together of pedagogical triangle sets up as shared protagonism. This participation way (shared protagonism) doesn't happen by accident, but it’s planned, intentional, studied, caused, wanted, based on principles and practices that encourage and support shared protagonism among teacher and children in relation with knowledge.

We give some background information about the Cauchy-Schwarz inequality including its history. We then continue by providing a number of proofs for the inequality in its classical form using various proof techniques, including proofs without words. Next we build up the theory of inner product spaces from metric and normed spaces and show applications of the Cauchy-Schwarz inequality in each content, including the triangle inequality, Minkowski's inequality and Hölder's inequality. In the final part we present a few problems with solutions, some proved by the author and some by others.

Com o processo de convergência às normas internacionais, a partir de 2008, a contabilidade brasileira passou por profundas transformações, principalmente, no campo normativo no que diz respeito às práticas contábeis. Os profissionais do segmento contábil, frequentemente, se deparam com dilemas éticos que para serem solucionados exigem a observância dos princípios éticos que regem a categoria. Este estudo teve como objetivo verificar como o profissional de contabilidade se posiciona, em relação aos dilemas morais, envolvendo atos ilícitos em sua atividade profissional no ambiente de convergência aos padrões internacionais de Contabilidade, tendo como objetivo específico identificar a influência dos componentes do triângulo de fraudes no processo decisório do profissional de Contabilidade, avaliar as características do indivíduo que influenciam o posicionamento ético dos profissionais de Contabilidade em relação às fraudes e investigar a flexibilidade sobre a intenção de agir na escolha de práticas contábeis oriunda da convergência aos padrões internacionais de Contabilidade e suas influências no posicionamento ético dos profissionais de contabilidade em relação às fraudes. Foram enviados questionários aos profissionais de contabilidade contendo a escala de likert de 5 pontos, distribuídas em 4 cenários propostos. As 247 respostas recebidas foram compiladas e tratadas através de análises descritivas e estatísticas com o uso da regressão logística multivariada. Os resultados demonstram duas das três variáveis relacionadas aos componentes presentes no triângulo das fraudes (racionalização, oportunidade e pressão) influenciaram o processo decisório ético do profissional em 2 dos quatro cenários, a variável gênero relacionada às características individuais apresentou influência em um dos cenários, e por fim, a investigação a respeito da flexibilidade sobre a intenção de agir na escolha das práticas contábeis não apresentou influencia em nenhum dos cenários. Esse resultado sugere que os profissionais de contabilidade podem se aproveitar de um momento de troca da empresa de auditoria para efetuar ajustes que beneficiarão o resultado da Companhia (Oportunidade). Tenta-se justificar este procedimento pelo fato de ser uma prática comum no mercado, tentando transformar algo antiético em algo aceitável (Racionalização).