Thesis (M.S. in Operations Research)--Naval Postgraduate School, Dec. 2004. / Thesis Advisor(s): James N. Eagle, W. Matthew Carlyle. Includes bibliographical references (p. 35). Also available online.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of North Texas, Dec., 2009. / Title from title page display. Includes bibliographical references.

The scope of the present doctoral thesis has been the conception of a novel and efficient method for decelerating, over a range of frequencies, and completely 'stopping' light (zero group velocity, vg = 0) inside solid-state materials, at room temperature. To this end, we analytically show that an adiabatically tapered waveguide having a core of a lossless negative refractive index (NRI) metamaterial (MM) and claddings made of normal dielectrics can 'trap' a light pulse in such a way that each individual frequency component of the pulse is stopped at a different point along the waveguide, forming what we have called a 'trapped rainbow'. Crucially, it is shown that light can efficiently be in-coupled inside such a waveguide heterostructure from a normal dielectric waveguide, since with a suitable design one can achieve simultaneous thickness-, mode- and characteristic-impedance-matching between the two waveguides. A pertinent analysis reveals that the optical path length of a 'trapped' light ray (associated with a particular frequency component of the pulse), as well as the corresponding effective thickness of the NRI waveguide itself, become exactly zero. The ray circulates at the point where it is trapped in such a way that its trajectory forms what we have called (in view of its characteristic hourglass form) an 'optical clepsydra'. Furthermore, we introduce a novel methodology that allows for obtaining ultra- low- or zero-loss magnetic metamaterials over a continuous range of frequencies. We analytically prove that a higher-degrees-of-freedom MM design methodology based on equivalent electrical circuits with more than one mesh leads to metamaterial magnetism with either ultra-high figures-of-merit or with perfectly lossless performance over a broad range of frequencies. The so-obtained lossless metamaterial magnetism has a truly intrinsic character, and as such is scalable and can be implemented at any frequency regime, from the radio up to the optical domain.

No description available.

Este trabalho tem por objetivo analisar a forma pela qual se dá a convivência entre as práticas relacionadas ao jornal impresso e ao webjornal, de modo a compreender a configuração da leitura jornalística contemporânea. Para tanto, tem-se como referencial a Teoria das Mediações de Martín-Barbero (2004), um aporte que se entende flexível o suficiente para acolher no âmbito dos Estudos Culturais um objeto tipicamente abordado nos domínios da Cibercultura. Tendo como objeto empírico o portal Zerohora.com, a presente pesquisa está estruturada em dois eixos de análise: um diacrônico (jornal impresso → jornal digital), preocupado em identificar rupturas e continuidades entre essas modalidades jornalísticas, e outro sincrônico (tecnicidades → ritualidades), destinado a examinar como as transformações que a tecnologia efetua nas linguagens e formatos, nas relações espaço-temporais e nas relações socioculturais são incorporadas no cotidiano dos leitores. Os dados que alimentam ambos os vetores de investigação foram coletados por entrevistas etnográficas. Como resultados, expõe-se uma série de práticas relativas a seis categorias analíticas: coordenadas de leitura, preferências de suporte, formas de participação, percursos de leitura, usos de multimídia e modos de atualização – traços que balizam, por fim, a proposição de uma tipologia de leitura. / The objective of this study is to analyse the way practices related to print newspaper and online newspaper coexist, so as to comprehend the configuration of the contemporary journalistic reading. In order to do so, the Mediation Theory of Martín-Barbero (2004) was taken as reference, a contribution considered to be flexible enough to accept within the scope of Cultural Studies an object typically approached in Cyberculture domains. The present research ellected as empirical object Zerohora.com portal and was structured in two axes of analysis. A diachronic axis (print newspaper → digital newspaper), which was concerned with identifying ruptures and continuities between these two journalistic modalities; and a synchronic axis (technicalities → rituals), which was destined to examine how changes made by technology on languages and formats, in space-time and sociocultural relations were incorporated into the readers‘ everyday lives. The data that fed both vectors of investigation were collected by ethnographic interviews. The results are presented as a series of practices related to six analytical categories: reading coordinates, support preferences, reading pathways, participation forms, uses of multimedia resources and ways of updating – lines which finally delimited the proposition of a reading typology.

Este trabalho tem por objetivo analisar a forma pela qual se dá a convivência entre as práticas relacionadas ao jornal impresso e ao webjornal, de modo a compreender a configuração da leitura jornalística contemporânea. Para tanto, tem-se como referencial a Teoria das Mediações de Martín-Barbero (2004), um aporte que se entende flexível o suficiente para acolher no âmbito dos Estudos Culturais um objeto tipicamente abordado nos domínios da Cibercultura. Tendo como objeto empírico o portal Zerohora.com, a presente pesquisa está estruturada em dois eixos de análise: um diacrônico (jornal impresso → jornal digital), preocupado em identificar rupturas e continuidades entre essas modalidades jornalísticas, e outro sincrônico (tecnicidades → ritualidades), destinado a examinar como as transformações que a tecnologia efetua nas linguagens e formatos, nas relações espaço-temporais e nas relações socioculturais são incorporadas no cotidiano dos leitores. Os dados que alimentam ambos os vetores de investigação foram coletados por entrevistas etnográficas. Como resultados, expõe-se uma série de práticas relativas a seis categorias analíticas: coordenadas de leitura, preferências de suporte, formas de participação, percursos de leitura, usos de multimídia e modos de atualização – traços que balizam, por fim, a proposição de uma tipologia de leitura. / The objective of this study is to analyse the way practices related to print newspaper and online newspaper coexist, so as to comprehend the configuration of the contemporary journalistic reading. In order to do so, the Mediation Theory of Martín-Barbero (2004) was taken as reference, a contribution considered to be flexible enough to accept within the scope of Cultural Studies an object typically approached in Cyberculture domains. The present research ellected as empirical object Zerohora.com portal and was structured in two axes of analysis. A diachronic axis (print newspaper → digital newspaper), which was concerned with identifying ruptures and continuities between these two journalistic modalities; and a synchronic axis (technicalities → rituals), which was destined to examine how changes made by technology on languages and formats, in space-time and sociocultural relations were incorporated into the readers‘ everyday lives. The data that fed both vectors of investigation were collected by ethnographic interviews. The results are presented as a series of practices related to six analytical categories: reading coordinates, support preferences, reading pathways, participation forms, uses of multimedia resources and ways of updating – lines which finally delimited the proposition of a reading typology.

Submitted by Igor Matos (igoryure.rm@gmail.com) on 2017-02-09T15:08:15Z No. of bitstreams: 1 DISS_2015_Rayssa Duarte Marques Cabral.pdf: 2097959 bytes, checksum: 861794f749d9db4f65edef9bf13f2b8a (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Jordan (jordanbiblio@gmail.com) on 2017-02-10T10:36:00Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 DISS_2015_Rayssa Duarte Marques Cabral.pdf: 2097959 bytes, checksum: 861794f749d9db4f65edef9bf13f2b8a (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-02-10T10:36:00Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 DISS_2015_Rayssa Duarte Marques Cabral.pdf: 2097959 bytes, checksum: 861794f749d9db4f65edef9bf13f2b8a (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-04-16 / CAPES / Esta dissertação tem como objeto de estudo a obra Feriado de mim mesmo (2005), do escritor brasileiro contemporâneo Santiago Nazarian. Tendo em vista a produção recente, o presente trabalho visa a contribuir para a formação da crítica literária acadêmica do autor, bem como refletir sobre a literatura contemporânea e a contemporaníssima, os escritores recém-chegados das Gerações 90 e Zero Zero e seu processo de canonização; além de tratar do extremo da individualização, ao que chamamos de “umbiguismo solipsista”, fazendo uma reflexão sobre o gênero romance e seus protagonistas cada vez mais introspectivos. A análise crítica da obra contou com certo aparato da Psicanálise, por meio da utilização de conceitos como “estádio do espelho”, “consciente”, “inconsciente” e “pequeno outro” e “grande outro”, para preencher e esclarecer certas lacunas deixadas na narrativa. Para tanto, optou-se pela apresentação da análise por meio da apresentação pormenorizada do enredo que foi linearmente, recontado e, quando cabível, interrompido por esta pesquisadora. / This dissertation has as study object the book Feriado de mim mesmo (2005), by the contemporary Brazilian writer Santiago Nazarian. Considering the recent production, this paper aims to contribute to the formation of the author’s academic literary criticism, and also to reflect on contemporary literature and “the most contemporary” literature, the newcomers writers of 90s and Zero Zero generations and their process of canonization; to treat the extreme individualization, to what we call “umbiguismo solipsista”, making a reflection on the romance genre and its protagonists increasingly introspective. The critical analysis of the work took some apparatus of psychoanalysis, by the use of concepts such as “mirror stage”, “aware”, “unconscious” and “small other” and “big other”, to fill gaps and clarify certain left in the narrative. Therefore, we opted for the presentation of the analysis through detailed presentation of the plot that was linearly recounted and, when appropriate, interrupted by this researcher.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-10-09T12:23:55Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 / Made available in DSpace on 2014-10-09T14:06:52Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 00955.pdf: 2415422 bytes, checksum: c9f71ffda529249afc11d294b40b2ac3 (MD5) / Dissertacao (Mestrado) / IEA/D / Escola Politecnica, Universidade de Sao Paulo - POLI/USP

In the first chapter “Impact of Quantitative Easing at the Zero Lower Bound (with J. Dorich, R. Mendes)”, we introduce imperfect asset substitution and segmented asset markets, along the lines of Andres et al. (2004), in an otherwise standard small open-economy model with nominal rigidities. We estimate the model using Canadian data. We use the model to provide a quantitative assessment of the macroeconomic impact of quantitative easing (QE) when the policy rate is at its effective lower bound. In the second chapter “Impact of Forward Guidance at the Zero Lower Bound”, I consider alternative monetary policy rules under commitment in a calibrated three-equation New Keynesian model and examine the extent to which forward guidance helps to mitigate the negative real impact of the zero lower bound. The simulation results suggest that the conditional statement policy prolongs the zero lower bound duration for an additional 4 quarters and reverses half of the decline in inflation associated with the lower bound. It even generates a period of overshooting in inflation three quarters after the initial negative demand shock. Alternatively, the effect of price-level targeting as a forward guidance policy at the zero lower bound is slightly different. In the third chapter “Impact of Quantitative Easing on Household Deleveraging”, I extend the DSGE model in the first chapter with some financial frictions to explore the effects of QE on asset prices and household balance sheet. There are two effects of QE on aggregate output originated from the model. First, QE leads to a decline in term premium, which increases current consumption relative to future consumption. Second, it leads to a lower loan to collateral value ratio and a decline in external finance premium. Favorable financing condition encourages further accumulation of household debt at cheaper rates, in turn, leads to an immediate higher household debt to income ratio. In the consideration of the future withdrawal of any stimulus provided from QE, this would pose greater challenges as it implies much intensive household deleveraging process. I provide some sensitivity analysis around key parameters of the model.

Zero-knowledge proofs protocols are effective interactive methods to prove a node's identity without disclosing any additional information other than the veracity of the proof. They are implementable in several ways. In this thesis, I investigate the graph isomorphism based zero-knowledge proofs protocol. My experiments and analyses suggest that graph isomorphism can easily be solved for many types of graphs and hence is not an ideal solution for implementing ZKP.