The behavior of digital cross-correlation algorithms as applied to image matching problems is examined in terms of the relationship between measureable image properties and algorithm characteristics. Statistical image quality measures are developed which could be employed in a preprocessor to predict the performance of automatic stereo-compilation equipment. The measures include a quantity derived from the Cramer-Rao lower bound on the variance of any unbiased parameter estimator, various contrast measures such as variance, contrast modulation, and median absolute deviation, and a stationarity detector related to the variance gradient. These measures are based on image and correlator models which describe the behavior of correlation processors under conditions of low image contrast or signal-to-noise ratio, geometric distortion, and image non-stationarity. Computer simulations using synthetic imagery were performed to verify the various models, and indicate the potential for the use of image quality measures in the predicting of correlation behavior. Implications of the models in terms of correlation processor design and implementation are discussed.

I introduce a novel approach for the empirical analysis of asset price comovement that relates the inter-firm textual similarity of news reports to their equity return correlation. I find that this measure of news similarity is just as important for predicting future cross-firm comovement as contemporaneous return correlation. This predictability remains after controlling for industry correlation, size, book-to-market, momentum, and price-decile correlation, index membership, and headquarters location, as well as institutional holding and analyst coverage. These results contribute to the growing literature examining the role of the media in financial markets, and provide empirical support for an alternative description of return comovement that does not depend on friction-based explanations such as "category," "habitat," or "information diffusion."

Physical layer security (PLS) is a new paradigm aiming at securing communications between legitimate parties at the physical layer. Conventionally, achieving confidentiality in communication networks relies on cryptographic techniques such as public-key cryptography, secret-key distribution and symmetric encryption. Such techniques are deemed secure based on the assumption of limited computational abilities of a wiretapper. Given the relentless progress in computational capacities and the dynamic topology and proliferation of modern wireless networks, the relevance of the previous techniques in securing communications is more and more questionable and less and less reliable. In contrast to this paradigm, PLS does not assume a specific computational power at any eavesdropper, its premise to guarantee provable security via employing channel coding techniques at the physical layer exploiting the inherent randomness in most communication systems. In this dissertation, we investigate a particular aspect of PLS, which is secret-key agreement, also known as secret-sharing. In this setup, two legitimate parties try to distill a secret-key via the observation of correlated signals through a noisy wireless channel, in the presence of an eavesdropper who must be kept ignorant of the secret-key. Additionally, a noiseless public channel is made available to the legitimate parties to exchange public messages that are also accessible to the eavesdropper. Recall that key agreement is an important aspect toward realizing secure communications in the sense that the key can be used in a one-time pad scheme to send the confidential message. In the first part, our focus is on secret-sharing over Rayleigh fading quasi-static channels. We study the fundamental relationship relating the probability of error and a given target secret-key rate in the high power regime. This is characterized through the diversity multiplexing tradeoff (DMT) concept, that we define for our model and then characterize it. We show that the impact of the secrecy constraint is to reduce the effective number of transmit antennas by the number of antennas at the eavesdropper. Toward this characterization, we provide several schemes achieving the DMT and we highlight disparities between coding for the wiretap channel and coding for secret-key agreement. In the second part of the present work, we consider a fast-fading setting in which the wireless channels change during each channel use. We consider a correlated environment where transmit, legitimate receiver and eavesdropper antennas are correlated. We characterize the optimal strategy achieving the highest secret-key rate. We also identify the impact of correlation matrices and illustrate our analysis with various numerical results. Finally, we study the system from an energy-efficiency point of view and evaluate relevant metrics as the minimum energy required for sharing a secret-key bit and the wideband slope.

Laminated composites are materials with complex architecture made of continuous fibers embedded within a polymeric resin. The properties of the raw materials can vary from one point to another due to different local processing conditions or complex geometrical features for example. A first step towards the identification of these spatially varying material parameters is to image with precision the displacement fields in this complex microstructure when subjected to mechanical loading. This thesis is aimed to accurately measure the displacement and strain fields at the fiber-matrix scale in a cross-ply composite. First, the theories of both local subset-based digital image correlation (DIC) and global finite-element based DIC are outlined. Second, in-situ secondary electron tensile images obtained by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) are post-processed by both DIC techniques. Finally, it is shown that when global DIC is applied with a conformal mesh, it can capture more accurately sharp local variations in the strain fields as it takes into account the underlying microstructure. In comparison to subset-based local DIC, finite-element based global DIC is better suited for capturing gradients across the fiber-matrix interfaces.

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Thesis studied correlations between swallowing accelerometry parameters and anthropometrics in 50 healthy participants. Anthropometrics include: age, gender, weight, height, body fat percent, neck circumference and mandibular length. Dual-axis swallowing signals, from a biaxial accelerometer were obtained for 5-saliva and 10-water (5-wet and 5-wet chin-tuck) swallows per participant. Two patient-independent automatic segmentation algorithms using discrete wavelet transforms of swallowing sequences segmented: 1) saliva/wet swallows and 2) wet chin-tuck swallows. Extraction of swallows hinged on dynamic thresholding based on signal statistics. Canonical correlation analysis was performed on sets of anthropometric and swallowing signal variables including: variance, skewness, kurtosis, autocorrelation decay time, energy, scale and peak-amplitude. For wet swallows, significant linear relationships were found between signal and anthropometric variables. In superior-inferior directions, correlations linked weight, age and gender to skewness and signal-memory. In anterior-posterior directions, age was correlated with kurtosis and signal-memory. No significant relationship was observed for dry and wet chin-tuck swallowing

Although language is a medium of learning, most educational institutions typically teach and therefore evaluate language separately from content. In second language contexts, recent attention has been given to language/content integration through content-based language instruction. Yet, questions of integrative evaluation (evaluating language and content as one) remain uncertain and difficult. This inquiry explores difficulties invoked when teachers engage in practices of integrative evaluation of English language learners' writing at an international college for Japanese nationals in Canada. Are these difficulties technical problems? Technical rationality has been critiqued by a number of thinkers. Those interested in action research practices, contrast technical rationality with what they call reflective rationality and argue for contextualizing, rather than simplifying, difficult situations. Some with hermeneutic interests argue for an attunement to, rather than concealment of, difficulties of life in the classroom. Others interested in writing instruction, are critical of conventional approaches to writing pedagogy as reductionistic and deterministic. There are a number of instances of difficulty in teachers' integrative evaluation practices. Prior to agreeing on a prompt, many teachers explore texts as interpretive, social literacy but, in their uncertainty of how to mark such a text, they return to a question for which there is a 'correct' and 'controlled' response. Once the prompt and evaluative criteria are established, discordant orientations to evaluation, literacy, and language/content integration complicate teachers' uncertainty. For example, teachers sometimes acknowledge functional views of language/content integration, yet they are vague and uncertain about how to mark in an integrated way. When teachers read texts prior to judgment, they comment that the texts are difficult to interpret and then impose their own 'straightforward' readings on the texts to reduce and simplify the difficulties. These instances raise serious concerns in practices of evaluation, literacy and language/content integration, especially when technical forms of evaluation are paradoxically aligned with social and integrated texts. A turn to hermeneutics troubles a technical hold and invites further inquiry into tensioned moments of integrative evaluation as difficult, living practices.

Baigiamajame magistro darbe remiantis mokslinių literatūros šaltinių analize apžvelgta mikroaplinka ir jos veiksnių samprata, jų tarpusavio santykiai ir įtaka ekonomikos subjektų veiklai. Išnagrinėti pagrindiniai mikroaplinkos veiksnių vertinimo kriterijai ir jų analizei naudojami metodai. Sudaryta medicinos technika prekiaujančių įmonių mikroaplinkos vertinimo seka ir parengtas kompleksinis ekonomikos subjekto mikroaplinkos analizės ir vertinimo modelis. Atlikta medicinos technika prekiaujančių įmonių mikroaplinkos analizė ir vertinimas, taikant kompleksinį modelį ir naudojant parengtą tyrimo metodiką. Darbą sudaro 6 dalys: įvadas, moksliniai prekybos įmonių mikroaplinkos analizės metodai, medicinos technika prekiaujančių įmonių mikroaplinkos analizė, medicinos technikos prekybos įmonių mikroaplinkos analizės modelio vertinimas, išvados, literatūros sąrašas. Darbo apimtis – 90 p. teksto be priedų, 20 iliustr., 36 lent., 48 bibliografiniai šaltiniai. / Master closing work consist of analyze of microenvironment and conception of it factors, hook-up between microenvironment factors and influence to economics objectives action as well. Scrutinize estimation and evaluation of the main microenvironment factors and methods for it’s analyze. Done consecution of microenvironment evaluation of enterprises involved in medical equipment business and complex analyze of estimation and evaluation model in microenvironment of economical subject. According to complex model and methodology of investigation analyzed and evaluated microenvironment evaluation of enterprises involved in medical equipment business. Structure: introduction, scientist analyze of microenvironment of enterprises involved in medical equipment business, estimation and evaluation of microenvironment model of enterprises involved in medical equipment business, conclusions, references. Thesis consist of: 90 p. text without appendixes, 20 pictures, 36 tables, 48 bibliographical entries.

The total phenolic content (TPC) of common vegetables grown in Ontario was determined by the Folin-Ciocalteu method, and it was found that the broccoli inflorescence had an exceptionally high TPC on average value, followed by cabbage, onion, potato and carrot. The TPC values of darkpurple potatoes and carrots were higher than the common potatoes and carrots. Positive correlations between the TPC and TAA were observed with varied degrees in all vegetables. Choice of cultivar and production practices can be used to increase TPC and TAA in a wide range of vegetables. Insecticide application did not influence the TPC and TAA of broccoli leaves and flowers. Higher N rate decreased the TPC and TAA of cabbage cultivar ‘Huron’ and of carrot. Fungicide and biofungicide applications did not influence TAA in carrots. Fertilizer applications did not influence the TAA of onions, but there was a decrease in TPC. The rate of MAP (mono ammonium phosphate 52% P2O5) affected the TAA of onions, but the influence was inconsistent between two antioxidant assays. High temperature with possibly high rainfall capacity occurred in the year increased the TPC and TAA of most studied vegetable crops. / Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs/University of Guelph Sustainable Production Systems Program

Capacity planning is crucial for successful development of enterprise applications. Capacity planning activities are most consequential during the verification and maintenance phases of Software Development Life Cycle. During the verification phase, analysts need to execute a large number of performance tests to build accurate performance models. Performance models help customers in capacity planning for their deployments. To build valid performance models, the performance tests must be redone for every release or build of an application. This is a time-consuming and error-prone manual process, which needs tools and techniques to speed up the process. In the maintenance phase, when customers run into performance and capacity related issues after deployment, they commonly engage the vendor of the application for troubleshooting and fine tuning of the troubled deployments. At the end of the engagement, analysts create engagement report, which contain valuable information about the observed symptoms, attempted workarounds, identified problems, and the final solutions. Engagement reports are stored in a customer engagement repository. While information stored in the engagement reports is valuable in helping analysts with future engagements, no systematic techniques exist to retrieve relevant reports from such a repository. In this thesis we present a framework for the systematic and automated building of capacity calculators during software verification phase. Then, we present a technique to retrieve relevant reports from a customer engagement repository. Our technique helps analyst fix performance and capacity related issues in the maintenance phase by providing easy access to information from relevant reports. We demonstrate our contributions with case studies on an open-source benchmarking application and an enterprise application. / Thesis (Master, Computing) -- Queen's University, 2009-01-29 14:14:37.235