The goal of this work is to investigate and advance a research on various topics, vital for the development of the future generations of optical communication technology. In the first part of the work, we present a fast and efficient simulation method of structured light free space optics (FSO) channel effects from propagation through the turbulent atmosphere. Information content encoded on the information-bearing beams relevant to the propagation in the context of the direct detection can be expressed in the form of the decomposition matrix at the receiver. To construct these matrices outside of the experiment, a complete physical simulation of some sort needs to occur. Due to the model assumptions, current beam generation techniques based on the phase-screen approximation method can be very slow and are fundamentally limited in their predictive power. We propose to circumvent that with a data-driven approach for decomposition matrix simulation with a Conditional Generative Adversarial Network (CGAN) synthetic simulator. In the second part, we focus on predicting the beam wander of the beam subject to turbulence at the receiver. We present an Recurrent Neural Network - based simulator, designed to predict the future beam wander position based on the previous measurements. The Recurrent Neural Network (RNN) architecture and training method are described. The proposed approach is demonstrated using under-sampled Gaussian beam experimental data as the worst case and over-sampled simulated data for both Gaussian beams and structured light beams as the best case. In the final part of this work, we discuss the Kramers - Kronig receiver, recently proposed promising pseudo-coherent communication scheme. We detail the operating procedure and developed simulation of this scheme, and provide both experimental and simulation results. In experiment, we present a case of proof-of-concept joint sensing and communication over an optical fiber. In simulation, we present a BER analysis of a KK NN decoder in presence of log-normal turbulence and AWGN.

During the late 2000s the United States economy was faced with the most traumatic event in United States financial history since the Great Depression. Large multibillion dollar corporations collapsed, families lost their life savings, and the United States economy stood on a precipice for total destruction. In the wake of the Financial Crisis, investment firms such as Merrill Lynch collapsed and their portfolios were sold to competitors for far lower than their estimated value (Sorkin). In 2008, the Financial Crisis impacted the working man the most. With foreclosures on the rise, an estimated 81.2% increase from the year before, average citizens lost their homes, savings and certainty in the United States Government to protect their best interests (Armour). One of the hardest hit states, Nevada, saw a total foreclosure rate of about 7.3% which was an increase from the previous year of a staggering 125.7% (Armour). All these foreclosures rippled throughout the U.S housing market and made it nigh impossible for the banks securing the loans to collect upon the principle amount loaned, yet alone the interest. The shock from the United States financial sector echoed throughout the world. Correlating with the Financial Crisis, United States and global suicide rates were on the rise. According to a 2009 Article published by the British Medical Journal, United States suicide rates in men age 45-64 increased by over 6.4% of the expected trend ("Male Suicide Rate Rose during 2008 Global Economic Crisis, Says Time-Trend Study"). The Financial Crisis made it so that average individuals felt increased economic strain and an ever looming sense of disparagement. This is an examination and evaluation of the perhaps one of the greatest schemes in the history of global financial markets; this is a critical analysis of how greed, power and a lack of moral decency reshaped the world. This is an examination of how, in an age of deregulation, the powerful seemingly take precedence over the masses. This is the Story of the 2007/2008 Recession, of what has been done, of what we need to do, and of moving forward to assign blame and punishment to those responsible for the pain and suffering incurred by so many.

Thesis (MA)- University of Stellenbosch, 2004. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The aim of the present study was to investigate the psychometric properties of the Family Sense of Coherence Questionnaire (FSoC) for use among Northern Sothos. Antonovsky and Sourani developed the FSoC-questionnaire to measure the sense of coherence of families. The family sense of coherence is based on the individual sense of coherence construct, which was developed by Antonovsky. According to Antonovsky, families with a strong sense of coherence will function better than families with a weak sense of coherence. Therefore family functioning was used as criteria to validate the external validity of the FSoC-questionnaire. Olson, Russell and Sprenkle developed the Family Attachment and Changeability Index (FACI-8) to measure family functioning according to the Circumplex model. For the purpose of this study the two questionnaires were translated to Sepedi (the language of the Northern Sotho). The reliability of the two questionnaires was assessed by means of Cronbach-alpha coefficients. The construct validity of the two questionnaires was assessed by means of JOreskog's Goodness of Fit Index (GFI). The statistical analysis was done with Statistica 6 software. The results drawn from the present study indicates that the FSoC-questionnaire is not a reliable and valid instrument to measure families' sense of coherence among Northern Sothos. Significant high correlations with the FACI-8 however, indicated that the FSoC might be considered for use among Northern Sothos, if only the total scores are taken into consideration. The FACI-8 however, proved to be a reliable and valid instrument to measure family functioning according to the Circumplex model among Northern Sothos. The conclusions drawn from the present study are that the FACI-8 is a suitable instrument for use among the Northern Sothos, whereas the FSoC-questionnaire is not. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die doel van die huidige ondersoek was om die psigometriese eienskappe van die Gesinskoherensie-vraelys (FSoC) wat deur Antonovsky en Sourani ontwikkel was, vir gebruik onder Noord-Sothos te bepaal. Om hierdie doeleindes te bereik, was die Gesinsfunksioneringsvraelys (FACI-8) wat deur McCubbin, Thompson en Elver ontwikkel was, as 'n kriterium gebruik om die eksterne geldigheid van die FSoC-vraelys te valideer. Die FACI-8 meet gesinsfunksionering volgens die Kontekstuele-model van gesinsfunksionering, wat deur Olson, Russell en Sprenkle ontwikkel was. Volgens Antonovsky sal gesinne wat oor 'n sterk ontwikkelde koherensiesin beskik, beter funksioneer as gesinne wat oor 'n swak ontwikkelde koherensiesin beskik. Gevolglik was gesinsfunksionering as 'n maatstaf van gesinskoherensie gebruik. Die vraelyste moes eers na Sepedi (die taal van die Noorcl-Sotho) vertaal word, alvorens die vraelyste afgeneem kon word. Die betroubaarheid van die vraelyste was deur middel van Cronbach-alfa koêffisiênte bereken. Die konstrukgeldigheid van die vraelyste was deur middel van JOreskog se Passingstoets bepaal. Die statistiese verwerkings was deur middel van die Statistica 6 rekenaarprogram behartig. Die resultate van die huidige ondersoek dui daarop dat die FSoC-vraelys met omsigtigheid benader moet word vir gebruik onder Noord-Sothos. Die FSoCvraelys het nie bevredigende betroubaarheids- en geldigheidsindekse gelewer nie. Die FSoC-vraelys het wel eksterne geldigheid getoon, wanneer dit met die FACI-8 gevalideer was. Die FACI-8 het betroubare en geldige metings van gesinsfunksionering volgens die Kontekstuele-model onder Noord-Sothos in die huidige ondersoek gelewer. Die gevolgtrekkings wat op grond van die huidige ondersoek gemaak word, is dat die FSoC-vraelys nie bruikbaar is onder Noorcl-Sothos nie, terwyl die FACI-8 wel gebruik kan word om gesinsfunksionering onder Noord-Sothos te meet.