No description available.

This study focused on the criterion-related validity of the Implicit Positive and Negative Affect Test (IPANAT). The IPANAT is thought to be a measure of automatic activation of cognitive representations of affects. In this study, it was investigated whether implicit affect scores differentially predict ratings of facial emotions over and above explicit affectivity. Ninety-six young female participants completed the IPANAT, the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) as an explicit measure of state and trait affectivity, and a task for the perception of facial emotions. Implicit negative affect predicted the perception of negative but not positive facial emotions, whereas implicit positive affect predicted the perception of positive but not negative facial emotions. The observed double-dissociation in the correlational pattern strongly supports the validity of the IPANAT as a measure of implicit affectivity and is indicative of the orthogonality and thus functional distinctness of the two affect dimensions of the IPANAT. Moreover, such affect-congruent correlations were absent for explicit affect scales, which additionally supports the incremental validity of the IPANAT.

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) has become a significant tool routinely used in design and optimization in aerospace industry. Typical flows may be characterized by high-speed and compressible flow features and, in many cases, by massive flow separation and unsteadiness. Accurate and efficient numerical solution of time-dependent problems is hence required, and the efficiency of standard dual-time stepping methods used for unsteady flows in many CFD codes has been found inadequate for large-scale industrial problems. This has motivated the present work, in which major effort is made to replace the explicit relaxation methods with implicit time integration schemes. The CFD flow solver considered in this work is Edge, a node-based solver for unstructured grids based on a dual, edge-based formulation. Edge is the Swedish national CFD tool for computing compressible flow, used at the Swedish aircraft manufacturer SAAB, and developed at FOI, lately in collaboration with external national and international partners. The work is initially devoted to the implementation of an implicit Lower-Upper Symmetric Gauss-Seidel (LU-SGS) type of relaxation in Edge with the purpose to speed up the convergence to steady state. The convergence of LU-SGS has been firstly accelerated by basing the implicit operator on a flux splitting method of matrix dissipation type. An increase of the diagonal dominance of the system matrix was the principal motivation. Then the code has been optimized by means of performance tools Intel Vtune and CrayPAT, improving the run time. It was found that the ordering of the unknowns significantly influences the convergence. Thus, different ordering techniques have been investigated. Finding the optimal ordering method is a very hard problem and the results obtained are mostly illustrative. Finally, to improve convergence speed on the stretched computational grids used for boundary layers LU-SGS has been combined with the line-implicit method. / QC 20120626

No description available.

För att prissätta optioner är val av modell en viktig fråga. I denna kandidatuppsats beskrivs både Black & Scholes modell och SABR-modellen. Förstnämnda modell är enklare än SABR-modellen men bygger på antaganden som inte stämmer överens med verkligheten. Den ger heller inte någon explicit formel för den implicita volatiliteten och predikterar inte heller på ett korrekt sätt fenomenet volatility smile vilket observeras på marknaden. Syftet med uppsatsen är att utvärdera prestandan hos SABR-modellen och användarvänligheten, samt att undersöka lite av teorin bakom modellen och vissa av dess egenskaper. Till grund för beräkningarna ligger datamaterial hämtat från Nasdaq OMX Nordic. Enligt mina beräkningar är resultatet att SABR-modellen endast presterar marginellt bättre än Black & Scholes-modellen. Dock kan även små förbättringar spela stor roll i dessa sammanhang.

This thesis aims to investigate how well associative learning can account for human sequence learning under incidental conditions. It seems that we can learn complex sequential information about events in our environment, for example language or music, incidentally, without being aware of it. Awareness is, however, a complex issue with arguments for (Dienes, 2012) and against (Shanks, 2005) the existence of implicit learning processes. A dual process account proposes that there exist two different learning systems, one based on conscious, controlled reasoning and rules, and the other based on automatic association formation, which can take place outside of awareness (McLaren, Green, & Mackintosh, 1994). This thesis attempts to use the predictions of an associative account in conjunction with a suitable method for investigating implicit learning: sequence learning (Destrebecqz & Cleeremans, 2003). The research involves a collection of serial reaction time (SRT) tasks whereby participants respond to on-screen stimuli that follow a sequence that they were (intentional learning) or were not (incidental learning) informed of. Following on from the experimental design of Jones and McLaren (2009) this thesis provides evidence that humans differ in their ability to learn different sequential contingencies. After training sequences of trials where the current trial location was twice as likely to be either: the same as (Same rule); or different to (Different rule) the location two trials before this, participants were far better at learning the latter rule. I found that this result was not adequately simulated by the benchmark associative model of sequence learning, the Augmented SRN (Cleeremans & McClelland, 1991), and present a revised model. This model, amongst other attributes, represents all the stimuli experienced by participants and can therefore learn stimulus-response contingencies. These seem to block learning (to some extent) about the Same rule thus providing an associative explanation of the advantage for acquisition of the Different rule. Further predictions regarding the role of additional stimuli alongside sequence learning were then derived from this associative account and tested on human participants. The first of these was that additional stimuli within the task will interact with sequence learning. I found that human participants show increased Same rule learning when additional, concurrently presented stimuli follow the previous element in the sequence. I demonstrate that when participants perform an SRT task where responses are predicted by the colour of a cue, they are able to learn about this relationship in the absence of awareness. Using this cue-response learning I further investigate cue-competition between sequences and colours under incidental conditions and find evidence that suggests between cue associations may alter the influence of cue competition. These results altogether suggest that stimuli – both simple and sequential – can be learned under incidental conditions. This thesis further proposes that learning about simple and more complex relationships between stimuli interacts according to the predictions of an associative account and provides evidence that contributes to a dual process understanding of human learning.

Aims: Recently, empirical literature exploring cognitive characteristics of intimate partner violence offenders has received considerable attention with both theory and practice historically focusing on victims of the abuse. Qualitative exploration has proposed implicit theories (ITs), that is distinct sets of schemas that offenders hold in relation to themselves, the world and others. In relation to cognition in intimate partner violence offenders, this thesis had two aims: to systematically analyse qualitative literature exploring cognition in intimate partner violence offenders and to implement interpretative phenomenological analysis to explore cognition in intimate partner violence sex offenders. Methods: Aims are addressed separately in two journal articles. A systematic review of qualitative literature exploring cognition in intimate partner violence offenders is presented in journal article 1. Journal article 2 utilises interpretative phenomenological analysis to explore cognition in 11 intimate partner sex offenders. Results: In relation to journal article 1, systematic searches of bibliographic databases in addition to hand-searches of various articles in the domain of intimate partner violence were conducted to identify eight empirical papers qualitatively exploring cognition in intimate partner violence offenders. Synthesis of the papers resulted in 10 themes being extrapolated thought to be representative of cognition in intimate partner violence males: “violence is normal”; “policing partner”; “women are provoking” “need for control”; “grievance/revenge”; “external factors responsible”; “rejection/abandonment”; “minimisation/denial”; “entitlement” and “remorse”. Journal article two utilised interpretative phenomenological analysis of 11 transcripts of IPV offenders. This revealed five superordinate and 14 subthemes which are proposed as implicit theories present in this specific offender group. These are: “violence is acceptable”; “grievance/revenge”; “dangerous world”; “need for control”; “real man”; “entitlement/women are objects”; “male sex drive/policing partner”; “women are provoking”; “rejection/abandonment”; “women are supportive”; “uncontrollability”; “nature of harm”; “the new me” and “I‟m not like them”. Conclusions: Cognitions identified from the systematic review are discussed in addition to limitations of the synthesis and clinical and empirical utility. The implicit theories identified in journal article 2 are discussed in relation to other offending behaviour groups in addition to their clinical implications in the development of effective interventions and risk assessment tools.

<p>För att prissätta optioner är val av modell en viktig fråga. I denna kandidatuppsats</p><p>beskrivs både Black & Scholes modell och SABR-modellen. Förstnämnda modell är</p><p>enklare än SABR-modellen men bygger på antaganden som inte stämmer överens med</p><p>verkligheten. Den ger heller inte någon explicit formel för den implicita volatiliteten</p><p>och predikterar inte heller på ett korrekt sätt fenomenet volatility smile vilket</p><p>observeras på marknaden.</p><p>Syftet med uppsatsen är att utvärdera prestandan hos SABR-modellen och</p><p>användarvänligheten, samt att undersöka lite av teorin bakom modellen och vissa av</p><p>dess egenskaper. Till grund för beräkningarna ligger datamaterial hämtat från Nasdaq</p><p>OMX Nordic.</p><p>Enligt mina beräkningar är resultatet att SABR-modellen endast presterar marginellt</p><p>bättre än Black & Scholes-modellen. Dock kan även små förbättringar spela stor roll i</p><p>dessa sammanhang.</p>

Disertacijos tyrimo objektas yra sutarties trečiojo asmens naudai institutas, užsienio valstybėse susiformavusi šio instituto doktrina, apimanti jo kūrimosi, raidos tendencijas bei teisinio tapatumo apibrėžties ypatumus kitose šalyse, jų raiškos santykį su Lietuvoje įtvirtinta sutarties trečiojo asmens naudai sąvoka bei jos taikymo praktika. Tyrimu siekta išsamiai ir sistemiškai, remiantis užsienio šalių patirtimi, išanalizuoti Lietuvoje įtvirtintą sutarties trečiojo asmens naudai koncepciją, atskleidžiant teorines bei praktines sutarties trečiojo asmens naudai instituto reguliavimo Lietuvoje problemas ir trūkumus, sukurti bendrą metodologinę instituto sampratos platformą kaip pagrindą nuosekliai instituto raidai bei pasiūlyti egzistuojančio teisinio reguliavimo spragų užpildymo būdus. Šis tyrimas atskleidžia sutarties trečiojo asmens naudai instituto teisinę prigimtį bei nubrėžia šio instituto nuostatų taikymo gaires. / The subject of the research of the thesis is the institute of a contract for a benefit of a third party and the doctrine of this institute of foreign countries, covering the trends of its creation and development as well as the peculiarities of the definition of legal identity in other countries, the relationship of their expression with the concept of a third party beneficiary contract established in Lithuania and the practice of its application. The study is aimed to comprehensively and systematically, basing on the experience of foreign countries, analyze the concept of a contract for a benefit of a third party established in Lithuania revealing theoretical and practical problems and shortcomings of the regulation of the institute of a third party beneficiary contract in Lithuania, to develop a common methodological platform of the concept of the institute as the basis for the coherent development of the institute and to suggest the ways to fill the existing legal regulatory gaps. This study reveals the legal nature of the institute of a contract for a benefit of a third party and outlines the guidelines of the application of this institute’s provisions.

Interactive Digital Storytelling (IDS) constitutes a research field that emerged from several areas of art, creation and computer science. It inquires technologies and possible artefacts that allow ‘highly-interactive’ experiences of digital worlds with compelling stories. However, the situation for story creators approaching ‘highly-interactive’ storytelling is complex. There is a gap between the available technology, which requires programming and prior knowledge in Artificial Intelligence, and established models of storytelling, which are too linear to have the potential to be highly interactive. This thesis reports on research that lays the ground for bridging this gap, leading to novel creation philosophies in future work. A design research process has been pursued, which centred on the suggestion of conceptual models, explaining a) process structures of interdisciplinary development, b) interactive story structures including the user of the interactive story system, and c) the positioning of human authors within semi-automated creative processes. By means of ‘implicit creation’, storytelling and modelling of simulated worlds are reconciled. The conceptual models are informed by exhaustive literature review in established neighbouring disciplines. These are a) creative principles in different storytelling domains, such as screenwriting, video game writing, role playing and improvisational theatre, b) narratological studies of story grammars and structures, and c) principles of designing interactive systems, in the areas of basic HCI design and models, discourse analysis in conversational systems, as well as game- and simulation design. In a case study of artefact building, the initial models have been put into practice, evaluated and extended. These artefacts are a) a conceived authoring tool (‘Scenejo’) for the creation of digital conversational stories, and b) the development of a serious game (‘The Killer Phrase Game’) as an application development. The study demonstrates how starting out from linear storytelling, iterative steps of ‘implicit creation’ can lead to more variability and interactivity in the designed interactive story. In the concrete case, the steps included abstraction of dialogues into conditional actions, and creating a dynamic world model of the conversation. This process and artefact can be used as a model illustrating non-programmer approaches to ‘implicit creation’ in a learning process. Research demonstrates that the field of Interactive Digital Storytelling still has to be further advanced until general creative principles can be fully established, which is a long-term endeavour, dependent upon environmental factors. It also requires further technological developments. The gap is not yet closed, but it can be better explained. The research results build groundwork for education of prospective authors. Concluding the thesis, IDS-specific creative principles have been proposed for evaluation in future work.