The quark-connected part of the hadronic light-by-light scattering contribution to the muon’s anomalous magnetic moment is computed using lattice QCD with chiral fermions. We report several significant algorithmic improvements and demonstrate their effectiveness through specific calculations which show a reduction in statistical errors by more than an order of magnitude. The most realistic of these calculations is performed with a near-physical, 139 MeV pion mass on a (5.5 fm)³ spatial volume using the 48³ × 96 Iwasaki gauge ensemble of the RBC/UKQCD Collaboration.

The relationship between politicians and firms has attracted a considerable amount of research, especially in developing countries, where firms' political links are a widespread phenomenon. However, existing literature offers contradicting views about this relationship, espicially regarding the impact of firms' political connections on firms' market-performance. Furthermore, there is limited evidence on the impact of firms' political connections on some of the important corporate decisions, including firms' investment- and dividend-policies. Therefore, this thesis seeks to fill these gaps by offering three empirical essays with Jordan as a case study. The first essay examines the impact of firms' political links on their values by controlling for macroeconomic conditions. Also, in the extended models, by specifying three major events which occurred after 2008, namely, the establishment of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), the Global Financial Crisis, and the Arab Uprisings, we investigate the effects of these events on the relationship between firms' political ties and their value. The findings of this essay indicate that politically-connected firms have higher values compared to their non-connected counterparts in Jordan. Moreover, it is found that firms with stronger political-ties have higher values than firms with weaker ties. Furthermore, the positive effect of political connections continues, even after controlling for the macroeconomic conditions, though the latter are considered to be more important than political connections for firm valuation due to their impact on the share price. Interestingly, findings show that the events occurring after 2008 do not seem to have affected the relationship between political connections and firm value since the significant positive impact of political-ties on firm value persists during the post-event period. The second empirical essay studies the role of political connections in mitigating firms' financing-constraints. Moreover, it investigates the effect of the strength of political connections in alleviating these constraints. Finally, it looks at the impact of the above-mentioned three events which occurred after 2008, notwithstanding the new banking Corporate Governance Code issued in 2007. Findings of this essay reveal that firms' political connections are important in mitigating their financing-constraints. Furthermore, the results show that stronger political connections seem to reduce financing-constraints more than weaker connections. Finally, findings show that the impact of firms' political connections has diminished during the post-event period (2008 - 2014). The third essay examines how a firm's political connections can affect its dividend-policy. It also considers the impact of the strength of political connections on dividend-policy. Finally, we extend the empirical analysis by investigating any shift in the relationship between political connections and dividends due to the events of the Global Financial Crisis, the Arab Uprisings, and the adoption of the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). Results of this essay reveal that a firm's political connections have a significant positive impact on both the propensity to pay dividends and the dividend-payout ratio. Regarding the impact of the strength of political connections on dividends, it is found that firms with weaker political connections pay out more in dividends than firms with stronger connections. In terms of the impact of the events which occurred after 2008 on the relationship between political connections and dividends, the findings show that the impact of these connections on dividends is eliminated.

This study examines the impact of fiscal deficits on economic growth in developing countries. Based on deduction from the relevant theoretical and empirical literature, the study tests the following hypotheses regarding the impact of fiscal deficits on economic growth. First, fiscal deficits have significant positive or negative impact on economic growth in developing countries. Second, the impact of fiscal deficits on economic growth depends on the size of deficits as a percentage of GDP - that is, there is a non-linear relationship between fiscal deficits and economic growth. Third, the impact of fiscal deficits on economic growth depends on the ways in which deficits are financed. Fourth, the impact of fiscal deficits on economic growth depends on what deficit financing is used for. The study also examines whether there are any significant regional differences in terms of the relationship between fiscal deficits and economic growth in developing countries. The study uses panel data for thirty-one developing countries covering the period 1972- 2001, which is analysed based on the econometric estimation of a dynamic growth model using the Arellano and Bond (1991) generalised method of moments (GMM) technique. Overall, the results suggest the following. First, fiscal deficits per se have no any significant positive or negative impact on economic growth. Second, by contrast, when the deficit is substituted by domestic and foreign financing, we find that both domestic and foreign financing of fiscal deficits exerts a negative and statistically significant impact on economic growth with a lag. Third, we find that both categories of economic classification of government expenditure, namely, capital and current expenditure, have no significant impact on economic growth. When government expenditure is disaggregated on the basis of a functional classification, the results suggest that spending on education, defence and economic services have positive but insignificant impact on growth, while spending on health and general public services have positive and significant impact. Fourth, in terms of regional differences with regard to the estimated relationships, the study finds that, while there are some regional differences between the four different regions represented in our sample of thirty-one developing countries - namely, Asia and the Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, Middle East and North Africa, and Sub-Saharan Africa - these differences are not statistically significant. On the basis of these findings, the study concludes that fiscal deficits per se are not necessarily good or bad for economic growth in developing countries; how the deficits are financed and what they are used for matters. In addition, the study concludes that there are no statistically significant regional differences in terms of the relationship between fiscal deficits and economic growth in developing countries.

A descoberta da magnetoresistência (GMR) em materiais granulares gerou um grande interesse no estudo destes materiais, havendo um empenho particular no estudo de grãos de CO em CU e AG. Como as propriedades de transporte estão ligadas intimamente às estruturais, o entendimento da GMR nestes materiais requer uma descrição acurada destas características. Neste trabalho, procurando determinar algumas características magnéticas locais, usamos o método RS-LMTO-ASA para realizar um estudo sistemático dos momentos magnéticos locais e campos hiperfinos com respeito ao tamanho de grãos de CI com até 135 átomos em matrizes de CU e AG fcc. Além disso, estudamos FE e CO nas configurações espaciais seguintes em hospedeiro AG: impurezas isoladas, dímeros FE-FE e FE-CO e precipitados com 13, 19 e 43 átomos. Calculamos o FE enquanto impureza central nos grãos de CO e, para os clusters com 13 e 19 átomos, também consideramos a impureza em posições de interface. Encontramos para os grãos em AG momentos magnéticos bastante estáveis e, para o CU, obtivemos uma ligeira dependência do momento magnético médio com o tamanho do grão. Nossos resultados mostram que há uma diferença significativa no comportamento de grãos e clusters livres. Para os campos hiperfinos, mostramos que este segue comportamentos semelhantes em todos os casos, tendo uma dependência sistemática com relação ao sítio / The discovery of giant magnetoresistance (GMR) in granular materiais generated a great interest in the study of these systems. Special attention has been devoted to Co grains inside Cu and Ag medium. As the transport properties are closely related to structural characteristics, an accurate description is required in order to understand the GMR behavior in these materiais. Here we use the Real Space-LMTO-ASA method to perform a systematic study of the site and grain size dependence of local magnetic moments and hyperfine fields at Co grains ( up to 135 atoms) in fcc Ag and Cu hosts. We have also studied Fe and Co atoms in different spatial configurations in Ag hosts: isolated impurities, Fe-Fe and Fe-Co dimmers and precipitates containing 13, 19 and 43 atoms. Special attention is given to the differences between central and interface positions of Fe atoms in the two smallest Co clusters. We found a very stable value for the local moment at Co atoms in Ag hosts whereas the average local moments for Co grains in Cu tend to be slight ly larger for larger grains. we show that free and embedded Co clusters have very different magnetic behavior. The hyperfine fields present similar values in both matrices and exhibit a systematic site dependence.

How do teachers talk about the productiveness of teacher's in-the-moment responses to student mathematical thinking? This is a question current research does not fully answer as most research on teacher moves is focused on what teacher moves researchers have noticed teachers do rather than on what teachers think about these teacher moves. To fill the gap in the research and to answer the question, a group of 13 teachers were given ten classroom situations to compare and contrast for productivity. I analyzed (a) the content of the teachers' discussions by drawing on Teacher Response Coding (TRC) language, and (b) the extent to which the teachers' discussions align with theorized productive responses to student mathematical thinking, or building. From the teachers' group conversations, I articulated principles of productivity— articulations of the main ideas and conclusions of the teachers' conversations with regards to productivity. Focusing on the principles of productivity, I highlighted what teacher moves the teachers said were productive or not productive with respect to teacher's in-the-moment responses to student mathematical thinking. In analyzing the list of unique principles of productivity, I noticed three main themes that the principles were focused around: student mathematics, teacher moves, and mathematics, which reflected some of the ideas in research for productive teacher moves. Additionally, I analyzed the principles for alignment with the practice of building, which led to the conclusion that the ideas of orchestrating discussion and making explicit are the most salient of the sub-practices of building to the teachers. These results based on teachers' discussions around the productivity of teacher moves can help inform teacher education and professional development.

Background: Obesity is a chronic disease characterized by a body mass index (BM1) of ≥ 30 kg/m2 which negatively impacts the musculoskeletal system and has been found to be a major contributing factor to obesity-induced biomechanical alterations during activities of daily living (ADLs). A certain level of mobility is required for all populations to maintain independence and a good quality of life becomes more difficult with excess weight. Using a reduced weight-bearing activity, such as the Alter Gravity treadmill, would be beneficial in an obese population to reduce the load on the joints and potentially decrease the risk of weight bearing injury while maintaining normal gait mechanics. The purpose of this dissertation was to determine the biomechanical effects of excess weight and weight distribution on ADLs. To address this, two different weight gain models were created to simulate central (CL) and peripheral (PL) weight gain compared to an obese group (OW), and normal weight group (UL) during different activities of daily living (ADLs). The purpose of the third study was to compare lower extremity joint kinematics and muscle activation patterns between obese and normal individuals at different levels of body support (100, 75, and 50%) while walking in the AlterG treadmill. Methods: 14 normal weight (BMI: 22.4 ± 1.8 kg/m2, age: 23.4 ± 3.6 yrs) and 17 obese (BMI: 33.2 ± 2.3 kg/m2, age: 31.6 ± 8.0 years) adults participated in different ADLs (gait and descending a set of stairs). Normal weight participants were loaded with two different external loads sufficient to increase their BMI by 5 kg/m2 (~22.6% body mass). Kinematic and kinetic data were collected with 3D motion analysis. Frontal plane hip and knee angles and moments were calculated. Results: During gait, the obese group walked at a significantly slower velocity compared to UL. Step length was 8.7% longer in UL and 7.4% longer in the CL compared to the OW. PL more closely mirrored the OW group in step length, flexion moment and extension moment and the CL more closely mirrored the obese group in sagittal plane knee and hip excursion, and peak hip flexion moment and extension moment during gait During the transition from descending stair walking to level gait, it was found that the PL, but not CL, decreased step length, increased step width, and increased proportion of the gait cycle spent in stance. During the transition from walking down the stairs to level gait it was found that CL and PL affect temporal spatial variables differently. PL also reduced peak hip adduction angle, increased peak hip flexion moment, decreased peak hip extension, decreased sagittal plane hip excursion, and decreased frontal plane hip excursion. Conversely, CL reduced peak hip flexion moment and trended to reduce peak hip extension moment. To determine the effects of reduced body mass per se on improved biomechanics, we needed a model that would prevent associated changes in segmental volume. Therefore, using an AlterG treadmill facilitated this method. At 100 % BW support, mean ST and VM EMG activity were significantly higher in the obese compared to the normal weight groups. There were also differences found at 75 % BW support in ST in the obese being greater than the normal. Conclusions: Combined, the overall results of this dissertation suggest that weight gain is able to be modeled but is variable and task specific. The CL has proven to be the weight gain model that which elicits a better biomechanical obese response when normal weight individuals are loaded. Further work is needed to understand how to truly mimic obesity with an external load.

Defining Moments / A Life Portrait In his MFA Thesis Exhibition, Defining Moments / A Life Portrait, Timothy Haerens explores and celebrates our connectedness to one another as members of the human race. “We are here to awaken from the illusion of our separateness.” Haerens chose this quote from the Vietnamese Buddhist monk and peace activist, Thich Nhat Hanh, as the inspiration for his show because it affirms his belief that we are linked to one another by virtue of our humanness. Through his abstract paintings on canvas and plexiglass, as well as through his prints and collagraphs, Haerens reflects on many facets of life – the sweet and sour moments we experience as part of the human condition. His art elicits an internal dialogue in an attempt to better understand himself and the world around him.

Discrete wavelet transforms have many applications, including those in image compression and edge detection. Transforms constructed using orthogonal filters are extremely useful in that they can easily be inverted as well as coded. We review the major properties of three well-known orthogonal filters, namely, the Haar, Daubechies, and Coiflet filters. Subsequently, we analyze the Fourier series that corresponds to each of those filters and recall some important results about the smoothness of the modulus of those Fourier series. We consider a specialized case in which the length of the discrete wavelet transform is not much longer than the length of the filter used in its construction. For this case, we prove the existence of additional degrees of freedom in the system of equations used in the construction of the aforementioned orthogonal filters. We suggest a modified Coiflet filter which takes advantage of the extra degrees of freedom by imposing further conditions on the derivative of the Fourier series.

Cette thèse s'inscrit dans un nouveau projet de mesure du moment dipolaire électrique (EDM) du neutron à l'institut Paul Scherrer. Deux aspects ont été étudiés ici: la détection et l'analyse de polarisation de neutrons ultra-froids. Trois types de détecteurs ont été testés à l'Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL): le Cascade-U (technologie GEM), le compteur à gaz 3He et des scintillateurs dopés au 6Li (type GS). Leur efficacité de détection ainsi que leur sensibilité au bruit de fond ont été mesurées. Sous les conditions expérimentales du spectromètre EDM, le scintillateur GS10 s'est montré compétitif avec le détecteur à gaz 3He. Un système de double scintillateur GS3/GS20 a permis d'améliorer la séparation entre signaux neutrons et gammas. Il s'est avéré 20% moins efficace que le détecteur à gaz 3He sous le spectromètre EDM. Le Cascade-U a, quant à lui, montré qu'il était 20% moins efficace qu'un GS10 de 500 microns d'épaisseur comme l'ont conrmé des simulations. Un nouveau système d'analyse simultanée de spin est présenté. Il consiste en deux systèmes de détection (bras) possédant chacun un spin flipper adiabatique, un analyseur de spin, et un détecteur. Les bras détectent chacun une composante de polarisation, permettant ainsi un comptage des deux états de spin du neutron. Des tests d'un prototype monté en situation horizontale à l'ILL ont montré que le pouvoir d'analyse des bras était de 80%. La transmission du système sans analyseurs est de 50%.

Cette thèse concerne l'étude des capteurs de courant des disjoncteurs à déclencheur électronique basse tension. La compacité et l'asymétrie de ces capteurs sont à l'origine d'un comportement magnétique complexe dont la modélisation est malaisée. Le travail réalisé a consisté à déterminer un modèle comportemental paramétrable du capteur, compatible avec une optimisation, permettant de prendre en compte son environnement magnétique (autres phases) et sa charge électrique (électronique). Suite à la mise en évidence de l'inadéquation des méthodes "traditionnelles" (schéma électrique ou magnétique équivalent, méthode des éléments finis) avec ce cahier des charges, les travaux ont été orientés vers la méthode des moments magnétiques. Fondé sur cette méthode, un modèle extrêmement simple du capteur a ainsi été mis au point.