L'une des façons les plus efficace de s'assurer du bon fonctionnement d'un système informatique est de les représenter par des modèles mathématiques. De nombreux travaux ont été réalisés en utilisant des automates finis comme modèles, nous essayons ici d'étendre ces travaux à des modèles infinis. Dans cette thèse, nous nous intéressons à quelques problèmes dans lesquels un système est observé de façon incomplète. Dans ce cas, il est impossible d'accéder à certaines informations internes. La diagnosticabilité d'une propriété donnée consiste à vérifier qu'à l'exécution du système, un observateur sera en mesure de déterminer avec certitude que la propriété est vérifiée par le système. L'opacité consiste, réciproquement, à déterminer qu'un doute existera toujours. Une autre application concerne la génération de cas de test. Une fois encore, on considère qu'un observateur n'accède qu'à une partie des événements se produisant dans le système (en général les entrées et les sorties). À partir d'une spécification, on produit automatiquement des cas de test, qui ont pour but de détecter des non-conformités (elles même formalisées de façon précise). Ces trois problèmes ont été étudiés pour des modèles finis. Dans cette thèse, nous étendons leur étude aux modèles récursifs, pour cela nous avons introduit notre propre modèle, les RTS, qui sont une généralisation des automates à pile, et d'autres modèles de la récursivité. Nous adaptons ensuite les techniques utilisées sur des modèles finis, qui servent à résoudre les problèmes qui nous intéressent. / An effective way to ensure the proper functioning of a computer system is to represent it by using mathematical models . Many studies have been conducted using finite automata as models, in this thesis we try to extend these works to infinite models. We focus on three problems in which a system is partially observed. In this case, it is impossible to access certain internal informations. Diagnosability of a given property consist in checking, that, during the execution of the system, an observer will be able to determine with certainty that the property is verified by the system. Conversely, the opacity consists in determining if a doubt will always exist. Another application is the generation of test cases. Once again, we consider that an observer accesses only some events of the system (typically the inputs and outputs): from a specification, we automatically generate test cases, which are designed to detect non-conformance. These three problems have been studied for finite models. In this thesis, we extend their study to recursive models. For this purpose, we have introduced a new model, the RTS, which are a generalization of pushdown automata and other models of recursion. In order to solve problems of interest, we adapt the techniques used in finite models.

L’expression figée représente une entité problématique aussi bien au niveau notionnel et phraséologique qu’au niveau traductologique. La présente étude, qui porte sur le français et sa traduction en arabe, a pour objectif de mieux définir cette entité en essayant d’en tracer les limites et d’en identifier les caractéristiques inhérentes.Ainsi, dans un premier temps, nous abordons la question de deux points de vue, sémanticosyntaxique et cognitif, tout en soumettant les axiomes de base de nos définitions à un examen approfondi pour en vérifier la pertinence. Puis, nous tentons de proposer, au vu des résultats obtenus, une définition pertinente autant que faire se peut.Nous traitons ensuite du figement sous un angle traductologique, en nous fixant comme objectif d’élaborer une méthode de traduction des expressions figées œuvrant sur les deux niveaux sémantique et stylistique, méthode qui pourrait servir de support éclaircissant les points capitaux à prendre en considération dans l’opération traduisante et tiendrait compte des inconvénients et défauts qui peuvent s’y manifester. / Fixed expressions are a problematic entity at both levels: at notional-phraseological level and at translatological level. The purpose of this study, which focuses on French and its translation into Arabic, is to delimit this entity by attempting to delimit its boundaries and to attribute to its inherent defining characteristics.Thus, at first, we approach the question from two points of view, semantico-syntactical and cognitive while subjecting the basic axioms of our definitions to an in-depth examination in order to verify its relevance.Then, we will deal with set expressions from a translatological point of view, with the aim of developing a method of translating fixed expressions working on both semantic and stylistic levels.This method could serve as a support clarifying the crucial points to be taken into consideration in the translating operation and would take into account the disadvantages and defects that can be manifested therein.

The objective for my research has been to put forward and discuss some aspects of knowledge production in relation to the epistemological positions of feminist technoscience, which lay emphasis on the contextual and the social embeddedness of both research and technology. My main inquiry has been how the relation between the subject and the surrounding context can be perceived epistemologically and how this in turn can be connected to and found relevant to the supposed new mode of knowledge production termed Mode 2. The licentiate thesis is built on three essays which together form my main arguments around the epistemological questions of if and how it is possible to gain and attain knowledge, and how its value might be ascertained. In the three essays I have attempted to illustrate some aspects of and possible hindrances to understanding and knowledge, while addressing what a feminist technoscience epistemology could signify for knowledge production. My intention in these three essays has also been to emphasize the ideological foundation of epistemological understandings, its implications both on what is viewed and valued as knowledge, and on what purpose knowledge production and research should have for and in society. In relation to these discussions I have tried to underline how feminist technoscience, as a research field, should be open to ongoing discussions about its own methodological, epistemological and ideological stances and its effects on research and society.

abstract: One strategic objective of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is to find life on distant worlds. Current and future missions either space telescopes or Earth-based observatories are frequently used to collect information through the detection of photons from exoplanet atmospheres. The primary challenge is to fully understand the nature of these exo-atmospheres. To this end, atmospheric modeling and sophisticated data analysis techniques are playing a key role in understanding the emission and transmission spectra of exoplanet atmospheres. Of critical importance to the interpretation of such data are the opacities (or absorption cross-sections) of key molecules and atoms. During my Doctor of Philosophy years, the central focus of my projects was assessing and leveraging these opacity data. I executed this task with three separate projects: 1) laboratory spectroscopic measurement of the infrared spectra of CH4 in H2 perturbing gas in order to extract pressure-broadening and pressure-shifts that are required to accurately model the chemical composition of exoplanet atmospheres; 2) computing the H2O opacity data using ab initio line list for pressure and temperature ranges of 10^-6–300 bar and 400–1500 K, and then utilizing these H2O data in radiative transfer models to generate transmission and emission exoplanetary spectra; and 3) assessing the impact of line positions in different H2O opacities on the interpretation of ground-based observational exoplanetary data through the cross-correlation technique. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Chemistry 2019

The amin with this paper is to investigate how a few of today’s idioms are interpreted, if there are any difference between generations in the interpretation and if the younger generation in higher extent than the older tends to interpret them in other ways. This have been investigated trough a quantitative web-based survey there the respondents were asked to state their interpretation of twelve idioms, also answer a few questions regarding their use of idioms. The collected material has been transformed into precent units. The respondent’s answers were categorized by age, one group with respondents born 1990 or earlier and one group with respondents born 1990 or later.  The research shows that idioms, of both groups, interprets by original meaning in high extent since more than a good half answer according standard interpretation. With the exception of a few idioms there least 50 % of the younger group stated another interpretation than the original.

No description available.

This dissertation studies the association between CEO ability and various aspects of corporate governance, specifically firm performance, executive compensation contracts and firm opacity. In the first essay of this dissertation (Chapter 2), I examine the effect of CEO ability on firm performance. My analysis uses a unique instrument of CEO ability that is based on a CEO's commitment decisions in US presidential elections. Intuitively, CEO ability is measured based on how well they forecast US presidential elections, one year prior to the race, relative to the candidates expected chances of winning. I find that this instrument of CEO ability is positively related to firm performance. Interestingly, I find that high ability CEOs have a greater impact on Tobin's q in small firms than in large firms. Yet, high ability CEOs have the greatest dollar impact on shareholder value in large firms. In addition, CEO ability appears to be quite important to outside shareholders in high growth firms. Lastly, I find that CEO ability is positively associated to merger announcement returns, which implies that higher ability CEOs engage in value-creating merger activities. The results are robust to industry and time controls, as well as various tests that consider an alternative explanation focusing on political influence. The second essay (Chapter 3) explores the effect of CEO ability on the structure and level of compensation contracts. I find that CEO ability is positively associated with total compensation level. CEOs in the highest quartile of the ability proxy earn almost $2.2 million more than CEOs in the lowest quartile of CEO ability. Further analysis indicates that CEO compensation structure differs markedly between the highest and lowest ability CEOs. Specifically, I find that the high ability CEOs receive 2.1% more stock based incentives than low ability CEOs. Thus, the low ability CEOs receive more of their pay in the form of cash compensation than do high ability CEOs. Further tests indicate that high ability CEOs have significantly greater variance in their pay than low ability CEOs, specifically due to the higher variance in stock based incentives. Overall, I provide evidence that CEO pay is associated with CEO ability and that CEO ability appears a key issue in designing CEO compensation contracts. In the third essay (Chapter 4), I examine whether CEO ability is related to corporate opacity. I argue that high-ability CEOs may seek to create greater transparency to convey their ability to the market. Simultaneously, low-ability CEOs may be signal-jamming the market's inferences about their talent by limiting the available information. An alternative aspect is that the results are driven by low-ability CEOs who seek to work in opaque firms. My analysis indicates that firms with high-ability CEOs are significantly less opaque than firms with low-ability CEOs. These findings are also robust to using a propensity score matched sample. Finally, I show that the deteriorating impact of corporate opacity on firm performance decreases when the decision belongs to a high-ability CEO, suggesting that opacity is not necessarily value-destructing decision for corporations. Overall, my analysis suggests that CEO ability is an important factor for corporate opacity. / Business Administration/Finance

We investigate several aspects of the numerical solution of the radiative transfer equation in the context of coal combustion: the parallel efficiency of two commonly used opacity models, the sensitivity of turbulent radiation interaction (TRI) effects to the presence of coal particulate, and an improvement of the order of temporal convergence using the coarse mesh finite difference (CMFD) method. There are four opacity models commonly employed to evaluate the radiative transfer equation in combustion applications; line-by-line (LBL), multigroup, band, and global. Most of these models have been rigorously evaluated for serial computations of a spectrum of problem types [1]. Studies of these models for parallel computations [2] are limited. We assessed the performance of the Spectral-Line- Based weighted sum of gray gasses (SLW) model, a global method related to K-distribution methods [1], and the LBL model. The LBL model directly interpolates opacity information from large data tables. The LBL model outperforms the SLW model in almost all cases, as suggested by Wang et al. [3]. The SLW model, however, shows superior parallel scaling performance and a decreased sensitivity to load imbalancing, suggesting that for some problems, global methods such as the SLW model, could outperform the LBL model. Turbulent radiation interaction (TRI) effects are associated with the differences in the time scales of the fluid dynamic equations and the radiative transfer equations. Solving on the fluid dynamic time step size produces large changes in the radiation field over the time step. We have modifed the statistically homogeneous, non-premixed flame problem of Deshmukh et al. [4] to include coal-type particulate. The addition of low mass loadings of particulate minimally impacts the TRI effects. Observed differences in the TRI effects from variations in the packing fractions and Stokes numbers are difficult to analyze because of the significant effect of variations in problem initialization. The TRI effects are very sensitive to the initialization of the turbulence in the system. The TRI parameters are somewhat sensitive to the treatment of particulate temperature and the particulate optical thickness, and this effect are amplified by increased particulate loading. Monte Carlo radiative heat transfer simulations of time-dependent combustion processes generally involve an explicit evaluation of emission source because of the expense of the transport solver. Recently, Park et al. [5] have applied quasidiffusion with Monte Carlo in high energy density radiative transfer applications. We employ a Crank-Nicholson temporal integration scheme in conjunction with the coarse mesh finite difference (CMFD) method, in an effort to improve the temporal accuracy of the Monte Carlo solver. Our results show that this CMFD-CN method is an improvement over Monte Carlo with CMFD time-differenced via Backward Euler, and Implicit Monte Carlo [6] (IMC). The increase in accuracy involves very little increase in computational cost, and the figure of merit for the CMFD-CN scheme is greater than IMC. / Graduation date: 2012

Objetivo: Determinar o processo cicatricial e regenerativo da córnea em suas diferentes camadas diante do dano cirúrgico, através da Ceratectomia Fotorrefrativa (PRK) nos terços anteriores ou injúria do complexo Descemetendotélio no terço posterior. Métodos: Córneas de coelhos foram utilizadas a fim de identificar os nervos presentes, evidenciados através da técnica de imuno-histoquímica (IHQ) da acetilcolinesterase (AchE) e expressos numericamente após quantificação automatizada pelo software Image-Pro. Os seguintes grupos foram incluídos nessa análise: remoção do epitélio com e sem Mitomicina (MMC) 0.02%, -9.0D PRK com e sem MMC. O dano e a regeneração dos nervos foram avaliados através da análise dos grupos após 1 dia, 1, 2, 3 e 6 meses. A morfologia e a distribuição dos nervos foram realizadas através do estudo da tubulina Beta-III, um marcador de microtúbulos presentes em neurônios. Na córnea posterior, a fim de identificar a ocorrência de apoptose após a injúria mecânica do endotélio através de uma cânula romba, cortes desse tecido foram avaliados por meio de técnicas de IHQ através do método de fragmentação do DNA por dUTP e deoxinucleotidil terminal transferase (TUNEL) e microscopia de transmissão eletrônica (TEM) após 1 e 4 horas. A ocorrência de fibrose subsequente à lesão da córnea posterior foi avaliada nos grupos submetidos à Descemetorréxis ou à injúria mecânica do endotélio isolado após 1 mês. O estudo imunohistoquímico para actina de músculo liso (alfa-SMA) permitiu identificar a presença de miofibroblastos e a identificação morfológica da membrana de Descemet demonstrada através do Nidogênio-1 (Nid-1), tornando possível, portanto, a discriminação do papel das camadas posteriores no processo cicatricial da córnea. Olhos contralaterais foram incluídos como um grupo controle em todas as análises. Resultados: Na face anterior da córnea, uma menor área do complexo nervoso foi observada um dia após o PRK associado ao uso da MMC (p=0.0009) quandocomparado ao PRK sem o uso da medicação, que não se manteve após um mês (p=0.9). O PRK sem MMC demonstrou uma crescente capacidade regenerativa de seus nervos, que apresentaram valores comparáveis aos pré-operatórios após o terceiro mês. No entanto, tais fibras nervosas apresentaram uma morfologia aberrada mantida até a análise do mês seis. Na face posterior da córnea, apesar da presença de células TUNEL+ após 1 e 4 horas subsequentes ao dano mecânico do endotélio isolado, não houve a expressão de alfa-SMA no estroma posterior após um mês. A integridade estrutural da membrana de Descemet nesse grupo foi confirmada através do Nidogênio-1 (Nid-1), diferentemente do observado após o dano ao complexo Descemet-endotélio, em que houve ampla expressão de alfa-SMA identificando a presença de miofibroblastos e o consequente desenvolvimento de cicatrizes responsáveis pela perda de transparência na córnea. Conclusão: O uso do excimer laser na superfície anterior causou prejuízo à inervação da córnea. Todavia, a capacidade regenerativa das fibras nervosas foi demonstrada ao longo dos meses, apesar da persistência de uma anômala arquitetura e redistribuição dos nervos mesmo após o sexto mês. A MMC revelou uma discreta e precoce propriedade neurotóxica quando combinada ao uso do excimer laser, que não implica perda da segurança a médio/longo prazo do uso dessa droga na concentração e tempos utilizados nesse estudo. No terço posterior da córnea, a membrana de Descemet exibiu um importante papel modulador no processo de desenvolvimento de cicatrizes ou fibrose no estroma profundo. Uma vez lesada, torna constante o influxo de citocinas inflamatórias necessárias para a diferenciação e persistência do miofibroblasto. Tal processo mostrou-se análogo ao papel da membrana basal do epitélio como reguladora do processo de fibrose da córnea anterior / Purpose: To determine the wound-healing cascade and regeneration process of the cornea after surgical injury in its different layers, through Photorefractive Keratectomy (PRK) in the anterior thirds or Descemet-endothelium injury in the posterior third. Methods: Rabbit corneas were used to identify the nerves present in the central area of this tissue by the immunohistochemistry (IHQ) technique of acetylcholinesterase (AchE) and their numerical quantification by Image-Pro software. The following groups were included in this analysis: Removal of epithelium with and without Mitomycin (MMC) 0.02 %, -9.0D PRK with and without MMC. Damage and nerve regeneration were assessed by analyzing the groups after 1 day, 1, 2, 3 and 6 months. The morphology and distribution of nerves along the corneal layers was performed through tubulin beta-III study. At the posterior cornea, to distinguish the occurrence of apoptosis after the mechanical injury of the endothelium through a blunt cannula, sections of this tissue were evaluated by IHQ technique through DNA fragmentation by dUTP and deoxynucleotidyl terminal transferase (TUNEL) and electron transmission microscopy (TEM) after 1 and 4 hours. The occurrence of cornea fibrosis subsequent to posterior corneal injury was evaluated by the group undergoing Descemet membrane surgical removal or by the endothelium mechanical injury after 1 month. The immunohistochemical study for smooth muscle actin (alpha-SMA) allowed the identification of myofibroblasts and the structural integrity of Descemet demonstrated by Nidogen-1 (Nid-1). Thus, making it possible to discriminate the role of the posterior layers during the corneal wound-healing process. Contralateral eyes were included as a control group in all analyzes. Results: At the anterior surface of the cornea, a smaller area of the nervous complex was observed one day after PRK associated with the use of MMC (p = 0.0009) when compared to PRK without the association of the drug, which was not maintained after the first month (p = 0.9). The PRK without MMC demonstrated an increasing regenerative capacity of their nerves, which presented values comparable to preoperative measurements after the third month. However, morphological differences and an aberrant distribution of innervation were persistent. At the corneal posterior surface, despite the presence of TUNEL + cells after 1 and 4 hours subsequent to the mechanical damage of the isolated endothelium, there was no alpha-SMA expression in the posterior stroma after one month. The structural integrity of Descemet\'s membrane in this group was confirmed by Nidogen-1 (Nid-1). Differently from what was observed after damage to the Descemet membrane by it surgical removal, there was a large expression of alpha-SMA identifying the myofibroblasts and the consequent development of scars responsible for the loss of corneal transparency. Conclusion: The excimer laser use on the anterior surface caused destruction to the corneal innervation. However, the regenerative capacity of nerve fibers was demonstrated over the months, despite the persistence of anomalous architecture and redistribution of the corneal nerves that persisted even after six months. MMC exhibited a moderate and early neurotoxic effect when combined with the excimer laser treatment at the concentration and time used in this study At the inferior third of the cornea, Descemet\'s membrane exhibited an important role during the modulation process of scarring or fibrosis in the deep stroma. Once damaged, a constant influx of inflammatory cytokines into the stroma was guaranteed and a differentiation and persistence of the myofibroblast occur. This process has been shown to be analogous to the role of the corneal epithelial basement membrane as a regulator of the anterior cornea fibrosis process

OBJETIVOS: Determinar a correlação entre a completa regeneração da membrana basal epitelial (MBE) e o desaparecimento de miofibroblastos do estroma anterior e consequente restauração da transparência corneana após diferentes mecanismos de trauma em coelhos. MÉTODOS: Foram utilizados 32 coelhos que tiveram um de seus olhos incluídos em um dos três grupos de estudo: (1) -9 dioptrias (D) ceratectomia fotorrefrativa (PRK), (2) Incisões corneanas verticais de espessura parcial (350 um), ou (3) Ceratite bacteriana, enquanto os olhos contralaterais compuseram o grupo controle. Os animais foram examinados, sacrificados, e tiveram suas córneas analisadas em diferentes momentos afim de investigar com detalhes o processo de cicatrização corneano usando técnicas de imunohistoquímica (IHQ) e microscopia de transmissão eletrônica (MTE). RESULTADOS: No grupo \"-9D PRK\", as córneas apresentavam opacidade corneana densa e nenhuma evidência de regeneração da MBE 1 mês após a cirurgia. Dois meses após a cirurgia, no entanto, pequenas áreas de córnea transparente começaram a surgir em meio à opacidade difusa, correspondendo a pequenas ilhas de MBE completamente regenerada. Após 4 meses da cirurgia a MBE estava completamente regenerada e a transparência corneana havia sido reestabelecida na região ablada pelo laser. No grupo \"incisões corneanas\", o par de densas opacidades corneanas lineares observadas após 1 mês do procedimento tornou-se progressivamente mais tênue ao longo dos próximos 2 meses. A ultraestrutura da MBE estava completamente regenerada e não houve formação de miofibroblastos no local das incisões 1 mês após o procedimento, inclusive ao redor dos plugs epiteliais que se estendiam até o estroma. No grupo \"ceratite bacteriana\", as córneas que haviam sido infectadas apresentaram opacidade densa, vascularização, miofibroblastos em toda a sua espessura, e nenhuma evidência de regeneração da MBE 1 mês após a infecção. Observou-se ao longo dos próximos 3 meses substancial redução da opacidade, evidências ultraestruturais de regeneração da MBE, e desaparecimento de miofibroblastos das porções mais anteriores do estroma, persistindo apenas nas regiões do estroma mais posterior nas quais o endotélio e a membrana de Descemet encontravam-se lesadas. CONCLUSÃO: No modelo animal apresentado, a resolução espontânea da opacidade corneana tardia mediada por miofibroblastos após a ablação com excimer laser ou ceratites infeciosas graves é desencadeada pela completa regeneração da estrutura e função da MBE. As incisões corneanas de espessura parcial em coelhos, no entanto, cicatrizam sem geração de miofibroblastos devido à completa regeneração da MBE após 1 mês do procedimento. Determinou-se, portanto, a correlação entre a reparação da membrana basal epitelial e a consequente redução da opacidade e restauração da transparência corneana / PURPOSE: To determine the correlation between epithelial basement membrane (EBM) regeneration and the disappearance of myofibroblasts from anterior stroma and consequent restoration of corneal transparency after different types of injury in rabbits. METHODS: Thirty-two rabbits had one of their eyes included in one of the 3 study groups: (1) -9 diopters (D) photorefractive keratectomy (PRK), (2) Two vertical partial-thickness (350 um) corneal incisions, or (3) Bacterial keratitis, whereas the opposite eyes served as unwounded control group. The animals were examined, sacrificed, and had their corneas analysed in different time points in order to investigate the corneal wound healing process using immunohistochemistry and transmission electron microscopy. RESULTS: In the \"-9D PRK\" group, corneas at 1 month after surgery had dense corneal opacity and no evidence of regenerated EBM. However, by 2 months after surgery small areas of stromal clearing began to appear within the confluent opacity, and these corresponded to small islands of normally regenerated EBM. By 4 months after surgery, the EBM was fully regenerated and the corneal transparency was completely restored in the ablated zone. In the \"corneal incisions\" group, the two dense, linear corneal opacities observed at 1 month after the procedure progressively faded during the next 2 months. The EBM ultrastructure was fully regenerated and there were no myofibroblasts at the site of the incisions by 1 month after the procedure, including around the epithelial plugs that extended into the stroma. In the \"bacterial keratitis\" group, all the corneas that have been infected presented dense stromal scarring, vascularization, myofibroblasts in the full stromal thickness and no evidence of EBM regeneration by 1 month after the infection. There was a definite decrease in opacity during the next 3 months, besides ultrastructural evidence of EBM regeneration and disappearance of myofibroblasts in the most anterior part of the stroma, which persisted only in the most posterior stroma where the endothelium and Descemet\'s membrane were damaged. CONCLUSION: In the rabbit model, spontaneous resolution of myofibroblast-mediated corneal opacity (fibrosis) after high correction PRK or infectious keratitis is triggered by regeneration of normal EBM structure and function. Conversely, incisional wounds heal in rabbit corneas without the development of myofibroblasts because the EBM regenerates normally by 1 month after the injury. Therefore, it has been determined the correlation between the EBM regeneration and the restoration of corneal transparency after different types of corneal injury