Thesis (doctoral)--Bonn, 1998. / Includes bibliographical references (p. [273]-[274]).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin, 1964. / Typescript. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Bibliography: leaves 124-128.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1985. / Typescript. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 170-182).

This study estimates the value of farmers stated succession plans in predicting revealed succession decisions. The stated succession plan exists when a farmer answers in a survey questionnaire that the farm is going to be transferred to a new entrant within a five year period. The succession is revealed when the farm is transferred to a successor. The stated and revealed behaviour is estimated as a recursive Binomial-Probit- Model, which accounts for censoring of the decision variables and controls for a potential correlation between the estimating equations. The results suggest that the succession plans, as stated by elderly farmers in the questionnaires, do not provide information that is significant and valuable in predicting the true, revealed successions, once certain farm and farmer characteristics are controlled for.

No description available.

No description available.

The focus of this dissertation is modeling volatility in option pricing by the Black-Scholes formula. A major drawback of the formula is that the returns from assets are assumed to have constant volatility over time. The empirical evidence is overwhelmingly against it. In this dissertation, we allow random volatility for estimating call option prices by Black-Scholes formula and by Monte Carlo simulation. The Black-Scholes formula follows from an assumption that assets evolve according to a Geometric Brownian Motion with constant volatility. This dissertation allows time-varying random volatility in the Geometric Brownian Motion to outline a proof of the formula, thus addressing this drawback. To estimate option prices with the Black-Scholes, the dissertation considers its expectation with respect to two potential probability models of random volatility. Unfortunately, a closed form expression of the expectation of the formula for computing the option prices is intractable. Then the dissertation settles with using an approximation which to its credit incorporates in it the kurtosis of the probability model of random volatility. To our knowledge, option pricing methods in literature do not incorporate kurtosis information. The option pricing with random volatility is pursued for two stochastic volatility models. One model is a member of generalized auto regressive conditional heteroscedasticity (GARCH). The second is a member of Stochastic Volatility models. For each model, estimation of their parameters is outlined. Two real financial series data are then used to illustrate estimation of the option prices, and compared them with those from the Black-Scholes formula with constant volatility. Motivated by a Monte Carlo procedure in the literature for option pricing when the volatility follows a GARCH model, this dissertation lays a foundation for future research to simulate option prices when the random volatility is assumed to follow a Stochastic Volatility model instead of GARCH. / Statistics

<p> A unique approach for the modeling of phase noise is examined in this thesis. In previous work regarding phase noise theory, the memory property of phase is virtually ignored. The thesis introduces the Discrete Recursive Procedure (DRP): a systematic approach or methodology to predict phase noise using a discrete recursive algorithm taking into account the memory property of phase. This discrete recursive algorithm is a general extension of the Linear Time Varying (LTV) model and is referred to as the NonLinear Time Varying (NLTV) model. </p> <p> Simulations are performed using the DRP method. Phase fluctuation comparisons are made between the LTV and the NLTV models for an ideal oscillator. The simulation results show that the NLTV model taking into account the memory property of phase makes more realistic phase noise predictions than the LTV model for asymmetrical Impulse Sensitivity Function (ISF) cases. Phase noise simulation results using the NLTV model are given for a modified 810-MHz CMOS cross-coupled LC oscillator design. At 90kHz offset, the simulation prediction (-89 dBc/Hz) and the measurement readings (-93 dBc/Hz) are closely matched with a difference of approximately 4 dBc/Hz while the CAD simulation prediction ( -101. 8) has a difference of 9 dBc/Hz from the measurements. In the phase noise simulation for the 62-MHz BIT Colpitts oscillator design, the NLTV model predicts a -26 dBc/decade and -19.5 dBc/decade for the flicker noise and thermal noise regions in accordance with the theoretical -30 dBc/decade and -20 dBc/decade slopes. </p> / Thesis / Master of Applied Science (MASc)

Area access control is defined as the process of mediating requests to enter a physical area through one or more entry points. Area access control database systems are the collections of information required for an access control system to access, query, retrieve and match real time user inputs with persistent data to ensure the integrity of the resources it protects. This thesis presents an object oriented approach to the design and implementation of a centralized area access control database system and focuses on two features, zone management and personnel tracking. Zone management is defined as the process of hierarchically relating a zone to other immediately adjacent zone(s) that a user is required to have prior access to. This feature will automatically generate all zones that a user requires prior access to in order to approach a target zone. To implement zone management, the database system is required to support recursive relationships and recursive querying. The personnel-tracking feature allows the administrator to obtain information such as the movement of persons of interest and their interactions with others in the installation at any particular time. The results of this thesis contribute to the implementation of a sophisticated area access control database system capable of handling multiple installations, and generating the access rules and paths for each new user automatically. In addition, the object oriented area access control database system is able to support unconventional data types such as images and sound which are essential for emerging biometric security systems.

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