This thesis investigates the integrability of the sine-Gordon system of nonlinear partial differential equations when the dependent variables are subject to some very particular boundary conditions. In chapter 1 the sine-Gordon system is introduced and, with N ϵ Z, P, Q ϵ R, the sets of initial-boundary value problems A(_N) and B(_P,Q) are defined. In the set A(_N) at the spatial variable x is unbounded and the boundary conditions are fixed by initially choosing the topological charge N. This set of problems is the one usually associated with the sine-Gordon system. In the set B(_P,Q) the spatial coordinate is constrained to the semi-line (-oo,0) and there exists two boundary parameters P,Q ϵ R to be chosen a priori. It is the study of this second set of initial-boundary value problems for arbitrary P, Q which forms all the original work of this dissertation. The study presented here is primarily concerned with the development of three separate inverse scattering methods for solving these sets of initial-boundary value problems. The first of these is developed in chapter 3 and is applicable to a subset of the problems in A(_N). The method is the one usually associated with the sine-Gordon system and studies the asymptotics of the initial data as x → ±oo. It is included in this thesis for completeness and as background for the original material which follows. Next, in chapters 4 and 5, the inverse scattering methods appropriate to initial-boundary value problems in subsets of B(_P,O) and B(_P,Q#O) are constructed. In these cases it is important to realise that it is only possible to study the asymptotics of the initial data as x → -oo. Once these three methods have been formulated they are used to find soliton solutions and infinite sets of integrals of motion for these boundary value problems. When a boundary is present at x = 0 the interaction of the solitons with this boundary is studied. These topics are addressed in chapter 6. Finally in chapter 7 the question of the integrability of both sets of problems is addressed. By interpreting the various inverse scattering methods in terms of canonical coordinate transformations of phase space it is seen that the existence of such methods can be viewed as a constructive proof of the integrability of these boundary value problems.

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This research examines description in the office sector with particular reference to the city of Kuala Lumpur. Depreciation is typically considered implicitly in appraisal models. Furthermore, from the early 1990 until 1996, the impact of depreciation in the office market was largely hidden by high nominal growth in rents and capital values due to high inflation and high real growth. Improper analysis of depreciation may have potentially damaged property values and consequently mispriced the city's market. It is, therefore, important to analyse depreciation comprehensively to assess proper prices in the city's office market. This study is designed to achieve a better understanding of depreciation. The research proposes a statistical approach for modelling the impact of depreciation on the City of Kuala Lumpur offices and considers three major causes of depreciation; physical deterioration, building obsolescence and site obsolescence. Forty-nine offices which are located in the three commercial areas are selected. Data on property characteristics, tenure and values were analysed. Principal Component Analysis eliminates the problem of 'multicollinearity' which exists in the models with original variables, and summarises independent variables into a number of orthogonal factors which represent three sources of depreciation. An analysis of rental depreciation indicates that a combination of the three sources of depreciation is a better explanation of depreciation than 'age' alone. It shows that, despite the common suggestion that the level of depreciation changes markedly with building age, there is little evidence to conclude that these are strongly correlated. The findings of the analysis indicate that the relative rate of depreciation for offices in the City of Kuala Lumpur is dependent on changes to the functional specifications of the buildings. The faster the changes, the quicker the rate of depreciation. Finally, site obsolescence is shown to be less significant than functional specifications, especially in yield depreciation, in the case study area.

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It has been argued for many years that if applied effectively, information can be a valuable organisational resource; indeed, many contend that it is the lifeblood of the organisation. This view is supported by the academic literature, which identifies a wide range of factors that influence perceptions of strategic information value. For example, information quality and information accessibility have both been widely discussed. The use of information for enabling organisational change in organisations, for marketing activities, and for strategic planning have also been the subject of academic investigation. However, whilst the literature in this domain is fairly extensive, it is largely theoretical, rather than empirical, in nature and it also tends to be highly fragmented, addressing narrow aspects of value. The primary aim of this study was to undertake a holistic exploration of the factors affecting the perceived value of strategic information, using rigorous empirical methods. Moreover, the research sought to address the question of why organisations typically fail to treat information as a formal asset, even though they perceive it to be valuable resource. To explore these broad objectives, a three-phase approach was adopted combining the use of both quantitative and qualitative methods of research. More specifically, the study commenced with a questionnaire-based survey that was designed to validate the initial conceptual framework. This was followed by a phase of the research, which utilised detailed case studies in eight major UK based commercial organisations, to explore how perceptions of information value were affected by the implementation of data warehouses. The final phase of the study sought to validate the research findings and explore their wider implications, through the utilisation of on-line focus groups. The research project has produced several key findings. It has provided evidence that information accessibility and information quality are critical constructs that impact the perceived value of information. It has confirmed that a number of business activities, such as marketing, are highly dependent on the use of information. It has suggested that improvements in the accessibility and quality of information can lead to the improved effectiveness of these business activities, and that this can lead to the attainment of more substantial measurable business benefits. Finally, the research has also suggested that although most organisations consider information to be valuable, few give serious consideration to formally classing information as an asset, and none appear to measure the value of their information assets. It is believed that this study has made a number of significant contributions to the literature. It has provided a holistic view of the dimensions that can impact the perceived value of strategic information. Most importantly, from an academic perspective, it has produced empirically based evidence on the relationships between a wide-range of dimensions and the perceived value of information, on attitudes to information being considered an asset, and the actions organisations take to measure the value of information assets. It has been argued that without a clear understanding of the value of information, it is difficult to manage it appropriately, and consequently it is also difficult to ultimately attain the value of the information. By providing afar clearer and holistic picture of the factors affecting the value of information, coupled with many important new insights about the management of information, the results of this study should help to ensure that organisations can fully realise the value of their strategic information resources.

No description available.

過去的管制相繼解除，再加上充分運作的市場機能，活絡的金融市場，以及近兩年來美金持續貶值，這使得近年來股票、債券，及其他衍生性金融商品在國內、外金融市場蓬勃發展，企業可運用的資金管道及避險工具也更多元化。風險控管已不容忽視，企業決策者如何在風險與報酬中作出適當的取捨，有賴風險的衡量與管理之精確性。 國際清算銀行的巴塞爾銀行監理委員會於1994年7月提出「衍生性金融商品操作與財務風險管理」中，允許金融機構採用風險值(VaR)來衡量所暴露的市場風險。在2004年6月定案之新版巴塞爾協定依舊強調其衡量所暴露市場風險的重要性，以協助投資管理人員、金融機構的專業經理人、及監理機關，對風險控管之衡量。 本文目的在強調投資管理人員及金融機構的專業經理人及財報使用者對風險控管之認知,故本論文以台灣投資人的角度求算VaR，以作為資產配置評估的風險衡量之方法。並應用夏普法則以供決策之制定，它可使決策者在不同預期風險中選擇一適當決策，稱之為VaR夏普法則。在低度相關係數情況下，得以達到分散風險之正面效果。 最後，並引入遠期外匯契約作為規避匯率風險的工具，直接利用遠期契約最適避險策略來規避匯率風險，利用最適避險策略觀察其對各組國家配對的投資組合報酬與風險的影響。以風險值的角度，觀察在不同的國家配對組合中，並考量經濟情勢及貨幣走勢，避險策略確實對於國際投資組合報酬率有正面之影響。依本論文實證結果，由於報酬與風險兩者具有抵換關係，建議投資管理人員及財報使用者除了強調報酬之績效衡量外，同時應重視風險之管理，以降低風險及避免報酬巨幅的波動。

iv, 124 leaves ; 31 cm. / Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Pure Mathematics, 1977

x, 97 leaves : ill., reprint / Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Mathematics, 1972

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Oregon State University, 1989. / Typescript (photocopy). Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the World Wide Web.