Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Scale free analysis'

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Physics, 2006.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 45-47).
Magnetic holes are isolated intervals of depleted interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) strength on timescales of several seconds to several hours. These intervals have been seen as often as several times per day in the ecliptic and at high heliospheric latitudes from 1 AU to 5.4 AU. We present a scale-free statistical technique for identifying magnetic holes and evaluating their significance relative to turbulent fluctuations in the solar wind. We apply this technique in a comprehensive search for magnetic holes in the Wind and ACE magnetometer data streams through 2004. Using magnetic field and ion measurements on the Wind spacecraft, we present the first statistical study of magnetic hole plasma signatures on the kinetic scale and we present a comparison of magnetic holes as kinetic and microscale phenomena. Magnetic holes are shown to be pressure-balanced structures with similar properties on all scales. Temperature anisotropy measurements are combined with magnetic field measurements to give direct evidence that the mirror-mode instability in the solar wind is a likely source of magnetic holes. Two-satellite correlations between ACE and Wind indicate that magnetic holes are stationary with respect to the solar wind and elongated along the IMF.
by M.L. Stevens.
S.M.

2006/2007
Coupled biological and chemical systems, neural networks, social interacting species, the Internet and the World Wide Web are only a few examples of Small World and Scale-free complex networks, i.e. systems composed by a large number of highly interconnected dynamical units. During the last ten years these kinds of systems have been the subject of many studies related to comprehend their common structural properties and their dynamics. Small World and Scale-free networks are supposed to be very stable and robust structures in case of failures or deliberate attacks on the system. Moreover, due to their well-known properties, they allow to model several real networks in order to find the key elements for a complete and efficient communication activity between nodes. This thesis introduced a new mathematical tool developed by the author called Time=net.work. The latter has got the purpose to extend the above mentioned complex networks theories to transportation systems under a new time-related point of view. Analysis have been taken firstly on Berlin Transportation Network and then to several other test cases. The relative results help in finding statistical properties about the connectivity and the structure of such system both topologically and considering the travel time and the frequency of the scheduled services. This is a new approach on robustness of transportation networks which allows to find which and how many nodes have to assurance their functionality in order to provide a desired Level of Service in case of failures or deliberate attacks.
I sistemi biologici e chimici, le interazioni ed i rapporti sociali, Internet e il World Wide Web sono soltanto alcuni esempi dei cosiddetti sistemi complessi Small World e Scale-free; essi sono particolari strutture di rete composte da un gran numero di unità interconnesse tra loro che scambiano informazioni dinamicamente ed evolvendosi nel tempo. Negli ultimi dieci anni questi particolari sistemi fisici sono stati oggetto di numerosi studi tesi a determinare le proprietà comuni a diversi tipi di rete e le loro dinamiche. Le reti Small World e Scale-free ad esempio, sono state analizzate per la loro stabilità e resistenza in caso di avarie o di attacchi mirati verso particolari elementi del sistema. Grazie alle loro proprietà tali sistemi consentono di modellizzare diversi tipi di reti reali al fine di determinare gli elementi chiave necessari a garantire la più completa efficienza nelle comunicazioni tra i nodi. Questa tesi presenta un nuovo strumento matematico sviluppato dall'autore denominato Time=net.work. Quest'ultimo ha l'obiettivo di estendere le teorie che contraddistinguono i sistemi complessi a reti di trasporto in funzione di caratteristiche temporali. Le analisi hanno riguardato la rete di trasporto pubblico di Berlino ed altri casi di studio. I relativi risultati consentono di ricavare numerose proprietà statistiche riguardo la connettività e le proprietà strutturali di tali sistemi, sia da un punto di vista topologico che da quello legato ai tempi di percorrenza ed alla frequenza dei servizi. Si tratta di un nuovo approccio alla resistenza delle reti di trasporto che permette di ricavare quali e quanti elementi della rete devono garantire il loro completo funzionamento al fine di provvedere un desiderato Livello di Servizio in caso di avarie o di attacchi deliberati al sistema.
XX Ciclo
1977

The scale-bound view of landsurfaces, being an assemblage of certain landforms, occurring within limited scale ranges, has been challenged by the scale-free characteristics of fractal geometry. This thesis assesses the fractal model by examining the irregularity of landsurface form, for the self-affine behaviour present in fractional Brownian surfaces. Different methods for detecting self-affine behaviour in surfaces are considered and of these the variogram technique is shown to be the most effective. It produces the best results of two methods tested on simulated surfaces, with known fractal properties. The algorithm used has been adapted to consider log (altitude variance) over a sample of log (distances) for: complete surfaces; subareas within surfaces; separate directions within surfaces. Twenty seven digital elevation models of landsurfaces arc re-examined for self- affine behaviour. The variogram results for complete surfaces show that none of these are self-affine over the scale range considered. This is because of dominant slope lengths and regular valley, spacing within areas. For similar reasons subarea analysis produces the non-fractal behaviour of markedly different variograms for separate subareas. The linearity of landforms in many areas, is detected by the variograms for separate directions. This indicates that the roughness of landsurfaces is anisotropic, unlike that of fractal surfaces. Because of difficulties in extracting particular landforms from their landsurfaces, no clear links between fractal behaviour, and landform size distribution could be established. A comparative study shows the geomorphometric parameters of fractal surfaces to vary with fractal dimension, while the geomorphometry of landsurfaces varies with the landforms present. Fractal dimensions estimated from landsurfaces do not correlate with geomorphometric parameters. From the results of this study, real landsurfaces would not appear to be scale- free. Therefore, a scale-bound approach towards landsurfaces would seem to be more appropriate to geomorphology than the fractal alternative.

To meet the requirements of miniaturization and multifunction in microelectronics, understanding of their reliability and performance has become an important research subject in order to characterise electronics served under various loadings. Along with the demands of the increasing miniaturization of electronic devices, various properties and the relevant thermo-mechanical-electrical response of the lead-free solder joints to thermal cycling and electro-migration become the critical factors, which affect the service life of microelectronics in different applications. However, due to the size and structure of solder interconnects in microelectronics, traditional methods based on experiments are not applicable in the evaluation of their reliability under complex joint loadings. This thesis presents an investigation, which is based on finite-element method, into the performance of lead-free solder interconnects under thermal fatigue and electro-migration, specifically in the areas as follows: (1) the investigation of thermal-mechanical performance and fatigue-life prediction of flip-chip package under different sizes to achieve a further understanding of IMC layer and size effects of a flip chip package under thermal cycling; (2) the establishment of a numerical method, simulating void-formation/crack-propagation based on the results of finite-element analysis, to allow the prediction of crack evolution and failure time for electro-migration reliability of solder bumps; (3) the establishment of a flow-based algorithm for combination effects of thermal-mechanical and electro-migration that was subsequent implemented in to an FE model to evaluate the reliability assessment of service lives associated with a flip chip package.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2004.
Title from first page of PDF file. Document formatted into pages; contains xvi, 162 p.; also includes graphics (some col.). Includes abstract and vita. Advisor: Somnath Ghosh, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering. Includes bibliographical references (p. 155-162).

This thesis examines the urban morphology of fifty cities using spatial syntax analysis. The analysis compares the urban street networks of European, USA, Islamic and East Asian cities. Street connectivity was the main metric and natural roads were the basis for the analysis. The aim of the study was to analyze determine how sensitive space syntax methods are for uncovering the hierarchical patterns of urban street networks and examining their scale-free and small-world properties. Street data was collected from OpenStreetMap. ArcGIS 10 with the Axwoman extension was used to study the hierarchical levels of street networks. Matlab provided the platform to examine the scale-free property of street data. Pajek software was used to measure the small-world behavior. Based on the hierarchical representation, the fifty sample cities were classified into different groups and their scale-free and small-world properties were studied. From a traditionally morphological perspective, it was found that some cities in Europe have a close-knit cellular and organic urban morphology. Cities in the USA exhibit gridiron patterns on the whole. Some Islamic cities have special urban structure with houses grouped around the cul-de-sac lanes. Several of the East Asian cities studied also have grid forms. According to the space syntax analysis, urban street networks that have a connectivity value greater than the average value were less than 40%. The results showed that for most cities, the street connectivity distribution follows a power-law distribution and exhibits scale-free properties. Urban street networks of all sample cities were found to have a small-world property. Space syntax cannot detect all of the morphological patterns recognized in traditional morphological studies. The method can, however, efficiently quantify the spatial configuration of a large sample. Space syntax’s topological and scaling metrics thus provide a way to compare urban street networks. These metrics can thus help classify cities according to their street patterns but also contribute to an understanding of human behavior within and thus the design of urban spaces. For example, an urban street network with a small-world property could have high efficiency for traffic flows at local and global levels and should be considered in further study.

Recently, there has been much interest in the resilience of complex networks to random failures and intentional attacks. The study of the network robustness is particularly important by several occasions. In one hand a higher degree of robustness to errors and attacks may be desired for maintaining the information flow in communication networks under attacks. On the other hand planning a very limited attack aimed at fragmenting a network by removal of minimum number of the most important nodes might have significant usage in drug design. Many real world networks were found to display scale free topology including WWW, the internet, social networks or regulatory gene and protein networks. In the recent studies it was shown that while these networks have a surprising error tolerance, their scale-free topology makes them fragile under intentional attack, leaving the scientists a challenge on how to improve the networks robustness against attacks. In this thesis, we studied the protein domain co-occurrence network of yeast which displays scale free topology generated with data from Biomart which links to Pfam database. Several networks obtained from protein domain co-occurrence network having exactly the same connectivity distribution were compared under attacks to investigate the assumption that the different networks with the same connectivity distribution do not need to have the same attack tolerances. In addition to this, we considered that the networks with the same connectivity distribution have higher attack tolerance as we organize the same resources in a better way. Then, we checked for the variations of attack tolerance of the networks with the same connectiviy distributions. Furthermore, we investigated whether there is an evolutionary mechanism for having networks with higher or lower attack tolerances for the same connectivity distribution. As a result of these investigations, the different networks with the same connectivity distribution do not have the same attack tolerances under attack. In addition to this, it was observed that the networks with the same connectivity distribution have higher attack tolerances as organizing the same resources in a better way which implies that there is an evolutionary mechanism for having networks with higher attack tolerance for the same connectivity distribution.

Network growing mechanisms are used to construct random networks that have structural behaviors similar to existing networks such as genetic networks, in efforts of understanding the evolution of complex topologies. Popular mechanisms, such as preferential attachment, are capable of preserving network features such as the degree distribution. However, little is known about such randomly grown structures regarding robustness to disturbances (e.g., edge deletions). Moreover, preferential attachment does not target optimizing the network's functionality, such as information flow. Here, we consider a network to be optimal if it's natural functionality is relatively high in addition to possessing some degree of robustness to disturbances. Specifically, a robust network would continue to (1) transmit information, (2) preserve it's connectivity and (3) preserve internal clusters post failures. In efforts to pinpoint features that would possibly replace or collaborate with the degree of a node as criteria for preferential attachment, we present a case study on both; undirected and directed networks. For undirected networks, we make a case study on wireless sensor networks in which we outline a strategy using Support Vector Regression. For Directed networks, we formulate an Integer Linear Program to gauge the exact transcriptional regulatory network optimal structures, from there on we can identify variations in structural features post optimization.

Quando la probabilità di misurare un particolare valore di una certa quantità varia inversamente come potenza di tale valore, il quantitativo è detto come seguente una power-law, conosciuta anche come legge di Zipf o distribuzione di Pareto. Obiettivo di questa tesi sarà principalmente quello di verificare se il campione esteso di imprese segue la power-law (e se sì, in che limiti). A tale fine si configureranno i dati in un formato di rete monomodale, della quale si studieranno alcune macro-proprietà di struttura a livllo complessivo e con riferimento alle componenti (i singoli subnet distinti) di maggior dimensione. Successivamente si compiranno alcuni approfondimenti sulla struttura fine di alcuni subnet, essenzialmente rivolti ad evidenziare la potenza di unapproccio network-based, anche al fine di rivelare rilevanti proprietà nascoste del sistema economico soggiacente, sempre, ovviamente, nei limiti della modellizzazione adottata. In sintesi, ciò che questo lavoro intende ottenere è lo sviluppo di un approccio alternativo al trattamento dei big data a componente relazionale intrinseca (in questo caso le partecipazioni di capitale), verso la loro conversione in "big knowledge": da un insieme di dati cognitivamente inaccessibili, attraverso la strutturazione dell'informazione in modalità di rete, giungere ad una conoscenza sufficientemente chiara e giustificata.

This thesis is in the field of non-linear partial differential equations (PDE), focusing on problems which show some type of phase-transition. A single phase Hele-Shaw flow models a Newtoninan fluid which is being injected in the space between two narrowly separated parallel planes. The time evolution of the space that the fluid occupies can be modelled by a semi-linear PDE. This is a problem within the field of free boundary problems. In the multi-phase problem we consider the time-evolution of a system of phases which interact according to the principle that the joint boundary which emerges when two phases meet is fixed for all future times. The problem is handled by introducing a parameterized equation which is regularized and penalized. The penalization is non-local in time and tracks the history of the system, penalizing the joint support of two different phases in space-time. The main result in the first paper is the existence theory of a weak solution to the parameterized equations in a Bochner space using the implicit function theorem. The family of solutions to the parameterized problem is uniformly bounded allowing us to extract a weakly convergent subsequence for the case when the penalization tends to infinity. The second problem deals with a parameterized highly oscillatory quasi-linear elliptic equation in divergence form. As the regularization parameter tends to zero the equation gets a jump in the conductivity which occur at the level set of a locally periodic function, the obstacle. As the oscillations in the problem data increases the solution to the equation experiences high frequency jumps in the conductivity, resulting in the corresponding solutions showing an effective global behaviour. The global behavior is related to the so called homogenized solution. We show that the parameterized equation has a weak solution in a Sobolev space and derive bounds on the solutions used in the analysis for the case when the regularization is lost. Surprisingly, the limiting problem in this case includes an extra term describing the interaction between the solution and the obstacle, not appearing in the case when obstacle is the zero level-set. The oscillatory nature of the problem makes standard numerical algorithms computationally expensive, since the global domain needs to be resolved on the micro scale. We develop a multi scale method for this problem based on the heterogeneous multiscale method (HMM) framework and using a finite element (FE) approach to capture the macroscopic variations of the solutions at a significantly lower cost. We numerically investigate the effect of the obstacle on the homogenized solution, finding empirical proof that certain choices of obstacles make the limiting problem have a form structurally different from that of the parameterized problem.

QC 20180222

Complex networks have been studied extensively due to their relevance to many real-world systems such as the world-wide web, the internet, biological and social systems. During the past two decades, studies of such networks in different fields have produced many significant results concerning their structures, topological properties, and dynamics. Three well-known properties of complex networks are scale-free degree distribution, small-world effect and self-similarity. The search for additional meaningful properties and the relationships among these properties is an active area of current research. This thesis investigates a newer aspect of complex networks, namely their multifractality, which is an extension of the concept of selfsimilarity. The first part of the thesis aims to confirm that the study of properties of complex networks can be expanded to a wider field including more complex weighted networks. Those real networks that have been shown to possess the self-similarity property in the existing literature are all unweighted networks. We use the proteinprotein interaction (PPI) networks as a key example to show that their weighted networks inherit the self-similarity from the original unweighted networks. Firstly, we confirm that the random sequential box-covering algorithm is an effective tool to compute the fractal dimension of complex networks. This is demonstrated on the Homo sapiens and E. coli PPI networks as well as their skeletons. Our results verify that the fractal dimension of the skeleton is smaller than that of the original network due to the shortest distance between nodes is larger in the skeleton, hence for a fixed box-size more boxes will be needed to cover the skeleton. Then we adopt the iterative scoring method to generate weighted PPI networks of five species, namely Homo sapiens, E. coli, yeast, C. elegans and Arabidopsis Thaliana. By using the random sequential box-covering algorithm, we calculate the fractal dimensions for both the original unweighted PPI networks and the generated weighted networks. The results show that self-similarity is still present in generated weighted PPI networks. This implication will be useful for our treatment of the networks in the third part of the thesis. The second part of the thesis aims to explore the multifractal behavior of different complex networks. Fractals such as the Cantor set, the Koch curve and the Sierspinski gasket are homogeneous since these fractals consist of a geometrical figure which repeats on an ever-reduced scale. Fractal analysis is a useful method for their study. However, real-world fractals are not homogeneous; there is rarely an identical motif repeated on all scales. Their singularity may vary on different subsets; implying that these objects are multifractal. Multifractal analysis is a useful way to systematically characterize the spatial heterogeneity of both theoretical and experimental fractal patterns. However, the tools for multifractal analysis of objects in Euclidean space are not suitable for complex networks. In this thesis, we propose a new box covering algorithm for multifractal analysis of complex networks. This algorithm is demonstrated in the computation of the generalized fractal dimensions of some theoretical networks, namely scale-free networks, small-world networks, random networks, and a kind of real networks, namely PPI networks of different species. Our main finding is the existence of multifractality in scale-free networks and PPI networks, while the multifractal behaviour is not confirmed for small-world networks and random networks. As another application, we generate gene interactions networks for patients and healthy people using the correlation coefficients between microarrays of different genes. Our results confirm the existence of multifractality in gene interactions networks. This multifractal analysis then provides a potentially useful tool for gene clustering and identification. The third part of the thesis aims to investigate the topological properties of networks constructed from time series. Characterizing complicated dynamics from time series is a fundamental problem of continuing interest in a wide variety of fields. Recent works indicate that complex network theory can be a powerful tool to analyse time series. Many existing methods for transforming time series into complex networks share a common feature: they define the connectivity of a complex network by the mutual proximity of different parts (e.g., individual states, state vectors, or cycles) of a single trajectory. In this thesis, we propose a new method to construct networks of time series: we define nodes by vectors of a certain length in the time series, and weight of edges between any two nodes by the Euclidean distance between the corresponding two vectors. We apply this method to build networks for fractional Brownian motions, whose long-range dependence is characterised by their Hurst exponent. We verify the validity of this method by showing that time series with stronger correlation, hence larger Hurst exponent, tend to have smaller fractal dimension, hence smoother sample paths. We then construct networks via the technique of horizontal visibility graph (HVG), which has been widely used recently. We confirm a known linear relationship between the Hurst exponent of fractional Brownian motion and the fractal dimension of the corresponding HVG network. In the first application, we apply our newly developed box-covering algorithm to calculate the generalized fractal dimensions of the HVG networks of fractional Brownian motions as well as those for binomial cascades and five bacterial genomes. The results confirm the monoscaling of fractional Brownian motion and the multifractality of the rest. As an additional application, we discuss the resilience of networks constructed from time series via two different approaches: visibility graph and horizontal visibility graph. Our finding is that the degree distribution of VG networks of fractional Brownian motions is scale-free (i.e., having a power law) meaning that one needs to destroy a large percentage of nodes before the network collapses into isolated parts; while for HVG networks of fractional Brownian motions, the degree distribution has exponential tails, implying that HVG networks would not survive the same kind of attack.

The puzzle known as tangram was the inspiration behind this composition. Just as the seven pieces of the tangram create shapes, seven contrasting musical fragments appear as thematic materials from which to draw sonic imagery. Sapphic Fragments for two sopranos This composition was constructed from “broken” materials - an analogy for Sappho's dismembered poem. These broken materials were arranged in a pointillistic manner. I drew inspiration from M.C. Escher's works to vary thematic fragments of this work. M.O.N.T.A.G.E. for flute, clarinet, violin and cello This work was influenced by the video work, Wantee, by artist, Laure Prouvost. The title, M.O.N.T.A.G.E., is an acrostic, using words that show intimate relations with my composition: Multicolour, Oscillation, Numbers, Television, the Artist, Gleam, Etc. Once Emerged from the Grey of Night for flute, clarinet, horn, violin, viola and cello This sextet consists of numerous fragments with various colours and textures, forming a musical collage. A picture-poem by Paul Klee offered the starting point for this work. Scale-Free Spaces for flute, guitar, viola and cello I drew compositional ideas from the video installation, Irreversible, by artist Norimichi Hirakawa. This quartet was composed of brief fragments of dots, lines and movements. Various fragments were structured in forms of both simplicity and complexity. For the latter, ideas were drawn from the study in randomness, ‘Scale-Free Network’. String Quartet no. 3 This composition consists of four movements. In the first and third movements, the sound of rain drops and images of light through stained glass are explored. The second and fourth movements effect a structural metamorphoses of musical elements. I drew inspiration from Kafka's novella The Metamorphosis. A Thousand Plateaux for orchestra In this orchestral work, a variety of images of both plateaux and movements were invoked. The work was inspired by both the book, A Thousand Plateaux by Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari, and the Alhambra palace in Granada, Spain.

Ce travail traite de l’atomisation des structures ligamentaires. Cette étude est focalisée sur les ligaments produits par des jets libres de solutions viscoélastiques diluées. La description multi-échelles est utilisée pour étudier les dynamiques d’amincissement de ces ligaments. La description multi-échelles d’un système liquide est initialement présentée : elle décrit le système à travers sa distribution d’échelles. Cette description est appliquée à des ensembles théoriques ainsi qu’à des systèmes modélisant les ligaments étudiés, améliorant la compréhension de cet outil de description. De nouvelles méthodes sont utilisées pour mesurer les distributions d’échelles : méthode de segmentation d’images sub-pixels et méthode de Monte-Carlo. Leur combinaison apporte une amélioration notable aux petites échelles et permettent une mesure des distributions d’échelles 3D. Ce résultat incite à revisiter les études antérieures où la description multi-échelles a été utilisée. A notre connaissance, c’est la première fois qu’une étude sur les jets libres de solutions viscoélastiques diluées est réalisée de manière statistique. L’influence de trois paramètres est étudiée : la concentration en polymère de la solution, les dimensions de la buse d’injection et le débit d’injection. Basé sur les résultats donnés par la description multi-échelles, un protocole d’identification des régimes d’amincissement des ligaments est présenté. Les caractéristiques de ces régimes sont mesurées, en particulier le temps de relaxation de la solution. Les temps mesurés sont compris entre 24 μs et 6,3 ms, ce qui est en accord avec les temps de relaxation mesurés dans la littérature pour les jets. L’approche multi-échelles confirme ici sa pertinence pour l’étude des processus d’atomisation. Les temps de relaxation mesurés présentent une forte corrélation vis-à-vis du taux de déformation subit par la solution durant l’injection. Ce résultat indique que la solution a subi une dégradation mécanique. Il convient de tenir compte de l’étape d’injection lorsque l’on souhaite atomiser de telles solutions viscoélastiques diluées
This work concern the atomization of ligament structures. This study focuses on ligaments produced by free jets of dilute viscoelastic solutions. The multi-scale description is used to study the thinning dynamics of these ligaments. The multi-scale description of a liquid system is initially presented: it describes the system through its scale distribution. This description is applied to theoretical systems as well as to systems modelling the ligaments studied, improving the understanding of this description tool. New methods are used to measure the scale distributions: sub-pixel image segmentation method and Monte-Carlo method. Their combination provides a significant improvement at small scales and allows a measurement of 3D scale distributions. This result prompts us to revisit previous studies where the multi-scale description was used. To our knowledge, this is the first time that a study on free jets of dilute viscoelastic solutions has been carried out statistically. The influence of three parameters is studied: the polymer concentration of the solution, the dimensions of the injection nozzle and the injection flow rate. Based on the results of the multi-scale description, a protocol for identifying ligament thinning regimes is presented. The characteristics of these regimes are measured, in particular the relaxation time of the solution. The measured times are between 24 μs and 6.3 ms, which is in accordance with the relaxation times measured in the literature for jets. The multi-scale approach here confirms its relevance for the study of atomization processes. The measured relaxation times show a strong correlation with the deformation rate of the solution during injection. This result indicates that the solution has undergone mechanical degradation. The injection step should be taken into account when atomizing such dilute viscoelastic solutions

The analysis of Human brain activity in magnetoencephalography (MEG) can be generally conducted in two ways: either by focusing on the average response evoked by a stimulus repeated over time, more commonly known as an ''event-related field'' (ERF), or by decomposing the signal into functionally relevant oscillatory or frequency bands (such as alpha, beta or gamma). However, the major part of brain activity is arrhythmic and these approaches fail in describing its complexity, particularly in resting-state. As an alternative, the analysis of the 1/f-type power spectrum observed in the very low frequencies, a hallmark of scale-free dynamics, can overcome these issues. Yet it remains unclear whether this scale-free property is functionally relevant and whether its fluctuations matter for behavior. To address this question, our first concern was to establish a visual learning paradigm that would entail functional plasticity during an MEG session. In order to optimize the training effects, we developed new audiovisual (AV) stimuli (an acoustic texture paired with a colored visual motion) that induced multisensory integration and indeed improved learning compared to visual training solely (V) or accompanied with acoustic noise (AVn). This led us to investigate the neural correlates of these three types of training using first a classical method such as the ERF analysis. After source reconstruction on each individual cortical surface using MNE-dSPM, the network involved in the task was identified at the group-level. The selective plasticity observed in the human motion area (hMT+) correlated across all individuals with the behavioral improvement and was supported by a larger network in AV comprising multisensory areas. On the basis of these findings, we further explored the links between the behavior and scale-free properties of these same source-reconstructed MEG signals. Although most studies restricted their analysis to the global measure of self-similarity (i.e. long-range fluctuations), we also considered local fluctuations (i.e. multifractality) by using the Wavelet Leader Based Multifractal Formalism (WLBMF). We found intertwined modulations of self-similarity and multifractality in the same cortical regions as those revealed by the ERF analysis. Most astonishing, the degree of multifractality observed in each individual converged during the training towards a single attractor that reflected the asymptotic behavioral performance in hMT+. Finally, these findings and their associated methodological issues are compared with the ones that came out from the ERF analysis.

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In this work a study of social networks based on analysis of family names is presented. A basic approach to the mathematical formalism of graphs is developed and then main theoretical models for complex networks are presented aiming to support the analysis of surnames networks models. These, in turn, are worked so as to be drawn leading quantities, such as aggregation coefficient, minimum average path length and connectivity distribution. Based on these quantities, it can be stated that surnames networks are an example of complex network, showing important features such as preferential attachment and small-world character
Neste trabalho ? apresentado um estudo das redes sociais baseado na an?lise dos nomes de fam?lias. Faz-se uma abordagem b?sica do formalismo matem?tico dos grafos e em seguida apresenta-se os principais modelos te?ricos para as Redes Complexas com o objetivo de fundamentar a an?lise das redes dos sobrenomes. Estas, por sua vez, s?o trabalhadas de modo a serem extra?das as principais grandezas, tais como coe ciente de agrega??o, menor caminho m?dio e distribui??o de conectividades. Com base nestas grandezas, pode-se a rmar que as redes de sobrenomes s?o um exemplo de rede complexa, exibindo caracter?sticas importantes como liga??o preferencial e o car?ter de mundo pequeno.

There is an increase in the prevalence of obesity among people with schizophrenia thought to be due in part to the weight enhancing side-effects of medications commonly used to treat the symptoms of schizophrenia. Despite the deleterious health effects associated with obesity and its impact on quality of life and medication compliance, little is known about body composition and energy expenditure in this clinical group. The primary purpose of this thesis was to enhance understanding of body composition and energy expenditure, particularly resting energy expenditure in men with schizophrenia who take atypical antipsychotic medications. Unique to this investigation is the evaluation of clinical tools used to predict body composition and energy expenditure against reference methodologies in men with schizophrenia. Further, given the known links between obesity and physical activity, an additional but less comprehensive component of the thesis was a consideration of total and activity energy expenditure in addition to the interaction between psychiatric symptoms, side-effects of antipsychotic medications and physical activity also occurred as part of this thesis. Collectively, the goals of this thesis were addressed through a series of studies – the first two studies were related to the measurement and characteristics of body composition in men with schizophrenia, while the third and fourth studies were related to the measurement and characteristics of resting energy expenditure in men with schizophrenia. The fifth and sixth studies the utilised doubly labelled water technique to quantify activity and total energy expenditure in a small group of men with schizophrenia and explored the use of accelerometry in this cohort. The final study briefly considered the impact of psychiatric symptoms and self-reported medication side-effects on objectively measured physical activity. In the first study, thirty-one male adults previously diagnosed with schizophrenia and sixteen healthy male controls were recruited. Estimates of body composition derived from an anthropometry-based equation and from bioelectric impedance analysis (BIA) using deuterium dilution as the reference methodology to determine total body water were compared. The study also determined the validity of equations commonly used to predict body composition from BIA in the men with schizophrenia. A further aim was to determine the superiority of either BIA or body mass index (BMI) as an indicator of obesity in this cohort. The inclusion of the control group, closely matched for age, body size and body composition demonstrated that there was no difference in the ability of body composition prediction methods to distinguish between fat and fat-free mass (FFM) in controls and men with schizophrenia when both groups had similar body composition. However this study indicated that an anthropometry-based equation previously used in people with schizophrenia was a poor predictor of body composition in this cohort, as evidenced by wide limits of agreement (25%) and systematic variation of the bias. In comparison, the best predictor of percentage body fat (%BF) in this group was gained when impedance values were used to predict percentage body fat via the equation published by Lukaski et al (1986). Although percentage body fat was underpredicted using the Lukaski et al. (1986) equation, the mean magnitude was relatively small (1.3%), with the limits of agreement approximately 13%. Linear regression analysis revealed that %BF predicted using the Lukaski et al. (1986) equation explained 25% more of the variance in percentage body fat than BMI. Further, this study also indicated that BIA was more sensitive than BMI in distinguishing between overweight and obesity in this cohort of men with schizophrenia. Because of the almost exclusive use of BMI as an indicator of obesity in people with schizophrenia, the level of excess body fat may be in excess of that previously indicated. The second study extended the examination of body composition in men with schizophrenia. In this study, the thirty-one participants with schizophrenia (age, 34.2 ± 5.7 years; BMI, 30.2 ± 5.7 kg/m2) were individually matched with sedentary controls by age, weight and BMI. Deuterium dilution was used to distinguish between FFM and fat mass. The previous study had indicated that while BIA was a suitable group measure for obesity, on an individual level the technique lacked the precision required for investigating body composition in men with schizophrenia. Waist circumference was used as an indicator of body fat distribution. The findings of this study indicated that in comparison with healthy sedentary controls of similar body size and age, men with schizophrenia had higher levels of body fat which was more centrally distributed. Percentage body fat was on average 4% higher and waist circumference, on average 5 cm greater in men with schizophrenia than the sedentary controls of the same age and BMI. Further, this study indicates that the use of BMI to predict body fat in men with schizophrenia will result in greater bias than when it is used to predict body fat in other sedentary men. Commonly used regression equations to predict energy requirements at rest are based on the relationships between weight and resting energy expenditure (REE) and in such equations, weight acts as a surrogate measure of FFM. The objectives of study three were to measure REE in a small group of men with schizophrenia who were taking the antipsychotic medication clozapine and to determine whether REE can be predicted with sufficient accuracy to substitute for the measurement of REE in the clinical and/or research settings. Body composition was determined using deuterium dilution and REE was measured using a Deltatrac Metabolic Cart via a ventilated hood. The male participants, (aged 28.0 ± 6.7 yrs, BMI 29.8 ± 6.8 kg/m2) were weight stable at the time of the study and had been taking clozapine for 20.5 ± 12.8 months, with doses of 450 ± 140 mg/day. Of the six prediction equations evaluated, the equation of Mifflin et al. (1990) with no systematic bias, the lowest bias and the lowest limits of agreement proved to be the most suitable equation to predict REE in this cohort. The overestimation of REE can be corrected for by deducting 160 kcal/day from the predicted REE value when using the Mifflin et al. (1990) equations. However, the magnitude of the error associated with the prediction of REE for an individual is 370 kcal/day. The findings of this study indicate that REE cannot be predicted with sufficient individual accuracy in men with schizophrenia, therefore it was necessary to measure rather than predict REE in subsequent studies. In the fourth study, indirect calorimetry (Deltatrac Metabolic Cart via ventilated hood) and deuterium dilution were used to accurately determine REE, respiratory quotient (RQ) and FFM in 31 men with schizophrenia and healthy sedentary controls individually matched for age and BMI. Data from this study indicated that gross REE was lower in men with schizophrenia than in healthy sedentary controls of a similar age and body size. However, there was no difference between the groups in REE when REE was adjusted for FFM using the mathematically correct method (analysis of covariance with FFM as the covariate). There was however a statistically and clinically significant difference in resting, fasted RQ between men with schizophrenia and controls, suggesting that RQ rather than REE may be an important correlate worthy of further investigation in men with schizophrenia who take antipsychotic medications. Studies five and six involved the application of the doubly labelled water (DLW) technique to accurately determine total energy expenditure (TEE) and activity energy expenditure (AEE) in a small group of men with schizophrenia who had been taking the atypical antipsychotic medication clozapine. The participants were those who took part in study three. The purpose of these studies was to assess the validity of a commercially available tri-axial accelerometer (RT3) for predicting free-living AEE and to investigate TEE and AEE in men with schizophrenia. There was poor agreement between AEE measured using DLW and AEE predicted using the RT3. However, using the RT3 to measure inactivity explained over two-thirds of the variance in AEE. This study found that the relationship between current AEE per kilogram of body weight and change from baseline weight in men taking clozapine was strong although not significant. The sedentary nature of the group of participants in this study was reflected in physical activity levels, (PAL, 1.39 ± 0.27), AEE (435 ±352 kcal/day) and TEE (2511 ± 606 kcal/day) that fell well short of values recommended by WHO (2000) for optimal health and to prevent weight gain. Given the increasing recognition of the importance of sedentary behaviour to weight gain in the general community, further examination of the unique contributing factors such as medication side effects and symptoms of mental illness to activity levels in this clinical group is warranted. The final study used accelerometry (RT3) to objectively measure activity in a group of 31 men with schizophrenia who had been taking atypical antipsychotic medications for more than four months. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationships between psychiatric symptomatology, side-effects of medication and physical activity. Accelerometry output was analysed to provide a measure of inactivity and moderate intensity activity (MIA). The well-validated and reliable standardised clinical interview, the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) was used as a measure of psychiatric symptoms. Perceived side-effects of medication were assessed using the Liverpool University Neuroleptic Rating Side-Effects Scale (LUNSER). Surprisingly, there was no relationship reported between any measures of negative symptoms and physical inactivity. However, self-reported measures of medication side-effects relating to fatigue, sleepiness during the day and extrapyramidal symptoms explained 40% of the variance in inactivity. This study found significant relationships between some negative symptoms and moderate intensity activity. Despite the expectation that as symptoms of mental illness reduce, inactivity may diminish and moderate intensity activity will increase, it may not be surprising that in practice this is an overly simplistic view. It may be that measures of social functioning and possibly therefore cognition may be better predictors of physical activity than psychiatric symptomatology per se.

There is an increase in the prevalence of obesity among people with schizophrenia thought to be due in part to the weight enhancing side-effects of medications commonly used to treat the symptoms of schizophrenia. Despite the deleterious health effects associated with obesity and its impact on quality of life and medication compliance, little is known about body composition and energy expenditure in this clinical group. The primary purpose of this thesis was to enhance understanding of body composition and energy expenditure, particularly resting energy expenditure in men with schizophrenia who take atypical antipsychotic medications. Unique to this investigation is the evaluation of clinical tools used to predict body composition and energy expenditure against reference methodologies in men with schizophrenia. Further, given the known links between obesity and physical activity, an additional but less comprehensive component of the thesis was a consideration of total and activity energy expenditure in addition to the interaction between psychiatric symptoms, side-effects of antipsychotic medications and physical activity also occurred as part of this thesis. Collectively, the goals of this thesis were addressed through a series of studies – the first two studies were related to the measurement and characteristics of body composition in men with schizophrenia, while the third and fourth studies were related to the measurement and characteristics of resting energy expenditure in men with schizophrenia. The fifth and sixth studies the utilised doubly labelled water technique to quantify activity and total energy expenditure in a small group of men with schizophrenia and explored the use of accelerometry in this cohort. The final study briefly considered the impact of psychiatric symptoms and self-reported medication side-effects on objectively measured physical activity. In the first study, thirty-one male adults previously diagnosed with schizophrenia and sixteen healthy male controls were recruited. Estimates of body composition derived from an anthropometry-based equation and from bioelectric impedance analysis (BIA) using deuterium dilution as the reference methodology to determine total body water were compared. The study also determined the validity of equations commonly used to predict body composition from BIA in the men with schizophrenia. A further aim was to determine the superiority of either BIA or body mass index (BMI) as an indicator of obesity in this cohort. The inclusion of the control group, closely matched for age, body size and body composition demonstrated that there was no difference in the ability of body composition prediction methods to distinguish between fat and fat-free mass (FFM) in controls and men with schizophrenia when both groups had similar body composition. However this study indicated that an anthropometry-based equation previously used in people with schizophrenia was a poor predictor of body composition in this cohort, as evidenced by wide limits of agreement (25%) and systematic variation of the bias. In comparison, the best predictor of percentage body fat (%BF) in this group was gained when impedance values were used to predict percentage body fat via the equation published by Lukaski et al (1986). Although percentage body fat was underpredicted using the Lukaski et al. (1986) equation, the mean magnitude was relatively small (1.3%), with the limits of agreement approximately 13%. Linear regression analysis revealed that %BF predicted using the Lukaski et al. (1986) equation explained 25% more of the variance in percentage body fat than BMI. Further, this study also indicated that BIA was more sensitive than BMI in distinguishing between overweight and obesity in this cohort of men with schizophrenia. Because of the almost exclusive use of BMI as an indicator of obesity in people with schizophrenia, the level of excess body fat may be in excess of that previously indicated. The second study extended the examination of body composition in men with schizophrenia. In this study, the thirty-one participants with schizophrenia (age, 34.2 ± 5.7 years; BMI, 30.2 ± 5.7 kg/m2) were individually matched with sedentary controls by age, weight and BMI. Deuterium dilution was used to distinguish between FFM and fat mass. The previous study had indicated that while BIA was a suitable group measure for obesity, on an individual level the technique lacked the precision required for investigating body composition in men with schizophrenia. Waist circumference was used as an indicator of body fat distribution. The findings of this study indicated that in comparison with healthy sedentary controls of similar body size and age, men with schizophrenia had higher levels of body fat which was more centrally distributed. Percentage body fat was on average 4% higher and waist circumference, on average 5 cm greater in men with schizophrenia than the sedentary controls of the same age and BMI. Further, this study indicates that the use of BMI to predict body fat in men with schizophrenia will result in greater bias than when it is used to predict body fat in other sedentary men. Commonly used regression equations to predict energy requirements at rest are based on the relationships between weight and resting energy expenditure (REE) and in such equations, weight acts as a surrogate measure of FFM. The objectives of study three were to measure REE in a small group of men with schizophrenia who were taking the antipsychotic medication clozapine and to determine whether REE can be predicted with sufficient accuracy to substitute for the measurement of REE in the clinical and/or research settings. Body composition was determined using deuterium dilution and REE was measured using a Deltatrac Metabolic Cart via a ventilated hood. The male participants, (aged 28.0 ± 6.7 yrs, BMI 29.8 ± 6.8 kg/m2) were weight stable at the time of the study and had been taking clozapine for 20.5 ± 12.8 months, with doses of 450 ± 140 mg/day. Of the six prediction equations evaluated, the equation of Mifflin et al. (1990) with no systematic bias, the lowest bias and the lowest limits of agreement proved to be the most suitable equation to predict REE in this cohort. The overestimation of REE can be corrected for by deducting 160 kcal/day from the predicted REE value when using the Mifflin et al. (1990) equations. However, the magnitude of the error associated with the prediction of REE for an individual is 370 kcal/day. The findings of this study indicate that REE cannot be predicted with sufficient individual accuracy in men with schizophrenia, therefore it was necessary to measure rather than predict REE in subsequent studies. In the fourth study, indirect calorimetry (Deltatrac Metabolic Cart via ventilated hood) and deuterium dilution were used to accurately determine REE, respiratory quotient (RQ) and FFM in 31 men with schizophrenia and healthy sedentary controls individually matched for age and BMI. Data from this study indicated that gross REE was lower in men with schizophrenia than in healthy sedentary controls of a similar age and body size. However, there was no difference between the groups in REE when REE was adjusted for FFM using the mathematically correct method (analysis of covariance with FFM as the covariate). There was however a statistically and clinically significant difference in resting, fasted RQ between men with schizophrenia and controls, suggesting that RQ rather than REE may be an important correlate worthy of further investigation in men with schizophrenia who take antipsychotic medications. Studies five and six involved the application of the doubly labelled water (DLW) technique to accurately determine total energy expenditure (TEE) and activity energy expenditure (AEE) in a small group of men with schizophrenia who had been taking the atypical antipsychotic medication clozapine. The participants were those who took part in study three. The purpose of these studies was to assess the validity of a commercially available tri-axial accelerometer (RT3) for predicting free-living AEE and to investigate TEE and AEE in men with schizophrenia. There was poor agreement between AEE measured using DLW and AEE predicted using the RT3. However, using the RT3 to measure inactivity explained over two-thirds of the variance in AEE. This study found that the relationship between current AEE per kilogram of body weight and change from baseline weight in men taking clozapine was strong although not significant. The sedentary nature of the group of participants in this study was reflected in physical activity levels, (PAL, 1.39 ± 0.27), AEE (435 ±352 kcal/day) and TEE (2511 ± 606 kcal/day) that fell well short of values recommended by WHO (2000) for optimal health and to prevent weight gain. Given the increasing recognition of the importance of sedentary behaviour to weight gain in the general community, further examination of the unique contributing factors such as medication side effects and symptoms of mental illness to activity levels in this clinical group is warranted. The final study used accelerometry (RT3) to objectively measure activity in a group of 31 men with schizophrenia who had been taking atypical antipsychotic medications for more than four months. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationships between psychiatric symptomatology, side-effects of medication and physical activity. Accelerometry output was analysed to provide a measure of inactivity and moderate intensity activity (MIA). The well-validated and reliable standardised clinical interview, the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) was used as a measure of psychiatric symptoms. Perceived side-effects of medication were assessed using the Liverpool University Neuroleptic Rating Side-Effects Scale (LUNSER). Surprisingly, there was no relationship reported between any measures of negative symptoms and physical inactivity. However, self-reported measures of medication side-effects relating to fatigue, sleepiness during the day and extrapyramidal symptoms explained 40% of the variance in inactivity. This study found significant relationships between some negative symptoms and moderate intensity activity. Despite the expectation that as symptoms of mental illness reduce, inactivity may diminish and moderate intensity activity will increase, it may not be surprising that in practice this is an overly simplistic view. It may be that measures of social functioning and possibly therefore cognition may be better predictors of physical activity than psychiatric symptomatology per se.

La chimiothérapie néoadjuvante (CNA) est utilisée dans les cancers du sein agressifs ou localement avancés (CS). Au delà des bénéfices cliniques, elle représente une opportunité pour monitorer in vivo la sensibilité d’une tumeur à un traitement.A partir de l’analyse de sets de données de patients traités par CNA, nous souhaitons identifier des mécanismes associes à la résistance ou sensibilité au traitement. Dans la première partie, nous avons évalué des paramètres, cliniques, anatomopathologiques et transcriptomiques. Nous avons démontré que des éléments non explorés comme la présence d’embols après CNA revêtaient une information pronostique importante. Dans une 2ème partie, nous avons analysé l’impact de l’infiltrat immunitaire dans le cancer du sein, et avons décrit les changements observés entre des échantillons avant et après CNA. Nous avons montré que l’impact pronostique des TILs était différent avant et après CNA, et était opposé dans les CS triple négatif ou HER2-positif. Finalement, nous avons analysé l’impact des comédications pendant la CNA. Nous avons trouvé des effets positifs – via l’augmentation de l’infiltrat immunitaire et la réponse au traitement – et des effets négatifs avec des effets délétères dans certains sous groupes de patients. En conclusion, la situation néoadjuvante représente une plateforme pour générer et potentiellement valider des hypothèses de recherche. La mise à disposition de jeux de données de patients traités par chimiothérapie néoadjuvante constituerait une ressource majeure pour accélérer la recherche contre le cancer du sein
Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC i.e. chemotherapy before surgery) is increasingly being used for aggressive or locally advanced breast cancer (BCs). Beyond clinical benefits, it represents an opportunity to monitor in vivo sensitivity to treatment. Based on the analysis of datasets of BCs patients treated with NAC, we aimed at identifying mechanisms associated with resistance or sensitivity to treatment.In the first part, we evaluated biological, clinical, pathological and transcriptomic patterns. We demonstrated that unexplored pathological features such as post-NAC lymphovascular invasion may carried an important prognostic information.In a second part, we analyzed impact of imune infiltration in BC and we described extensively the changes of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) between pre and post-NAC samples. We showed that the prognostic impact of TILs was different before and after NAC, and was opposite in TNBC and HER2-positive BCs. Finally, we investigated the impact of comedications use during NAC. We found both positive effects - while enhancing immune infiltration and response to treatment - and negative effects with deleterisous oncologic outcomes in specific patients subgroups. In conclusion, the neoadjuvant setting represents a platform to both generate and potentially validate research hypotheses aiming at increasing the efficacy of treatment. The public release of real-life datasets of BC patients treated with NAC would represent a major resource to accelerate BC research

Children growing up in poor areas with high crime rates are shown to easily get involved in violent actions and criminal gangs. In South Africa, despite considerable efforts to reduce youth delinquency, youth crime rates are still disturbingly high – specifically, in the townships of the Cape Flats. This paper points out an important aspect previously unaddressed by most youth crime prevention: the subconscious roots of youth crime. What if we could develop youth crime prevention programs that manage to impact the subconscious behavioral patterns of youth in high crime areas? This paper proposes a  promising and cost-effective approach that has great potential to affect multipe causes of crime: mindfulness meditation. Built upon newest findings in Neuroscience, this paper suggests that mindfulness meditation classes are associated with a reduction in aggressive behavior, a risk factor for youth crime, and an increase in self-efficacy, a protective factor. The impact of mindfulness classes at a high school in Khayelitsha, a poor and violent-stricken township of Cape Town, is analyzed. Self-reported aggression and self-efficacy are measured via a psychometric survey questionnaire created from two well-tested and validated scales. Regression analyses of 384 survey answers provided mixed results. Whilst novice meditators were not associated with higher self-efficacy and lower aggression, long-term meditators performed better in several dimensions of self-efficacy and aggression, yet no significant relationship was found. Further research specifically needs to investigate the moderating effect of age (a proxy for psychological development) on meditation. This study aims to bridge the gap between the outdated paradigms of youth crime prevention and ancient wisdom via ground-breaking new evidence from the field of Neuroscience. This study furthermore hopes to point policy makers toward developing new, integrative and sustainable approaches to youth crime prevention – approaches that give back agency to our youth.

Anders Westholm har inget med betygssättningen att göra annat än i rent formellt hänseende (examinator). Det är han som rapporterar in och skriver under men i sak är det seminarieledaren som har beslutet i sin hand. Statsvetenskapliga institutet har som princip att skilja på handledning och examination vilket innebär att handledaren inte får vara seminarieledare. Seminarieledare och personen som satt betygget var i det här fallet Sven Oskarsson: Sven.Oskarsson@statsvet.uu.se

This thesis presents a new algorithm to find and follow particular solutions of parameterized nonlinear systems. Important applications often arise after spatial discretization of time dependent PDEs. We embed a block eigenvalue solver in a continuation framework for the computation of some specific eigenvalues of large Jacobian matrices that depend on one or more parameters. The new approach is then employed to study the behavior of an industrial process referred to as coating. Stability analysis of the discretized system that models this process is important because it provides alternatives for changing parameters in order to improve the quality of the final product or to increase productivity. Experiments on several problems show the reliability of the new approach in the accurate detection of critical points. Further analysis of two-dimensional coating flow problems reveals that computational results are competitive with those of previous continuation approaches. As a byproduct, one obtains information about the stability of the process with no additional cost. Due to the size and structure of the matrices generated in three-dimensional free surface flow applications, it is necessary to use a general iterative linear solver, such as GMRES. However, GMRES displays a very slow rate of convergence as a consequence of the poor conditioning in the coefficient matrices. To speed up GMRES convergence, we developed and implemented a scalable approximate sparse inverse preconditioner. Numerical experiments demonstrate that this preconditioner greatly improves the convergence of the method. Results illustrate the effectiveness of the preconditioner on very large free surface flow problems with more than million unknowns.

碩士
國立臺灣大學
機械工程學研究所
105
This thesis developed a new Abbe error free 12" 3D wafer inspection stage. The wafer inspection stage consists of a granite frame, an xyz stage and a vertical probe positioning stage. The granite frame consists of a granite base for mounting the xyz stage and a granite gantry for mounting the vertical probe positioning stage. The xy stage is designed with the co-planar concept and box-in-box concept. The co-planar concept and box-in-box concept make the three elevations of the wafer surface, y-stage guide surface and x-stage guide surface are on the same z-plane. The movement of each stage is sensed by an individual laser interferometer, and the intersection point of the three axes of laser interferometers is located on the top of the wafer surface. In addition, the focus point of the vertical optical probe coincides with this intersection point of the three axes of laser interferometers. Therefore, the measuring system of the developed 3D wafer inspection stage fulfills the Abbe principle in 3 directions, and is an Abbe error free measuring system. The measuring range of this wafer inspection stage is 300mm x 300mm x 5mm, which fits the dimension of 12-inch wafers. To achieve high-precision positioning, both parallelism calibration and perpendicularity calibration of x-direction guides and y-direction guides are important in this wafer inspection stage. A calibration method using laser and pentaprisms is presented in this thesis. For this long travel range stage, the finite element method (FEM) is applied to analyze the structural deformation and vibration natural frequencies, the natural frequencies are measured by using impact hammer and Laser Doppler Vibrometer (LDV).

碩士
國立成功大學
材料科學及工程學系碩博士班
93
Sn-Ag-Cu solder balls are extensively applied in the electronic packaging technique. Because the solder balls are used to transmit current, high current density may induce the failure of solder joints. In addition, the surfaces of Sn-Ag-Cu solder balls discolor at injected or reflowed processes, so the fusion current and the solidification scale of solders need to be investigated. 　　Sn-3.5Ag-xCu (x = 0、0.5、1.2、1.9、2.2) solders are specimens of the study. The subject of the study divides into two parts. The first part is the effect of Cu content and solidification rate on the microstructure and electric properties. The second part is analyses of the scales with different components (pure Sn, Sn-3.5Ag, and Sn-3.5Ag-2.2Cu) and different solidification rate. 　　Experimental results show that the Cu6Sn5 content increases with the increasing of Cu content. By adding more than 1.2wt% Cu, the β-Sn dendrites become refined apparently, and the eutectic area increases. It also causes the decrease of fusion current and conductivity. When solders solidify at the slower cooling rate, the features of Ag3Sn in Sn-3.5Ag solders become rod-like. It also causes the increase of fusion current and conductivity. Cu6Sn5 compounds in Sn-3.5Ag-2.2Cu solders expand, but fusion current and conductivity have no obvious change at the slower solidification rate. 　　The analysis show that oxidization occurs on the surface of discolored specimens and the scales are composed of SnO and SnO2. According to TEM analysis, the depth of scale is ~ 0.5μm. At the same solidification rate, the extent of oxidization on pure Sn is similar to that on Sn-3.5Ag solders. However, the extent of oxidization on Sn-3.5Ag-2.2Cu solders is slightly less. The surface color of solders becomes darker at slower solidification rate, while the chemical state of Sn does not change obviously.

碩士
國立成功大學
工程科學系專班
91
The wafer level chip scale package (WLCSP) has increasingly become popular due to its wafer-sized compact package. In the WLCSP, the under bump metallurgy (UBM) which connects the solder joint and the chip, is crucial for the package reliability. Additionally, the lead contained in conventional solder joints is adverse to environments and human health, so that many countries are seeking lead-free solder-material for replacement. This study focuses on the WLCSP with lead-free UBM solder joint mounted on the build-up electric board with double-layered micro-via. Finite element analysis ANSYS 6.0 is used for simulations under thermal cycling to investigate the deformations of entire package, micro-via and the changes of stress-vs.-strain hysterisis curve for solder joints. The fatigue life prediction is also included. Three material property theories are adopted, such as viscoplasticity, multilinear isotropic hardening and Garofalo-Arrhenius creep model, to analyze solder joins and compare the differences between results. The complication of this study could give some suggestion to manufacturers the application of lead-free solder joint and UBM, urge them to pay attentions to environmental protections, and furthermore shorten the development period to enhance the competitiveness.

Our modern societies are best described as complex systems consisting of a large number of interacting components. Understanding the nature of these interactions is crucial, not only for gaining insights, but also for shaping their evolution. Modeling complex systems using networks, where nodes represent interacting agents, while links represent the interactions between these agents, can be useful for analyzing these systems. For example, social systems can be represented using social networks, where nodes represent individuals and links represent interactions or relationships between them. Thanks to information and communication technologies, the large scale availability of data allows us to study the nature and function of these networks. For example, large scale data on social connections allows us to gain an understanding of the architecture of these networks, which in turn is very useful for a variety of tasks, like preventing the spread of infectious diseases, marketing products and services, or influencing a large section of the population. Taking advantage of this data, here we aim to (a) study the effects of network structure on processes like epidemics and failure cascades on networks, and (b) formulate cost effective policies for influencing cascades such as information and marketing campaigns. We study contagion dynamics on a variety of networks such as time varying and interacting networks. In particular, we study (a) the impact of human behavior on biological epidemics in time varying networks, and (b) cascading node and link failures in a system consisting of two networks exhibiting dependent and antagonistic interactions. Our investigations reveal useful insights, e.g., in time varying networks, results suggest an existence of an adaptive threshold As for the interacting networks problem, we found that the phase transition observed in our system is very different from the one seen in commonly studied interacting networks. After having studied cascades, we take the next step of controlling them. Campaigners, advertisers and activists are increasingly turning to social recommendation mechanisms provided by social media for promoting their products, services, brands and even ideas. One widely used promotion strategy is incentivizing individuals, using referral rewards or other discounts, for encouraging them to spread the word. Due to budget constraints on scarce monetary incentives, it may not be possible to provide incentives for the entire population. Thus, there is a need to allocate resources judiciously for ensuring the highest possible campaign size. We address this problem of maximizing the campaign penetration in social networks under budget constraints and the dual problem of minimizing campaigning cost while ensuring a given campaign size. We formulate the optimization problems using percolation theory. Although the problems turn out to be non-trivial, we show that they can be reduced to simple linear programs, which can be further simplified and solved using simple algorithms with linearithmic complexity. Simulations on real world networks suggest that the proposed solutions could work in a real world setting.
Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India

The new paradigm of Industry 4.0 encompasses the manufacturing metrology and the necessity for fast, flexible, reliable and holistic systems arises, in order to accompany the more advanced manufacturing technologies. The more extensive use of additive manufacturing techniques, which entail the realization of complex structures and freeform geometries, as well as, the use of new materials, enhances this concept. These driving forces are the basis for the great interest towards 3D scanning systems because they perfectly fit the key factors of the new manufacturing metrology 4.0. Among other things, they have the capacity to reconstruct complete and detailed 3D models in a very short time, which makes them suitable for on-machine verification. In this context, close-range photogrammetry is recognized as a simple, versatile, and effective methodology for 3D measurements of components, even if they are characterized by a prevailing dimension respect to the others (e.g. height is much higher than length or vice versa), complex free form geometry, and under-cuts. Moreover, it is able to provide accurate measurements and 3D photorealistic (thanks to the computation of the texture) surface reconstructions in a simple and inexpensive way, as well as in very short time. Photogrammetry-based systems and, generally, optical-based techniques, are flexible and holistic systems, but their strengths are also their weaknesses, because this complexity results in more variables involved and more sources of error affecting the results. The present thesis is focused on the development and the analysis of an optical 3D scanner based on photogrammetry, suitable for measurements of complex parts in close and micro range. The analysis started from the identification of the main sources of error affecting the measuring system, with the final goal to include them in a proper uncertainty assessment. In particular, there are errors due to the measuring system itself, errors due to the object under measurement, i.e. errors due to the manufacturing process, as well as, errors due to the interaction of the specific system with the object (materials, colours and surface texture). Thus, the uncertainty evaluation of such systems is still an open issue. The first chapters are dedicated to the state of the art of currently available measuring techniques, highlighting the main advantages and drawbacks, in order to explain the importance of developing a photogrammetry-based system for industrial application. The third chapter is of fundamental importance since it describes the state of the art of the currently available standards in 3D optical scanning. They mainly refer to the VDI/VDE 2634 series, in the form of acceptance and reverification test. In addition, the standards usually used for the uncertainty assessment of the more reliable Coordinate Measuring Machine (CMMs), such as the ISO 15530-3, were described, highlighting the main criticalities and the possible adaptation for optical-based scanners. The forth chapter is entirely dedicated to photogrammetry-based systems, with a brief introduction to the state of the art when applying photogrammetry in close and micro range, a description of the measuring principle through the mathematical models behind and the main advances carried out in the development of the reconstruction software algorithms. Then, the photogrammetry-based system is presented together with the sensors and the optical equipment used throughout the thesis. Finally, a summary of the main criticalities is reported. The experimental investigations carried out during the PhD course are collected in the chapters from 5 to 11. Each chapter is dedicated to a specific measuring task, with the aim to analyse a specific aspect or a criticality of the photogrammetry- based system under exam. The fifth chapter is focused on the analysis of repeatability of the photogrammetric reconstruction software used, which has proved to be a fundamental part of the system. The study was conducted on a pyramidal artefact already used in previous experiments. In the sixth chapter, a new three-dimensional reference artefact was presented. The purpose was double: for the estimation of the external orientation, scale adjustment, and for the uncertainty assessment, calibration. The effectiveness of this reference artefact was proved through the reconstruction of the test object used in the previous chapter, the pyramidal artefact. The capacity of the presented system to reconstruct free form geometries was analysed through a preliminary test in Chapter 7. The tests were performed through the use of three artefacts produced by additive manufacturing techniques, which were a customized version of the NPL free form artefact designed and developed by NPL institute. The need for the customization was mainly due to the necessity to resize the artefact to make it measurable with the optical equipment under exam. In Chapter 8, the application of the photogrammetry-based system for measuring additive manufactured biomedical devices was reported, highlighting critical aspects due to their object and surface textures characteristics. Chapters 9 and 10 report the work conducted during the external stay period at the Department of Mechanical Engineering of the Denmark Technical University. The introduction of a step gauge reference artefact was analysed, and the photogrammetry-based system was then compared with other non-contact measuring techniques, such as structured light scanner, laser based scanner and a computed tomography scanner. The performance verification of all those 3D non-contact measuring techniques was conducted through the step gauge reference artefact. In chapter 10, the investigation was focused on the analysis of the interaction between the 3D optical scanning systems and the materials and colours of the objects under measurements. For the purpose, five miniature step gauges made of different polymeric materials and colours were scanned and analyzed. Finally, Chapter 11 is dedicated to the application of the photogrammetry to the microscopic range, for the acquisition of components realized through µEDM (Electro Discharge Machining). The optical equipment, used in this investigation, allowed to reach magnification levels higher than 2x, with optical resolutions up to 2,4 µm. The investigation was mainly focused on the verification of the reproducibility of the internal parameters estimated through the traditional mathematical models, for such magnification levels.

Double cantilever beam (DCB) specimens with distinct intermetallic microstructures and different geometries were fractured under different mode ratios of loading, ψ, to obtain critical strain energy release rate, Jc. The strain energy release rate at crack initiation, Jci, increased with phase angle, ψ, but remained unaffected by the joint geometry. However, the steady-state energy release rate, Jcs, increased with the solder layer thickness. Also, both the Jci and Jcs decreased with the thickness of the intermetallic compound layer. Next, mode I and mixed-mode fracture tests were performed on discrete (l=2 mm and l=5 mm) solder joints arranged in a linear array between two copper bars to evaluate the J = Jci (ψ) failure criteria using finite element analysis. Failure loads of both the discrete joints and the joints in commercial electronic assemblies were predicted reasonably well using the Jci from the continuous DCBs. In addition, the mode-I fracture of the discrete joints was simulated with a cohesive zone model which predicted reasonably well not only the fracture loads but also the overall load-displacement behavior of the specimen. Additionally, the Jci calculated from FEA were verified estimated from measured crack opening displacements in both the continuous and discrete joints. Finally, the pad-crater fracture mode of solder joints was characterized in terms of the Jci measured at various mode ratios, ψ. Specimens were prepared from lead-free chip scale package-PCB assemblies and fractured at low and high loading rates in various bending configurations to generate a range of mode ratios. The specimens tested at low loading rates all failed by pad cratering, while the ones tested at higher loading rates fractured in the brittle intermetallic layer of the solder. The Jci of pad cratering increased with the phase angle, ψ, but was independent of surface finish and reflow profile. The generality of the J =Jci(ψ) failure criterion to predict pad cratering fracture was then demonstrated by predicting the fracture loads of single lap-shear specimens made from the same assemblies.