Dissertations / Theses: 'Vague objects'

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Jónsson, Ólafur Páll. "Vague objects." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2001. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/17518.

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Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Linguistics and Philosophy, 2001.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 143-145).
Peter Unger's puzzle, the problem of the many, is an argument for the conclusion that we are grossly mistaken about what kinds of objects are in our immediate surroundings. But it is not clear what we should make of Unger's argument. There is an epistemic view which says that the argument shows that we don't know which objects are the referents of singular terms in our language. There is a linguistic view which says that Unger's puzzle shows that ordinary singular terms and count nouns are vague. Finally, there is an ontological view which says that the puzzle shows that there are vague objects. The epistemic view offers the simplest solution to the problem of the many, but runs foul of a different problem, the problem of vague reference. The problem of vague reference is that given the presuppositions of the epistemic view there are too many too similar objects that might be the reference of a name such as 'Kilimanjaro' for it to be plausible that the name has a determinate reference. The linguistic view, spelled out in terms of semantic indecision and supervaluation, offers the same solution to the problem of the many and to the problem of vague reference. But it leaves no room for de re beliefs about ordinary material object. The ontological view offers a solution to the problem of the many that avoids the problem of vague reference and the problem of de re beliefs. For these reasons it is preferable to the other two.
(cont.) However, ontological vagueness has met strong objections. It has been argued that it is a fallacy of verbalism, that it is inconsistent and that once formulated in a consistent way it is not distinguishable from the linguistic view. These objections can be met, but not without cost. To avoid the charge of being inconsistent, friends of the ontological view have to give up the law of excluded middle. A positive account of vague parthood has two parts. First, parthood is not primitive but dependent on other primitive facts. The most important of the primitive facts are facts about to what kinds objects belong and how objects are causally related. Second, sometimes the primitive facts fail do determine of two objects whether one is part of the other. Given a notion of vague parthood, a notion of vague object can be defined roughly in the following way: An object 0 is vague iff there is an object a such that it is indeterminate whether a is part of 0.
by Ólafur Páll Jónsson.
Ph.D.

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Endicott, Timothy A. O. "The use of vague language in law and adjudication." Thesis, University of Oxford, 1997. https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:16694c04-69da-486d-8ddb-ddae3cef3451.

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Vagueness in the language of the law leads to indeterminacies in some (not in all) of the requirements of the law. This thesis supports that 'indeterminacy claim', and explores its consequences for understanding law and adjudication. I elaborate the indeterminacy claim with a categorical claim that vagueness is ineliminable from law, and with a more tentative claim that indeterminacies in the application of vague language are not trivial or marginal. The indeterminacy claim is defended against legal theorists who argue that the law has other resources, besides the words that lawmakers use, which make it possible for judges to decide all cases consistently and according to law. Philosophers of language and of logic have sought a theory of the application of vague words that would solve the 'sorites paradox'. Such a solution might contradict the indeterminacy claim, either by showing that there are no cases in which the application of vague language is indeterminate, or by providing a model of reasoning with vague language that supports the 'other resources' arguments of legal theorists. I suggest reasons for resisting the urge to seek a solution, the chief being 'higher-order vagueness' and incommensurabilities in the application of many vague expressions. I propose a 'similarity model' of vagueness, in which a vague expression is viewed as applying to objects sufficiently similar to paradigms. The 'sufficiently' element in this model corresponds to a connection between the application of vague words and evaluative judgments. The 'paradigms' element is examined by assessing the role of paradigms in the theories of Herbert Hart and Ronald Dworkin. On the basis of the indeterminacy claim, the thesis argues that courts frequently cannot decide cases by giving effect to the requirements of the law, and that they cannot always decide like cases alike. A concluding chapter addresses implications for the ideal of the rule of law. It might seem that the rule of law is necessarily unattainable, to the extent that the requirements of the law are indeterminate. I propose an understanding of the ideal that rejects that conclusion, and that identifies the resolution of unresolved disputes as an important, independent duty of judges.

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Lefftz, Grégoire. "L'identité des objets ordinaires : essai d'ontologie déflationniste." Thesis, Sorbonne université, 2018. http://www.theses.fr/2018SORUL185.

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À quelles conditions deux objets singuliers sont-ils identiques, ou distincts au contraire ? Cette thèse choisit de ne pas aborder cette question de front, en proposant immédiatement des critères – des conditions nécessaires et suffisantes – d’identité pour certains types d’objets (les personnes, les artefacts, les objets inanimés…). Elle commence bien plutôt par prendre du recul, en demandant ce que sont de tels objets ordinaires, quelle est leur ontologie, et quelle est par conséquent la nature d’une relation d’identité entre eux. La conclusion de cette enquête, menée dans une perspective néo-carnapienne, est déflationniste : les relations d’identité numérique entre objets ordinaires ne sont pas déjà présentes dans le monde, comme des faits substantiels que nous n’aurions plus qu’à découvrir. Après avoir élaboré cette théorie de l’identité dans une première partie, cette thèse la met ensuite au travail, pour résoudre dans une deuxième partie les principaux paradoxes de l’identité dont la littérature regorge : problèmes liés au vague, aux modalités, à la coïncidence, problèmes enfin d’identité personnelle
Under what conditions are two singular objects identical or distinct? This thesis chooses not to tackle this question upfront, by directly putting forward criteria – that is, necessary and sufficient conditions – of identity for certain kinds of objects (such as persons, artefacts, inanimate objects…). It rather begins by stepping backwards, in order to tell a story about ordinary objects, about their ontology, and consequently about the nature of the relation of numerical identity between two such objects. The upshot of this enquiry, led under the guidance of a neo-Carnapian meta-philosophy, is deflationary: numerical identity relations between ordinary objects are not already there in the world, like substantial facts waiting to be discovered. After elaborating such a theory of identity in the first part, this thesis then uses it to solve most of the well-known problems of identity, in the second part: those related to vagueness, essentialism and modality, spatio-temporal coincidence, and eventually personal identity

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Bejaoui, Lofti. "Qualitative topological relationships for objects with possibly vague shapes: implications on the specification of topological integrity constraints in transactional spatial databases and in spatial data warehouses." Phd thesis, Université Blaise Pascal - Clermont-Ferrand II, 2009. http://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00725614.

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Dans les bases de données spatiales actuellement mises en oeuvre, les phénomènes naturels sont généralement représentés par des géométries ayant des frontières bien délimitées. Une telle description de la réalité ignore le vague qui caractérise la forme de certains objets spatiaux (zones d'inondation, lacs, peuplements forestiers, etc.). La qualité des données enregistrées est donc dégradée du fait de ce décalage entre la réalitée et sa description. Cette thèse s'attaque à ce problème en proposant une nouvelle approche pour représenter des objets spatiaux ayant des formes vagues et caractériser leurs relations topologiques. Le modèle proposé, appelé QMM model (acronyme de Qualitative Min-Max model), utilise les notions d'extensions minimale et maximale pour représenter la partie incertaine d'un objet. Un ensemble d'adverbes permet d'exprimer la forme vague d'un objet (ex : a region with a partially broad boundary), ainsi que l'incertitude des relations topologiques entre deux objets (ex : weakly Contains, fairly Contains, etc.). Cette approche est moins fine que d'autres approches concurrentes (modélisation par sous-ensembles flous ou modélisation probabiliste). Mais elle nécessite un processus d'acquisition complexe des données. De plus elle est relativement simple à mettre en oeuvre avec les systèmes existants de gestion de bases de données. Cette approche est ensuite utilisée pour contrôler la qualité des données dans les bases de données spatiales et les entrepôts de données spatiales en spécifiant les contraintes d'intégrité basé sur les concepts du modèle QMM. Une extension du langage de contraintes OCL (Object Constraint Language) a été étudiée pour spécifier des contraintes topologiques impliquant des objets ayant des formes vagues. Un logiciel existant (outil OCLtoSQL développé à l'Université de Dresden) a été étendu pour permettre la génération automatique du code SQL d'une contrainte lorsque la base de données est gérée par un système relationnel. Une expérimentation de cet outil a été réalisée avec une base de données utilisée pour la gestion des épandages agricoles. Pour cette application, l'approche et l'outil sont apparus très efficients. Cette thèse comprend aussi une étude de l'intégration de bases de données spatiales hétérogènes lorsque les objets sont représentés avec le modèle QMM. Des résultats nouveaux ont été produits et des exemples d'application ont été explicités.

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Bejaoui, Lotfi. "Qualitative Topological Relationships for Objects with Possibly Vague Shapes: Implications on the Specification of Topological Integrity Constraints in Transactional Spatial Databases and in Spatial Data Warehouses." Thesis, Université Laval, 2009. http://www.theses.ulaval.ca/2009/26348/26348.pdf.

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Proença, Fernando Roberto. "Geração de dados espaciais vagos baseada em modelos exatos." Universidade Federal de São Carlos, 2013. https://repositorio.ufscar.br/handle/ufscar/531.

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Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-02T19:06:05Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 5287.pdf: 3924606 bytes, checksum: 935b5a09df26eb1b41df901a189a6e2a (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-05-29
Universidade Federal de Sao Carlos
Geographic information systems with the aid of spatial databases store and manage crisp spatial data (or exact spatial data), whose shapes (boundaries) are well defined and have a precise location in space. However, several spatial data do not have precisely known boundaries or have an uncertain location in space, which are called vague spatial data. The boundaries of a given vague spatial data may shrink or extend, therefore, may have a minimum and maximum extension. Clouds of pollution, deforestation, fire outbreaks, route of an airplane, habitats of plants and animals are examples of vague spatial data. In the literature, there are currently vague spatial data models, such as Egg-Yolk, QMM and VASA. However, according to our knowledge, they focus only on the formal aspect of the model definition. Thus, real or synthetic vague spatial data is not available for use. The main objective of this master thesis is the development of algorithms for the generation of synthetic vague spatial data based on the crisp models of spatial data vague Egg-Yolk, QMM and VASA. It was also implemented a tool, called VagueDataGeneration, to assist in the process of generation such data. For both the algorithms and the tool, the user is able to set the properties related to the data type of model, such as size, shape, volume, complexity, location and spatial distribution. By using the proposed algorithms and the VagueDataGeneration tool, researchers can generate large samples of vague spatial data, enabling new research, such as testing indexes for vague spatial data or evaluating query processing over data warehouses that store vague spatial data. The validation of the vague spatial data generation was conducted using a case study with data from vague rural phenomena.
Sistemas de informação geográfica com o auxílio de bancos de dados espaciais armazenam e gerenciam dados espaciais exatos, cujas formas (fronteiras) são bem definidas e que possuem uma localização exata no espaço. Entretanto, vários dados espaciais reais não possuem os seus limites precisamente conhecidos ou possuem uma localização incerta no espaço, os quais são denominados dados espaciais vagos. Os limites de um dado espacial vago podem encolher ou estender, portanto, podem ter uma extensão mínima e máxima. Nuvens de poluição, desmatamentos, focos de incêndios, rota de um avião, habitats de plantas e de animais são exemplos de dados espaciais vagos. Na literatura, atualmente existem modelos de dados espaciais vagos, tais como Egg-Yolk, QMM e VASA. No entanto, segundo o nosso conhecimento, estes enfocam apenas no aspecto formal da definição do modelo. Com isso, dados espaciais vagos reais ou sintéticos não estão disponíveis para uso. O principal objetivo deste trabalho de mestrado consiste no desenvolvimento de algoritmos para a geração de dados espaciais vagos sintéticos baseados nos modelos exatos de dados espaciais vagos Egg-Yolk, QMM e VASA. Também foi implementada uma ferramenta, chamada VagueDataGeneration, para auxiliar no processo de geração desses dados. Nos algoritmos propostos e na ferramenta desenvolvida, o usuário define as propriedades referentes ao tipo de dado de um modelo, tais como tamanho, formato, volume, complexidade, localização e distribuição espacial dos dados espaciais vagos a serem gerados. Por meio do uso dos algoritmos propostos e da ferramenta VagueDataGeneration, os pesquisadores podem gerar grandes amostras de dados espaciais vagos, possibilitando novas pesquisas, como exemplo, testar índices para dados espaciais vagos ou testar técnicas de processamento de consultas em Data Warehouses que armazenam dados espaciais vagos. A validação da geração de dados espaciais vagos foi efetuada usando um estudo de caso com dados de fenômenos rurais vagos.

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Strankauskas, Arvydas. "Pridėtinės vertės mokesčio objektą reglamentuojančių teisės aktų nuostatų taikymo problemos." Master's thesis, Lithuanian Academic Libraries Network (LABT), 2008. http://vddb.library.lt/obj/LT-eLABa-0001:E.02~2007~D_20080125_131602-05297.

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PVM yra didžiausias ir svarbiausias nacionalinio biudžeto pajamų šaltinis, todėl valstybei ypač svarbu užtikrinti, kad aiškinant teisės aktus reglamentuojančius PVM, būtų daroma kuo mažiau klaidų. Siekiant atsakyti į klausimą, kokios priežastys lemia klaidas taikant PVM reglamentuojančius teisės aktus, šiame darbe iškeltos kelios hipotezės. Pirma, klaidų taikant PVM reglamentuojančius teisės aktus priežastys yra konkrečios netobulos, klaidinančios teisės aktų nuostatos. Antra, teisės aktų nuostatos, kurias taikant klystama akivaizdžių trūkumų neturi, klystama, nes dažnai yra neaiškus jų tikslas, pagrindinė idėja, dėl kurios jos buvo sukurtos. Siekiant patvirtinti ar paneigti šiuos spėjimus i��keltas darbo tikslas – nustatyti tas PVM objektą reglamentuojančių teisės aktų nuostatas, kurias taikant dažniausiai daromos klaidos, nustatyti klaidų tipus ir būdus, į ką reikėtų atkreipti dėmesį, siekiant išvengti klaidų. Šiam tikslui pasiekti iškelti uždaviniai - atlikti Europos Bendrijų Teisingumo teismo, Lietuvos Vyriausiojo administracinio teismo ir Mokestinių ginčų komisijos prie Lietuvos Respublikos Vyriausybės išnagrinėtų mokestinių ginčų sprendimų, kurie buvo priimti bylose dėl padarytų klaidų taikant PVM objektą reglamentuojančias teisės aktų nuostatas, analizę. Atlikus šių sprendimų analizę nustatyta, kad dažniausiai klystama taikant prekių tiekimo sampratoje įtvirtintas „prekių perdavimo“ ir „disponavimo prekėmis kaip savomis“ sąvokas, aiškinant vieną iš atlygio sąvokos... [toliau žr. visą tekstą]
The VAT is the biggest and the most important resource of the National budgets. Therefore, every state must be sure that the Declaration of the Rights Tax Act regulatory preferably. There are also a few hypotheses. First, in the application of the regulatory acts Tax resulting error caused mostly not accurate in the classification of deception leading acts. Secondly, faulty application of classification of act has no obvious defects. The possible errors come only if the target and the idea of why this all has to be done, not just explained. This foreboding to vote or to deny them is the main objective, that is This VAT object regulates classification of the acts to determine their application for the most errors occur, the error and to clarify the possible ways out, in order to circumvent. To achieve this goal, the following tasks have been the work of the European Court of the European Community, the main administrative court in Lithuania and the Commission of disputes about tax to the government of Republic of Lithuania and decisions of the disputes about tax issues involved in the court proceedings at the declaration of the application of VAT object regulates classification of acts analyzed. In this summary we can clearly see that there are enough misapplications of VAT object regulatory classification of the acts occuring. Only partly succeeded determination of such categories of acts, where most mistakes happen to be determined. In almost all cases, if you pay tax at... [to full text]

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Forgues, Daniel. "Using boundary objects to generate better value in the construction industry." Thesis, University of Salford, 2008. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.490460.

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Value generation in construction is about meeting client requirements. Problems in handling client requirements within fragmented practices in sequential design and contractual arrangements are widely recognized. Some authors suggest reconfiguring project coalitions around integrated teams to overcome this problem. Little is said, however, about the impact of adopting this new form of work in traditional design practice, processes and tools, and about possible socio-cognitive barriers that may hinder the collaborative work of design professionals, clients and users.The aim of the research is to improve the abiUty of integrated teams to maximize value generation.

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Capdevielle, Claire. "Étude de la complexité des implémentations d'objets concurrents, sans attente, abandonnables et/ou solo-rapides." Thesis, Bordeaux, 2016. http://www.theses.fr/2016BORD0194/document.

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Dans un ordinateur multiprocesseur, lors de l'accès à la mémoire partagée, il faut synchroniser les entités de calcul (processus). Cela peut se faire à l'aide de verrous, mais des problèmes se posent (par exemple interblocages, mauvaise tolérance aux pannes). On s'est intéressé à l'implémentation d'abstractions (consensus et construction universelle) qui peuvent faciliter la programmation concurrente sans attente, sans utiliser de verrous mais basés sur des lectures/écritures atomiques (LEA). L'usage exclusive des LEA ne permet pas de réaliser un consensus sans attente. Néanmoins, autoriser l'usage de primitives offrant une puissance de synchronisation plus forte que des LEA, mais coûteuse en temps de calcul, le permet. Nous nous sommes donc intéressés dans cette thèse à des programmes qui limitent l'usage de ces primitives aux seules situations où les processus sont en concurrence, ces programmes sont dit solo-rapides. Une autre piste étudiée est de permettre à l'objet, lorsqu'il y a de la concurrence, de retourner une réponse spéciale "abandon" qui signifie l'abandon des calculs en cours. Ces objets sont dit abandonnables. D'une part, nous donnons des implémentations d'objets concurrents sans attente, abandonnables et/ou solo-rapides. Pour cela, nous proposons une construction universelle qui assure à l'objet implémenté d'être abandonnable et solo-rapide ; nous avons réalisés des algorithmes de consensus solo-rapides et des algorithmes de consensus abandonnable. D'autre part nous étudions la complexité en espace de ces implémentations en proposant des bornes inférieures sur l'implémentation des objets abandonnables et sur le consensus
In multiprocessor computer, synchronizations between processes are needed for the access to the shared memory. Usually this is done by using locks, but there are some issues as deadlocks or lack of fault-tolerance. We are interested in implementing abstractions (as consensus or universal construction) which ease the programming of wait-free concurrent objects, without using lock but based on atomic Read/Write operations (ARW). Only using the ARW does not permit to implement wait-free consensus. The use of primitives which offer a higher power of synchronization than the ARW is needed. But these primitives are more expensive in computing time. Therefore, we are interested in this thesis in the design of algorithms which restrict the use of these primitives only to the cases where processes are in contention. These algorithms are said solo-fast. Another direction is to allow the object to abort the computation in progress - and to return a special response "abort" - when there is contention. These objects are named abortable. On the one hand we give wait-free, abortable and/or solo-fast concurrent object implementations. Indeed we proposed a universal construction which ensure to the implemented object to be abortable and solo-fast. We have also realized solo-fast consensus algorithms and abortable consensus algorithms. On the other hand, we study the space complexity of these implementations : we prove space lower bound on the implementation of abortable object and consensus

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Clark, Leah Ruth. "Value and symbolic practices: objects, exchanges, and associations in the Italian courts (1450-1500)." Thesis, McGill University, 2009. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=66682.

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Arguing for a reconsideration of the object's function in court life, this thesis investigates how the value of an object is tied to the role it plays in symbolic activities, which formed the basis of court relations at the end of the fifteenth century. This study thus examines the courts of Italy (particularly Ferrara and Naples) through the myriad of objects—statues, paintings, jewellery, furniture, and heraldry—that were valued for their subject matter, material forms, histories, and social functions. Such objects are considered not only as components of court life, but also as agents which activated the symbolic practices that became integral to relations within and between courts. These activities—the exchange of diplomatic gifts, the consumption of precious objects, the displaying of collectibles, and the bestowing of knightly orders—were all ways that objects acted as points of contact between individuals, giving rise to new associations and new interests. The end of the fifteenth century was a pivotal moment in the courts of Italy, fraught with alliances and counter-alliances involving not only the courts on the Italian peninsula but also abroad. The court was an important space where individuals sought to assert and legitimise their power, and this was often done through material and visual means. The court is thus examined from diverse angles, taking the object as a starting point, and tracing relationships and networks through visual, textual, material, and literary sources. Shifting the focus away from artistic intentions and patronage, this study examines how objects constitute relations, often in unpredictable ways, not only forging connections but also revealing instabilities and latent hostilities. The constant circulation of precious objects in the late fifteenth century reveals a system of value which placed importance not only on ownership, but also on the replication, copying,
En considérant la fonction de l'objet dans la vie à la cour princière, cette thèse examine comment la valeur d'un objet est liée au rôle qu'il joue dans les pratiques symboliques qui, à la fin du quinzième siècle, est à la base même des relations à la cour. Ce projet examine les cours d'Italie (en particulier celles de Ferrare et de Naples) à travers une multitude d'objet (statues, peintures, bijoux, meubles, et emblèmes héraldiques) qui étaient évalués pour leurs matériaux, leur forme, leur historique, et leurs fonctions sociales. Ces objets sont ici étudiés non seulement comme représentatifs de la vie à la cour, mais aussi comme des agents actifs des pratiques symboliques importantes aux relations entre les différents cours. Ces pratiques – l'échange de cadeaux diplomatiques, la consommation d'objets précieux, étalage d'objets de collection, et investitures dans des ordres chevaleresques – sont autant de manières par lesquelles les objets servent de point d'attache entre individus et génèrent, de la sorte, de nouvelles associations et de nouveaux intérêts.La fin du quinzième siècle était un moment clé pour les cours d'Italie, chargé des alliances et contre-alliances entre non seulement les cours de la péninsule italienne mais aussi celles de l'étranger. La cour est alors un espace important où les individus cherchent à revendiquer et à légitimer leur pouvoir par des moyens matériels et visuels. En plaçant l'objet au centre de l'investigation, ce projet, plutôt que de se préoccuper des intentions artistiques ou mécénales, redirige l'attention sur la fonction certaine, mais combien variable, des objets dans la formation de relations sociales et démontre comment elle peut révéler l'existence de tensions et d'hostilités latentes. La circulation continue d'objets précieux met en relief un système de valeurs qui est à l'œuvre à la fin du quinzièm

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Buchanan, Aeron Morgan. "Tracking non-rigid objects in video." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2008. http://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:82efb277-abc9-4725-9506-5d114a83bd96.

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Video is a sequence of 2D images of the 3D world generated by a camera. As the camera moves relative to the real scene and elements of that scene themselves move, correlated frame-to-frame changes in the video images are induced. Humans easily identify such changes as scene motion and can readily assess attempts to quantify it. For a machine, the identification of the 2D frame-to-frame motion is difficult. This problem is addressed by the computer vision process of tracking. Tracking underpins the solution to the problem of augmenting general video sequences with artificial imagery, a staple task in the visual effects industry. The problem is difficult because tracking in general video sequences is complicated by the presence of non-rigid motion, repeated texture and arbitrary occlusions. Existing methods provide solutions that rely on imposing limitations on the scenes that can be processed or that rely on human artistry and hard work. I introduce new paradigms, frameworks and algorithms for overcoming the challenges of processing general video and thus provide solutions that fill the gap between the `automated' and `manual' approaches. The work is easily sectioned into three parts, which can be considered separately or taken together for dealing with video without limitations. The initial focus is on directly addressing practical issues of human interaction in the tracking process: a new solution is developed by explicitly incorporating the user into an interactive algorithm. It is a novel tracking system based on fast full-frame patch searching and high-speed optimal track determination. This approach makes only minimal assumptions about motion and appearance, making it suitable for the widest variety of input video. I detail an implementation of the new system using k-d trees and dynamic programming. The second distinct contribution is an important extension to tracking algorithms in general. It can be noted that existing tracking algorithms occupy a spectrum in their use of global motion information. Local methods are easily confused by occlusions, repeated texture and image noise. Global motion models offer strong predictions to see through these difficulties and have been used in restricted circumstances, but are defeated by scenes containing independently moving objects or modest levels of non-rigid motion. I present a well principled way of combining local and global models to improve tracking, especially in these highly problematic cases. By viewing rank-constrained tracking as a probabilistic model of 2D tracks instead of 3D motion, I show how one can obtain a robust motion prior that can be easily incorporated in any existing tracking algorithm. The development of the global motion prior is based on rank-constrained factorization of measurement matrices. A common difficulty comes from the frequent occurrence of occlusions in video, which means that the relevant matrices are often not complete due to missing data. This defeats standard factorization algorithms. To fully explain and understand the algorithmic complexities of factorization in this practical context, I present a common notation for the direct comparison of existing algorithms and propose a new family of hybrid approaches that combine the superb initial performance of alternation methods with the convergence power of the Newton algorithm. Together, these investigations provide a wide-ranging, yet coherent exploration of tracking non-rigid objects in video.

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Simoniti, Vid. "The epistemic value of contemporary art." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2014. http://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:82a1ee71-98a3-44ac-93ac-2a91eebe8100.

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Recently in analytic philosophy, interest in the issue of the epistemic value of art has been revived. Philosophers have sought to establish whether and in what ways art is a source of knowledge, understanding or a means of inquiry. In philosophy this is a longstanding question, addressed both in the Greek and German traditions, but it seems pertinent to ask the question again today in light of significant changes that have taken place in contemporary art practice. In my thesis, I investigate this question from two perspectives: in terms of analytic philosophy of art, and in terms of developments in contemporary art since the 1960s. In Part I, I offer a defence of a philosophical theory of artistic value, critically overview the extant philosophical literature on the question of epistemic value of art, and explain why the inherently experimental character of contemporary art makes it difficult simply to apply the available theories. I argue that a philosophical engagement with contemporary art requires a different, more inductive method. In Part II, I closely consider three recent developments in which the relationship between art and knowledge has been rendered more complex. The Conceptual Art movement of the 1960s and 1970s privileged concerns with concepts, thought processes and truth over expression, materiality and fidelity to genre. The social turn of the 1990s cast the artist in a position that is almost indistinguishable from that of a teacher, social activist or even of a technology developer. And the artists working within the bio art movement of the 1990s and 2000s have assimilated the activity of the artist to that of the scientist, sometimes blurring the two roles. The goal of the thesis is twofold. On the one hand, I show how cases from recent art history put pressure on some key commitments in recent analytic philosophy. Revisions and challenges are suggested in particular for extant theories of artistic value, conceptions of artistic autonomy and heteronomy, and some popular accounts of the epistemic value of art. On the other hand, concepts from analytic philosophy are used to shed light on some of the more radical developments in recent art practice, and to rethink the ways in which art participates in the broader culture.

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Kim, Bradford Jean-Hyuk. "Aristotle on the value of friends." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2018. http://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:7a7d2d16-2514-457c-a217-968af1111a60.

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In this dissertation, I argue that Aristotle's account of friendship is egoistic. Focusing on the Nicomachean Ethics, I begin with VIII.2. Here Aristotle claims that in all friendships, friends love only because of the lovable (φιλητóv), which divides into the useful, pleasant, and good. I argue that "because of (διὰ)" refers to at least the final cause and that "the lovable" refers to what appears to contribute one's own happiness (εuδαιμoνία); therefore Aristotle claims that in all friendships, friends love only for the sake of their own happiness. This result may seem incompatible with some types of concern Aristotle principally attributes to his normative paradigm of complete friendship: wishing goods for the sake of the other and loving the other for himself. One might argue that these types of concern are altruistic, and so it cannot be the case that in all friendships, friends love only for the sake of their own happiness. I argue that these types of concern ultimately hinge on one's own happiness. The object is the lovable (what appears to contribute to one's own happiness), specifically the good instantiated by the other's virtue; further, what a virtuous person takes as valuable about another's virtue is how it facilitates her own virtuous activity, that is, her own happiness. From here I turn to Aristotle's notion of 'another self'. One popular interpretation of other selfhood defies the altruism/egoism divide. Here the essential feature of other selfhood is virtue, which allows for no prioritization among virtuous people; there is no prioritization of the other over oneself (as in altruism) nor of oneself over the other (as in egoism), since the relevant parties are equal in moral standing (they are virtuous). Assessing the instances of 'another self' in the Nicomachean Ethics VIII.12, IX.4, and IX.9, I argue for an egoistic interpretation of other selfhood; the essential feature of other selfhood is involvement in one's own actualization. That is, what makes other selves valuable is how they facilitate one's own virtuous activity, one's own happiness. Finally, I address the doctrine of self-love in the Nicomachean Ethics IX.8. Again, some interpreters derive non-prioritization from the text; Aristotle claims that all virtuous people identify with the understanding (voũç), so, the non-prioritization interpretation goes, there can be no prioritization among virtuous agents, as they are identical in the relevant way. I argue for an egoistic interpretation of IX.8; Aristotle endorses praiseworthy self-love, which involves maximizing the superlatively valuable fine (καλòν) for oneself over others. Moreover, such self-prioritization occurs precisely by gratifying the understanding, that which was supposed to ground non-prioritization.

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Goudarzi, Zeinab. "Présence du silence : Le silence comme objet de valeur dans les espaces de production et de consommation." Thesis, Limoges, 2017. http://www.theses.fr/2017LIMO0019.

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Nous vivons dans un monde caractérisé par l'augmentation incessante du nombre et du volume des signaux sonores, qui finissent par être perçus comme autant de messages intrusifs. Si le silence est une valeur attestée dans une société du bruit, il se transforme en valeur commerciale, mais aussi morale, esthétique, écologique. En termes sémiotiques, il devient un objet de valeur : sa rareté lui assure le statut d’« objet » de luxe qui émerge de scénarisations et de mises en discours spécifiques. Aujourd’hui, le confort sonore est un grand enjeu de la qualité de vie. Nous avons le goût d’acheter le silence. Par conséquent, les comportements liés à nos activités quotidiennes peuvent se trouver en partie influencés par la valeur-silence. Il en va ainsi de nos comportements d'achat. Du coup, le silence se transforme en valeur commerciale. Le silence sonne parfois comme la signature d’un lieu. Il n’est pas seulement une certaine modalité du son, il est d’abord une certaine modalité du sens. Le silence n’est jamais une réalité en soi, mais toujours un processus de relation avec le monde humain et le rapport au monde de ce dernier. Dans la thématique générale du marketing sensoriel du point de vente, nous proposons une introduction sur la réalité de l'environnement sonore, plus particulièrement les différentes formes de lutte contre les nuisances et la valorisation d'ambiances silencieuses. Notre étude se concentre sur des facteurs d’ambiance sonore susceptibles d’influencer les acheteurs. Une étude expérimentale cherche à comprendre les processus d’influence de notre espace du silence sur les acheteurs et à vérifier certaines hypothèses théoriques non testées en France
We live in a world characterized by an increase of ceaseless sound signals which end up being perceived as intrusive messages. If silence is an imperative value in a noisy society, it is transformed into not only commercial but also moral, aesthetic and ec ological values too. In semiotic terms, it becomes a valuable object: its rarity confirms its status as a luxurious object" that emerges from specific scripts and speeches. Today, the comfort sound is considered as one of major aspects of life quality that is made desire for buying silence. Consequently, some of our behaviors related to daily activities might be partly influenced by the value of silence. Therefore, it will affect our purchasing behavior. As a result, silence is transformed into commercial value. Silence sometimes becomes the unique characteristic of an area. It is not only a modality of sound but also more importantly a modality of the senses. Silence never considered as an absolute reality, it is always related to human world and intert wined with it. In the general interest on point of sales for sensory marketing, we propose an introduction on the reality of the noiseless environment, particularly the different ways to counter noises and the value of silent ambience. Our study focuses on ambient environments in order to stimulate buyer interest. In addition, an experimental study has been done in order to understand the influential mechanisms of noiseless environment on buyers and to verify certain untested the oretical hypotheses in France

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Dissanayake, Derani Nathasha. "The challenges of digital legacy management on the value of digital objects to older Australians." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2019. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/2218.

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People spend a considerable amount of time and money in collecting digital objects. Nine out of ten Australians have a social media account but 83% of them have not discussed with their family members what should happen to their social media accounts when they die (Steen, D’Alessandro, Graves, Perkins, Genders, Barbera, Shi, McGrath & Davis, 2017). Only 3% of Australians who had a Will included social media accounts in their Wills. People collect digital objects yet little attention is paid to their preservation. 71% of Australians are unaware of what happens to their digital assets when they die (Ibid, 2017). The challenge for future generations lies in the creation of tangible digital artefacts by older people that they leave as a legacy for others (Manchester & Facer, 2015) The collection of digital objects and digital assets that are valuable, that later will be passed on to future generations, is called a Digital Legacy. Digital objects have a value in terms of money, history, sentiment, and law. Unlike physical objects, digital objects can be stored in multiple locations and preserved in multiple locations. In one sense, this means that digital objects can make one’s legacy seem immortal. However, it is difficult to control this process, especially for those who are left to conclude a deceased person’s affairs. Concerns such as transferability and accessibility are key issues for the executors of digital assets. Other issues pertaining to digital legacies included the gap in Australian digital asset legislation between legacy benefactors and different private companies who trade in social media, cloud storage, and digital device systems. Despite these challenges, older Australians are often unaware that they leave a Digital Legacy behind. However, less attention has been paid and very little work has been done in relation to the Digital Legacy of older Australians. This research study looked at the factors that are associated with the management of digital legacies of older Australians. This study considered the different ways in which older Australians perceived the value of digital objects, and how their digital content held a value as digital assets beyond their lives. This study took the form of a mixed methods approach. A total of 32 older Australians who were over 65 years of age formed the basis of the sample population. Data was collected in the form of open ended, semi structured interviews to get a wider understanding to the reasons why digital objects have a perceived lesser value than physical objects. This data was evaluated in comparison with online samples of legacy-related End User Licence Agreements (EULAs) and Terms of Service (ToS). The study found that whilst older people easily saw the value of physical and tangible objects, they had differing views about the value of objects in the form of digital photos, social media content, digital music, virtual games and online financial services. The study showed that older Australians held differing perceptions of the value of digital objects. It found inconsistencies in the rules and regulations of platforms and services that catered for digital content. The study was able to determine that these inconsistencies had a significant impact upon the perceived value of digital objects. Older Australians found it difficult to value digital objects that (upon their death) were inaccessible. Private companies in control of social media platforms, cloud services, and digital operating systems were regarded as serious constraints to digital knowledge preservation. The research revealed that older Australians are particularly likely to value digital photographs because they understand the convenience of using digital content in terms of access, storage, and file sharing. The research recognised that beyond the older Australians’ legacies, their family members and heirs found difficulty in managing the ongoing survivability of valued digital assets. Digital Legacies are important because they allow the transfer of knowledge (in digital form) to survive beyond individual owners. The impact of this research is that there is a growing need for older Australians to actively manage their valued digital objects. Digital assets deserve the same considerations as physical assets. Restrictive practices that prevent asset mobility reduce the perceived value of digital objects. Legislative reform may be the answer to correcting this imbalance. A significant part of this study used the findings to develop a model of comparative judgement to assist in the clearer understanding of perceived values of digital objects. Digital objects and physical objects are treated differently in terms of legacy management. This study indicates the importance of a restored balance between the two classifications.

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Anwar, Ali. "Towards Efficient and Flexible Object Storage Using Resource and Functional Partitioning." Diss., Virginia Tech, 2018. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/83508.

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Modern storage systems are designed to manage data without considering the dynamicity of user or resource requirements. This design approach does not consider the complexities of the dynamically changing runtime application behaviors as well as the unique features of underlying resources. To this end, this dissertation studies how resource and functional partitioning strategies can improve efficiency and flexibility of object stores. This dissertation presents a series of practical and efficient techniques, algorithms, and optimizations to realize efficient and flexible object stores. The experimental evaluation demonstrates the effectiveness of our design choices and strategies to make object stores flexible and resource-aware.
Ph. D.

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Stern, Bastian Christopher. "Pleasure, suffering and the experience of value." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2016. https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:603a9b3e-3f94-41bd-9715-1062d96384fd.

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This dissertation explores a number of interrelated metaphysical and epistemological issues regarding pleasure, suffering and their apparent value and disvalue, thematically tied together by the broad idea that pleasant and unpleasant experiences are, respectively, experienced as good and bad. More specifically, I try, firstly, to advance the debate regarding the nature of pleasure by arguing for what I shall call the "Self-Experiential View" - the view that pleasant experiences are pleasant in virtue of being experienced as good. Secondly, I assess the merits of the "Hedonic-Evaluative Acquaintance Thesis" - the natural conjecture, expressed by a number of authors, that our especially intimate experiential relationship ("acquaintance") with the evaluative features of our hedonic experiences grounds a particularly robust kind of epistemic status enjoyed by our hedonic-evaluative beliefs, which makes them less vulnerable to sceptical doubt. In chapter 1, I lay some groundwork for the ensuing discussion, by introducing a number of background claims which help to motivate these two theses. Moreover, I isolate two specific important ways of unpacking the Hedonic-Evaluative Acquaintance Thesis and clarify some central concepts which feature prominently in the subsequent chapters. In chapter 2, I defend the "Self-Experiential View." I proceed by addressing a number of objections which have been levelled against the view in the literature, and locate it in relation to the views which currently dominate the debate regarding the nature of pleasure. In chapter 3, I assess and ultimately reject the first important version of the Hedonic-Evaluative Acquaintance Thesis singled out in chapter 1, the "Naïve Realist Hedonic-Evaluative Acquaintance Thesis," which states that Naïve Realist acquaintance with pleasure's evaluative nature grounds a distinctive, especially robust kind of epistemic status enjoyed by our hedonic-evaluative beliefs. In chapter 4, I assess the "Introspective Hedonic-Evaluative Acquaintance Thesis", the attempt to vindicate the Hedonic-Evaluative Acquaintance Thesis by extending an acquaintance account of phenomenal introspective justification to the hedonic-evaluative case. By carefully unpacking a range of different candidate conceptions of introspective acquaintance, I home in on what I consider the most appealing acquaintance account of phenomenal introspection, and argue that it should not be extended to the hedonic-evaluative case, which means that this proposal also fails. A brief concluding chapter summarises the key conclusions of the dissertation and highlights some questions raised in the course of my discussion which would seem to warrant further investigation.

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Branco, Tiago José Trindade. "Territórios imprecisos: proposta de potencialização do objeto e lugar, Silo de Pavia." Master's thesis, Universidade de Évora, 2020. http://hdl.handle.net/10174/28343.

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Partindo duma base prática operativa sobre a Paisagem e Património Industrial de hoje em devoluto, pretende-se conceber uma base de estudo de relações entre a arquitetura e o "Terrain Vague" (segundo Solá-Morales) que se apoderam da paisagem alentejana, dominada pontualmente pelos Silos. Estes, enquanto objeto-contentor, limitam um Vazio especial, cuja formalidade foi determinada pela mecânica associada ao processo de transformação de produtos. O efeito determinante deste Vazio é o ponto onde a investigação se inicia. Trata-se assim de territórios Vazios, “descampados” (segundo Abalos&Herreros), que contêm objetos também eles Vazios de matéria. Sobre isto, ensaia-se uma atuação que procura aprofundar uma prática acerca da intensificação da arquitetura e do território, da promoção de oportunidade entre novas dinâmicas e formas de resistir à sazonalidade do tempo e dos usos; ABSTRACT: Departing from a practical operative basis concerning the devolute Landscape and Industrial Heritage of today, this dissertation intends to conceive a basis of study of the relations between architecture and the "Terrain Vague" (according to Solá-Morales) which seize the Alentejo landscape, punctually dominated by the Silos. These, as object-container, limit a special Void whose formality has been determined by the mechanics associated with the process of product transformation. The determining effect of this Void is the point where the investigation begins. They are thus Empty territories, “descampados” (according to Abalos & Herreros), which contain objects also themselves Voided of matter. With this in mind, we rehearse an appliance which seeks to develop a practice regarding the intensification of architecture and territory, a promotion of oportunity, new dynamics and ways of resisting the seasonality of time and uses

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Wang, Chen. "Modeling multi-attribute utility theory with object-oriented programming." Master's thesis, This resource online, 1994. http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-01122010-020130/.

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Aulsebrook, Stephanie Jane. "Political strategies and metal vessels in Mycenaean societies : deconstructing prestige objects through an analysis of value." Thesis, University of Cambridge, 2013. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.608169.

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Ono, Sashi, and Hua Lee. "OBJECT RECOGNITION BY GROUND-PENETRATING RADAR IMAGING SYSTEMS WITH TEMPORAL SPECTRAL STATISTICS." International Foundation for Telemetering, 2004. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/604925.

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International Telemetering Conference Proceedings / October 18-21, 2004 / Town & Country Resort, San Diego, California
This paper describes a new approach to object recognition by using ground-penetrating radar (GPR) imaging systems. The recognition procedure utilizes the spectral content instead of the object shape in traditional methods. To produce the identification feature of an object, the most common spectral component is obtained by singular value decomposition (SVD) of the training sets. The identification process is then integrated into the backward propagation image reconstruction algorithm, which is implemented on the FMCW GPR imaging systems.

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Wittmann, Marco. "From actions to agents : value representation in frontal cortex." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2016. https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:37387351-cd95-4f24-ad16-1cc67d181a7b.

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In this thesis, I investigated computational and neural mechanisms underlying foraging-related behavior in humans. A consideration of the ecological constraints under which mammalian behavior first evolved guided my investigation of learning and decision-making in frontal cortex. When engaged in foraging, animals have to figure out how profitable their actions are and whether it is better to continue foraging in their current environment or to switch to an alternative. They have to track the reward income of their actions over time and also take into account that the actions of other foraging animals have a direct influence on their reward income (Chapter 1). Based on these observations, I looked at similar types of behavior in humans using computational modeling and functional magnetic resonance imaging. I studied how people evaluate the profitability of their actions over time (Chapter 2). Dorsal anterior cingulate cortex carried a detailed representation of the value of the current foraging action, which was influenced by reward memories with different time constants (Chapter 3). Tracking the reward income of one's actions is not only important in order to learn about the profitability of the environment, it can also inform estimates of one's own and other people's abilities. Ability estimates can be used in a direct way to predict the reward outcome that the actions of one's own self and others will have. I found that people learn about their own and others' abilities in a rational manner but also that ability estimates of self and other were partly confused with each other, depending on whether subjects cooperated or competed with each other (Chapter 4). The confusion effect is reflected in Brodmann area 9 activity indicating that area 9 integrates self and other related information. Perigenual anterior cingulate tracked the ability estimates for oneself, suggesting that it might compute the success expectation of an action independent of particular features of the environment (Chapter 5). In sum, different subregions of medial frontal cortex carried different types of action-related value representations that can guide decision-making.

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Riedener, Stefan. "Maximising expected value under axiological uncertainty : an axiomatic approach." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2015. https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:42856f0c-dfa1-421f-999b-40db7a8120a6.

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The topic of this thesis is axiological uncertainty - the question of how you should evaluate your options if you are uncertain about which axiology is true. As an answer, I defend Expected Value Maximisation (EVM), the view that one option is better than another if and only if it has the greater expected value across axiologies. More precisely, I explore the axiomatic foundations of this view. I employ results from state-dependent utility theory, extend them in various ways and interpret them accordingly, and thus provide axiomatisations of EVM as a theory of axiological uncertainty. Chapter 1 defends the importance of the problem of axiological uncertainty. Chapter 2 introduces the most basic theorem of this thesis, the Expected Value Theorem. This theorem says that EVM is true if the betterness relation under axiological uncertainty satisfies the von Neumann-Morgenstern axioms and a Pareto condition. I argue that, given certain simplifications and modulo the problem of intertheoretic comparisons, this theorem presents a powerful means to formulate and defend EVM. Chapter 3 then examines the problem of intertheoretic comparisons. I argue that intertheoretic comparisons are generally possible, but that some plausible axiologies may not be comparable in a precise way. The Expected Value Theorem presupposes that all axiologies are comparable in a precise way. So this motivates extending the Expected Value Theorem to make it cover less than fully comparable axiologies. Chapter 4 then examines the concept of a probability distribution over axiologies. In the Expected Value Theorem, this concept figures as a primitive. I argue that we need an account of what it means, and outline and defend an explication for it. Chapter 5 starts to bring together the upshots from the previous three chapters. It extends the Expected Value Theorem by allowing for less than fully comparable axiologies and by dropping the presupposition of probabilities as given primitives. Chapter 6 provides formal appendices.

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Tao, Cheng. "Decision-Making Support by a Value-Driven Design Model." Thesis, Blekinge Tekniska Högskola, Institutionen för maskinteknik, 2016. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:bth-11881.

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This thesis analyses the use of value models as boundary objects to support decision making during conceptual design of Product-Service Systems. Compared to requirements-based models, value models are claimed to enhance understanding of the design problems and customer needs, as well as to help the design team in creating more value adding solutions. The work of this thesis was to prepare, conduct and analyse a series of design experiments, which are are based on the continuous observations of designers’ verbalized design considerations. Protocol analysis was conducted to investigate how value models perform as boundary objects in design, in comparison with requirements-based models. The time spent on each different activity in the protocol has been used as main proxy in the experiment. Data triangulation was ensured by the use of a questionnaire that was answered by all participants. Both methods revealed that in the preliminary phase, value models are more effective than requirements-based models in conveying intuitive value-related information, assessing intangibles value aspects, and encouraging discussions on value concerns.

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Brown, Carol. "What motivates A-level students to achieve? : the role of expectations and values." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2016. https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:8f1bd6e5-5038-4a86-95d4-b3845d78485b.

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Eccles' expectancy-value model of achievement motivation suggests that beliefs about ability and expectations for success are a strong predictor of grades and differences in task value underlie differences in motivation and achievement. This model has not been previously investigated in the context of high stakes examinations in the UK and this study therefore explores the relationships between expectations, values and A-level achievement in 930 students. This is important given the significance of these qualifications for future life pathways. Furthermore, studies examining the subjective task value (STV) patterns across school subjects, rather than domain specific ones, are rare, highlighting the additional importance of this work. A mixed methods design was used. A questionnaire collected information on a student's background (SES, gender, ethnicity), the expectations and STV attached to A-levels, and their future and general life expectations and values. Some of these relationships were also explored using 20 semi-structured interviews. The qualitative data illustrated that studying A-levels confirmed aspects of students' identity but also facilitated changes to their goals and academic skills, having positive effects, contrary to the argument that high stakes assessment has a negative impact on individuals. Unsurprisingly parents and teachers were perceived to be influential. As predicted, expectations and values were related to A-level achievement. As there is a lack of research into the effects of these variables on A-level outcomes these findings are valuable. Eccles' original three factor model of STV could not, however, be supported. In this research the utility construct was removed. Further exploration of the STV construct is warranted. Socio-economic status was positively related to both achievement and expectations about achievement. Girls had lower expectations but placed higher value on their A-levels. There were, however, no gender differences in achievement. Employing the expectancy-value model in this UK context has been useful in explaining the motivational patterns underlying A-level qualifications and the findings have implications for enhancing outcomes and narrowing educational gaps in this student population.

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Chondrakis, George. "The strategic management of intellectual property : patent value and acquisitions." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2012. http://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:9a1c6dc0-7289-4bb2-ae21-8bdb5d81f78a.

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In this dissertation I explore the role and importance of patent strategy for appropriating returns from innovation. In particular, I examine the mechanisms through which firms increase appropriability from patenting by employing complementary resources and capabilities and gauge their contribution to firm performance. To this end, I perform three empirical studies. In the first study, I focus on measuring patent value and demonstrate that the importance of firm resources and capabilities is much higher than previously thought. I interpret these results as providing strong support for the view that the design of patent strategy is crucial for profiting from innovation. In the second study, I look into a sample of technology acquisitions and examine under what circumstances firms profit from combining previously separate patent rights. I demonstrate that the merging of overlapping patent portfolios give rise to inimitable synergies, albeit only in complex technology industries. In addition, I find that firms are more likely to acquire targets with patents when their patent productivity is low, when they have a technologically diverse patent portfolio in complex technology industries and when they face an increased threat of being involved in patent suits. In the third study, I explore the role of patent strategies in the non-technological domain. I demonstrate that recent regulatory changes enabling the patenting of business methods can help patentees capture value from business model and management innovations. Moreover, I find that patenting experience and access to complementary assets are both crucial elements of a patenting strategy aimed at increasing appropriability. Taken together, these studies contribute towards bringing studies of patenting and the resource-based view of the firm closer together, to mutual advantage. This results in a better understanding of the effectiveness of patents at the firm-level and in a clearer operationalization of concepts of resources and resource interdependence.

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Hugueny, Samuel Y. "Novelty detection with extreme value theory in vital-sign monitoring." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2013. http://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:804a226c-a298-4764-9bc8-b191d2b852cd.

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Every year in the UK, tens of thousands of hospital patients suffer adverse events, such as un-planned transfers to Intensive Therapy Units or unexpected cardiac arrests. Studies have shown that in a large majority of cases, significant physiological abnormalities can be observed within the 24-hour period preceding such events. Such warning signs may go unnoticed, if they occur between observations by the nursing staff, or are simply not identified as such. Timely detection of these warning signs and appropriate escalation schemes have been shown to improve both patient outcomes and the use of hospital resources, most notably by reducing patients’ length of stay. Automated real-time early-warning systems appear to be cost-efficient answers to the need for continuous vital-sign monitoring. Traditionally, a limitation of such systems has been their sensitivity to noisy and artefactual measurements, resulting in false-alert rates that made them unusable in practice, or earned them the mistrust of clinical staff. Tarassenko et al. (2005) and Hann (2008) proposed a novelty detection approach to the problem of continuous vital-sign monitoring, which, in a clinical trial, was shown to yield clinically acceptable false alert rates. In this approach, an observation is compared to a data fusion model, and its “normality” assessed by comparing a chosen statistic to a pre-set threshold. The method, while informed by large amounts of training data, has a number of heuristic aspects. This thesis proposes a principled approach to multivariate novelty detection in stochastic time- series, where novelty scores have a probabilistic interpretation, and are explicitly linked to the starting assumptions made. Our approach stems from the observation that novelty detection using complex multivariate, multimodal generative models is generally an ill-defined problem when attempted in the data space. In situations where “novel” is equivalent to “improbable with respect to a probability distribution ”, formulating the problem in a univariate probability space allows us to use classical results of univariate statistical theory. Specifically, we propose a multivariate extension to extreme value theory and, more generally, order statistics, suitable for performing novelty detection in time-series generated from a multivariate, possibly multimodal model. All the methods introduced in this thesis are applied to a vital-sign monitoring problem and compared to the existing method of choice. We show that it is possible to outperform the existing method while retaining a probabilistic interpretation. In addition to their application to novelty detection for vital-sign monitoring, contributions in this thesis to existing extreme value theory and order statistics are also valid in the broader context of data-modelling, and may be useful for analysing data from other complex systems.

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Pasquali, Giovanni. "When value chains go south : governance and upgrading of the Kenyan leather sector." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2018. http://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:7ca1890f-3644-419d-8380-103e43fd7670.

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In the last three decades, the global economy has witnessed an ambivalent phenomenon of integration through disintegration. Whilst the amount of regional and global trade dramatically increased, vertical specialisation prompted the outsourcing of manufacturing, assembling, and other business functions regionally and globally. The slicing up of value chains and the consequent surge in trade of intermediate goods drew the attention of scholars interested in the economic, social, and environmental consequences of this phenomenon. Yet, most of the literature on value chains has concentrated on the institutional and market linkages between firms in developed economies and delocalised suppliers in the global South. Conversely, less attention has been paid to the rise in South-South trade that accompanied the development of South- South and regional value chains. The following chapters provide new evidence on the opportunities and constraints that participation in value chains across North-South, South-South, and regional trajectories entails for local suppliers in developing countries. This is achieved by means of a mixed-methods approach that combines firm-level export data with over 100 semi-structured interviews across the Kenyan leather sector. On the one hand, results show how North-South value chains are characterised by more profitable and stable relationships between buyers and local suppliers. Nonetheless, whilst defined by higher product and process standards, linkages with developed economies appear to prevent rather than encourage local value addition. On the other hand, South-South value chains are governed by instability and distrust underpinned by pressures to reduce prices and lack of upgrading opportunities. Like the global South, regional value chains are characterised by fierce competition and low profitability. Even so, they often constitute an alternative for small suppliers willing to venture into new products and functions. Particularly, the local and regional markets represent an upgrading platform for innovative firms whose low capital endowments prevent them from accessing premium North-South value chains. In this case, industrial policy and entrepreneurship play a crucial role in enabling smallholders to upgrade in a competitive environment.

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Lau, Gary Kui Kai. "Cerebral small vessel disease : mechanistic insights, ethnic differences and prognostic value." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2017. https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:5d9d38c7-9239-4264-9b42-836d6dcdec12.

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Small vessel disease (SVD) accounts for approximately 25% of all strokes and 45% of all dementias. Although the small vessels cannot be visualised with conventional neuroimaging, the pathological changes in the cerebral white and deep grey matter secondary to SVD has been adopted as markers of SVD. These are best appreciated with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and includes recent small subcortical infarcts, white matter hyperintensity (WMH), lacunes, cerebral microbleeds and enlarged perivascular spaces (PVSs). There are however a number of outstanding questions regarding these surrogate neuroimaging markers of SVD and how these markers may influence clinical management. First, although a high burden of microbleeds have been associated with an increased risk of intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH) and possibly recurrent ischaemic stroke in patients with TIA or ischaemic stroke, how microbleeds should influence antithrombotic treatment use after TIA or ischaemic stroke remains uncertain. Second, the long-term prognostic implications of enlarged PVSs in patients with TIA or ischaemic stroke have not been studied. Third, although previous studies have shown possible ethnic differences in prevalence of microbleeds, whether there are any ethnic differences in prevalence of other neuroimaging markers of SVD remains unclear. Fourth, although a Total SVD Score was recently proposed to measure the global SVD burden, the prognostic value of this score in patients with TIA or ischaemic stroke has yet to be studied. Fifth, the relationships of long-term premorbid blood pressure with global SVD burden is unknown. Finally, the age and sex specific associations between renal impairment, carotid and cerebral pulsatility with burden of SVD has yet to be studied. The aim of my thesis was therefore to determine the clinical correlates, ethnic differences and long-term prognostic implications of a range of neuroimaging markers and global burden of SVD. I also aimed to determine the relationships of global SVD burden with long-term mean premorbid blood pressure, renal impairment and carotid pulsatiltiy. I have collected, collated and analysed clinical and neuroimaging data from two independent cohorts - the Oxford Vascular Study (OXVASC) and The University of Hong Kong (HKU). In particular I worked as one of the Clinical Research Fellows at OXVASC and was involved in regular recruitment, assessment and follow up of study patients. In OXVASC, 1080 predominantly Caucasians with TIA or ischaemic stroke who had a cerebral MRI performed at baseline was recruited during 2004 to 2014. I interpreted all these MRIs, specifically coding the burden of microbleeds, enlarged perivascular spaces and lacunes. I was involved in obtaining funding and developing the HKU cohort, which includes 1003 predominantly Chinese with ischaemic stroke recruited during 2008-2014 who had a cerebral MRI performed at baseline. I saw about 25% of the patients in the cohort and was involved in interpreting all of the MRIs of the cohort. All patients from both cohorts were followed-up regularly and adverse events including recurrent ischaemic stroke and ICH was determined. Presence and burden of periventricular and subcortical WMH, lacunes, microbleeds, basal ganglia and centrum semiovale PVSs was determined for all patients and the global burden of SVD estimated according to the Total SVD Score. There are several clinically relevant findings in this thesis. First, I have shown that in Caucasians and Chinese with â¥5 microbleeds, withholding antiplatelet drugs during the first year after TIA or ischaemic stroke may be inappropriate, especially early after TIA. However, the risk of ICH is likely to outweigh any benefit thereafter. Second, I have shown that TIA or ischaemic stroke patients with microbleeds on warfarin had an increased risk of subsequent ICH. However, this risk was not different from that of antiplatelet users with microbleeds. Third, I have shown that a high burden of MRI-visible basal ganglia PVSs is independently associated with an increased risk of recurrent ischaemic stroke, but not ICH. However, the prognostic value of MRI-visible centrum semiovale PVSs in the TIA or ischaemic stroke population is limited. Fourth, I demonstrated significant ethnic differences in underlying prevalence and burden of neuroimaging markers of SVD - Chinese had a greater prevalence of microbleeds, lacunes and subcortical WMH, whilst Caucasians had a greater prevalence of periventricular WMH and PVSs. Fifth, I validated the Total SVD Score and showed that the SVD Score is able to predict risk of recurrent ischaemic stroke and ICH in Caucasians and Chinese, but is unable to identify patients at high risk of ICH from those at high risk of recurrent ischaemic stroke. Sixth, I showed that mean premorbid blood pressure, especially diastolic blood pressure measurements taken 10-20 years prior to TIA or ischaemic stroke was most strongly associated with global SVD burden suggesting a latency effect of hypertension on the pathogenesis of SVD. Finally, I demonstrated age-specific associations between renal impairment, internal carotid artery pulsatility index and SVD burden.

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30

Sirakaya, Hatice Sinem. "A Comparision Of Object Oriented Size Evaluation Techniques." Master's thesis, METU, 2003. http://etd.lib.metu.edu.tr/upload/721183/index.pdf.

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Popular Object Oriented size metrics and estimation methods are examined. A case study is conducted. Five of the methods (&ldquo
LOC&rdquo
, &ldquo
OOPS&rdquo
, &ldquo
Use Case Points Method&rdquo
, &ldquo
J.Kammelar&rsquo
s Sizing Approach&rdquo
and &ldquo
Mark II FP&rdquo
) are applied to a project whose requirements are defined by means of use cases. Size and effort estimations are made and compared with the actual results of the project.

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31

Sousa, Ercília. "Finite differences for the convection-diffusion equation : on stability and boundary conditions." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2001. http://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:8369da31-2229-4e05-846c-de3072ac1a37.

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The solution of convection-diffusion problems is a challenging task for numerical methods because of the nature of the governing equation, which includes a non-dissipative component and a dissipative component. Once the convection-diffusion equation is discretised, it is usual to observe oscillations in the computed solution regardless of whether these might be expected in the original physical situation. Mostly these oscillations are the result of numerical instability. This thesis centres on this fundamental difficulty: the numerical stability of finite difference discretisation of a convection-diffusion equation. The existence of an exact evolution operator for the constant coefficient convection diffusion problem is the framework we use to derive new finite difference schemes in one and two dimensions and also, when a high-order scheme is considered, to derive numerical boundary conditions. The influence of numerical boundary conditions on the stability of a general scheme is one of the main themes. The stability analysis is done mostly by using the von Neumann method and the matrix method. The Godunov-Ryabenkii theory is also applied to the one dimensional case. In two dimensions we deduce different forms of second-order (Lax-Wendroff) schemes and third-order (Quickest) schemes. We apply some of those schemes to a Navier-Stokes problem by running experiments to illustrate the practical stability region, showing how results from a simpler case presented in previous chapters carry over to the more complex case.

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32

Rodrigues, Antonio M. M. "Social evolution in class-structured populations." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2014. http://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:e97720c2-f2c0-4fd9-9413-a1a7695069df.

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Inclusive fitness theory concerns the study of social traits. Often, individuals differ in their phenotype (e.g. size, weight, nutritional state) independently of their genetic make up, that is, individuals differ in their quality. Individuals can then be classified into different “classes” according to their quality, which enable us to understand social evolution in class-structured populations. This is important because individuals in natural populations often differ in quality, either because of intrinsic factors (e.g. size), or extrinsic factors (e.g. resource availability). My thesis concerns the evolution of social traits in class-structured populations. In chapter 1, I make a brief introduction to my thesis, providing the abstract of each chapter. In chapter 2, I outline a general theory of individual quality, where I show how individual quality impacts social evolution in two fundamental ways. In chapter 3, I show that resource heterogeneity greatly influences the evolution of conditional social behaviour. In chapter 4, I show that temporal group-size heterogeneity promotes the evolution of both conditional helping and harming. In chapter 5, I analyse the effect of individual quality on kin selection. I find that individual quality has an important impact in kin selection, which can lead to extreme forms of social behaviour. In chapter 6, I show that stable environments promote the evolution of negative density-dependent dispersal, while unstable environments promote the evolution of positive density-dependent dispersal. In chapter 7, I show that budding and low local quality promote the evolution of dispersal and cooperation.

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33

Karmacharya, Jagadishwor. "Climate processes over the Himalaya : the added value from high resolution regional climate modelling." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2014. http://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:a8cec5ba-b837-49c0-abd4-62c26d71dffd.

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The Himalaya plays a vital role in shaping the hydro-climate of South Asia and beyond, but their climate has not yet been monitored and modelled as well as some other regions. As the summer monsoon is the dominant climate system over South Asia, including the Himalaya, realistic simulation of the South Asian summer monsoon (SASM) should be a prerequisite for the satisfactory simulation of the Himalayan climate. The present research tests the assumption that higher resolution modelling will provide improved representation of the SASM, both regionally and over the Himalaya region. The first part of this research assesses the strength and stability of the temporal relationships between the monsoon rainfall indices (MRIs) and the large-scale monsoon circulation indices (MCIs), as a precursor to using such indices for model evaluation. The remainder of the thesis evaluates model performance in simulating various characteristics of SASM, mainly with regard to precipitation. In particular, the sensitivity of a regional climate model (RCM) simulation to domain size and added value of high resolution RCM simulation are evaluated. For this purpose, the Hadley Centre unified model - HadGEM is utilized in its regional and, in few instances, global configurations. The RCM simulations are performed at 0.44° and 0.11° horizontal resolutions and they are forced by the ERA interim dataset. Results show that i) the MRI-MCI relationship exhibits considerable low-frequency variability, ii) RCM simulation of SASM, particularly precipitation, shows sensitivity to domain size and simulation with a moderately sized domain that partially excludes bias prone equatorial Indian ocean outperform those with larger domains, iii) high resolution RCM simulation adds value in many aspects of SASM precipitation, including the seasonal mean, relative frequency distribution, extremes, and active and break monsoon composites, but the improvements are generally seen over the Indo-Gangetic plain rather than the Himalaya. The findings promote use of a high resolution RCM over a moderate sized domain (~ 25,000,000 sq. km) for the realistic simulation of SASM, but the study needs to be repeated with multiple realizations and different RCMs before arriving at a robust conclusion.

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34

Vons, Matěj. "Posouzení vhodnosti investice do stavebních úprav dispozičně nevyhovujícího objektu." Master's thesis, Vysoké učení technické v Brně. Ústav soudního inženýrství, 2020. http://www.nusl.cz/ntk/nusl-413832.

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The subject of this diploma thesis is to evaluate the economic suitability of the investment in the construction work in a building with unsuitable layout. There will be a technical description of the original building, a description of demolition works and a description of the reconstruction. The economic suitability of the investment will be assessed by basic approaches of valuation. It will be a cost approach of valuation, a sales approach of valuation and income capitalization approach of valuation. Income capitalization approach of valuation will be the primary approach to calculation income capitalization that allows economic evaluation of investment before and after the reconstruction.

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35

Paine, Jonathan. "Buying the story : transaction and narrative value in Balzac, Dostoevsky and Zola." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2017. https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:90b4d56d-ee10-463e-96fc-0cf2fe927ea4.

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This thesis explores narrative as a self-reflexive commentary on the conditions of its own production. It argues that the need for narratives to perform economic functions, such as to provide an income for the author or to promote subscription to a host publication, affects how texts are written. It suggests that this approach is particularly suited to nineteenth-century prose fiction. It proposes a methodology for approaching this analysis based on treating the text as an exchange commodity in a transaction between author and reader whose economic function can be investigated and analysed. The thesis illustrates the application of this approach to major works of three nineteenth-century authors, following the evolution of the book format in France from its subordination to the roman-feuilleton in the late 1830s to its revival as an economically independent format in the 1880s, and contrasting this to the situation in contemporary Russia. A chapter on Balzac, which focusses on Splendeurs et misères des courtisanes, shows how this work can be seen as both a mirror of the rapidly evolving world of publishing during the 1830s and 1840s and as an extended discussion on the constituents of narrative value. It demonstrates how Balzac first adopts, then rejects and parodies, literary devices developed for the rapidly commercialising world of the roman-feuilleton. A chapter on Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov, serialised in 1879-80, examines how an author could develop strategies to create literary and economic value within a contemporary readership which was far less developed than that in France. It demonstrates how important literary devices which Dostoevsky uses can be shown to have economic as well as aesthetic effect. The thesis concludes by an analysis of Zola's role in the industrialisation of narrative, which mirrors the rise of the story itself as a key tool of commercialisation. It illustrates this by a discussion of L'Argent (1891) as an allegory of the rise of the story as big business. The thesis promotes the relevance of economic criticism as an underrecognised critical discipline.

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36

Rosales, Mauricio. "In vitro assessment of the nutritive value of mixtures of leaves from tropical fodder trees." Thesis, University of Oxford, 1996. http://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:cb8e7b8f-fabb-4aed-a5c5-8a58b6c294a6.

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Previous work in animal nutrition has focused on single feeds and assumed additivity in ration systems. In the tropics, farmers are likely to feed mixtures of feeds, including tree fodders, which may not be simply additive in nutritional terms. This study has increased our understanding of the mechanisms that determine the associative effects on the in vitro fermentation of mixtures of fodder tree leaves. Associative effects are governed by a synchronisation in the fermentation rates of the components of the mixture. This is in turn dependent on the fermentability of their chemical constituents. Effects were demonstrated by changes in the fermentation kinetics of gas production curves. The chemical components of fodder tree leaves that affect the fermentation, and the time at which the effect occurs, were identified, using two media of different nitrogen contents. The fermentation of mixtures of pure chemical entities in various combinations was then examined. The greatest associative effects were found when the mixture had components of similar fermentability. It is proposed that associative effects are a function of the synchronisation of fermentation of the different components and was shown to occur at the point when the rate was maximal. With two types of protein (casein and bovine serum albumin (BSA)), utilisation of a protein by rumen microbes was shown to be a function of its fermentability and not of its solubility. This is also influenced by the type of associated carbohydrate. Fodder tree leaves were then combined with different pure chemical entities. Associative effects between fodder tree leaves and carbohydrates were shown to occur and the responses were similar to those obtained with mixtures of pure carbohydrates and proteins. The effect of tannins and phenolic compounds was studied using quebracho tannin as a model, and in five of the tree species. They were shown to affect the fermentability of both carbohydrates and proteins. The effect was greater with carbohydrates of medium to low fermentability. They also reacted with both soluble and insoluble protein. Forages with phenolic compounds showed both positive and negative effects. The effects were possible due to a synchrony or asynchrony in the release of protein. In mixtures of leaves from different species, associative effects were related to their fermentability. Again, this appeared to be the result of the synchronisation of the release of nutrients. Associative effects with fodder tree leaves were of a composite nature and can be both positive and negative. The implications of these findings in relation to in vivo digestion and animal production are discussed. Due to the diversity of fodder trees, there is the potential to develop feeding systems based on mixtures which make better use of available resources. This will also contribute to improved efficiency in the management and use of natural resources, and take advantage of natural plant diversity in the tropics.

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37

Junefjäll, Jonathan, and Linnéa Nurro. "Clapping hands : En analys av emojis i politisk kommunikation på Instagram." Thesis, Högskolan för lärande och kommunikation, Högskolan i Jönköping, HLK, Medie- och kommunikationsvetenskap, 2017. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hj:diva-38855.

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Emojis är ett digitalt uttryckssätt baserade på smileys och emoticons som introducerades i smarta telefoner under 2011 och har sedan dess blivit en integrerad del av många människors vardagliga kommunikation. De används också i politisk kommunikation på sociala medier på samma sätt som en del i ett modernt uttryckssätt. Den här undersökningen tittar på 557 emojis i 300 inlägg gjorda av tre ledande politiska partier – Høyre i Norge, Socialdemokraterna i Sverige och Venstre i Danmark. Syftet är att förstå vilken funktion emojis har i förhållande till texten och bilden i inlägget. Med utgångspunkt i Goffmans gestaltningsteori görs en kvantitativ översiktsskapande analys av 300 inlägg där alla emojis placeras i en av Fairhursts gestaltningsteknik baserat på vilken funktion de har i inlägget. I en djupare analys undersöks 15 inlägg där alla emojis analyseras utifrån teorierna gestaltningsteknik, polysemiskt objekt och positionsvärde. Emojis används av alla tre partier på liknande sätt och alla tre partier delar en likadan gestaltningsteknik bland de topp tre vanligaste. Främst är de ett substitut för mellanmänsklig kommunikation men sällan svårtolkade. Eftersom alla partier använder emojis på ett liknande sätt kan det ses som en medialisering i förhållande till sociala medier, snarare än en utveckling utifrån en nationell kultur.
Emojis is a digital expression based on smileys and emoticons that were introduced in smartphones during 2011, and has since then become an integrated part with peoples every day communication. They are also used in political communication on social media as part of a modern expression. This is an examination of 557 emojis in 300 Instagram post made by three leading political parties – Høyre in Norway, Socialdemokraterna in Sweden and Venstre in Denmark. The overall purpose is to understand what function the emoji have in the Instragram text and picture context. This is a quantitative examination starting in the Goffman framing theory were 300 Instagram posts are analyzed and the emojis are assigned a Fairhurst framing technique based on its function in the post. It’s also a qualitative analysis of 15 Instagram posts were the containing emojis are analyzed from the theories framing technique, polysemic object and position value. Emojis are used in similar ways by all the parties and they share one framing technique on their top three used techniques. The emoji is used as a substitute for nonverbal communication in the posts and are seldom hard to understand. The usage can be seen as a result of medialization in relation to social media rather than a development from a national culture.

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38

Postar, Stephanie. "Forest histories and nuclear futures : mapping resources, value, and change in southern Tanzania." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2018. http://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:1011ae01-6f19-44e0-ab86-a38c941e7022.

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At a time when an estimated one-quarter of UNESCO sites of natural world heritage are threatened by existing or proposed extractive projects, this thesis explores the histories and futures in and around sub-Saharan Africa's oldest and largest wilderness area, where Tanzania's first uranium mine is quiet as it completes its sixth year of delays. Today's contested perceptions of the future of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Selous Game Reserve are a product of the social construction of wilderness that has been developed and applied over time to African landscapes through (post)colonial models of conservation. While the rationale for conservationists' opposition to extraction has been articulated, this thesis examines the historical dynamics of local expectations of extraction. The thesis argues that the multiplicity of valued resources at stake in and around the mine demands an approach that takes into account uranium, but also wildlife, land, and water. This natural resource intersectionality also reflects the scales at hand: a mineral deposit containing globally significant amounts of uranium, a wilderness area the size of Switzerland, and the infinite lifespan of uranium's radioactive decay. Ultimately, the study maps the ways that the incursion of mining activities is destabilizing the local order. Across scales of space and time, the Selous emerges, not as a primordial forest wilderness, but instead as a sacrifice zone, set aside for de-territorialization, discipline, and extraction. I demonstrate that it is the heritagization process that helps to re-imagine, and therefore re-create, the past, but also that it projects particular ambitions ahead: an imagined, pristine Selous woodland of past, intervening in the present, and influencing the future of the Reserve. I investigate the conceptual nexus between conservation and extraction, challenging simplistic narratives which place the two in opposition. As the mine languishes, the thesis provides evidence from neighbouring villages suggesting that despite seemingly universal support for the mine, there is uncertainty and ambivalence toward the future, with or without uranium.

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39

Borison, Torbjorn. "Object Synchronization and Security for Mobile Communications Devices." Thesis, KTH, Mikroelektronik och Informationsteknik, IMIT, 2001. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-93276.

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The main objective of this master’s thesis project was to investigate and find solutions to the problem of how to combine the SyncML synchronisation specification with object security and thus protection of personal information, such as contacts and calendar entries in mobile devices. SyncML is a new synchronisation specification agreed upon by major device developers (Ericsson, Palm, Motorola, etc.) and the major synchronisation server developers (Starfish, Puma, fusionOne, etc.). It is independent of transport (HTTP, WSP, or OBEX) platform, operating system, and application and simplifies synchronisation of personal information between dissimilar SyncML supportive devices. SyncML compliant devices are fully capable of synchronising information with a third party operated Internet based server and a desktop computer. This allows us to access, up-date and maintain information independent of Intranets or geographical position. However, synchronising and storing confidential personal information on an third party operated Internet based server entails weaknesses in our personal information security. Even if transport and storage security are used, how secure is the server where this information is stored since this server has the highest probability of being attacked. Can we really trust that an employee or other person with valid appropriated administrators access to the storage facility with the appropriate knowledge, working together with the third party server operator, won’t try to access our stored information? To prevent this, the personal information’s confidentiality must be guaranteed before the information leaves the device. When synchronising and exchanging personal information, the information is often marked according to a specific format. The three de-facto standard PIM formats are: (1) vCard (contact information), (2) vCalendar, and (3) iCalendar (calendar and scheduling information). These formats divide the personal information into properties. Each property is assigned to contain a small piece of the personal information entry (e.g. a telephone number, an e-mail address, the time when the calendar event begins, etc.). Furthermore to preserve the interoperability between different devices given by SyncML, authorised recipients must automatically be able to reverse the encryption process and decrypt the encrypted property value. Therefore general cryptographic formats are used (e.g. CMS, PGP and the newly developed XML Encryption). They add information needed by the recipients (e.g. algorithm used, padding method used on the plain text, etc.), encrypt the plaintext into cipher text, and decrypt the cipher text into plain text given the correct key.

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40

O'Sullivan, Michael J. "An investigation into the relation between corporate governance and firm value in the U.K." Thesis, University of Oxford, 1999. http://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:32eba31a-6d85-4c6b-b1c0-8dcd03eed1c3.

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The separation of ownership from control, which characterises the modern firm, necessitates monitoring and inducement mechanisms to ensure that managers maximise shareholder wealth. This study investigates the relation of firm value to these corporate governance mechanisms. The results of the analysis show that there is considerable interdependence between corporate governance and firm structure variables. Most importantly, it appears that the two principal governance mechanisms, managerial equity ownership and the board of directors, are optimally chosen. The methodology employed here suggests that previous work has not fully accounted for the comprehensive and simultaneous nature of the governance process. Weaker evidence is obtained for directors' remuneration and outsider equity ownership. Directors' remuneration is substantially determined by the structure of the firm, and is not strongly related to the performance of the firm. In addition, it appears that large equity investors have different motivations and their presence within a firm's ownership structure may not always be associated with a monitoring function.

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41

Greve, Sebastian. "Skill and scepticism : an enquiry concerning the nature and epistemic value of intuitive judgement." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2018. http://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:1bd76173-f478-4f31-9a1d-8f6a5e3923ce.

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This thesis concerns two main questions: What is intuition? And can it be a source of knowledge or justification? In addressing these questions, it advances several ongoing philosophical debates, and does so in two main ways: firstly, by formulating a general account of the nature of intuitive judgement that establishes common ground amongst the often disparate views of scholars working on intuition (or intuitions) in psychology, linguistics, philosophy and various other disciplines; and, secondly, by developing a new epistemological position that combines scepticism about the evidential value of intuition with a new account of philosophical skill. The general account of the nature of intuitive judgement mainly consists in drawing a distinction between intuitive judgement and intuitive appearance which is analogous to a distinction that can be drawn between perceptual judgement and perceptual appearance. It is argued that a common type of paradox entails the distinction for the non-perceptual case; it is then demonstrated how various related notions, such as intuitive belief, intuitive thinking and intuition as a cognitive faculty, can be derived from the notion of intuitive judgement. The epistemological account receives additional support from a new theory regarding the objects of intuition, according to which the analogy between intuition and perception holds specifically for what is sometimes called 'aspect perception': it is argued that some intuitive appearances are partially constituted by an appearance of meaning and that, consequently, the analysis of intuitive judgement must distinguish between two types of object, an intentional object (typically, a thought) and a causal one (typically, an expression of thought). It is further argued that the focus on evidential value that has been prevalent in the philosophical literature is too restrictive. By contrast with the prevalent view, it is demonstrated that intuition plays a significant role in human thinking, including in philosophical and scientific enquiry, independently of whether intuition is of great or only of minimal evidential value.

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42

Cao, Qin. "Roles of weapons : significance, identity and value in Anyang late Shang (c. 1200-1050 B.C.) society China." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2016. https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:e9a70177-8acb-4745-a94b-ddefa08dab98.

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Weapons of the late Shang (c.1200-1050 B.C.), characterised by their frequent discovery and various forms and materials, have often been dogmatically deciphered as either symbolic signifiers or representing military equipment. Adopting an object biographical approach, the main objective of this thesis is to employ the corpus of weapons to explore the martial facet of Shang society. Multiple strands of evidence have been compiled for the investigation: two datasets composed of over 200 complete tombs with their assemblages from the Anyang site of the late Shang, finds from non-burial contexts, the British Museum bronze weaponry collection, and contemporaneous texts. Using for the first time both statistical tools and metalwork wear analysis, this thesis challenges our understanding of the weapons of the Shang from their classification in archaeological reports to their functions and roles in society. The diverse types and materials of weapons and their multifaceted functions also shed light on interactions between objects and human beings.

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43

Le, Febvre Emilie. "Tracing visual knowledge : the presence and value of images for Bedouin history and society in the Negev." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2015. https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:d588d57f-2137-47b2-9ff2-3ac46799f6ad.

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Based on eighteen months fieldwork with Bedouin of the Negev, this thesis explores the varied presence of images as photographs and digital copies for local historicity in order to achieve a greater understanding of representational politics in southern Israel. It emphasizes pictures' ability to transmute, circulate, and acquire value in various social settings in contrast to popular academic treatments, which primarily focus on photographs' iconography and visual history in the Middle East. To do so, the thesis details the biographies of a series of 'significant images' (c. 1906-2010) circulating in this society. It describes their photographic and digital graphic contents as floating referents with the capacity to be coded and recoded by people but also their presence as historical evidence that acquire value in different contexts. The thesis builds on the concept of visual economy as opposed to visual culture in order to landscape images' meanings, material and digital transformations, and their influence for the making of Bedouin history over the last century amid Orientalist, national, and local imaginings. It argues that Bedouin in the Negev possess diverse representational repertoires and utilise a variety of techniques to pursue historical capital. In particular, local representations of the past are selective and instrumental but increasingly reliant on archival mediums such as photographs. Although it may be obvious, anthropologists of the Middle East have yet to adequately account for these occurrences among peripheral peoples and not merely urbanites in the region. Research found that Bedouin spokespersons treat photographs and digital images as evidentiary documentation during self-presentations of historical knowledge in the Negev. As they travel between visual economies, however, images become malleable proof for local history projects alternating between the tribal past, Islamic heritage, and ethnohistory. In conclusion, the thesis develops two theoretical themes in anthropology and visual culture studies of the Middle East: the material and visual efficacy of images for local historicity, and complicating self-representations among Bedouin in the Negev.

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44

Attié, Elodie. "The connected consumer : A theoretical framework of consumer adoption/consequences of the Internet of Things and smart connected objects." Thesis, Toulouse 1, 2019. http://www.theses.fr/2019TOU10048.

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Le résumé en français n'a pas été communiqué par l'auteur
Over the last decade, technological and Internet innovations have increasingly invaded the consumer market (N’Goala, 2016). The Internet of Things (IoT) is becoming a common platform, and disrupts relationships between consumers and companies (Bohli et al., 2009); in essence, this is a timely research. The major goal of this thesis is to deepen the understanding of the acceptance and the adoption processes of the IoT and smart connected technologies, as well as the related consequences on perceived well-being. To do this, four contexts of study have been explored: smart connected objects, smart sleep applications, smart homes, and smart stores. First, we performed qualitative exploratory studies, and secondly we conducted quantitative studies to build conceptual models according to our qualitative findings and the literature. The results show that technology benefits are the first factors that enable technology acceptance through perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use; subsequently, self-improvement, through perceived social image and well-being benefits, are the main reasons to continue using the IoT and smart connected technologies. The acceptance and the adoption of these technologies also depend on users’ personality traits while perceived risks and fears on the use of the personal data are the main barriers. In turn, the IoT and smart connected technologies influence perceived well-being according to the experience of use, personality traits, and the technology

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45

Birkisson, Asgeir. "Numerical solution of nonlinear boundary value problems for ordinary differential equations in the continuous framework." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2013. http://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:1df19052-5eb3-4398-a7b2-b103e380ec2c.

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Ordinary differential equations (ODEs) play an important role in mathematics. Although intrinsically, the setting for describing ODEs is the continuous framework, where differential operators are considered as maps from one function space to another, common numerical algorithms for ODEs discretise problems early on in the solution process. This thesis is about continuous analogues of such discrete algorithms for the numerical solution of ODEs. This thesis shows how Newton's method for finite dimensional system can be generalised to function spaces, where it is known as Newton-Kantorovich iteration. It presents affine invariant damping strategies for increasing the chance of convergence for the Newton-Kantorovich iteration. The derivatives required in this continuous setting are Fréchet derivatives, the continuous analogue of Jacobian matrices. In this work, we present how automatic differentiation techniques can be applied to compute Fréchet derivatives. We introduce chebop, a Matlab solver for nonlinear boundary-value problems, which combines damped Newton iteration in function space and automatic Fréchet differentiation. By proving that affine operators have constant Fréchet derivatives, it is demonstrated how automatic linearity detection of computed quantities can be implemented. This is valuable for black-box solvers, which can use the information to determine whether an iteration scheme has to be employed for solving a problem. Like nonlinear systems of equations, nonlinear boundary-value problems can have multiple solutions. This thesis present two techniques for obtaining multiple solutions of operator equations: deflation and path-following. An algorithm combining the two techniques is proposed.

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Stearns, Adam T. "Regulation of the intestinal sodium/glucose cotransporter SGLT1 in health and disease." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2009. http://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:68a7c42c-33f7-47e9-86eb-04575d4baa36.

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Orr-Ewing, Amy. "The apologetic value of theological truth through story and pattern in the works of Dorothy L. Sayers." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2017. https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:0e7badca-02a6-4ca0-9d9d-4cb92fde23c7.

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This thesis sets out to understand the theological method of Dorothy L. Sayers, a complex woman of letters. The preeminent argument is that a new and helpful paradigm for understanding Sayers' work and evaluating her contribution to Christian apologetics is her emphasis on accessing and expressing theological 'truth', through 'story' and 'pattern'. Sayers consistently explored theological truths in the context of dramatic narratives and orderly systems. The primary research methodology is to find, read and use Sayers' own letters as the principal sources to shed light on her published work. The thesis seeks to show that recognising Sayers' passion for truth, through story and pattern makes a significant contribution towards understanding her canon as a unity. The thesis differs in perspective in this regard from other Sayers scholarship, which has placed emphasis on other particular theological motifs or literary points in her career as an author. Furthermore, this thesis will differ from other theological analyses of Sayers' work in that it engages with the full diversity of genres in Sayers' canon and does so from a rigorous theological perspective rather than by taking a biographical approach. This thesis contributes to current theological understanding by bringing the work of a significant lay female Christian thinker of the twentieth century to the attention of scholarship. Sayers' work has continuing resonance for contemporary theologians who are interested in the role of narrative, drama and analogy in theology, and in the creative communication of theological ideas.

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Saunders, Lesley. "A science in the service of an art? : the use of 'value added' analyses of school performance to aid school improvement." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2001. http://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:ff55c39e-d9f2-4483-bbef-cf827f250781.

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The thesis is concerned to explore whether and how ‘value added’ data analyses can contribute to school improvement, and to identify some of the conditions under which this might be so. In the course of conducting the study, the author experienced a tension between the ‘research’ and the ‘development’ dimensions of her work, and this is used to inform the outcomes of the thesis. The thesis is underpinned by three related aims: first, to provide a historical and evaluative overview of how the idea of ‘value added’ came to enter and influence the debate on educational quality in England. The study of the literature demonstrates that the main principles of ‘value added’ were already well developed before the term was in common use; it also reveals that the ambiguities in the term are not merely reflective of disagreements about how best to calculate value added but actually central to how the idea has been made to function within a particular political agenda for education having to do with ‘raising standards’. Because of the relentlessness of that agenda, ‘value added’ measures of attainment have undergone considerable methodological development over the past ten years, to the point where sophisticated statistical data on pupils’ and schools’ performance is being generated and used by government agencies, LEAs and schools themselves to an extent virtually unknown elsewhere. However, this thesis indicates that the technical and conceptual issues involved in putting such data to practical use in schools are likely to test the interpretative and organisational skills of users. The literature search confirms that not much investigation has been done into how data is actually used, but that what there is suggests some important lines of inquiry. The second aim of the thesis is accordingly to explore, through a small-scale empirical study, the use by secondary school staff of value-added data as exemplified by the NFER’s value added service QUASE. The study was conducted in nine schools, with staff at senior and middle management levels, and focused on mathematics, English and science departments. The third aim of the thesis is to assess how far the case-study findings might shed further light on the issues entailed in using such data for school improvement. The evidence suggested that value added data are seen as complex and often ‘high stakes’ and that – at the time of this study – the uses of value added data were rather more limited than expected; furthermore, the meanings of value added would seem to be socially constructed by the political and institutional environment, and to be closely related to individual teachers’ values and attitudes. This in turn suggests that better insights into, and management of, ‘the psychology and sociology’ of how value added data are perceived and used are necessary. Nonetheless, the study concludes that there is potential for value added analyses to contribute to school improvement under certain conditions; crucially, the study indicated that these included a culture which emphasised self-evaluation – rather than external accountability – within the school or subject department, combined with input from a ‘champion’ or facilitator who understood the technicalities and significance of the data. Value added analyses seemed to be used most actively by,staff who were able to use them ‘heuristically’, that is, to pose informed questions about teaching and learning (rather than as literal truths or statistical fictions). The study argues that ‘value added’ measures of performance are accordingly better understood as a technology than a science – that is, a practical application of knowledge which interacts dynamically with its social and cultural environment.

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Autrata, Tomáš. "Analýza vhodného využití sportovního objektu v Brně-Líšni." Master's thesis, Vysoké učení technické v Brně. Ústav soudního inženýrství, 2017. http://www.nusl.cz/ntk/nusl-319155.

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The main objective of this diploma thesis is assessment of a sports centre according to a favourableness of adaptation to a different forms of utilization. The particular subject assessed is badminton sports centre located at Úlehlova street in Brno. First of all the current state of the sports centre is described and assessed by using valuation methods. Subsequently various possibilities of adaptation to different forms of utilization are determined according to a popularity of indoor sports, expensiveness, technical feasibility and analysis of a real estate market. Each variant is valued by cost, income and sales comparison approach. Eventually the favourableness of each variant is considered and the most favourable one is chosen

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Vorlíčková, Petra. "Posouzení vhodnosti investice do stavebních úprav dispozičně nevyhovujícího objektu." Master's thesis, Vysoké učení technické v Brně. Ústav soudního inženýrství, 2021. http://www.nusl.cz/ntk/nusl-446757.

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Real estate renovation is a complex and expensive affair. From the investment point of view, the economic aspect (cost and subsequent revenues) plays a very important role, which is closely related to the purpose of use, location and condition of the building. The property solved in this work is a terraced family house divided into 3 residential units. Two variants of reconstructions were developed, divided according to their scope. To assess the return on investment in real estate, standard market indicators were used - cost, comparative and revenue methods and was further valued according to the valuation regulation.

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Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Vague objects'

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