Gröbner basis techniques for certain problems in coding and systems theory

There is much common ground between the areas of coding theory and systems theory. Fitzpatrick has shown that a Göbner basis approach leads to efficient algorithms in the decoding of Reed-Solomon codes and in scalar interpolation and partial realization. This thesis simultaneously generalizes and simplifies that approach and presents applications to discrete-time modeling, multivariable interpolation and list decoding. Gröbner basis theory has come into its own in the context of software and algorithm development. By generalizing the concept of polynomial degree, term orders are provided for multivariable polynomial rings and free modules over polynomial rings. The orders are not, in general, unique and this adds, in no small way, to the power and flexibility of the technique. As well as being generating sets for ideals or modules, Gröbner bases always contain a element which is minimal with respect tot the corresponding term order. Central to this thesis is a general algorithm, valid for any term order, that produces a Gröbner basis for the solution module (or ideal) of elements satisfying a sequence of generalized congruences. These congruences, based on shifts and homomorphisms, are applicable to a wide variety of problems, including key equations and interpolations. At the core of the algorithm is an incremental step. Iterating this step lends a recursive/iterative character to the algorithm. As a consequence, not all of the input to the algorithm need be available from the start and different "paths" can be taken to reach the final solution. The existence of a suitable chain of modules satisfying the criteria of the incremental step is a prerequisite for applying the algorithm.

Women's contribution to the development of the English novel: 1621-1818

Women's contribution to literature is no arbitrary or artificial distinction. However much the reformer may welcome, or the conservative lament, the growth of a harmonious sharing of ideals between men and women, that growth has been a hard-fought struggle. It has been an escape from a prison, which, when it did not entirely shut out the greater world, at least enclosed a little world of education meant for women, literature adapted to the supposed limitations of their intellect, and a course of action prescribed by the other sex. To show how the literary efforts of women developed and justified their claims to free activity is the purpose of this thesis.

Development of inversion-mode and junctionless Indium-Gallium-Arsenide MOSFETs

This PhD covers the development of planar inversion-mode and junctionless Al2O3/In0.53Ga0.47As metal-oxidesemiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs). An implant activation anneal was developed for the formation of the source and drain (S/D) of the inversionmode MOSFET. Fabricated inversion-mode devices were used as test vehicles to investigate the impact of forming gas annealing (FGA) on device performance. Following FGA, the devices exhibited a subthreshold swing (SS) of 150mV/dec., an ION/IOFF of 104 and the transconductance, drive current and peak effective mobility increased by 29%, 25% and 15%, respectively. An alternative technique, based on the fitting of the measured full-gate capacitance vs gate voltage using a selfconsistent Poisson-Schrödinger solver, was developed to extract the trap energy profile across the full In0.53Ga0.47As bandgap and beyond. A multi-frequency inversion-charge pumping approach was proposed to (1) study the traps located at energy levels aligned with the In0.53Ga0.47As conduction band and (2) separate the trapped charge and mobile charge contributions. The analysis revealed an effective mobility (μeff) peaking at ~2850cm2/V.s for an inversion-charge density (Ninv) = 7*1011cm2 and rapidly decreasing to ~600cm2/V.s for Ninv = 1*1013 cm2, consistent with a μeff limited by surface roughness scattering. Atomic force microscopy measurements confirmed a large surface roughness of 1.95±0.28nm on the In0.53Ga0.47As channel caused by the S/D activation anneal. In order to circumvent the issue relative to S/D formation, a junctionless In0.53Ga0.47As device was developed. A digital etch was used to thin the In0.53Ga0.47As channel and investigate the impact of channel thickness (tInGaAs) on device performance. Scaling of the SS with tInGaAs was observed for tInGaAs going from 24 to 16nm, yielding a SS of 115mV/dec. for tInGaAs = 16nm. Flat-band μeff values of 2130 and 1975cm2/V.s were extracted on devices with tInGaAs of 24 and 20nm, respectively

Prostate cancer treatment as an embodied rite of passage: impotence and incontinence as challenges to status reversal and reintegration

Introduction and Rationale: A central argument in the thesis is that performative acts of control, sexual potency and spontaneity are central to the continuous construction of embodied masculine identities. The acts of control, and particularly issues of spontaneity, are central to understandings and addressing the difficulties men face at varying levels of embodied identity. Using Watson’s (2000) ‘Male body schema’, I will explore the challenges and opportunities men face when negotiating normative, pragmatic, and experiential embodiment. I will later then explore the importance of these levels of embodiment to achieving visceral embodiment; or what I would define as a renewed unconscious satisfaction and ability to achieve and maintain normative, pragmatic and experiential forms of embodiment. Purpose and Objectives: Using the concept of liminality, and permanent liminality, the thesis explores how we can interpret and understand men’s experience of prostate cancer diagnosis and treatment, and their struggle to regain power and control in the context of diagnosis, and also the side effects to treatment. The strategies men adopt in seeking out personalised medical programmes of treatment with their doctors are explored in detail. The power and control that can be exercised over medical professionals and treatment options is demonstrated. Method: Collecting responses online from prostate specific discussion boards via gatekeepers, and from interviews on the ‘health talk’ online database, three intersecting conceptual categories - liminality, masculinity and the body/embodiment - are combined in this research. Liminality and ‘time’ are directly linked to notions of ‘success’ and ‘outcome’ during the treatment process, and mark distinct points at which men, and their families, expect measures or limits to have been reached. Exploring liminality within the context of Turner’s ‘rites of passage’, I explore the difficulty men face in concluding the third stage of the rites; reintegration. Results: Prostate cancer diagnosis and treatment, impotence and incontinence, in particular, have profound implications for the continuous construction of embodied masculine identities, and thus identity in general, making the construction of hegemonic ideals in the context of a highly ‘performative’ society highly troublesome. The issue of ‘spontaneity’ in the construction of various forms of embodied identities is of particular concern for men who contributed to this study.

The Celtic dragon slayer - a literary analysis of Tochmarc Emire in connection with Tristan et Iseut

As Celtic scholars have long noted, the medieval Irish tale Tochmarc Emire “The Courtship of Emer” is heavily indebted to other medieval Irish texts. In this tale of courtship and otherworldly quests, the Irish hero Cú Chulainn must prove himself worthy of the hand of the noblewoman Emer. Among his overseas adventures, Cú Chulainn rescues a princess from three attackers of the Fomoire. This episode may represent the only medieval Irish example of AT300 “The Dragon Slayer”, a story pattern known from classical models such as the stories of Perseus and Andromeda; and Hercules and Hesione. Moreover, in the company of Cú Chulainn we find a character otherwise unknown to Irish tradition by the name of Drust mac Seirb. This has led scholars to argue that Tochmarc Emire may preserve a Celtic precursor of the Continental Tristan legend, seeing in Drust the Pictish origin of the character Tristan, himself a famous dragon slayer. In this interdisciplinary dissertation, a number of questions are addressed. If the redactor of Tochmarc Emire drew on material from outside Irish tradition, what does this tell us about medieval Irish concepts of literature and genre? Further, what evidence do we have for tracing the origin of the Continental Tristan legend back to Pictland, and what explanation might we offer for a putative Pictish prince featuring in an Irish Dragon Slayer story? Finally, what place does the Dragon Slayer episode occupy within Tochmarc Emire and can we find other narratives, Celtic or classical or other, fitting the pattern of AT300, which may strengthen the link between Tochmarc Emire and Tristan?

Biased group decision-making and the effect of computer-mediated communication: separating the effects of anonymity, voting and blind picking

The influence of communication technology on group decision-making has been examined in many studies. But the findings are inconsistent. Some studies showed a positive effect on decision quality, other studies have shown that communication technology makes the decision even worse. One possible explanation for these different findings could be the use of different Group Decision Support Systems (GDSS) in these studies, with some GDSS better fitting to the given task than others and with different sets of functions. This paper outlines an approach with an information system solely designed to examine the effect of (1) anonymity, (2) voting and (3) blind picking on decision quality, discussion quality and perceived quality of information.

Depression and 'crises of meaninglessness' in the political-economic theology of the money-God

The thesis starts with a historical analysis of the development of depression as a concept. Through this inquiry, the controversies behind the apparent consensus about depression’s etiology and treatment are illuminated, suggesting that the understanding of the climbing rates of depression in contemporary Western civilization is still up for grabs. That’s what the thesis sets out to investigate. In order to accomplish this aim, the study builds upon the classical accounts of Georg Simmel, Émile Durkheim and the more contemporary ideas of Dany-Robert Dufour, in dialogue with an array of supplementary theoretical sources. Navigating through this ‘sea’ of extraordinary and different theories, a new avenue of reflections arises, contributing for the sophistication of the questions made about the phenomenon of depression’s rates. The fundamental argument emerging from this theoretical undertaking is that ‘crises of meaninglessness’ that pervade the collective body of Western contemporary societies have, as one of its consequences, the expansion of depression rates. Meaninglessness in contemporary times is the primary object of investigation of the thesis. The concept, in the context of this study, is not understood as merely an effect of the historical decline of shared social norms due to processes of individualization. Rather, it is claimed, it originates from and is reinforced by the ‘political-economic theology of neo-liberalism’ which becomes virtually generalized in the West, erecting money as a God. The study concludes that by undermining culturally established values, ideals, institutions and principles that may block the dissemination of commodities this new transcendence has been challenging the task of signifying life, potentializing – among other subjective difficulties – the diffusion of depression.