Laguerre-like methods for the simultaneous approximation of polynomial multiple zeros

Two new methods of the fourth order for the simultaneous determination of multiple zeros of a polynomial are proposed. The presented methods are based on the fixed point relation of Laguerre's type and realized in ordinary complex arithmetic as well as circular complex interval arithmetic. The derived iterative formulas are suitable for the construction of modified methods with improved convergence rate with negligible additional operations. Very fast convergence of the considered methods is illustrated by two numerical examples

Global Continuous Optimization with Error Bound and Fast Convergence

This paper considers global optimization with a black-box unknown objective function that can be non-convex and non-differentiable. Such a difficult optimization problem arises in many real-world applications, such as parameter tuning in machine learning, engineering design problem, and planning with a complex physics simulator. This paper proposes a new global optimization algorithm, called Locally Oriented Global Optimization (LOGO), to aim for both fast convergence in practice and finite-time error bound in theory. The advantage and usage of the new algorithm are illustrated via theoretical analysis and an experiment conducted with 11 benchmark test functions. Further, we modify the LOGO algorithm to specifically solve a planning problem via policy search with continuous state/action space and long time horizon while maintaining its finite-time error bound. We apply the proposed planning method to accident management of a nuclear power plant. The result of the application study demonstrates the practical utility of our method

New directions in corpus-based translation studies

Corpus-based translation studies has become a major paradigm and research methodology and has investigated a wide variety of topics in the last two decades. The contributions to this volume add to the range of corpus-based studies by providing examples of some less explored applications of corpus analysis methods to translation research. They show that the area keeps evolving as it constantly opens up to different frameworks and approaches, from appraisal theory to process-oriented analysis, and encompasses multiple translation settings, including (indirect) literary translation, machine(-assisted) translation and the practical work of professional legal translators. The studies included in the volume also expand the range of application of corpus applications in terms of the tools used to accomplish the research tasks outlined

Evaluation of iterative methods for solving nonlinear scalar equations

This study is aimed at performing a comprehensive numerical evalua-tion of the iterative solution techniques without memory for solving non-linear scalar equations with simple real roots, in order to specify the most efficient and applicable methods for practical purposes. In this regard, the capabilities of the methods for applicable purposes are be evaluated, in which the ability of the methods to solve different types of nonlinear equations is be studied. First, 26 different iterative methods with the best performance are reviewed. These methods are selected based on performing more than 46000 analyses on 166 different available nonlinear solvers. For the easier application of the techniques, consistent mathematical notation is employed to present reviewed approaches. After presenting the diverse methodologies suggested for solving nonlinear equations, the performances of the reviewed methods are evaluated by solving 28 different nonlinear equations. The utilized test functions, which are selected from the re-viewed research works, are solved by all schemes and by assuming different initial guesses. To select the initial guesses, endpoints of five neighboring intervals with different sizes around the root of test functions are used. Therefore, each problem is solved by ten different starting points. In order to calculate novel computational efficiency indices and rank them accu-rately, the results of the obtained solutions are used. These data include the number of iterations, number of function evaluations, and convergence times. In addition, the successful runs for each process are used to rank the evaluated schemes. Although, in general, the choice of the method de-pends on the problem in practice, but in practical applications, especially in engineering, changing the solution method for different problems is not feasible all the time, and accordingly, the findings of the present study can be used as a guide to specify the fastest and most appropriate solution technique for solving nonlinear problems

New directions in corpus-based translation studies

Corpus-based translation studies has become a major paradigm and research methodology and has investigated a wide variety of topics in the last two decades. The contributions to this volume add to the range of corpus-based studies by providing examples of some less explored applications of corpus analysis methods to translation research. They show that the area keeps evolving as it constantly opens up to different frameworks and approaches, from appraisal theory to process-oriented analysis, and encompasses multiple translation settings, including (indirect) literary translation, machine(-assisted) translation and the practical work of professional legal translators. The studies included in the volume also expand the range of application of corpus applications in terms of the tools used to accomplish the research tasks outlined

Delineating the construct of psychopathy : psychometric evidence of alternative measures.

Psychopathy is a complex construct with various definitions featuring both personality traits, such as egocentricity, lack of empathy and guilt, dishonesty, callousness, and interpersonal dominance, as well as maladaptive behavior patterns. PCL-R is currently the most commonly used method of assessment. However, how psychopathy should best be defined and measured is debated. The overall aim of this thesis was to contribute to enhanced methods of assessment of psychopathic personality as well as add to the knowledge of the construct of psychopathy. For study I, we conducted a survey study with prison staff (n = 87) exploring their attitudes towards psychopathy. Study II, III and IV is based on a cross-sectional study of offenders serving a prison sentence at any of the high security facilities in Sweden (n = 201). The CAPP is a conceptual model aiming to be a comprehensive and comprehensible presentation of psychopathy in a clinical context. The aim of Study I was to investigate if correctional staff perceived the symptoms of the CAPP to be indicative of psychopathy in men and women. The results gave support for the CAPP conceptualization, demonstrating few differences in what is perceived as typical comparing men and women with psychopathy. Study II focused on investigating the psychometric properties of the TriPM, which is a selfrating instrument based on the triarchic model of psychopathy. We found that the convergence of the TriPM and the PCL-R was generally satisfying. Furthermore, the associations validity evidence was generally in accordance with expectations. However, we also saw some problems in the measurement, particularly regarding the subscales of Meanness and Disinhibition, that did not seem to be adequately differentiated. In study III we investigated if ADHD symptoms and cognitive functioning were related to specific subcomponents of psychopathy. We found that self-rated ADHD symptoms and psychopathy was highly associated, both regarding the PCL-R and the TriPM, but that cognitive functioning was not associated with psychopathy. The results highlight that there is a considerable symptom overlap in the measurements of ADHD and psychopathy. Study IV aimed to investigate the risk pathway of COMT genotypes to ADHD and antisocial behavior. We did not find any support for COMT genotype as a risk factor for ADHD or psychopathy in our sample. However, this might be attributable to the fact that the effects of individual genotypes are too small to be detectable in small sample studies. The main conclusion of this thesis is that the inclusion of items of impulsive and antisocial behavior in measures of psychopathy may contribute to making them too unspecific. That might result in difficulties distinguishing psychopathic traits from ADHD in offenders and points to the need of thorough consideration of all available information in clinical assessments of ADHD to avoid over-diagnosing