The two-stage data mining technique for classifications in tourism recommendation system is necessary to connect user perception, decision criteria and decision purpose. In existed literature, hybrid data mining method combining Decision Tree and K-nearest neighbour approaches (DTKNN) were proposed. It has a high precision rate of approximately 80% in K-nearest Neighbour (KNN) but a much lower rate in the first stage using Decision Tree (Fu & Tu, 2011). It included two potential improvements on two-stage technique. To improve the first stage of DTKNN in precision rate and the efficiency, the amount of questions is decreased when users search for the desired recommendation on the system. In this paper, the researcher investigates the way to improve the first stage of DTKNN for full questionnaires and also determines the suitability of dynamic questionnaire based on its precision rate in future tourism recommendation system. Firstly, this study compared and chose the highest precision rate among Decision Tree, Multi-staged Binary Tree and Back Propagation of Error Neural Network (BPNN). The chosen method is then combined with KNN to propose a new methodology. Secondly, the study compared and deter¬mined the suitability of dynamic questionnaires for all three classification methods by decreasing the number of attributes. The suitable dynamic questionnaire is based on the least amount of attributes used with an appropriate precision rate. Tourism recommendation system is selected as the target to apply and analyse the usefulness of the algorithm as tourism selection is a two-stage example. Tourism selection is to determine expected goal and experience before going on a tour at the first stage and to choose the tour that best matches stage one. The result indicates that Multi-staged Bi¬nary Tree has the highest precision rate of 74.167% comparing to Decision Tree with 73.33% then BPNN with 65.47% for full questionnaire. This new approach will improve the effectiveness of the system by improving the precision rate of first stage under the current DTKNN method. For dynamic questionnaire, the result has shown that Decision Tree is the most suitable method given that it resulted in the least difference of 1.33% in precision rate comparing to full questionnaire, as opposed to 1.48% for BPNN and 4% for Multi-staged Binary Tree. Thus, dynamic questionnaire will also improve the efficiency by decreasing the amount of questions which users are required to fill in when searching for the desired recommendation on the system. It provides users with the option to not answer some questions. It also increases the practicality of non-dynamic questionnaire and, therefore, affects the ultimate precision rate.

In the push for clean and renewable fuels, timber derived biomass is a promising frontier for biofuel production in the United States. This thesis approaches the established timberlands biofuel implementation problem with three different mathematical programming studies, each testing feasibility and sustainability in different economic and supply related situations. In the first study, a competitive game theory approach was utilized to provide new insights into the behavior within a timberlands supply chain. We utilized Stackelberg game theory modeled with bilevel programming to represent the competing harvesting and manufacturing sectors. In the second study, the initial bilevel model was utilized in a larger two stage multiperiod model with parameter uncertainty. In this more realistic model, the first stage contained logistical decisions around biorefinery investments, such as location and capacity, while the second stage was composed of multiple discrete bilevel scenarios representing potential situations in the timberlands system. The final study focused on long term land management strategies for the timberlands supply chain. Introduction of a new biorefinery investment meant that management strategies must be altered to ensure consistent material flows to manufacturers as well as sustain the new production facility. A modified cyclic scheduling formulation was used to model a timberlands system and its planting and harvesting schedule to accommodate a new biorefinery. This cyclic model added an initial startup period to initiate biofuel production and provide time to adapt land management. The overall contribution of these studies was to analyze a biorefinery's impact on the established behavior in a timberlands supply chain. In particular, the goals of these models were to develop introductory decision making tools for timberlands supply chain managers.

傳統DEA效率分析假設產業具單一生產過程，直到2000年，Färe and Grosskopf 提出Network DEA，闡明產業生產過程應分屬多階段性質。本研究應用其架構，假設職棒產業生產過程為兩個階段，並特別以Sexton and Lewis (2003) 增加中間產出的Two-Stage DEA 法，即第一階段的產出作為第二階段的投入，進行1992年至2004年「中華職業棒球聯盟」，共71個DMUs的實證分析。 Two-Stage DEA的第一階段是指花錢聘雇球員，而球團有效花錢聘雇球員的程度稱為「前置效率」，效率平均值為0.994；第二階段效率是指球隊正式比賽時，球員是否充分發揮技術潛能贏球，稱為「臨場效率」，效率平均值為0.969；而包含第一、二階段的整體球團運作效率則為「組織效率」，效率平均值為0.798。透過與傳統DEA的BCC模型之比較，發現Two-Stage DEA提供較豐富的組織運作過程資訊，俾管理者找出球團之無效率階段。 復以Tobit截斷迴歸模型，探討影響球團「前置效率」、「臨場效率」與「組織效率」之變數為何。結果指出，球隊對戰觀眾數、聯盟變革與現場直播對「前置效率」有顯著影響，「臨場效率」則受到臨時性獎勵制度與投手平均年齡的影響，而對戰觀眾數、聯盟變革、總教練的更動頻率與常設性獎勵制度，則是造成球隊「組織效率」差異的主因。 關鍵字：Network DEA、中間產出、Two-Stage DEA、職業棒球、效率 / Traditional DEA gauges efficiencies with only one production process, while in this study we apply Network DEA initiated by Färe and Grosskopf (2000), and in particular follow the Two-Stage DEA model incorporating the intermediate products, outputs from the first stage becomes inputs to the second stage, by Sexton and Lewis (2003) to evaluate the production efficiency of 71 DMUs of the Chinese professional Baseball League (CPBL ) from 1992 to 2004. How fair are the ball teams paying the players is called ”front office efficiency”, arithmetic mean is 0.994, in the first stage, how potentially successful are the teams playing the games is called “on-field efficiency”, arithmetic mean is 0.969, in the second stage, and how potentially successful are the teams playing the games if with perfect front office efficiency of the teams is called “organization efficiency”, arithmetic mean is 0.798. Comparing Two-Stage DEA model with BCC model of traditional DEA, we find that the former model provides more information of organizational operations for managers to understand and better the performance of the teams. Tobit regression analysis shows that (1) the front office efficiency is significantly positively influenced by spectators, variation of the league and television live, and (2) the on-field efficiency is significantly positively influenced by extemporaneous bonus and pitcher’s age. (3) The organization efficiency is significantly positively influenced by the spectators, variation of the league and fixed bonus, but the organization efficiency is significantly negatively influenced by change of coaches. Keyword：Network DEA, Intermediate products, Two-Stage DEA , Efficiency, Professional baseball

Submitted by Jos? Henrique Henrique (jose.neves@ufvjm.edu.br) on 2017-06-06T21:08:54Z No. of bitstreams: 2 jose_lucas_camargos.pdf: 1772896 bytes, checksum: ed61126d3964190579d1888b21edf3aa (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Rodrigo Martins Cruz (rodrigo.cruz@ufvjm.edu.br) on 2017-06-22T15:30:03Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 jose_lucas_camargos.pdf: 1772896 bytes, checksum: ed61126d3964190579d1888b21edf3aa (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-06-22T15:30:03Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 jose_lucas_camargos.pdf: 1772896 bytes, checksum: ed61126d3964190579d1888b21edf3aa (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017 / Coordena??o de Aperfei?oamento de Pessoal de N?vel Superior (CAPES) / Funda??o de Amparo ? Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais (FAPEMIG) / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cient?fico e Tecnol?gico (CNPq) / O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a influ?ncia da redu??o de parcelas em algumas medi??es de invent?rio florestal cont?nuo na modelagem do crescimento e produ??o de um povoamento de Eucalyptus sp. O modelo de Clutter foi utilizado na modelagem do crescimento e da produ??o florestal, a partir de dados selecionados de 374 parcelas distribu?das em 172 talh?es. Foram utilizadas tr?s alternativas de modelagem: sem estratifica??o do povoamento, com estratifica??o do povoamento e um conjunto de 30 simula??es. Estas simula??es foram amostras de 40 parcelas aleat?rias cada, sem estratifica??o, com o objetivo de possibilitar uma an?lise geral dos efeitos do fen?meno estudado. Em todas as alternativas, foi realizada a modelagem do crescimento e da produ??o sem considerar redu??es nas medi??es de invent?rio florestal cont?nuo e considerando tr?s situa??es de redu??o. As situa??es consideradas foram medi??es de 25%, 50% e 75% das parcelas do invent?rio florestal cont?nuo nas medi??es dois e quatro, e 100% nas medi??es um, tr?s e cinco. Esta mesma metodologia foi repetida, por?m com a utiliza??o do modelo de regress?o n?o linear Log?stico, acrescido de um fator de corre??o. Ambos os modelos apresentaram boa precis?o para a predi??o e proje??o do volume do povoamento em idades futuras. O modelo Log?stico com fator de corre??o, entretanto, foi mais preciso que o modelo de Clutter. Para ambos os modelos foi constatado que n?o houveram perdas significativas de precis?o acarretadas pelas redu??es no n?mero de parcelas em algumas medi??es do invent?rio florestal cont?nuo. Para a modelagem do crescimento e da produ??o, ? recomendado que estas redu??es sejam criteriosas e que preferencialmente a ?ltima medi??o n?o seja reduzida. / Disserta??o (Mestrado) ? Programa de P?s-Gradua??o em Ci?ncia Florestal, Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri, 2017. / This study had as object to evaluate the influence of the reduction of plots at some measurements of continuous forest inventory in the growth and yield modeling of a Eucalyptus sp. forest stand. The Clutter model was used in forest growth and yield modeling, using selected data of 374 distributed plots in 172 forest compartments. It were used three modeling alternatives: without stratification of the forest stand, with stratification of the forest stand and a set of 30 simulations. These simulations were samples of 40 plots each one, without stratification, objectifying a general analysis about the studied phenomenon. To all the alternatives, it was made the forest growth and yield modeling without considering reductions in continuous forest inventory measurements and considering three reduction situations. The considered situations were measurements of 25%, 50% and 75% of the continuous forest inventory plots in the measures two and four, and 100% in the measures one, three and five. This same methodology was repeated, but using the Logistic nonlinear regression model, plus a correction factor. Both models had good precision to predicting and projecting the forest stand volume at future ages. The Logistic model with a correcting factor, however, had best precision than the Clutter model. For both models it was found that there was not significant losses of accuracy caused by reductions in the number of plots at some continuous forest inventory measurements. To forest growth and yield modeling, it is recommended for these reductions to be judicious and preferably the last measurement to not be reduced.

Orientador: Prof. Dr. Marat Rafikov / Tese ( doutorado)- Universidade Federal do ABC. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Energia, 2016.

The prospects for the next Generation - whether young people, regardless of their backgrounds, have equal chances of social success - pose a momentous problem for modern societies. Inequality of opportunity, often reflected by social immobility, is a threat to the egalitarian promise and the stability of your society. This work argues that social capital transmission plays an important role for the chances of social success in Western societies. For the example of Germany, it is reasoned that weak social capital environments deepen existing disadvantages. Even though all levels of education are easily accessible and affordable, Germany has one of the lowest levels of educational mobility among the industrialized countries of the world. Problems appear to be systematic, since the decision regarding entry into higher secondary education is made at early age and is left, in most cases, with the parents, who rely on their own educational trajectory. Outside of the school environment, differences in social capital inheritance explain educational immobility. With the use of the German Socio-Economic Panel survey from 1984 to 2014, various analyses about the relation between social capital and educational success are performed. Social capital, which is helpful for educational and social success, clearly depends on the educational family background. This indirect link has been disregarded in past contributions. Alternative forms of schooling, such as comprehensive and all-day education, as well as a delay of the decision regarding entry into higher education, could help improving unequal social capital inheritance.

Foram operados dois reatores UASB de bancada (volumes de 39,0 e 10,5 L) instalados em série, alimentados com águas residuárias de suinocultura com concentração de sólidos suspensos totais (SST), no primeiro reator, em torno de 5000 mg/L, com temperatura controlada (de 25 a 30 graus Celsius) e com tempo de detenção hidráulica (TDH) no primeiro reator de 62 a 16 h e no segundo de 16 a 4 h. O objetivo foi avaliar o desempenho e caracterizar física e microbiologicamente o lodo dos reatores UASB operados em dois estágios. Os resultados obtidos no ensaio 1, com TDH de 62 h no primeiro reator e SST no afluente de 5240 mg/L, mostraram eficiências de remoção de DQO total de 86% e 59% e SST de 82% e 57%, no primeiro e segundo reatores, respectivamente. A eficiência de remoção de DQO total e SST no sistema, no ensaio 1, foi de 95% e 94%. No ensaio 2, com TDH de 31 h no primeiro reator e SST de 5000 mg/L no afluente, observou-se eficiência de remoção de DQO total de 86% e 43% e SST de 85% e 58%, no primeiro e segundo reatores, respectivamente. A eficiência de remoção de DQO total e SST no sistema, no ensaio 2, foi de 92% e 94%. No ensaio 3, com TDH de 16 h no primeiro reator e SST de 5490 mg/L no afluente, observou-se eficiência de remoção de DQO total de 73% e 23% e SST de 65% e 20%, no primeiro e segundo reatores, respectivamente. A eficiência de remoção de DQO total e SST no sistema, no ensaio 3, foi de 79% e 73%. A TCOV aplicada no primeiro reator, no ensaio 1, foi de 4,55 kg DQO total/\'M POT.3\'.d, no ensaio 2 de 8,75 kg DQO total/\'M POT.3\'.d e no ensaio 3 de 18,65 kg DQO total/\'M POT.3\'.d. A produção de \'CH IND.4\' no primeiro reator foi de 17,50 a 68,20 L \'CH IND.4\'/d e no segundo reator de 1,62 a 5,50 L \'CH IND.4\'/d com a diminuição do TDH. Os reatores UASB instalados em série foram eficientes na remoção da fração dissolvida e, principalmente, da fração devido à concentração de SST do afluente. Para TCOV de 4,55 kg DQO/\'M POT.3\'.d no primeiro reator, pôde-se obter eficiências de remoção de DQO total e de SST acima de 90% e de DQO dissolvida acima de 85%. Para TCOV de 18,65 kg DQO/\'M POT.3\'.d no primeiro reator, as eficiências de remoção de DQO total e de SST foram acima de 70% e DQO dissolvida acima de 75%. As maiores produções específicas de metano foram obtidas com TCOV de 2,55 kg DQO/\'M POT.3\'.d para o segundo reator e de 8,65 kg DQO/\'M POT.3\'.d para o primeiro reator. A operação dos reatores UASB com valores de concentração de SST no afluente em torno de 5000 mg/L foram prejudiciais ao processo de granulação do lodo. Os grânulos apresentaram distribuição dispersa das morfologias microbianas ao longo da parede, não caracterizando a divisão em camadas definidas. As arqueas metanogênicas predominantes foram as semelhantes à Methanosaeta. / Two bench scale UASB reactors (volumes of 39,0 and 10,5 L) were operated in sequence, fed with swine wastewater with total suspended solids (TSS) concentration around 5000 mg/L in the first reactor, with controlled temperature (from 25 to 30 Celsius degrees) and operating with hydraulic detention time (HDT) in the first reactor varying from 62 to 16 h and in the second reactor from 16 to 4 h. The objective was to evaluate the performance and to characterize physically and microbiologically the sludge from UASB reactors operated in two stages treating swine wastewater. The results obtained in phase 1, with HDT of 62 h in the first reactor and TSS in the influent of 5240 mg/L, presented total COD removal efficiencies of 86% and 59% and TSS reduction efficiency of 82% and 57%, in the first and second reactors, respectively. The removal efficiency of total COD and TSS in the system, in phase 1, was 95% and 94%, respectively. In the phase 2, using HDT of 31 h in the first reactor and TSS of 5000 mg/L in the influent, it was observed a total COD removal efficiency of 86% and 43% and TSS reduction efficiency of 85% and 58%, in the first and second reactors, respectively. The system removal efficiency of total COD and TSS in phase 2, was 92% and 94%, respectively. In phase 3, with a HDT of 16 h in the first reactor and TSS of 5490 mg/L in the influent, it was observed a total COD removal efficiency of 73% and 23% and TSS reduction efficiency of 65% and 20%, in the first and second reactors, respectively. The total COD removal efficiency and TSS reduction efficiency in the system, in phase 3, was 79% and 73%, respectively. The volumetric organic loading rate (VOLR) applied in the first reactor, in phase 1, was 4,55 kg total COD/\'M POT.3\'.d, in phase 2 was 8,75 kg total COD/\'M POT.3\'.d and in phase 3 was 18,65 kg total COD/\'M POT.3\'.d. The \'CH IND.4\' production in the first reactor was from 17,50 to 68,20 L \'CH IND.4\'/d and in the second reactor from 1,62 to 5,50 L \'CH IND.4\'/d decreasing the HDT in the experiment phases. The UASB reactor installed in sequence were efficient in the dissolved fraction removal and, mainly, to the fraction due to the TSS influent concentration. The total VOL value of 4,55 kg COD/\'M POT.3\'.d was measured in the first reactor, it was achieved TSS and total COD removal efficiencies above 90% and dissolved COD above 85%. For the OVL of 18,65 kg COD/\'M POT.3\'.d in the first reactor the TSS and total COD removal were above 70% and dissolved COD above 75%. The larger methane specific production was obtained with a total VOL of 2,55 kg COD/\'M POT.3\'.d in the second reactor and 8.65 kg COD/\'M POT.3\'.d in the first reactor. The UASB reactors operation with the TSS concentration values of 5000 mg/L in the influent was prejudicing the sludge granulation process. The granules present a microbial morphology disperse distribution that doesn\'t characterize a layers defined distribution. The predominant metonogenic archeas were similar to Methanosaeta.

Abstract Prosthetic joint infection (PJI) is one of the most devastating complications of hip or knee arthroplasty. Treatment options for PJI include prosthesis retention, prosthesis exchange and salvage procedures (e.g., arthrodesis or amputation). The purpose of this retrospective study is to assess the impact of shortening antibiotic treatment durations in PJIs treated with debridement, antibiotics and implant retention (DAIR) and to evaluate the predictors of DAIR treatment failure for PJIs. A second aim is to evaluate the outcomes and reimplantation microbiologies of PJIs treated with two-stage revision. The main data consist of 197 patients with PJI treated in Oulu University Hospital, Finland, between February 2001 and August 2009. Patients were identified retrospectively using the hospital’s patient databases. The study shows that, if antibiotic treatments for PJI are completed as planned, then DAIR treatment success rates (88%) are excellent. Prolonging antibiotic treatment over three months in total knee arthroplasty PJIs or over two months in total hip arthroplasty PJIs does not seem to offer any additional benefits. The failure of DAIR in the treatment of PJI is independently associated with high leucocyte counts at admission and with ineffective empirical antibiotics. Rifampin combination therapy, especially the combination of rifampin and ciprofloxacin, is significantly associated with successful DAIR treatments of staphylococcal PJIs. Our study also shows that a six-week course of antibiotics between stages is sufficient for treating PJIs with two-stage revision. Positive reimplantation cultures do not seem to be associated with significantly worse outcomes. / Tiivistelmä Tekonivelinfektio on yksi vakavimmista lonkan ja polven tekonivelleikkauksen komplikaatioista. Tekonivelinfektion hoitovaihtoehtoja ovat tekonivelen säästävä hoito, tekonivelen vaihto ja ns. salvage-toimenpiteet (esimerkiksi jäykistys tai amputaatio). Tämän retrospektiivisen tutkimuksen tavoitteena oli selvittää lyhennetyn mikrobilääkehoidon toimivuutta tekonivelinfektion säästävässä hoidossa. Lisäksi pyrittiin löytämään tekonivelinfektion hoidon epäonnistumiselle altistavia tekijöitä. Tavoitteena oli myös selvittää hoidon tuloksia silloin, kun hoidetaan tekonivelinfektiota kaksivaiheisella revisiolla, sekä tutkia revision toisessa vaiheessa otettavien mikrobinäytteiden merkitystä hoidon onnistumiselle. Tutkimusaineisto koostui 197 potilaasta, joilta hoidettiin tekonivelinfektiota Oulun yliopistollisessa sairaalassa helmikuun 2001 ja huhtikuun 2009 välisenä aikana. Potilastiedot saatiin sairaalan hoitotietojärjestelmästä. Tutkimuksessa todettiin, että lyhyemmällä hoitoajalla voidaan saavuttaa erinomaiset hoitotulokset (88 %) tekonivelinfektion säästävässä hoidossa, jos suunniteltu antibioottihoitoaika voidaan toteuttaa. Yli kahden kuukauden (lonkan tekonivelinfektio) ja kolmen kuukauden (polven tekonivelinfektio) hoitoajasta ei näytä olevan hyötyä säästävässä hoidossa. Lisäksi todettiin, että sairaalaantulovaiheessa mitattu veren leukosyyttiarvo > 10×109/l ja tehoton empiirinen antibiootti ovat itsenäisesti hoidon epäonnistumiselle altistavia tekijöitä. Rifampisiini-yhdistelmähoidon, erityisesti rifampisiini yhdistettynä siprofloksasiiniin, todettiin olevan merkittävästi yhteydessä hoidon onnistumiseen silloin, kun hoidetaan stafylokokki-infektiota tekonivelen säästävällä hoidolla. Tutkimuksemme osoitti myös, että kuuden viikon antibioottihoito on riittävä hoidettaessa tekonivelinfektiota kaksivaiheisella revisiolla. Positiivinen mikrobiviljelynäyte toisen vaiheen leikkauksessa ei näytä olevan yhteydessä huonompaan hoitotulokseen.

In today's fiercely competitive environment, not only in the tourism sector, we see a rise in the need to identify the weak and strong sides of the performance of the entire branch network of a travel agency, as well as of its components, the particular branches. This problem can be approached using the process of benchmarking. This method is currently widely used to compare the similarly behaving systems and processes in all areas of human activity. Data envelopment analysis models can be used as one of the methods of benchmarking. This thesis deals first with the theoretical description of the basic models of data envelopment analysis. It then moves on to concentrate on the description of the network-based models, which are then used in the practical part of the thesis. In this last part, it compares selected travel agency branches and identifies the deficiencies in particular areas of their performance.

Internal combustion engines developments are driven by emissions reduction and energetic efficiency increase. To reach the next standards, downsized/downspeeded engines are required to reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. These techniques place an important demand on the charging system and force the introduction of multistage boosting architectures. With many possible arrangements and large number of parameter to optimize, these architectures present higher complexity than current systems. The objective of this thesis has thus been to investigate the potential of two-stage boosting architectures to establish, for the particular case of passenger car downsized/downspeeded Diesel engines, the most efficient solutions for achieving the forthcoming CO2 emissions targets. To respond to this objective, an exhaustive literature review of all existing solutions has first been performed to determinate the most promising two-stage boosting architectures. Then, a new matching methodology has been defined to optimize the architectures with, on the one hand the development of a new turbine characteristic maps representation allowing straight forward matching calculations and, on the other hand, the development of a complete 0D engine model able to predict, within a reduced computational time, the behavior of any boosting architecture in both steady state and transient operating conditions. Finally, a large parametric study has been carried out to analyze and compare the different architectures on the same base engines, to characterize the impacts of thermo-mechanical limits and turbocharger size on engine performance, and to quantify for different engine development options their potential improvements in term of fuel consumption, maximum power and fun to drive. As main contributions, the thesis provides new modeling tools for efficient matching calculations and synthesizes the main trends in advanced boosting systems to guide future passenger car Diesel engine develop / Varnier ., ON. (2012). Trends and Limits of Two-Stage Boosting Systems for Automotive Diesel Engines [Tesis doctoral no publicada]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/16880 / Palancia