Services that once required human interaction are now completed with the click of a few buttons. In general, this allows for a more streamlined process for activities such as sending messages (email or text messages), filing taxes, or even shopping for groceries. In terms of searching for hotels and travel accommodations however, this process has not proven to be the most effective as the speed and efficiency is hindered by the interface through which this information is available. Choosing a travel specific site, filling in the required fields, combing through results for the desired specifications, and then possibly repeating the process elsewhere, does not provide the ability for the user to express the entirety of their preferences for the accommodation and is therefore not an effective method for searching. Natural language search provides a more accessible and intuitive interface for accommodation searching. Instead of specifying fields that may not encompass the the entirety of the desired search, the user is able to express all of the aspects in a single, natural language, search. In this project, we propose a natural language search interface for accommodations such as hotels, hostels, or apartments. Data acquired through Amazon Mechanical Turk is used to create a system for extracting various accommodation fields. Zilyo and Expedia APIs are then queried for real-time accommodation listings. These results are then adjusted based on the specifics of the search that were not included in the original query. A natural language search of this kind is not only more accessible on the consumer end, but provides data that pertains directly to the the entirety of the intended search.

This diploma thesis focuses on the problems of private accommodation in selected tourism resort, in the area of Hluboká nad Vltavou. The importance of private accommodation in relation to the needs of tourists' satisfaction has been declining. This was confirmed by all the private accommodation owners' respondents. To increase the interest of potential clients, providers of private accommodation use new proposed additional services and supporting programs anytime, not only in the off-season period.

M.Phil. (Optometry) / An investigation of the nature of variability or variation of refractive behaviour (in a sample of universi ty students studying optometry) is described. Measurements of refractive behaviour were obtained by means of autorefraction. This study was based upon multivariate methods of statistical analysis which have only recently become available in optometric science. Variation is examined using both quali tative and quanti tative methods including stereo-pair scatter plots, confidence and distribution ellipsoids, trajectories of change of dioptric power, meridional profiles, testing of hypotheses on means and variance-covariance, and graphs which represent the type of uniform variation in a 2-dimensional plane known as the i)-plane. These methods are of great assistance in developing an understanding of the nature of the variation shown, as well as, in developing an awareness of the distribution or spread of the population from which the sample was drawn. Analyses of variability of refractive behaviour on both an artificial, or test eye, and on several individual human eyes are also described. The significance of some important aspects of variabili ty of refractive behaviour involving normality and departures therefrom (such as results from outliers) are discussed and illustrated by means of examples. Distributions were found in which more than one mode was present (polymodal or multimodal behaviour). Distributions were also observed to vary from having an almost spherical spread of measurements (of refractive behaviour) to having a spindle or rod-like spread of measurements instead...

M.Phil. (Optometry) / Previous studies of corneal and keratometric variation used incomplete or incorrect statistical methods. For the first time, proper multivariate statistical methods are applied to evaluate short-term keratometric variation in human eyes. Keratometric variation is represented graphically by means of stereo-pair scatter plots, trajectories of change in dioptric power, ellipsoidal confidence regions for mean dioptric power, as well as meridional profiles. Quantitative expressions of variation are given in terms of mean values, variance-covariance matrices and volumes of 95% distribution ellipsoids. Manual and automatic keratometry is compared, both on a steel ball and on an eye. It appears that the automatic keratometer exhibits less variation than the manual keratometer....

M.Phil. / Using newly developed statistical analysis methods for refractive error this study examines the difference between autorefraction and subjective refraction and how it is related to age. The term autorefractive excess refers to the amount obtained by subtracting the subjective refraction from the autorefraction. The clinical sample consisted of five groups of fifty subjects each. The subjects in group 1 ranged in age from 1 to 10 years, group 2 from 11 to 20 years, group 3 from 21 to 30 years, group 4 from 31 to 40 years and group 5 from 41 years and older. Only one examiner (the author) and one autorefractor (Allergan-Humphrey 580) were used. The study found that there was a difference between the mean autorefractive excesses for the different age groups and that the difference between autorefraction and subjective refraction was statistically significant in both the left and the right eyes of all age groups. Left and right eyes exhibited similar behavior. The autorefractive excess for both the left and the right eyes together of group 1 was approximately -0.25/-0.18 x180 in conventional and (-0.25 0.00 -0.43)' in h-notation. The autorefractive excess increases by approximately (0.10 0.00 0.10)' per decade. There is an astigmatic component of approximately -0.18 x180 in both eyes of all age groups. Approximately 60% of the subjects had sphere-equivalent strengths of autorefractive excesses of under 0.50 D. Therefore 60% of subjects might be content with a prescription given from the autorefractor reading. Approximately 50% of subjects had cylinderequivalent strengths of autorefractive excesses of under 0.50 D.

M.Phil. / The aim of this study was to use auto refraction to investigate both the short-term intra-ocular variation of refractive status among primary school children and the spread of refractive status across eyes. The sample consisted of 90 Caucasian school children from a primary school in a small town, Eloff, in the Mpumalanga province of South Africa ...

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We have from our research, conducted in Guardamar del Segura, Spain, discovered that most of the communication between native Spaniards and immigrant Bulgarians is negative non-verbal communication which leads to a division between the two groups. The result of high unemployment and social stress, which the current situation in Spain provides, tend to create stronger ties inside the groups and at the same time enlarge the distance towards other groups. Also, the large amount of nonverbal communication such as observing each other’s behavior leads in this case to negative stereotyping and prejudices that creates and maintain the different group’s relations in the society.

M.Phil. / Keratometric readings on three subjects were taken both during pregnancy and postpartum. One subject was visually non-compensated and did not require refractive correction, one was a contact lens wearer and one had undergone radial keratotomy. Twenty readings were taken by means of an automatic keratometer on each eye, morning and afternoon, every fortnight. The recent matrix method of optometric statistical analysis was employed and the results graphically compared and analysed. Findings indicate diurnal variations including variation in corneal curvature and variance through the course of normal pregnancy. Most evident was an increase in keratometric variation in all three subjects at the time of birth and a substantial decrease in corneal refractive power in the subject who had before undergone radial keratotomy. This result may have far-reaching implications on the long term prognosis of refractive surgery especially for females of child bearing age. Outliers representing transient increases in curvature were most common in the vertical meridian (indicating possible lid interaction), while the presence of bimodal distributions suggests a sensitivity of the automatic keratometer to changes in head posture.