Assim como outros investimentos em tecnologia da informação, os sistemas de Business Intelligence (BI) também têm sido questionados em relação aos benefícios e retornos obtidos depois de sua implantação. Isso porque o produto de BI é inteligência, ou, em outras palavras, algum tipo de informação processada, e o valor da informação é difícil de avaliar. A presente pesquisa pretende contribuir ao estudo desse problema de pesquisa, abordando o tema da avaliação dos sistemas de BI por meio do modelo de sucesso de sistemas de informação proposto por DeLone e McLean. Além das dimensões tradicionais inter-relacionadas do modelo: capacidade de BI, qualidade da informação, satisfação dos usuários e nível de uso, foi incluída a variável a abordagem de decisão, pois um dos principais objetivos dos sistemas de BI é processar dados advindos de diferentes fontes, para produzir informação que sirva como suporte para a tomada de decisão. Uma vez que a capacidade de BI e a qualidade da informação são constructos multidimensionais, uma das contribuições desta pesquisa foi realizar um levantamento na literatura sobre as dimensões que operacionalizam esse constructo e avaliá-las empiricamente. A capacidade de BI foi definida em termos de acessibilidade, capacidades analíticas, flexibilidade e integração, e qualidade da informação em termos de atualidade, completude, oportunidade e precisão. O problema de pesquisa foi abordado por meio da metodologia de survey, em que os respondentes foram convidados a participar da pesquisa via e-mail e o questionário foi disponibilizado em forma eletrônica através da ferramenta SurveyMonkey. No total, foram obtidas 483 repostas, das quais 246 foram válidas. Já que o modelo conceitual proposto inclui múltiplas relações de interdependência, a técnica estatística selecionada para analisar os dados foi a modelagem de equações estruturais. O software utilizado foi o SmartPLS que testa o modelo estrutural por meio do método de mínimos quadrados ordinários. Foi possível comprovar empiricamente todas as relações de causalidade propostas entre as dimensões de sucesso dos sistemas de BI, a exceção da relação de moderação da variável abordagem de decisão na relação de causalidade entre satisfação e nível de uso. Um teste subsequente permitiu observar que essa variável poderia ser preditora do nível de uso. Segundo os resultados, é possível afirmar que o sucesso de BI pode ser definido em termos da capacidade de BI, qualidade da informação, satisfação dos usuários e nível de uso. A operacionalização realizada dos constructos multidimensionais \"capacidade de BI\" e \"qualidade da informação\" poderia dar luzes sobre quais características devem ser priorizadas na implantação e/ou desenvolvimento dos sistemas de BI nas empresas. / As well as other investments in Information Technology (IT), Business Intelligence (BI) systems have also been questioned in relation to the benefits and returns obtained after its implementation. These questions arise because the BI product is intelligence, or, in other words, some kind of processed information and the value of information is difficult to assess. This research aims to contribute to this by addressing the issue of evaluation of BI systems through the information systems success model proposed by DeLone and McLean, beyond the traditional dimensions that are interrelated: BI capabilities, quality of information, user satisfaction, and level of use. The decision approach was included as a variable since a key objective of BI systems is to process data coming from different sources to produce information that serves as a basis for the decision-making process. Once the BI capability and information quality are multidimensional constructs, one of the contributions of this study was to review the literature available about the dimensions that operationalize this construct and evaluate them empirically. BI capability was defined in terms of accessibility, analytical capabilities, flexibility and integration, and the information quality in terms of opportunity, completeness, timeliness and accuracy. The research problem was addressed by the survey methodology: the respondents were invited to participate in the survey via email and the questionnaire was made available in electronic form through the SurveyMonckey tool. A number of 246 responses were usable out of the 483 total responses that were obtained. Since the proposed conceptual model includes multiple interdependencies, the statistical technique selected to analyze the data was the structural equation modeling. The software used was the SmartPLS, which tests the structural model using the ordinary least squares method. It was possible to prove empirically all the causal relationships proposed between success dimensions of BI systems, except for the moderation effect of making-decision approach variable on the relationship between satisfaction and usage level. A subsequent test allowed us to observe that this variable could be a predictor of the level of use. According to these results, we can say that the success of BI can be defined in terms of BI capability, the quality of information, user satisfaction and the level of use. The operationalization of the variables BI capability and information quality as a multidimensional construct could enlighten the decision about which features should be prioritized in implementing the development of BI systems in companies.

As origens dos elementos residuais (trace element) nas ligas à base de Ni provém basicamente de duas fontes: (1) minérios e (2) sucatas. O controle da concentração destes elementos residuais é muito importante, pois afetam as propriedades mecânicas dessas ligas. Alguns estudos mostram que os elementos Pb e Bi têm um sério impacto negativo nos resultados dos ensaios de fluência das ligas a base de Ni. A presença dessas impurezas causa o aumento da quantidade de cavidades nos contornos de grão que resultam em fracasso prematuro na vida útil desse material. Dessa forma, este trabalho tem como objetivo estudar a cinética da remoção de elementos residuais, tais como Pb e Bi da liga VAT32 através da aplicação de vácuo durante a elaboração da liga. Os resultados obtidos demonstraram que a taxa de remoção dos residuais Pb e Bi no refino a vácuo atingiram percentuais de 99,6% e 96,1% respectivamente. Fatores como volume do cadinho, elevação de temperatura, níveis de vácuo abaixo de 10-4 mbar, limpeza do sistema que compreende câmara e cadinho (residuais de corridas anteriores), contribuem significativamente para as taxas acima descritas. Por outro lado, quanto maior o volume de liga fundida, diminuição de temperatura, vácuo deficiente ou contaminação do sistema, a taxa de remoção de Pb e Bi são prejudicadas. / The origins of trace elements in Ni-based alloys come basically from two sources: (1) minerals and (2) scrap. Control of the concentration of trace elements is very important because they affect the mechanical properties of these alloys. Some studies show that the elements Pb and Bi have a serious negative impact on the results of creep tests of Ni based alloys. The presences of these impurities cause the increase of the number of cavities at grain boundaries that result in premature failure of this material. Thus, this work aims to study the kinetics of removal of trace elements such as Pb and Bi in alloy VAT32 by applying vacuum during the preparation of the alloy. The results showed that the rate of removal of residual Pb and Bi in the vacuum refining reached 99.6% and 96.1% respectively. Parameters such as the crucible volume, high temperature, vacuum levels below 10-4 mbar, cleaning of the system which comprises chamber and crucible (residual from previous races), contribute significantly to the rates described above. Moreover, the higher the volume of molten alloy, low temperature, vacuum system contamination and low vacuum pressure decrease, refining degree of Pb and Bi.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-12T18:04:20Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 arquivo7199_1.pdf: 1182475 bytes, checksum: 724962fa64eabf08ab6566504a220672 (MD5) license.txt: 1748 bytes, checksum: 8a4605be74aa9ea9d79846c1fba20a33 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2006 / A distribuição Birnbaum-Saunders bi-paramétrica de parâmetros α e β vem sendo amplamente usada para modelar o tempo de vida de materiais e equipamentos. Os estimadores de máxima verossimilhança dos parâmetros que indexam esta distribuição podem não apresentar desempenho satisfatório em amostras de tamanho pequeno. Assim, o cálculo dos vieses destes estimadores torna-se importante, visto que, em geral, quanto menor o tamanho da amostra, maior o viés. A derivação de expressões que permitam calcular os vieses desses estimadores possibilita a obtenção de estimadores corrigidos, que, em principio, são mais precisos que os não-corrigidos. Um dos objetivos deste trabalho é fornecer expressões para os vieses de segunda ordem dos estimadores de máxima verossimilhança dos parâmetros que indexam a distribuição Birnbaum-Saunders bi-paramétrica. Com a finalidade de reduzir os vieses destes estimadores em amostras finitas, utilizam-se correções de viés obtidas a partir de esquemas analíticos [Cox & Snell (1968); Firth (1993)] e por bootstrap [Efron (1979)]. Também apresentamos intervalos de confiança do tipo assintótico, bootstrap percentil, bootstrap BCa e bootstrap-t para os parâmetros desta distribuição. Apresentamos testes de hipóteses para o parâmetro α desta distribuição considerando β como um parâmetro de perturbação. Consideramos o teste da razão de verossimilhanças, cuja estatística de teste possui, assintoticamente, distribuição qui-quadrado sob a hipótese nula. Obtemos, para este teste assintótico, um fator de correção em amostras de tamanho finito. Consideramos ainda uma versão bootstrap do teste da razão de verossimilhanças

Efter en omfattande SAP implementering finns det oftast ännu mer datamaterial i en organisation. Moderna ERP-system som SAP skapar å ena sidan en stor transparens, men å andra sidan förändras processerna och det är viktigt för en organisation att kunna analysera affärsinformation snabbt och enkelt och att kunna reagera på förändringar på marknaden. Detta arbete ska ge en överblick över olika verktyg för ett BI-system i samband med analysen av omsättningen och faktureringsprocessen vid ett aluminiumvalsverk. Processerna har förändrats vid aluminiumvalsverket p g a SAP implementeringen och det är en akut och viktig fråga att bygga upp ett informationssystem som baserar sig på SAP information. Därför valde Man att implementera BI-verktyget Cubeware samt att programmera några SAP Query för att kontrollera faktureringsprocessen. Men första steget vid starten av denna informationsprocess av BI-verktyg var ett Excel-program som på ett enkelt sätt kan analysera data som kommer från faktureringsprocessen. Det visade sig dock snabbt att det fanns problem i denna informationsprocess. Å ena sidan fanns det felaktig information inom SAP systemet, därför utvecklades SAP Query; och å andra sidan har Excel-filen blivit allt för stor och nästan oanvändbar för att kunna göra snabba analyser. Därför implementerades Cubeware i samband med databasen MS SQL Server 2005. I mitt arbete ska jag beskriva denna utvecklingsprocess för informationshanteringen och samtidigt analysera olika felorsaker och beskriva informationskvalitetsutvecklingen.

L’objectif de ces travaux est de développer une nouvelle voie de valorisation de différents coproduits agricoles et forestiers. L’étude s’est focalisée sur l’étape de séparation entre les hémicelluloses et les lignines contenues dans des extraits aqueux obtenus par extrusion bi-vis. La technologie bi-vis du fait de sa modularité a été choisie pour évaluer différentes conditions d’extraction. Les essais ont été menés afin de mettre en évidence l’influence des effets mécanique, thermique et chimique sur l’extraction des hémicelluloses à partir des différentes matrices végétales étudiées. Les travaux ont été conduits soit en conditions hydrothermales, eau sous pression et haute température, soit en conditions faiblement alcalines pour extraire des molécules les plus natives possibles. Ceci a permis d’identifier les conditions d’extraction les plus favorables en fonction des caractéristiques de chacune des biomasses. Dans un second temps, les extraits obtenus, contenants des hémicelluloses et des composés phénoliques, ont été purifiés au moyen de méthode de fixation sur résines d’échange d’ions et d’adsorption. Les travaux se sont focalisés sur la compréhension des mécanismes de fixation des molécules avec des solutions modèles contenant un ou plusieurs solutés. La cinétique et les isothermes d’échanges ont été évaluées pour l’acide férulique, l’acide coumarique et la lignine. Les résultats ont ensuite été comparés à ceux obtenus avec les extraits alcalins. Cette étude a permis d’identifier les mécanismes d’échanges qui interviennent lors de la séparation des complexes lignine-polysaccharides.

L’athérosclérose est une pathologie chronique inflammatoire qui résulte du dérèglement d’une réaction inflammatoire non résolue ayant pour but initial d’éliminer l’accumulation excessive de lipides au niveau de l’intima. Cette élimination est exercée par les monocytes/macrophages, dont l’infiltration et l’accumulation au niveau des lésions contribue à l’inflammation chronique locale.SR-BI est un récepteur scavenger multi-fonction capable de reconnaître un large spectre de ligands allant des lipoprotéines natives et modifiées jusqu’aux endotoxines. Outre de jouer un rôle crucial dans l’homéostasie du cholestérol dans le foie, est considéré comme un PRR capable d’être impliqué dans l’immunité inné. Un nombre croissant de données suggère un rôle athéro-protecteur de SR-BI dans les cellules dérivées de la moelle osseuse et notamment dans les macrophages. La contribution de SR-BI dans les macrophages au cours de l’athérosclérose et l’identification des mécanismes sous-jacents ne sont pas élucidées. Nous avons démontré que la délétion de SR-BI dans les macrophages entraîne une accélération du développement de l’athérosclérose et une augmentation de la cellularité au sein des lésions en absence d’effet sur la cholestérolémie. Ces effets athéro-protecteurs peuvent être attribués à une diminution de l’apoptose et à une augmentation de la prolifération cellulaire au sein des plaques.Nos données suggèrent également que la diminution de la susceptibilité à l’apoptose des macrophages déficients en SR-BI pourrait impliquer la voie d’activation P38. En parallèle de cette étude, le rôle de SR-BI dans la réponse inflammatoire a été exploré dans des conditions d’endotoxémie. / Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory pathology which results from an uncontrolled inflammatory reaction secondary to an abnormal accumulation of lipids in the intima. The lipid clearance is performed by monocytes/macrophages. Their infiltration and accumulation in lesions contribute/ enhance the chronic local inflammation. SR-BI is a multifunction scavenger receptor capable of recognizing and binding a large spectrum of ligands from native and modified lipoproteins to endotoxins. Besides its crucial role in cholesterol homeostasis in the liver, SR-BI is also described as a PRR. An increasing number of data suggests that SR-BI exerts an atheroprotective role in bone marrow-derived cells and in particular macrophages.The specific contribution of SR-BI in macrophages in atherosclerosis development and the identification of the underlying mechanisms have yet to be elucidated.We have demonstrated that SR-BI deletion in macrophages increases atherosclerosis development and lesion cellularity without affecting cholesterolemia. These atheroprotective effects could be explained by decreased apoptosis and increased cell proliferation in plaques.Our data also suggest that the decrease in apoptosis sensitivity in SR-BI deficient macrophages could involve the P38 MAPK and STAT1 signaling pathways.In parallel to this study, the role of SR-BI in the inflammatory response has also been explored in endotoxemia and sepsis.

Self-propagating High-temperature Synthesis (SHS) is the synthesis of solid materials by a reaction wave propagating into the initial reactants, typically two metals, which can alloy exothermically. Typically, experiments are performed with the reactants in powder form, with relatively low density. Recent experiments by Bacciochini et al. revealed much larger flame speeds in densified powders near TMD (theoritical maximum density), obtained by the cold spray process. The present thesis investigates why the flame speed increases dramatically with an increase in density of the powders. The investigation rests on the analytical model formulated by Makino by controlling how the variables are affected by changes in density. Flame speed measurements were performed in mixtures of nickel (Ni) and aluminum (Al) at different initial densities. The density was varied by controlling the cold-pressing of the samples inside metallic channels and tubes. Experiments were also performed in ball-milled powders, in order to permit comparison with the experiments performed by Bacciochini in these mixtures at nearly maximum densities. The measurements revealed that the flame speed increases with the initial density, with a discontinuous transition occurring at approximately 60% theoretical maximum density (TMD). This transition also corresponds to the point where the powders deform plastically during the compaction process, suggesting that the intimate contact between the particles is responsible for the flame speed increase. The flame speed dependence on powder density is attributed to the changes in the heat conductivity of the pressed powders. At high densities, where the powders have plastically deformed, the continuous structure yields conductivities close to the idealized solid matrix. At these high densities, the conductivity was modeled using the Effective Medium Theory (EMT). Analytical predictions of the flame speed, using available thermo-chemical data for the Al-Ni system were found in good agreement with the present experiments at high densities. At low densities, since Al-Ni is a mixture of loose powders, the EMT model is no longer applicable. Thus, the thermal conductivity was experimentally measured and then was fitted using the semi-empirical model suggested by Aivazov. Using this data, Makino's model predicts the correct flame speed dependence observed experimentally. The present thesis has thus established that the dependence of flame speed on density is due mainly to the changes in the structure and thermal conductivity of the powders.

My thesis deals with comparison with Business Intelligence software for data visualization for Microsoft platform to selected open source product. The aim of my thesis is to find visualization software that is suitable for small company and firm can handle visualization by itself. At first there is introduction to issues of Business Intelligence following description of visualization resources of Microsoft platform, specifically Excel, Power View, Power Map and Reporting. Subsequently open source software was chosen that is able to compete with visualization products of Microsoft platform specifically CDE Dashboard from Pentaho platform. There are compared chosen products via proposed scenario and evaluated standards. Finally there are evaluated suitability of individual software for data visualization.

The topic of the current Master's thesis is Business Intelligence's data presentation using maps. Through integrating BI and geographic information systems a new discipline is emerging - Location Intelligence. The main goal of this thesis is to highlight and analyse reporting possibilities of the BI tools in the framework of maps. The theoretical part of this paper is dedicated to the foundation and principles of geographic information systems and their intersection with BI, where such field as Location Intelligence is being created. In the practical part of the thesis the BI tools IBM Cognos and Oracle BI are compared. The comparison is based on the following criteria: field of implementation, visualization, map external sources and performance. The evaluating criteria are defined in the beginning of the practical part as well as the evaluation method. The methods of analysis and information collecting were used to extract and revise the knowledge from specific electronic and printed sources in Czech or English. Sources for the practical part origin from my technical knowledge of the field of BI, as well as practical experience with implementation of map sources as a feature of Business Intelligence. Statistical methods are used for evaluation of the criteria results. The practical and theoretical value of the thesis lies in creating the lucid comparison of implementation of the map sources into the selected BI tools and options for reporting or visualization of BI data over map. Apart from comparison the framework for implementation of maps into the selected BI tools is established in the above mentioned work.

The aim of the thesis is to define the term Self-service Business Intelligence. It is followed by an introduction of need of this technology in present information society. Thesis at last defines technologies and practices, which are applicable in most general situations. All defined recommendations are based on vast range of theoretical data sources. Second aim is to prove that all customers' requirements can be in specified case covered by functionality of Self-service BI solution. This proof is presented by an introduction of architectural proposal using chosen technological platform. This proposal is furthermore part of bigger elaboration, which by its content loosely follows all tasks present in the initial Case study.