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L'accès aux informations pertinentes, adaptées aux besoins et au profil de l'utilisateur est un enjeu majeur dans le cadre actuel caractérisé par une prolifération massive des ressources d'information hétérogènes. Le développement d'appareils mobiles équipés de plusieurs fonctionnalités telles que la caméra, le WIFI, la géo-localisation et bien plus d'autres permettent aux systèmes mobiles de recommandation actuels d'être hautement contextualisés et pouvant fournir à l'utilisateur des informations pertinentes au bon moment quand il en a le plus besoin, sans attendre qu'il établisse une interaction avec son appareil. C'est dans ce cadre que s'insère notre travail de thèse. En effet, nous proposons une approche de recommandation contextuelle et proactive dans un environnement mobile qui permet de recommander des informations pertinentes à l'utilisateur sans attendre à ce que ce dernier initie une interaction. Un système proactif peut prendre la forme d'un guide touristique personnalisé qui se base sur la localisation et les préférences de l'utilisateur pour suggérer à ce dernier des endroits intéressants sans qu'il fournisse, sa préférence ou une requête explicite. Cela permettra de réduire les efforts, le temps et l'interaction de l'utilisateur avec son appareil mobile et de présenter les informations pertinentes au bon moment et au bon endroit. Cette approche prend aussi en considération les situations où la recommandation pourrait déranger l'utilisateur. Il s'agit d'équilibrer le processus de recommandation contre les interruptions intrusives. En effet, il existe différents facteurs et situations qui rendent l'utilisateur moins ouvert aux recommandations. Comme nous travaillons dans le contexte des appareils mobiles, nous considérons que les applications mobiles telles que la caméra, le clavier, l'agenda, etc., sont de bons représentants de l'interaction de l'utilisateur avec son appareil puisqu'ils représentent en quelque sorte la plupart des activités qu'un utilisateur pourrait entreprendre avec son appareil mobile au quotidien, comme envoyer des messages, converser, tweeter, naviguer ou prendre des photos. / Just-In-Time recommender systems involve all systems able to provide recommendations tailored to the preferences and needs of users in order to help them access useful and interesting resources within a large data space. The user does not need to formulate a query, this latter is implicit and corresponds to the resources that match the user's interests at the right time. Our work falls within this framework and focuses on developing a proactive context-aware recommendation approach for mobile devices that covers many domains. It aims at recommending relevant items that match users' personal interests at the right time without waiting for the users to initiate any interaction. Indeed, the development of mobile devices equipped with persistent data connections, geolocation, cameras and wireless capabilities allows current context-aware recommender systems (CARS) to be highly contextualized and proactive. We also take into consideration to which degree the recommendation might disturb the user. It is about balancing the process of recommendation against intrusive interruptions. As a matter of fact, there are different factors and situations that make the user less open to recommendations. As we are working within the context of mobile devices, we consider that mobile applications functionalities such as the camera, the keyboard, the agenda, etc., are good representatives of the user's interaction with his device since they somehow stand for most of the activities that a user could use in a mobile device in a daily basis such as texting messages, chatting, tweeting, browsing or taking selfies and pictures.

In this information driven society it is a given that the medical field are more explored to be able to live a sustainable healthy life well into the golden years. Everyone is responsible for his or her own health, and as Abraham Lincoln said: “You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today”. To be proactive in attitude and behaviour can be beneficial to avoid or supress serious illnesses or diseases. This study measures the proactive attitudes and behaviours of South Africans and then to compare it prior studies that was done in United States of America. Three major areas of change are explored namely: healthcare and delivery; construction of medical aid packages; information availability. An extensive literature study about proactiveness and the major role players that influence and aid patients, to gather the necessary information to adopt a positive attitude towards health issues. The results of the empirical data expressed that tendencies are similar regarding proactive attitudes and behaviour in selected areas of South Africa comparing to results in America. / MBA, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

In this information driven society it is a given that the medical field are more explored to be able to live a sustainable healthy life well into the golden years. Everyone is responsible for his or her own health, and as Abraham Lincoln said: “You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today”. To be proactive in attitude and behaviour can be beneficial to avoid or supress serious illnesses or diseases. This study measures the proactive attitudes and behaviours of South Africans and then to compare it prior studies that was done in United States of America. Three major areas of change are explored namely: healthcare and delivery; construction of medical aid packages; information availability. An extensive literature study about proactiveness and the major role players that influence and aid patients, to gather the necessary information to adopt a positive attitude towards health issues. The results of the empirical data expressed that tendencies are similar regarding proactive attitudes and behaviour in selected areas of South Africa comparing to results in America. / MBA, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Cette étude identifie les différences entre les sexes dans les relations entre les fonctions de la violence et les habiletés sociales, notamment la gestion de la colère et la résolution de problèmes, chez les adolescents (n=95) et adolescentes (n=142) judiciarisés. Deux questionnaires auto-révélés ont été remplis par les sujets. Des analyses factorielles confirmatoires ont créé six facteurs regroupant les fonctions de la violence en deux niveaux. Les résultats indiquent que la violence réactive physique est reliée à des déficits au niveau des habiletés à gérer la colère mais pas la violence proactive physique. Pour la violence relationnelle, les deux fonctions sont reliées à cette habileté. Pour la résolution de problèmes, la violence proactive (physique et relationnelle) est reliée à des déficits dans ces habiletés mais pas la violence réactive (physique et relationnelle). Aussi, le sexe n'a pas d'impact différentiel sur ces relations.

Syftet med studien är att undersöka huruvida kommunikationen mellan medarbetare på en psykiatrisk intensivvårdsavdelning kan fungera som ett förebyggande verktyg för medarbetarnas upplevda psykosociala arbetsmiljö. Studien är genomförd med en kvalitativ metod där empirin har samlats in genom semistrukturerade intervjuer med sju medarbetare på en psykiatriska intensivvårdsavdelning. Empirin har tolkats genom en hermeneutisk ansats. Resultatet av studien visar att den interna kommunikationen mellan medarbetarna har en stor inverkan för den upplevda arbetsmiljön. På grund av den studerade avdelningens stundtals påfrestande och stressiga arbetssituation var de faktorer som påtalades som viktigast för att må bra på arbetet sammanhållning, förtroende, öppen kommunikation och humor. Dessa framkommer genom studien vara kommunikativa verktyg som går att arbeta förebyggande för att främja välmående på arbetsplatsen. / The aim of this study is to examine how communication between co-workers in a psychiatric intensive care unit can function as a preventive tool on the co-workers perceived work environment. The study is conducted through the use of a qualitative method. The result stems from semi-structured interviews with seven co-workers in the psychiatric intensive care unit. The result has been interpreted trough a hermeneutic approach. The empirical data of the study shows that the internal communication between the co-workers has a big impact on the perceived work environment. Due to the sometimes tough and stressful work environment of the care unit, the most distinguishing factors shown to be important for the well-being at the workplace were: group cohesion, trust, open communication and humour. These are through the study found to be communicative tools that can be used in the proactive work to foster the well-being on the workplace.

Thesis (PhD)--University of Stellenbosch, 2011. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The role of public transport is to stimulate urban, social, sustainable and economic developments by transport of passengers based on their needs with public transport organizations functioning as operators in this environment. This dissertation reports on the research done on resilience in urban public transport organizations; it presents the guiding principles and the framework of resilience and the ability of public transport organizations to embed this capability. The emerging discipline of resilience studies is multidimensional and multidisciplinary. The phenomenon has been examined to present a holistic perspective on resilience through an extensive review of the literature, supplemented by empirical research in the European public transport sector. Resilience has been defined as the capacity of an organization to survive, adapt and grow in the face of turbulent change. Existing research tends to focus on the relevance of the concept of resilience in a diversity of environments. There is little information or research that reflects the design principles and specific success factors in the public transport sector. The literature research produced several logical conclusions, which were reviewed by using structured interviews with a selected group of specialists in this field. This made it possible to determine guiding principles, to structure the framework, and to develop a unique classification of (i) the most fundamental vulnerability factors that make an organization susceptible to disruptions; and (ii) the capability factors as attributes required for sustained performance or accomplishment. All these findings are synthesised and this research establishes the ability of public transport organizations to implement a resilience approach within the boundaries of their level of advancement and prioritised direction statements. Recommendations for further research include extending the proposed framework empirically to other functions and to other organizations than urban public transport organizations. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die rol van openbare vervoer is om stedelike, sosiale, volhoubare en ekonomiese ontwikkeling te stimuleer deur die vervoer van passasiers op grond van hul behoeftes. Openbare vervoerorganisasies funksioneer as operateurs in hierdie omgewing. Hierdie proefskrif doen verslag oor die navorsing oor veerkrag in stedelike openbare vervoerorganisasies en verskaf die basiese beginsels en die raamwerk van veerkrag en die moontlikheid dat openbare vervoerorganisasies hierdie vermoë insluit. Die opkomende dissipline van veerkragstudies is multidimensioneel en multidissiplinêr en die verskynsel is ondersoek om 'n holistiese perspektief op veerkrag aan te bied deur ’n omvattende oorsig van die literatuur, aangevul deur empiriese navorsing oor die Europese openbare vervoer. Veerkrag word gedefinieer as die vermoë van 'n organisasie om te oorleef, aan te pas en te groei ten spyte van turbulente verandering. Bestaande navorsing neig om te fokus op die toepaslikheid van die konsep van veerkrag in 'n verskeidenheid van omgewings. Min inligting of navorsing weerspieël die ontwerpbeginsels en spesifieke suksesfaktore daarvan in die openbare vervoer. Die literatuurnavorsing het tot verskeie logiese gevolgtrekkings gelei, wat hersien is deur die gebruik van gestruktureerde onderhoude met 'n geselekteerde groep spesialiste in hierdie veld. Dit het dit moontlik gemaak om riglyne op te stel, die raamwerk te struktureer, en 'n unieke klassifikasie te ontwikkel van (i) die mees basiese kwesbaarheidsfaktore wat ’n organisasie vatbaar maak vir ontwrigting, en (ii) die vermoëfaktore as eienskappe wat vereis word vir volgehoue prestasie of vervulling. Al hierdie bevindings word gesintetiseer en hierdie navorsing vestig die vermoë van openbare vervoerorganisasies om ’n veerkragbenadering te implementeer binne die grense van hul vlak van vooruitgang en geprioritiseerde rigtingverklarings. Aanbevelings vir verdere navorsing sluit in die uitbreiding van die voorgestelde raamwerk empiries na ander funksies en na ander organisasies as die van stedelike openbare vervoer.

The primary aim was to compare the effectiveness of smoking cessation interventions of different intensities in a clinical dental and a telephone setting in Sweden. Methods: A total of 300 smokers were randomized to High or Low Intensity Treatment (HIT or LIT) at the Public Dental Service, County Council of Västmanland. Effectiveness (abstinence rate) was measured after 1yr (paper I) and 5-8yrs (paper III). A cost-effectiveness analysis was conducted, based on intervention costs, number of abstinent participants after 1yr, and a Markov modelling of future costs and health (in QALYs) consequences (paper II). In paper IV, 586 callers to the Swedish National Tobacco Quitline (SNTQ) were randomized to high-intensity proactive or low-intensity reactive service, and effectiveness was measured after 1 yr. Effectiveness measures were self-reported point prevalence, 6-month continuous abstinence, and sustained abstinence. Results: Absolute quit rates were 7% higher with HIT than with LIT on all measures and increased by 8% from 1yr to 5-8yrs. Point prevalence was 23% vs. 16% (p=.11) after 1yr and 31% vs. 24% (p=.16) after 5-8yrs. Six-month continuous abstinence was 18% vs. 9% (p =.02) after 1yr and 26% vs.19% (p=.18) after 5-8yrs. Sustained abstinence was 12% vs. 5% (p =.03) after 5-8yrs. Nicotine dependence was a strong predictor for abstinence at 1yr and achieved abstinence at 1yr was a strong predictor for abstinence at long-term follow-up. The cost-effectiveness analysis showed that both HIT and LIT were cost-effective, and LIT was even cost-saving compared with doing nothing. HIT was more costly and more effective than LIT, and the cost of each extra QALY gained by HIT was 100,000SEK, which is considered very cost-effective in Sweden. Proactice and reactive services were equally effective at the SNTQ. Point prevalence was 27% and 6-month continuous abstinence was 21% after 1yr. Being smoke-free at baseline was the strongest predictor for abstinence at 1yr. Conclusion: Support at high as well as low intensity in a clinical dental setting in Sweden and at the SNTQ was effective in achieving smoking cessation. Both high- and low-intensity interventions were very cost-effective in a clinical dental setting.

Software-intensive systems are increasingly expected to operate under changing and uncertain conditions, including not only varying user needs and workloads, but also fluctuating resource capacity. Self-adaptation is an approach that aims to address this problem, giving systems the ability to change their behavior and structure to adapt to changes in themselves and their operating environment without human intervention. Self-adaptive systems tend to be reactive and myopic, adapting in response to changes without anticipating what the subsequent adaptation needs will be. Adapting reactively can result in inefficiencies due to the system performing a suboptimal sequence of adaptations. Furthermore, some adaptation tactics—atomic adaptation actions that leave the system in a consistent state—have latency and take some time to produce their effect. In that case, reactive adaptation causes the system to lag behind environment changes. What is worse, a long running adaptation action may prevent the system from performing other adaptations until it completes, further limiting its ability to effectively deal with the environment changes. To address these limitations and improve the effectiveness of self-adaptation, we present proactive latency-aware adaptation, an approach that considers the timing of adaptation (i) leveraging predictions of the near future state of the environment to adapt proactively; (ii) considering the latency of adaptation tactics when deciding how to adapt; and (iii) executing tactics concurrently. We have developed three different solution approaches embodying these principles. One is based on probabilistic model checking, making it inherently able to deal with the stochastic behavior of the environment, and guaranteeing optimal adaptation choices over a finite decision horizon. The second approach uses stochastic dynamic programming to make adaptation decisions, and thanks to performing part of the computations required to make those decisions off-line, it achieves a speedup of an order of magnitude over the first solution approach without compromising optimality. A third solution approach makes adaptation decisions based on repertoires of adaptation strategies— predefined compositions of adaptation tactics. This approach is more scalable than the other two because the solution space is smaller, allowing an adaptive system to reap some of the benefits of proactive latency-aware adaptation even if the number of ways in which it could adapt is too large for the other approaches to consider all these possibilities. We evaluate the approach using two different classes of systems with different adaptation goals, and different repertoires of adaptation strategies. One of them is a web system, with the adaptation goal of utility maximization. The other is a cyberphysical system operating in a hostile environment. In that system, self-adaptation must not only maximize the reward gained, but also keep the probability of surviving a mission above a threshold. In both cases, our results show that proactive latency-aware adaptation improves the effectiveness of self-adaptation with respect to reactive time-agnostic adaptation.

This study applied proactive coping theory (E. R. Greenglass, 2002; R. Schwarzer, 2000) to the domain of career development in domestic and international student transition-to-university. Participants were recruited from a large southeastern state university. No significant between-group differences were identified in the present study. Within both groups, proactive coping, work hope, and career planfulness were positively correlated. The role of work hope as a mediator between proactive coping and career planfulness was tested in domestic and international students respectively. For domestic students, a partial mediation model was established with a direct effect of proactive coping on career planfulness and an indirect effect through work hope. However, work hope fully mediates the effects of proactive coping on career planfulness for international students. Potential implication of the findings and future research directions are discussed.