<p dir="ltr">This dissertation presents four distinct studies in the fields of image processing and machine learning, focusing on applications ranging from quality assessment for raster images in scanned document and virtual reality facial expression tracking to compression for continual learning and food image classification. First, we shift the traditional focus of image quality assessment (IQA) from natural images to scanned documents, proposing a machine learning-based classification method to evaluate the visual quality of scanned raster images. We enhance the classifier's performance using augmented data generated through noise models simulating scanning degradation. Second, we address the challenges of virtual facial animation in immersive VR, developing a domain adversarial training model to generate domain invariant features and combined it with manifold learning methods for accurate facial action unit (AU) intensity estimation from partially occluded facial images. Third, we explore the use of image compression to increase buffer capacity in continual machine learning systems, thereby enhancing exemplar diversity and mitigating catastrophic forgetting. Our approach includes a new framework that selects compression rate and algorithm, showing significant improvements in image classification accuracy on the CIFAR-100 and ImageNet datasets. Finally, we combine class-activation maps with neural image compression in food image classification systems to adapt to continuously evolving data, extending buffer size and enhancing data diversity, which is validated on food-specific datasets and shows potential for broader applications in continual machine learning systems. Together, these studies demonstrate the versatility of image processing and machine learning techniques in addressing complex and varied challenges across different domains.</p>

No / Patient-reported outcome measurement has become accepted as an important component of comprehensive outcomes research. Researchers wishing to use a patient-reported measure must either develop their own questionnaire (called an instrument in the research literature) or choose from the myriad of instruments previously reported. This article summarizes how previously developed instruments are best assessed using a systematic process and we propose a system of quality assessment so that clinicians and researchers can determine whether there exists an appropriately developed and validated instrument that matches their particular needs. These quality assessment criteria may also be useful to guide new instrument development and refinement. We welcome debate over the appropriateness of these criteria as this will lead to the evolution of better quality assessment criteria and in turn better assessment of patient-reported outcomes.

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The study investigated the service quality of the Aga Khan University (AKU) library as an example of an academic library in Kenya using SERVQUAL, a user based assessment tool. Total Quality Management (TQM) philosophy formed the basis of the study; a philosophy that is customer oriented and lays great emphasis on enhancing customer satisfaction. The study adopted a survey design and data was collected using a structured selfadministered questionnaire by the name of SERVQUAL. The study sample consisted of nursing and medical faculty; nursing and medical students. A total of 78 (63%) respondents responded to the questionnaire. The data was analysed using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 17.0. Descriptive statistics was provided and univariate analysis was applied to examine the characteristics of the 2 main variables; perceptions and expectations. The findings of the study established that the expectations of AKU library users are higher than their perceptions. It is also evident from the findings that there are service quality gaps in a number of library services offered by AKU library. This is demonstrated through the gap analysis between the AKU library users‟ perceptions and the users‟ expectations of AKU library. The study recommends that AKU library as well as other academic libraries in Kenya adopt user based assessment tools such as SERVQUAL in the evaluation of library service quality. The study further recommends that AKU library needs to address gaps between the library users‟ perception and the users‟ expectation in order to enhance customer satisfaction through the provision of quality services. The study also recommends that AKU library needs to address the gaps in service attributes such as those relating to AKU library staff, reliability and efficiency of AKU library service delivery. In line with the findings the study further recommends more training for AKU library staff in areas such as customer service skills as well as the need for AKU library to invest more in its physical facility and equipment. / Information Science / M.A. (Information Science)

This Master's thesis provides an overview of the work of the contemporary Spanish interpreter, teacher and researcher Ángela Collados Aís. It consists of the author's short biography, the analysis of her research in the evaluation of interpreting quality including an introduction into the issue, and an overview of her published works on interpreter training. Selected chapters include a brief subjective reflection on the text in question. The main motivation for this work was to acquaint the Czech academic community with this figure of Spanish translation studies. This is a theoretical thesis, similar to other student works on important figures on the international translation studies scene.

SUMMARY: In my diploma work deals with evaluating the quality of life of persons with intellectual disabilities by their parents. The work used quantitative educational research, specifically survey. The first section summarizes selected theoretical background on the issue of mental disability and quality of life of people with intellectual disabilities. In the second part of my thesis is described by the research, which was investigated methods, what strategies were used and research items have been collected. The results obtained are summarized in the final part. The aim of this thesis was to explore whether a range of social services in Pardubice significant indicator of quality of life of people with intellectual disabilities from the perspective of their parents. The results show that it is not.

The aim of this thesis was to explore options for hospital profiling in the Slovak republic. Sacrificing breadth of the study in favor of depth, the scope of the analysis was narrowed down to one quality indicator only - mortality. In the first step a mortality prediction model was constructed in order to predict expected probability of death on the basis of a set of risk factors in order to filter away variation in hospital outcomes that is caused by other factors than quality of care. Validation of the model was performed on a validation sample of 25% of data. Discriminative ability of the final model is very high - c-statistics over 0.9. Furthermore, we verified that hospitals differ in the risk structure of their patient populations significantly - mean predicted probability of dying for hospitals differed from 0.02% to 33%. In the second step hospital profiling was performed. Standardized mortality ratios were calculated for each hospital as a difference between observed and expected number of deaths. After introduction of risk-adjustment and calculation of confidence intervals 43% of hospitals were re-classified. 30-day mortality was selected as the best indicator for hospital profiling.

Os processos de gestão do Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS) são apoiados por um conjunto de sistemas de informação de abrangência nacional, com funcionalidades para as áreas epidemiológicas, ambulatoriais, hospitalares e administrativas. Trabalhos na literatura descrevem pontos fracos nessas aplicações, tais como a falta de integração entre sistemas e bases de dados, fragmentação de informações, baixa cobertura, incertezas quanto à confiabilidade dos dados mantidos e deficiências no apoio ao gestor para planejamento e tomada de decisões. Nesse contexto, foi identificada uma lacuna para pesquisar e discutir qualidade e avaliação dessas aplicações. Este trabalho propõe um modelo para avaliação de características de qualidade de sistemas de informação em saúde que possa ser aplicado aos sistemas do SUS. É descrito o processo de pesquisa, análise e classificação dos indicadores de avaliação para o modelo. Os indicadores foram obtidos por meio de pesquisa em bases bibliográficas e classificados segundo os atributos de qualidade da norma ISO/IEC 25010, adotada como modelo de qualidade no estudo. Como resultado, 57 indicadores foram identificados e mapeados, abrangendo todas as características de qualidade do modelo. A avaliação dos indicadores foi instrumentalizada por meio do desenvolvimento de questionários e procedimentos de inspeção de software, orientados aos diversos stakeholders envolvidos: profissionais de saúde, gestores de saúde, profissionais de tecnologia da informação e usuários do sistema de saúde. A aplicabilidade do modelo proposto foi avaliada para o Sistema de Informações sobre Mortalidade (SIM). A factibilidade dos procedimentos de inspeção foram analisados pelos mantenedores da aplicação e o SIM foi avaliado em um processo que envolveu profissionais de saúde de 18 municípios paulistas e 10 gestores de saúde que atuam nos níveis locais, regionais e estadual. Este trabalho poderá contribuir como mais uma referência para estudos que envolvam processos de avaliação da qualidade de softwares em saúde e auxiliar na normatização de planos de avaliação e monitoramento de qualidade de sistemas e dados em saúde pública no Brasil e em projetos de melhoria de software. / The management processes of the Unified Health System (SUS) are supported by a set of information systems with national scope, having features for the epidemiological, ambulatory, hospital, and administrative areas. Papers in the literature describe weaknesses in these applications, such as the lack of integration between systems and databases, fragmentation of information, low coverage, uncertainties regarding the reliability of data held and weaknesses in supporting managers in planning and decision making. In this context, we identified a gap for quality research and discuss and review these applications.This work proposes a model for evaluating health information systems that may be applied to the systems of SUS. It describes the research, analysis, and classification process of evaluation indicators for the model. The indicators were obtained by search in bibliographic databases and they were classified according to the quality attributes of the standard ISO/IEC 25010, adopted as quality model in the study. As a result, 57 indicators were identified and mapped, covering all quality features of the model. The evaluation of the indicators was instrumentalized by developing questionnaires and inspection procedures of software, oriented to the various stakeholders involved: health professionals, health managers, information technology professionals and users of the health system. The applicability of the proposed model was evaluated for the Information System on Mortality (SIM). The feasibility of the inspection procedures were analyzed by the maintainers of the application and the SIM has been reported in a case involving health professionals from 18 cities and 10 health managers working in local, regional and state levels. This work will be able to contribute as a further reference for studies involving quality assessment processes for softwares in health and to assist in the standardization of plans for assessing and monitoring the quality of systems and data on public health in Brazil and in projects for improving softwares

O objetivo desta pesquisa foi avaliar a qualidade dos serviços públicos eletrônicos sob a ótica dos gestores públicos e dos usuários. Para realizar tal pesquisa foram realizadas entrevistas em profundidade com os gestores públicos da cidade de Ribeirão Preto e da cidade de Vinhedo. E também, foram aplicados questionários em sua forma on line para avaliar a satisfação dos usuários em relação ao site municipal (cidade de Ribeirão Preto) e o site estadual (site do Programa Poupatempo). Os resultados obtidos na pesquisa foram que os itens relacionados à facilidade de uso do site, oferecimento do que era esperado, fornecimento das informações com qualidade e o estímulo do site ao uso repetido foram os fatores melhor avaliados pelos usuários na cidade de Ribeirão Preto. E na cidade de Vinhedo, os itens que foram melhores avaliados foram: o fornecimento das informações com qualidade, o estímulo do site ao uso repetido e o oferecimento do que era esperado. Tais resultados implicam que apesar das diferenças existentes entre as cidades, os itens relacionados à satisfação dos usuários foram praticamente os mesmos. Logo, esta pesquisa contribuiu para auxiliar os gestores públicos municipais a nortear as suas ações para melhoria da qualidade dos serviços públicos oferecidos. A pesquisa revelou a necessidade de uma efetiva coordenação por parte de órgãos federais no sentido de facilitar o desenvolvimento dos serviços de governo eletrônico. Pesquisas futuras nesta área poderiam replicar o questionário e as entrevistas aplicadas visando corroborar os elementos identificados em outras esferas governamentais. / The objective of this research was to evaluate the quality of the electronics from the perspective of public managers and users of public services. To conduct such research indepth interviews were conducted with public officials of the city of Ribeirão Preto and the town of Vinhedo. Also, questionnaires were administered in form online to evaluate user satisfaction in relation to the municipal website (Ribeirão Preto) and state site (the site Poupatempo Program). The results obtained in the study were that items related to ease of use of the site, offering what was expected, provision of quality information and encouragement to the repeated use of the site were the best factors evaluated by the users in the city of Ribeirão Preto. And in the town of Vinhedo, items that were best were: the provision of quality information, the stimulus site to repeated use and delivery than expected. These results imply that despite the differences between the cities, the items related to user satisfaction were almost the same. Therefore, this research has contributed to assist the municipal administrators to govern its actions to improve the quality of public services. The survey revealed the need for effective coordination by federal agencies to facilitate the development of electronic government services. Future research in this area could replicate the questionnaire and the interviews applied aiming to corroborate the elements identified in other spheres of government.

Quality assurance of education in organizations providing further vocational education Dagmar Urbanová ABSTRACT The aim of the thesis is to analyze the possibilities of assurance of quality in private organizations providing adult professional education in the Czech Republic and to find out whether and with what impact these possibilities are currently used. The theoretical part puts continuing professional education into the context of lifelong learning, outlines the historical development of this segment of education, recalls important documents, organizations, and events that advocate autonomy, development and spreading of awareness of the importance of continuing professional education. In the second chapter of the theoretical part, the current possible tools and methods for the management and evaluation of the quality of adult education are defined and described. The research part uses a questionnaire survey to explore what methods for the improving the quality of their services the organizations providing adult education use, what the applied methods give to them, what requirements they impose to their instructors and the overall role played by the quality in their activities. Educational organizations focusing on adult professional education all over the Czech Republic are addressed. The source for...