<p>The last two decades witnessed an increasing emphasis on reverse logistics (RL). Our thesis attempts to investigate two research problems in RL and explore game theoretic applications in this field.</p> <p>In Chapter 1, we introduce SCM, RL, relevant game theoretic applications, and the organizational structure of this thesis.</p> <p>In Chapter 2, we address a newsvendor problem with resalable returns. We develop a basic model with order quantity as the single decision variable and conduct concavity analysis. We also develop a general model in which the retailer determines both order quantity and two inter-period inventory thresholds. We use simulation to investigate the timing effect of both customer demands and returns on the retailer's decision making.</p> <p>In Chapter 3, we explore the application of game theoretic models with incomplete information in inventory management. Games with incomplete information may provide a more realistic modeling framework. We hope this exposition be helpful to researchers interested in applying game theoretic models and computing equilibriums in their specific problems in SCM and RL.</p> <p>In Chapter 4 we consider a remanufacturing competition problem between an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) and a pure remanufacturer (REM) with the OEM's incomplete information on the REM's unit cost. We apply the type-III model in Chapter 3 for formulation and derive the closed-form Bayesian Nash equilibrium. We use sensitivity analysis to investigate the effect of such incomplete information on both competitors' decision making.</p> <p>We summarize in Chapter 5 and provide a general direction for future research on game theoretic applications in RL.</p> / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

<p>This thesis contains two parts. In the first part, which contains Chapter 2 and Chapter 3, we consider scheduling problems with learning effect and time-dependent processing time on a single machine. In Chapter 2, we investigate the earliness-tardiness objective, as well as the objective without due date assignment consideration. By reducing them to a special linear assignment problem, we solve them in near-linear time. As a consequence, we improve the time complexity for some previous algorithms for scheduling problems with learning effect and/or time-dependent processing time. In Chapter 3, we investigate the total number of tardy jobs objective. By reducing them to a linear assignment problem, we solve them in polynomial time. For some important special cases, where there is only learning effect OR time-dependent processing time, we reduce the time complexity to quadratic time. In the second part, which contains Chapter 4 and Chapter 5, we investigate the bicriteria scheduling problems in a supply chain. We separate the objectives in two parts, where the delivery cost is one of them. We present efficient algorithms to identify all the Pareto-optimal solutions for various scenarios. In Chapter 4, we study the cases without due date assignment; while in Chapter 5 we study the cases with due date assignment consideration.</p>

In the English museums sector, an impetus for impact assessment stems from an internal ethos towards producing positive impacts for the public. Furthermore, as institutions largely dependent on national and local government funding, museums have increasingly been called to demonstrate their impacts to policy makers. Economic impact and valuation procedures are employed to help meet these demands. However, consideration of non-economic impacts has not kept pace. Reasons include the contested priorities in the sector, a fluctuating policy landscape and too exclusive a focus on theoretical debates rather than empirical research. Indeed, a great deal of attention and time has already been allocated to impact assessment with little accumulation of evidence at a museum-specific or national level. Accordingly, this research set out to reveal a detailed understanding of socio-cultural impacts of museums for their local communities. A thorough meta-synthesis of nineteen academic and non-academic sources, revealed the limitations of previous studies. These limitations relate to sampling, method choice, sophistication of analysis and transparency in reporting. Often, only potential impacts have amounted. The Royal Albert Memorial Museum (RAMM), in the southwest city of Exeter offered a suitable research site for this large-scale study. Drop and Collect administered household surveys ensured the elicitation of views from residents across the city. A range of statistical analysis techniques were applied to cross-sectional samples (n=435, n=384). The main contribution of this research is to demonstrate a replicable approach to eliciting views from the public regarding the impacts of their local museum. Future evaluation can follow this model which is neither focused upon economic impacts, nor arrives at a monetised valuation. Cluster Analysis proves a preferable way of grouping the public rather than traditional segmentations pertaining to socio-demographic or behavioural characteristics. Furthermore, socio-cultural impacts are effectively assessed, monitored and prioritised through Gap Analysis. Factor Analysis reveals latent constructs of Personal-fulfilment, Objects and their Surrounding Narratives, Self-actualisation, Learning and Networked Leisure drive these impacts. Therefore, this research meets the museum management challenge of finding a suitable design for assessment of impacts in relation to different communities.

Job seekers and employers frequently make application and selection decisions based on how well they believe there is a ‘fit’ with the organization and job. The personenvironment fit literature has strongly supported this practice demonstrating that fit is an antecedent to attraction, selection, and attrition. What has been lacking, however, is evidence that once individuals enter the organization their fit relates to performance. Using a social network analytical lens, I develop a framework that integrates PE fit and social networks to explore antecedents to employee performance. Using this framework, I explore how informal workplace relationships may act as catalysts through which fit either enhances or detracts from individual performance, how fit might directly influence performance once the social context is taken into account, and how fit might make an individual an attractive exchange partner benefiting performance. Results suggest that PE fit is related to individual performance (both in- and extra-role) but that this relationship differs depending on how well embedded the employee is in the informal social networks of the organization. It is only when accounting for the ‘who you know’ element of organizational life that we can see how ‘who you are’ relates to performance.

La Stimulation Magnétique Transcrânienne (SMT) est une technique de stimulation neuronale offrant de nombreuses applications médicales. Cependant son utilisation reste empirique. L'objectif de cette thèse était de mettre en place un logiciel permettant de mieux comprendre les effets de la stimulation et d'aider à la réalisation de séances de SMT. Suite au développement de ce logiciel, il est apparu que celui-ci était devenu patrimonial. L'objectif secondaire de ce travail fut donc d'analyser l'obsolescence du logiciel et d'essayer d'apporter des solutions pour limiter ce phénomène via l'utilisation de l'Ingénierie Dirigée par les Modèles (IDM). Après avoir présenté les phénomènes régissant l'activité cérébrale nous présentons les différentes techniques de stimulation neuronale et les avantages qu'offre la SMT. Nous présentons également les bases nécessaires à la compréhension des phénomènes électromagnétiques, puis une introduction aux concepts fondamentaux de l'IDM. Dans une troisième partie, l'accent est mis sur les différentes modélisations et méthodes de calcul des effets de la Stimulation Magnétique Transcrânienne avant de présenter la solution qui a été retenue et implantée dans le simulateur. Les deux dernières parties du manuscrit se focalisent sur le simulateur dans sa globalité (visualisation 3D) puis à la manière dont il pourrait être refactorisé pour faciliter sa maintenance et l'inclusion des évolutions possibles que nous présentons en conclusion.

Cette thèse s'inscrit dans le cadre du débat en écologie théorique entre ceux qui favorisent les modèles mathématiques agrégés contenant un nombre relativement faible d'équations exprimant quelques principes généraux et ceux qui préfèrent les modèles individus-centré (multi-agents) qui sont structurellement plus réalistes et comprennent une représentation détaillées des processus et interactions à l'échelle de l'individu. Dans cette thèse nous proposons d'établir un lien entre ces deux approches en dérivant des modèles déterministes basés sur les moments spatiaux et approximant la dynamique des modèles individus-centrés de systèmes microbiens. Nous illustrons cette approche sur l'exemple de croissance d'un bio lm formé par des bactéries mobiles ou immobiles. Nous montrons que les modèles des moments peuvent rendre compte des principales propriétés des structures spatiales obtenues par simulation individus-centrée. En n nous explorons les limites des modèles des moments notamment à rendre compte de l'e et des uctuations locales de l'environnement des individus lorsque celles ci a ectent la dynamique du système microbien simulé par le modèle individus-centré.

Les récepteurs couplés aux protéines G de classe A (RCPG) constituent la plus grande famille de récepteurs transmembranaires du génome humain et sont impliqués dans la régulation de nombreux mécanismes physiologiques. Comprendre les mécanismes évolutifs qui ont conduit à la diversité de cette famille de récepteurs pourrait permettre une meilleure connaissance des relations séquence-structure-fonction des différentes sous-familles. Pour obtenir des informations sur l'évolution des RCPG, nous avons exploré leur espace de séquences par multidimensional scaling métrique (MDS). Nous avons appliqué une nouvelle technique MDS qui projette des séquences supplémentaires sur un espace de référence et permet ainsi la comparaison des séquences de différentes espèces. Les résultats montrent que les récepteurs se répartissent en quatre groupes et suggèrent que les récepteurs actuels ont évolué à partir d'ancêtres des récepteurs de peptides suivant trois directions évolutives principales. Les prolines des hélices transmembranaires 2 et/ou 5 sont impliquées dans deux de ces directions. Pour comprendre le mécanisme fin ayant abouti à la formation des différentes sous-familles, nous avons analysé les covariations des résidus à différents niveaux hiérarchiques (classe/groupe/sous-famille). Nous avons testé différentes méthodes pour analyser les mutations corrélées afin de sélectionner une méthode robuste pour les différents jeux de séquences. L'application de cette méthode met en évidence des résidus spécifiques qui sont cruciaux pour l'évolution de sous-familles particulières.

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Nous étudions les antécédents et la formation du paradigme cybernétique. Nous examinons en particulier comment la cybernétique a considéré les questions posées par la psychopathologie.Nous nous interrogeons ensuite sur la manière dont le paradigme cybernétique a été pris en compte dans le champ de la psychopathologie, particulièrement par la psychanalyse et par la psychologie cognitive. Jacques Lacan se réfère pendant un temps à la cybernétique dans sa construction du registre du symbolique. Certains auteurs cognitivistes désignent la cybernétique aux origines des sciences cognitives.Nous tentons de caractériser les véritables relations épistémologiques que ces deux courants entretiennent avec la cybernétique, en distinguant le niveau des modèles et le niveau des paradigmes / We are studying the antecedents and the formation of the cybernetic paradigm. We examine more specifically how cybernetics considered the questions asked by psychopathology.We then wonder how the cybernetic paradigm has been considered in the field of psychopathology, particularly by psychoanalysis and cognitive psychology. Jacques Lacan has durably referred to cybernetics in his construction of the symbolic register. Some cognitivist authors even consider cybernetics as the origins of cognitive sciences.We attempt to define the real epistemological relationships that these two currents entertain with cybernetics, while categorizing the level of models and the level of paradigms.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-25T20:21:07Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Mamerto Granja Garcia.pdf: 3048919 bytes, checksum: b442a16b24cfc59b90c080c63cc574cc (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-03-24 / Understand the electoral process and to identify the variables explicitly or implicitly involved remains a field full of mysteries as dark as the human mind. Psychosocial factors awakened in the election period refer the researcher to an environment full of symbols , the most unusual emotions and diverse interests that include a search undertaken by the voter , apparently rational , in order to find convergence between their personal aspirations and potential characteristics representative . This paper aims to outline considerations on the subject based on an analysis of voter behavior from three factors that stand out during the election process: indecision, the continuity and the candidate. Indecision will be analyzed from a survey of undecided voters indicated in several polls. It is demonstrated that the simple fact of being located in the stratum of the undecided voter presents trends vote for a particular candidate. On the topic continuity and candidate assesses the issue of parliamentarians that keeps on elective position for long periods, through successive re-elections, and in addition, an analysis of the candidate's profile and its effect on the voter's decision. To all these questions, appropriate quantitative models are used, which seek to create a bridge between research in the social sciences and the analysis of observations by means of statistical / Compreender o processo eleitoral e identificar as variáveis explicitamente ou implicitamente envolvidas continua sendo um campo repleto de mistérios tão obscuros quanto a mente humana. Os fatores psicossociais despertados no período eleitoral remetem o pesquisador a um ambiente repleto de simbologias, as mais inusitadas emoções e interesses diversos que compreendem uma busca empreendida pelo eleitor, aparentemente racional, no sentido de encontrar convergência entre seus anseios pessoais e as características do potencial representante. Este trabalho tem como objetivo delinear considerações sobre o tema com base em uma análise do comportamento do eleitor a partir de três fatores que se destacam durante o processo eleitoral: a indecisão, a continuidade e o candidato. A indecisão será analisada a partir do levantamento dos eleitores indecisos apontados em diversas pesquisas eleitorais. Demonstra-se que pelo simples fato de se situar no estrato dos indecisos, o eleitor apresenta tendências de voto para determinado candidato. No tópico continuidade e candidato, avalia-se a questão dos parlamentares que se mantem no cargo eletivo por longos períodos, através de sucessivas reeleições e como complemento, é feita uma análise do perfil do candidato e seus efeitos na decisão do eleitor. Para todas essas questões, são utilizados modelos quantitativos apropriados, os quais buscam criar uma ponte entre a pesquisa nas Ciências Sociais e a análise das observações por meio de ferramentas estatísticas