Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / On-time delivery of supplies to industry is essential because delays can disrupt production schedules. The aim of the proposed application is to predict transit times for outbound logistics thereby allowing suppliers to plan for timely mitigation of risks during shipment planning. The predictive model consists of a classifier that is trained for each specific source-destination pair using historical shipment, weather, and social media data. The model estimates the transit times for future shipments using Support Vector Machine (SVM). These estimates were validated using four case study routes of varying distances in the United States. A predictive model is trained for each route. The results show that the contribution of each input feature to the predictive ability of the model varies for each route. The mean average error (MAE) values of the model vary for each route due to the availability of testing and training historical shipment data as well as the availability of weather and social media data. In addition, it was found that the inclusion of the historical traffic data provided by INRIXTM improves the accuracy of the model. Sample INRIXTM data was available for one of the routes. One of the main limitations of the proposed approach is the availability of historical shipment data and the quality of social media data. However, if the data is available, the proposed methodology can be applied to any supplier with high volume shipments in order to develop a predictive model for outbound transit time delays over any land route.

This study examines how The Times and The Irish Times framed the Anglo-Irish War from September to December 1920. The research question explores how the British and Irish press framed the Anglo-Irish War based on political and national affiliations. The purpose of the paper is to contribute to an understanding of how the newspapers chose to frame the war based on their own interests and perspectives. The military-historical interest lies in understanding the role of the media in war and how they influence the reader’s perceptions of the war and its participants. The source material used consists of 14 newspaper editions from The Times and 15 from The Irish Times between September 1st and December 31st, 1920. The sources are digitized primary materials obtained from the newspapers’ online archives. To analyse the material, the method of qualitative text analysis has been employed, involving careful reading to identify trends in the newspapers. Combined with the method, the framing theory has been applied to interpret frames in relation to the newspapers’ political stance and national identity. Previous research indicates that the newspapers were not objective observers of the war, but through their critical reporting, influenced public opinion and the outcome of the war. This study demonstrates that The Times and The Irish Times framed the war and its participants differently, thereby creating different versions of the reality of the war. The Times focused on British reprisals and emphasized the international reputation of the empire. The Irish Times focused on the IRA and the consequences of their actions for the Irish people. The results are considered relevant today to remind consumers of the media to be critical of sources and aware of media’s framing.

Aim of research: to describe TV viewing trajectories from age 5 to 40 months

No description available.

Haul truck drivers frequently have difficulties spotting beside shovels. This is typically a combination of reduced visibility and poor mining conditions. Based on first-hand data collected from the Goldstrike Open Pit, it was learned that, on average, 9% of all spotting actions required corrective movements to facilitate loading. This thesis investigates an automated solution to haul truck spotting that does not rely on the use of the satellite global positioning system (GPS), since GPS can perform unreliably. This thesis proposes that if spotting was automated, a significant decrease in cycle times could result. Using conventional algorithms and techniques from the field of mobile robotics, vehicle pose estimation and control algorithms were designed to enable autonomous shovel-truck spotting. The developed algorithms were verified by using both simulation and field testing with real hardware. Tests were performed in analog conditions on an automation-ready Kubota RTV 900 utility truck. When initiated from a representative pose, the RTV successfully spotted to the desired location (within 1 m) in 95% of the conducted trials. The results demonstrate that the proposed approach is a strong candidate for an auto-spot system. / Thesis (Master, Mining Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2013-01-28 09:49:20.584

År 2009 hade dokumentärfilmen Bananas!* premiär. Filmen skildrar rättegången i en långdragen konflikt mellan nicaraguanska bananarbetare och fruktföretaget Dole, där skadliga bekämpningsmedel anses ha gjort bananarbetare sterila. Bananas!* skapade debatt inför premiärvisningen vid Los Angeles filmfestival, då Dole ansåg att filmens innehåll bar på osanning, och ville stoppa filmen. Efter visningen stämde Dole filmens regissör Fredrik Gertten, producenten Margarete Jangård och filmbolaget WG Film. Detta blev starten på en kamp mellan ett företag och ett journalistiskt arbete, och en medial uppståndelse blev till. Den här uppsatsen undersöker hur tidningar i USA och Sverige rapporterade om konflikten kring Bananas!*. Tidningarna Los Angeles Times och Sydsvenskan analyseras för att ta reda på hur olika karaktärer i konflikten framställdes. Breven och den stämningsansökan som Dole skickade, där företaget uttryckte sin misstro gentemot filmen, analyseras även för att ta reda på hur Dole ramade in händelsen och hur detta kan ha påverkat tidningarnas rapportering. Detta med hjälp av teorier som framing, nyhetsvärdering och nyhetsretorik. Resultatet av denna undersökning visar att framställningen av karaktärerna skiljer sig åt i de två tidningarna. I Sydsvenskan är den generella framställningen av Fredrik Gertten positiv och av Dole negativ, medan framställningen av bananarbetarna och advokaten Juan Dominguez blir något positiv. Los Angeles Times framställer Dominguez, och delvis bananarbetarna, på ett negativt sätt, medan Dole och Gertten till stor del blir neutrala i dessa artiklar. Undersökningen visar även att Doles inramning av konflikten kan ha påverkat vad tidningarnas rapportering fokuserade på, där Sydsvenskan fokuserade mer på Doles felaktiga agerande och deras stämningsansökan medan Los Angeles Times rapportering överensstämmer med Doles inramning.

La décennie 1994-2004 est d’une importance majeure pour l’Afrique du Sud nouvellement démocratique. Au cours de cette période, le pays jette les bases de sa reconstruction à travers la mise en place de réformes politiques, économiques et sociales afin de combattre les méfaits de quarante années d’apartheid et de poser les jalons de son développement. Dans ce contexte, les médias internationaux ont porté une attention particulière à ces nombreux changements, plus spécifiquement la presse écrite canadienne et britannique, en particulier le Globe and Mail et le Times. Notre mémoire s’intéresse donc au traitement fait par ces deux quotidiens, l’un torontois l’autre londonien, de la reconstruction sud-africaine et ce, à travers l’analyse de thèmes précis et de ses réformes marquantes. Il sera plus spécifiquement question des réformes politiques et constitutionnelles avec la figure de Nelson Mandela, héros de la lutte contre l’apartheid, père de la « nation arc-en-ciel » ainsi que celle de son successeur à la présidence sud-africaine en 1999, Thabo Mbéki. Aussi, la Commission Vérité et Réconciliation et la nouvelle Constitution, toutes deux mises en place durant l’année 1996 sont majeures puisqu’elles dictent la nouvelle identité donnée au pays. Les réformes socioéconomiques de la reconstruction ont également attirés l’attention de nos deux journaux. Particulièrement, nous analyserons les points de vue de ceux-ci concernant le Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) ainsi que de la « discrimination positive » et du Black Economic Empowerment (BEE), deux mesures censées contribuer à l’amélioration de la qualité de vie de la population et à effacer les profondes inégalités socioéconomiques léguées par l’apartheid. Or, cet espoir d’une vie meilleure laisse rapidement place à un désenchantement. La forte criminalité et la dramatique explosion du VIH-sida dans une nouvelle Afrique du Sud qui cherche à se reconstruire a beaucoup retenu l’attention du Globe and Mail et du Times. Ces deux défis de taille s’avèrent être l’envers de la médaille du miracle sud-africain et ne manquent pas d’attirer l’attention des deux journaux, mettant clairement en évidence les « ratés » socioéconomiques » de la reconstruction.

The main subject matter of this thesis concerns radiotherapy patient scheduling subproblems formulated as four separate shop scheduling problem models (i.e. hybrid flowshop, flowshop, mixed shop and multiple identical parallel machine scheduling problems) based on the characteristics of the intricate real-life treatment processes observed at the Arden Cancer Centre in Coventry, UK. Insight into these processes was gained by developing and using a novel discrete-event simulation (DES) model of the four units of the radiotherapy department. By typifying the subproblems as well-known scheduling problem models, it was intended that methods amenable to them such as heuristics be used in the study. Four novel constructive heuristics based on priority dispatching rules and strategies adapted from some established algorithms have been developed and implemented using the C++ programming language. Further, these heuristics were incorporated into the DES model to create schedules of appointments for the patients generated daily. The effectiveness and efficiency of the constructive heuristics have been tested using the following performance criteria: minimising i) average waiting time to the start of treatment, and ii) average percentage of patients late for their treatment, and iii) the amount of overtime slots used for the patients received in a given period of time. The coordinated constructive heuristics and the DES model have also been tested using possible alternative pathways patients can follow in the treatment unit. The aim of these tests was to compare the efficiency of the radiotherapy department’s current pathway to other possible pathways. Further, strategies for using maximum allowed breaches of targeted due dates, reserved slots for critical treatments and overtime slots was also included in the heuristics. The results of several tests showed that the heuristics created schedules of appointments whose average waiting times for emergency, palliative and radical treatments improved by about 50%, 34% and 41%, respectively, compared to the historical data. However, their major slack was evidenced by the fact that about 13% of the patients needing palliative treatment were expected to be late for treatment compared to about 1% of those requiring radical treatment.

Master of Public Health - MPH / Background: The appointment system learning initiative (ASLI) was introduced in 2016 as a way of implementing appointment systems in the City of Cape Town, in response to lengthy waiting times at PHC facilities It was intended as a safe space for learning, and piloted facility-generated planning in which knowledge was shared in workshops over 18 months. Variability in how well appointment systems had taken root was noted at the second feedback workshop. Currently, there is little information on the experiences, perceptions and roles of managers with regard to the initiative, or what unforeseen issues may have had an impact. Aim: This study aimed to reach an understanding of how the Appointment Systems Learning Initiative approach and its implementation was experienced by participating facility and PPHC managers at City Health facilities in Cape Town. This includes an exploration of the roles and experiences of health managers, including their perceptions of the benefits and challenges of the process. Methods: A qualitative, exploratory design was used. Individual, semi-structured interviews were conducted with a sample of twelve facility managers and two PPHC managers. Manager’s roles were analysed deductively according to Mintzburg’s 2009 framework, while other data analysis was inductive. Ethical clearance was obtained from UWC BMREC prior to commencement. Informed consent was obtained from participants and confidentiality was preserved at all stages of research. Results: Managers viewed the learning experience positively and felt that facility-generated planning was preferable to hierarchical imposition of programmes. They found it motivating to learn how other facilities had solved problems and designed their systems. Contextual changes to the health system affected ASLI by increasing the pace and prescriptiveness of implementation, and impeded the capacity for PPHC managers to offer support. Facility managers fulfilled critical leadership roles according to Mintzberg’s model, but the way in which they carried out roles such as delegation, team building or communicating may have affected implementation. Challenges included issues with human resources, insufficient time available for managing implementation, lack of preparation beforehand, insufficient support and contextual changes. Benefits included shorter working hours for staff, better organisation in facilities, shorter waiting times and improved satisfaction for end-users.

Magister Public Health - MPH / Long waiting times have, for many years, been synonymous with primary health care in South Africa, and this is evident by the long queues and consistent client dissatisfaction. There are multiple contributing factors that exacerbate waiting time in Primary Health Care (PHC) facilities such as shortage of health care providers, increase in the uninsured population and South Africa’s quadruple burden of diseases. Health establishments have initiated numerous strategies to reduce long waiting times with varying degrees of success. These strategies have mostly been quantified and linked to indicators to measure their level of success in relation to quality healthcare. This research explores the clients’ perception of one such intervention, which is the implementation of an appointment system in primary care facilities in the City of Cape Town. Qualitative, exploratory descriptive methods were used to gain understanding of the impact the appointment system has had on the clients’ experience of attending health care services. The researcher also explored how clients perceive their role with regard to the shaping of their clinic’s appointment system. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with fifteen purposively sampled clients from five City Health clinics, who have implemented an appointment system through the guidance of the Appointment System Learning Initiative (ASLI). Maximum variation in sampling ensured the inclusion of small, medium and larger facilities within different geographical settings. Data analysis was done using a thematic coding approach, the themes were derived from the emerging data and were used to guide the researcher in gaining a rich picture of the clients’ experiences within the clinics. Ethical approval was requested and received from both the University of the Western Cape (UWC) and City Health prior to engaging any participants.