This work deals with IT market (especially hardware) and tracks its trends and development. In the first chapters assesses the current status and future development of strategic hardware components. Software technologies (that affect the hardware) are also mentioned. These are Cloud computing, operating systems and the Internet. In addition, all relevant factors (that should be taken into account when choosing a computer) are included. For example the choice between desktop and laptop, or Mac and PC (Windows). In the next section, the typical corporate roles are analysed according to their computer performance requirements. The hardware recommendations for the individual user roles is the main purpose of this work

This work aims to prepare the analysis puts current trends in the mobile market, and these results are then used to evaluate the current position of Vodafone Czech Republic and its marketing communications to mobile communications market in the Czech Republic. The analytical part of the work focuses on the local telecommunications market, regulatory environment, and marketing communications company described. Based on these findings are then also defined current trends in the mobile communications market and they then derive predictions of the future development of the entire market. Given the specific nature of this market, the individual's internal analysis based on information obtained directly from the surveyed companies, which for this work of great benefit as set out conclusions are backed by real market data. The work also draws on research methods conducted among customers of mobile operators, but their aim was to determine customer attitudes to new technologies or brand awareness operator or its marketing communications.

Introdução A mortalidade infantil (MI) no Município de São Paulo (MSP) apresenta queda, principalmente a partir da década de 80, entretanto é possível que existam diferenças regionais importantes entre Subprefeituras uma vez que estas apresentam características sócio-ambientais que podem influenciar neste indicador. Objetivo Descrever e analisar a evolução da MI no período de 2000 a 2007, segundo Subprefeituras do MSP. Métodos Estudo ecológico longitudinal, com 31 unidades de análise (Subprefeituras). Utilizou-se, para a análise estatística, o modelo de regressão linear multinível, considerando-se, como variável resposta, o CMI e oito anos de observação (2000 a 2007). O modelo incluiu variáveis relacionadas aos serviços de saúde. Resultados A queda da MI não ocorre de modo homogêneo entre as Subprefeituras evidenciadas pelas diferentes inclinações das retas e interceptos observados e estimados. Após a análise pelo modelo multinível observou-se redução da MI no período de 18,8% com declínio médio de 0,300/00nv ao ano Pelo modelo, 51% da variabilidade da MI se explica por características contextuais das Subprefeituras. No período de estudo, o CMI aumenta: 0,0560/00nv para cada 1% de aumento na proporção de mães com pré-natal inadequado, 0,2140/00nv para cada 1% de aumento na proporção da população exclusivamente usuária SUS, 0,0390/00nv para cada aumento na taxa de leitos obstétricos SUS. O CMI diminui: 0,1910/00nv para cada 1% de aumento na proporção de recuperação da vitalidade do nv. Conclusão A MI apresenta tendência de queda no período de 2000 a 2007 de modo não homogêneo segundo Subprefeitura. As variáveis que apresentaram associação com a MI são: o ano de observação, proporção de nascidos vivos de mães que realizaram até 6 consultas pré-natal (pré-natal inadequado); taxa de leitos obstétricos do Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS); proporção da população exclusivamente usuária do SUS e proporção de recuperação da vitalidade do nascido vivo. Na região periférica do MSP onde se encontram as maiores proporções da população exclusivamente usuária SUS, é também onde se apresentam os maiores CMI. / Introduction - Infant mortality (IM) in São Paulo (MSP) has declined, especially from the 80s. However, there may be important regional differences between Districts as their socio-environmental characteristics may influence this indicator. Objective - To describe and analyze IM trend in the period from 2000 to 2007, according to the Districts of MSP. Method - Ecological longitudinal study comprising 31 units of analysis (Districts). Linear multilevel regression model was used for statistical analysis. Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) and eight years of observation (2000-2007) were used as dependent variables. The model included variables related to health services. Results The decrease in IM does not occur homogeneously between Districts as evidenced by the different slopes and intercepts of the observed and estimated lines. A multilevel model showed an 18.8% reduction in IM in the period with an average decline of 0,300/00 living born (lb) per year. According to the model, 51% of the IM variability can be explained by contextual features of districts. During the study period, IMR increases: 0,0560/00lb for every 1% increase among mothers with inadequate prenatal care, 0,2140/00lb for every 1% increase among users of the Unified Health System (UHS), 0,0390/00lb for each increase in the UHS obstetric beds rate. IMR decreases 0,1910/00lb for every 1% increase in the vitality proportion of recovery of live births. Conclusion - IM shows a declining trend over the period from 2000 to 2007 in a non-homogeneous way according to District. The variables that were associated with IMR: year of observation, proportion of live births from mothers who had up to 6 prenatal visits (inadequate prenatal care), Unified Health System (UHS) obstetric beds rate, proportion of UHS users and vitality recovery of live birth proportion. The highest IMR is found in peripheral region of MSP where the largest proportion of UHS users is found.

INTRODUÇÃO: As recomendações alimentares na infância são a exclusividade do leite materno (LM) até o 6º mês, sua extensão mínima até o 24º mês e introdução programada de alimentos semissólidos e sólidos até os dois anos. O padrão alimentar na infância influencia preferências sensoriais e indicadores de saúde nos ciclos de vida subsequentes. OBJETIVO: Analisar a tendência secular da alimentação de crianças brasileiras menores de cinco anos nas três últimas décadas. MÉTODOS: Os dados foram provenientes da amostra de crianças menores de cinco anos das três Pesquisas de Demografia e Saúde realizadas no Brasil em 1986, 1996 e 2006. O aleitamento materno (AM) foi descrito segundo indicadores propostos pela Organização Mundial da Saúde (2008). As medianas do AM e do aleitamento materno exclusivo (AME) e os seus fatores preditores foram estimadas por modelo de regressão de Cox. Os padrões alimentares (PA) foram identificados por análise de componentes principais (ACP) e, em seguida, foram calculados os escores de cada PA. Estes PA foram incluídos como desfechos em modelos de efeitos mistos cujos fatores preditores associados foram aqueles referentes à saúde materno-infantil e sociodemográficos. RESULTADOS: Entre 1986 e 2006, o percentual de crianças expostas ao LM foi de 91 para 97 por cento e a duração mediana, de 6 para 12 meses. Entre 1996 e 2006 a mediana do AME aumentou de 0,7 para 2 meses. A amamentação na 1ª hora de vida foi fator protetor para a duração do AME e do AM. A duração mediana do AME foi homogênea entre as regiões, associada de forma direta com relação de pré-natal, escolaridade materna e índice de riqueza. A duração mediana do AM foi associada de forma inversa com nascimento por parto cesáreo em hospital privado, intervalo interpartal inferior a 24 meses e difere segundo região geográfica, sendo superior no Norte brasileiro. Foram identificados quatro padrões alimentares para as crianças com idade entre 6 e 59 meses: PA1(iogurte, carnes, tubérculos, hortaliças, frutas), PA2(líquidos, leites não-maternos, carnes e carga fatorial negativa para leite materno e papas à base de farinhas enriquecidas), PA3(líquidos, sucos de frutas, papas à base de amido industrializado, papas à base de farinha enriquecida, iogurte e carga fatorial negativa para carnes vermelhas) e PA4(leite não-materno, fórmulas e carga fatorial negativa papas à base de farinhas enriquecidas e ovopeixefrango). A prática dos padrões PA1 e PA3 foi superior entre crianças que recebiam leite materno. O padrão PA1 foi distribuído de forma homogênea entre as regiões enquanto os outros padrões alimentares apresentaram comportamento distinto entre as regiões. A mudança mais expressiva no período analisado foi a virtual substituição do PA4 pelo PA3, cuja composição de alimentos se aproxima mais das recomendações para faixa etária. CONCLUSÃO: O quadro pró-aleitamento materno é centrado principalmente na exposição universal ao LM e na sustentação desta exposição, refletida no incremento da sua duração mediana. Entretanto, o avanço na duração do AME é menos expressivo no período. O aumento da exposição aos alimentos sólidos entre as crianças menores de 12 meses representa a principal alteração dos padrões alimentares entre 1996 e 2006. Três padrões alimentares das crianças menores de cinco anos são influenciados regionalmente e um deles socialmente. / INTRODUCTION: The infant and recommendations are exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) at six months, breastfeeding at least 24th months and the programmed introduction of solid, semi-solid or soft foods with breast milk until 24 months. Early dietary patterns can explain the sensory preferences and the health indicators throughout the life course. OBJECTIVE: To analyze the secular trend of Brazilian young child feeding practices in last three decades. METHODS: The under five children sample was from three probabilistic Brazilian Demographic Health Surveys carried out in 1986, 1996 and 2006. The breastfeeding (BF) was described according to the indicators from World Health Organization (WHO, 2008). The BF and exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) medians and the predictor factors were estimated using Cox regression model. The dietary patterns (DP) were identified by principal component analysis (PCA) and the dietary pattern scores were included as outcome variables in logistic mixed model. The predictive variables were sociodemographic, maternal and infant health. The complex design sample was considered in statistical analysis. RESULTS: In the period between 1986 and 2006, the percentage of children exposed to breast milk increased from 91 to 97 per cent and the BF median increased from 6 to 12 months and the EBF increased from 0.7 to 2.0 months. Early initiation of breastfeeding was a protective factor for BF and EBF length. The EBF length was uniform among geographic regions and it was directly associated with antenatal care, maternal schooling and wealth index. The EF median was inversely associated with cesarean delivery in private hospital, birth interval less than 24 months and it was different among regions (higher in North). Four DP were identified for children age 6 to 59 months: PA1(composed of yogurt, red meat, chicken, eggs, tubers, vegetables and fruits), PA2(composed of liquids, non-breast milk, red meat, chicken, eggs and negative loadings for breast milk and enriched starch porridge), PA3(composed of liquids, fruit juices, industrialized starch porridge, yogurt and negative factor loadings for red meat) and PA4( composed of non-breast milk, formula and negative factor loadings for enriched starch porridge and egg/fish/chicken). The PA1 and PA3 practices were higher among breastfed children. The PA1 dietary pattern was uniform among geographic regions otherwise, another patterns were differently distribute. The most important DP change was the virtual replacement PA4 for PA3, that was more appropriated for children aged higher than 12 months. CONCLUSION: The pro-breastfeeding scenarium is focused mainly in children universally exposed to BF and the upkeeping of BF, assessed by BF median duration. However, in this survey periods, the increase of EBF duration is lower than the BF duration. The increased solids exposure in children under 12 months expresses the main dietary pattern change between 1996 and 2006. Three dietary patterns of under five children are predicted by geographic region factors and one of them by socioeconomic factors.

Patients with diabetes and multivessel coronary artery disease treated with multivessel percutaneous coronary intervention (MVPCI) have higher mortality, non-fatal myocardial infarction and repeat revascularization rates compared to coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG). This is also associated with high hospital costs. The objective of our study was to assess and compare the proportions and trends 2016 Appalachian Student Research Forum Page 83 of MVPCI in diabetic and all PCI patients and the total charges associated with them. Data were retrieved from nationwide inpatient sample from 2006-2011, which is a 20% stratified probability sample of discharges in all community hospitals participating in Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project. International Classification of Diseases 9 codes were used to identify diabetic patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention with stents in two or more vessels. Patients with a history CABG surgery, cardiac transplant and those who were below 18 years of age were excluded from this study. Bivariate analyses were computed for demographics and various diagnosis and procedures. Trends were computed for the proportions of diabetic and all patients that received stents in single, 2 or more and 3 or more vessels and for total charges for the 24 quarters. Between 2006 and 2011, a total of 145,349 diabetic patients underwent single vessel PCI with a mean age of 63.96 ± 11.70, 40.9% females and 59.1% males. 41,325 diabetic patients underwent = 2 vessels PCI, mean age 64.63 ± 11.64, 39.1% females and 60.9% males. 2,406 diabetic patients underwent = 3 vessels with a mean age of 64.92 ± 11.81 and 38.5% females and 61.5% males. The mean total charges for all single vessel PCI patients for the period was on a steady rise with a mean of $51,584.06 in the 1st quarter 2006 and $77,075.88 in the 24th quarter, 2011. Likewise, the trend for =2 vessel PCI group steadily increased from a mean of $61,089 to $91,937 and those for =3 vessel PCI group up from $73,532.08 to $105,364 through the period. For the diabetic PCI patients, charges associated with the single vessel PCI were on the upward trend with a mean of $53,217 in the 1st quarter to $81,040 in the 24th quarter. Similarly, the mean total charges associated with =2 vessel diabetic PCI group increased from $62,442 to $93,427 and from $78,401 to $110,015 for the =3 vessel diabetic PCI group across the period. There was a steady increase in the total charges for both single vessel and MVPCI procedures performed on diabetic and all patients between 2006 and 2011. The results of this study can be used to assess health care delivery cost and to inform policy to reduce cost.

Malgré des conditions sèches qui prédominent depuis les années 1970, l’Afrique de l’Ouest a subi au cours des deux dernières décennies des épisodes d’inondations sévères qui ont provoqué de nombreux décès et dommages socio-économiques. L’émergence de ce nouveau problème montre une nouvelle facette de la sensibilité de cette région aux changements hydro-climatiques, appelant à une meilleure caractérisation de l’aléa inondation, des processus qui le génèrent, ainsi que la mise en place de méthodes permettant de projeter les évolutions futures de cet aléa pour mieux s’en prémunir.Dans ce contexte, la thèse cherche à répondre à trois questions principales :1) L’augmentation des dommages liés aux inondations s’est-elle accompagnée d’une intensification des crues extrêmes en Afrique de l’Ouest?2) Comment modéliser les orages de mousson, premier facteur de génération du ruissellement, afin d’explorer l’impact de leurs caractéristiques sur les crues?3) Compte tenu des changements climatiques à l’œuvre dans la région, à quelles tendances hydro-climatiques peut-on s’attendre dans le futur ?Dans un premier temps, on évalue l’évolution des crues en Afrique de l’Ouest au cours des soixante dernières années en utilisant de méthodes basées sur la théorie de valeurs extrêmes. Les résultats montrent une augmentation forte des événements hydrologiques extrêmes depuis les années 1970s dans les sous-bassins Sahéliens du fleuve Niger et depuis les années 1980s dans les sous-bassins soudano-guinéens du fleuve Sénégal. Les niveaux de retour calculés à partir des modèles non-stationnaires dépassent ceux qui ont été calculés avec un modèle stationnaire avec plus de 95% de certitude pour les périodes de retour les plus courtes (<10 ans).On présente ensuite des développements récents apportés à un simulateur stochastique d’orages de mousson à meso-échelle (StochaStorm). Ils incluent: une modélisation de l’occurrence de ces orages, la représentation explicite des valeurs de pluie extrêmes et une amélioration du schéma temporel d’intensité infra-événementielle. Implémenté et évalué à partir des donnés haute-résolution de l’observatoire AMMA-CATCH, le générateur montrent de très bonnes capacités à reproduire les propriétés des orages, confirmant son potentiel pour des études d’impact hydrologique.Enfin, une chaîne de modélisation est élaborée afin de proposer des projections hydrologiques pour le futur sur un bassin sahélien de meso-échelle (Dargol, 7000 km²). L’originalité de cette chaîne provient de la prise en compte du continuum d’échelles entre climat global et impact local à travers la représentation du régime des pluies à l’échelle des orages de mousson, dont les propriétés d’occurrence et d’intensité ont des impacts majeurs sur la réponse hydrologique. La chaîne de modélisation inclut le modèle climatique CP4-Africa, unique modèle à convection explicite fournissant des simulations de long terme en Afrique ; une méthode de débiaisage statistique; le simulateur Stochastorm ; et un modèle pluie-débit spécifiquement adapté aux processus hydrologique sahéliens. La chaine est évaluée sur une période de contrôle 1997-2006 puis utilisée pour des projections futures montrant une hausse par un facteur 1,5 des débits maximum annuels et un doublement des volumes moyens annuels à l’horizon 2100.Les résultats ont des implications majeures notamment pour l’ingénierie hydrologique. Les méthodes actuellement utilisées pour appréhender les risques hydrologiques dans la région ne prennent pas en compte la non-stationnarité hydro-climatique risquant de sous-évaluer l’aléa hydrologique et sous-dimensionner les ouvrages hydrauliques utilisés pour s’en protéger. La thèse suggère aussi quelques pistes afin mieux définir les trajectoires hydrologiques passées et futures en incluant, au-delà des précipitations, les changements sociétaux et environnementaux, leurs interactions et rétroactions dans les approches de modélisation. / The semi-arid regions of West Africa are known for their dry conditions which have predominated since the 1970s. In recent years, however, West Africa has witnessed a series of severe flooding events which caused widespread fatalities and socioeconomic damages. The emergence of this new problem demonstrates the sensitivity of the region to changes in the hydroclimatic system and calls for an improved characterization of flood hazard and the mechanisms that generate it. It also signals the need to develop projections for how flood hazard may evolve in the future in order to inform appropriate adaptation measures.In this context, the following PhD thesis seeks to answer three main questions:1) Is there a significant trend in extreme streamflow in West Africa, or are the documented flooding events isolated incidences?2) How can one model mesoscale convective systems, the primary driver of runoff in the region, in order to explore the properties of precipitation that drive streamflow?3) Based on potential climate change in the region, what trends might be observed in streamflow in the future?First, changes in extreme hydrological events West Africa over the past 60 years are evaluated by applying non-stationary methods based on extreme value theory. Results show a strong increasing trend in extreme hydrological events since the 1970s in the Sahelian Niger River basin and since the 1980s in the Sudano-Guinean catchments in the Senegal River basin. Return levels calculated from non-stationary models are determined to exceed those calculated from a stationary model with over 95% certainty for shorter return periods (<10 years).Next, recent developments are presented for a stochastic precipitation simulator (Stochastorm) designed for modeling mesoscale convective storms, the main rainfall source in the Sahel. Developments include a model for storm occurrence, the explicit representation of extreme rainfall values, and an improvement in the modeling of sub-event intensities. Using high-resolution data from the AMMA-CATCH observatory, simulation outputs were confirmed to realistically represent key characteristics of MCSs, showing the simulator’s potential for use in impact studies.Finally, a modeling chain for producing future hydrological projections is developed and implemented in a Sahelian river basin (Dargol, 7000km2). The chain is original as it is the first attempt in West Africa to encompass the continuum of scales from global climate to convective storms, whose properties have major impacts on hydrological response and as a result local flood risk. The modeling chain components include the convection-permitting regional climate model (RCM) CP4-Africa, the only RCM (to date) explicitly resolving convection and providing long-term simulations in Africa; a bias correction approach; the stochastic precipitation generator Stochastorm; and a rainfall-runoff model specifically developed for Sahelian hydrological processes. The modeling chain is evaluated for a control period (1997-2006) then for future projections (ten years at the end of the 21st century). Hydrological projections show that peak annual flow may become 1.5-2 times greater and streamflow volumes may double or triple on average near the end of the 21st century compared to 1997-2006 in response to projected changes in precipitation.The results raise critical issues notably for hydrological engineering. Current methods used to evaluate flood risk in the region do not take non-stationarity into account, leading to a major risk of underestimating potential floods and undersizing the hydraulic infrastructure designed for protecting against them. It is also suggested to not only consider rainfall changes but also societal and environmental changes, interactions, and feedbacks in order to better attribute past hydrological hazards and their future trajectories to related causes.

<p>The first part of this thesis is concerned with trend modelling of breast cancer mortality rates. By using an age-period-cohort model, the relative contributions of period and cohort effects are evaluated once the unquestionable existence of the age effect is controlled for. The result of such a modelling gives indications in the search for explanatory factors. While this type of modelling is usually performed with 5-year period intervals, the use of 1-year period data, as in Paper I, may be more appropriate.</p><p>The main theme of the thesis is the evaluation of the ability to detect signals in x-ray images of breasts. Early detection is the most important tool to achieve a reduction in breast cancer mortality rates, and computer-aided detection systems can be an aid for the radiologist in the diagnosing process.</p><p>The evaluation of computer-aided detection systems includes the estimation of distributions. One way of obtaining estimates of distributions when no assumptions are at hand is kernel density estimation, or the adaptive version thereof that smoothes to a greater extent in the tails of the distribution, thereby reducing spurious effects caused by outliers. The technique is described in the context of econometrics in Paper II and then applied together with the bootstrap in the breast cancer research area in Papers III-V.</p><p>Here, estimates of the sampling distributions of different parameters are used in a new model for free-response receiver operating characteristic (FROC) curve analysis. Compared to earlier work in the field, this model benefits from the advantage of not assuming independence of detections in the images, and in particular, from the incorporation of the sampling distribution of the system's operating point.</p><p>Confidence intervals obtained from the proposed model with different approaches with respect to the estimation of the distributions and the confidence interval extraction methods are compared in terms of coverage and length of the intervals by simulations of lifelike data.</p>

Der Sammelband beinhaltet 10 Beiträge zu den Themen „Sprachwandel“ und „Entwicklungstendenzen“ aus sprachdidaktischer Sicht. Es werden Anregungen gegeben zur Behandlung der Themen im Unterricht speziell in der Sekundarstufe II. Die Autoren sind Linguisten oder Didaktiker für das Fach Deutsch. Dem Band liegt ein weites Verständnis von Sprachwandel zugrunde. Behandelt werden Erscheinungen des Wandels aus den Bereichen Wortschatz, Orthografie, Grammatik, Text, Diskurs und Varietäten. Alle Beiträge enthalten kurze theoretische und begriffliche Hintergründe zum jeweiligen Thema und einen Materialteil mit im Unterricht nutzbaren Texten, Beispielen und Aufgaben. / The present volume is a collection of 10 papers dealing with the subject of language change in German from a language teaching perspective. The contributions come from linguists and experienced professionals involved in teacher education and offer a rich variety of stimulating ideas and practical suggestions for the language classroom. The underlying concept of language change is a broad one, ranging from lexis, grammar and orthography to text, discourse and varieties. All contributions give a brief overview of the theoretical background followed by sections containing teaching materials for classroom use (i.e. texts, examples, exercises).

<p> <p>&nbsp / </p> </p> <p align="left">This study aims to analyse the clinical and immunological responses and survival pattern of HIV/AIDS patients receiving ART in Nyangana District.</p>

Sweden has seen a reversal in marriage trends, from mainly declining marriage rates since the 1960s to increasing rates from 1998 and onwards. By applying event-history techniques to Swedish register data, this study examines whether the trend reversal is related to compositional changes in various socio-economic and demographic characteristics of the population, with special focus on childbearing. Only first marriages of women are studied as these largely represent the general marriage trends. The results show that the trend reversal only partly can be ascribed to compositional changes, more specifically to changes in labor-market attachment and childbearing. Thus, there is evidence of a new marriage trend in Sweden that does not conform very well to that of generally declining marriage rates as is often depicted in demographic literature. Furthermore, there is evidence of pro-cyclical marriage and childbearing trends. These patterns are especially interesting because Sweden is a country that in many aspects has been a forerunner in the development of new trends in family-demographic behavior and a country where childbearing and marriage are not necessarily seen as very closely interrelated.