Missed hospital appointments is a globally acknowledged problem. In order to minimize the cost associated with this, attempts have been made to predict what appointments will be missed using statistical models and machine learning. However, in all previous models, information about a patient’s previous appointments has been ignored to some extent. In this thesis, a novel way of incorporating previous appointment data in more detail is proposed. This is done by firstly estimating a prior attendance probability based on general data using an artificial neural network, and then updating it using Bayesian inference. In the updating process, the information about a patient’s previous appointments is used in order to capture eventual unique patterns and behavior. This is done by weighting the outcome of the past appointments according to how similar those appointments are to the appointment that is to be predicted. Additionally, different ways of measuring the uncertainty of predictions are evaluated. The results show that weighting the outcome of previous appointments differently improves the performance of the predictions, which indicates that the proposed model manages to capture patients’ individual patterns. This improvement is apparent regardless of what model used to estimate the prior attendance probability. Furthermore, the uncertainty measurements correlated well with incorrect predictions, suggesting that they can be used to determine the reliability of a prediction.

The first purpose was to develop and validate a quantitative selection tool, the weighted application blank, tailored to the nursing home industry. The second purpose of this study was to determine whether data scaling and increased statistical rigor can reduce the frequency of type I and type II errors in the weighted application.

The Diploma thesis focuses on the approach of the presidents of the Czech Republic to the power of appointment, dismissal and reconstruction of the government from 1993 to the present. In selected cases it compares individual specifics of approaches and interpretation. From the obtained data it is possible to compare the development of the approach over time and the development of the position of presidents within the Czech political system. The main source of the thesis is content analysis of the period media and other connected documents. Theoretically, the thesis is based on specialized literature focused on position and application of powers of presidents.

An exploratory qualitative study was conducted for the purpose of seeking to understand how a group of undrafted NBA players made sense of and learned from adversity throughout their journey to the NBA (and beyond). This type of study was chosen because of the lack of research on this topic and to further explore these undrafted NBA players’ understanding and meaning through their narratives. Semi-structured interviews were used to allow for the generation of additional probes based on the athletes’ responses. The researcher interviewed five undrafted NBA basketball players (both current and retired) who, despite not getting drafted, were still able to play and compete in the NBA. Six key findings were identified: (1) Participants reported factors of resilience when it came to success; (2) participants reported mindset in various ways; (3) participants reported faith and belief in themselves, their dream, or their ability to make/play in the NBA, which contributed to their success; (4) participants reported their definition of success differently based on their experience and journey; (5) participants reported learning from adverse experience; and (6) participants reported a strong work ethic. Three conclusions were reached: (1) for undrafted NBA players to succeed, they must use adversity as a learning experience and/or opportunity; (2) for undrafted NBA players to succeed, they must not lose faith in their dream or ability to make it and/or play it in the NBA, regardless of the adversity they face on their journey; and (3) undrafted players must define and measure success in terms of their own goals, dreams, experience, and personal journey.

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Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Postdischarge follow-up appointments are widely thought to improve the safety of transition for patients moving from the hospital to home. They provide an opportunity for outpatient primary care providers to detect problems or failures of postdischarge care. Readmissions can be used to reflect the quality of postdischarge or transitional care. This study evaluated whether patients with an outpatient follow-up appointment scheduled with their primary care provider within five calendar days of discharge had fewer 30-day readmissions than those patients who had appointments scheduled six days or longer from discharge. No difference in readmission rate was detected between the two groups.

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