Los sistemas online para compartir fotos proporcionan una valiosa fuente de contenidos generado por el usuario (UGC). La mayor a de los sistemas de re- cuperaci on de im agenes Web utilizan las anotaciones textuales para rankear los resultados, sin embargo estas anotaciones no s olo ilustran el contenido visual de una imagen, sino que tambi en describen situaciones subjetivas, espaciales, temporales y sociales, que complican la tarea de b usqueda basada en palabras clave. La investigaci on en esta tesis se centra en c omo mejorar la recuperaci on de im agenes en sistemas de gran escala, es decir, la Web, combinando informaci on proporcionada por los usuarios m as el contenido visual de las im agenes. En el presente trabajo se exploran distintos tipos de UGC, tales como anotaciones de texto, anotaciones visuales, y datos de click-through, as como diversas t ecnicas para combinar esta informaci on con el objetivo de mejorar la recuperaci on de im agenes usando informaci on visual. En conclusi on, la investigaci on realizada en esta tesis se centra en la impor- tancia de incluir la informaci on visual en distintas etapas de la recuperaci on de contenido. Combinando informaci on visual con otras formas de UGC, es posible mejorar signi cativamente el rendimiento de un sistema de recuperaci on de im agenes y cambiar la experiencia del usuario en la b usqueda de contenidos multimedia en la Web. / Online photo sharing systems provide a valuable source of user generated content (UGC). Most Web image retrieval systems use textual annotations to rank the results, although these annotations do not only illustrate the visual content of an image, but also describe subjective, spatial, temporal, and social dimensions, complicating the task of keyword based search. The research in this thesis is focused on how to improve the retrieval of images in large scale context , i.e. the Web, using information provided by users combined with visual content from images. Di erent forms of UGC are explored, such as textual annotations, visual annotations, and click-through-data, as well as di erent techniques to combine these data to improve the retrieval of images using visual information. In conclusion, the research conducted in this thesis focuses on the impor- tance to include visual information into various steps of the retrieval of media content. Using visual information, in combination with various forms of UGC, can signi cantly improve the retrieval performance and alter the user experience when searching for multimedia content on the Web. 1

The project-based research questions how professionals working in the built environment can engage a broader range of 'others' (students, client, users) in ways of seeing and acting in a meaningful way. It challenges the role of the expert in architecture and urban design and in particular their use of the masterplan, which is often an oversimplified reductive response, laden with generalisations and the ill-considered overlay of inappropriate models. Design methods are designed to enable us to see afresh and respond accordingly. These are demonstrated in three suites of projects that include urban installations such as Five Walks for the Melbourne International Arts Festival, war memorials, lectures, photographs and teaching practice such as Taipei Operations, a student workshop, architectural exhibition, and book. The design research is situated within an expanded field of cross-disciplinary practice that includes art, landscape architecture, urban design, architecture and geography. Tools are developed to enable us to understand the city at many spatial and temporal scales; observations made at a micro scale reveal systems at a macro scale - a bottom-up approach. The application of the methods explored implies that

This thesis describes a new approach to achieving high quality distributed garbage collection using the Train Algorithm. This algorithm has been investigated for its ability to provide high quality collection in a variety of contexts, including persistent object systems and distributed object systems. Prior literature on the distributed Train Algorithm suggests that safe, complete, asynchronous, and scalable collection can be attained, however an approach that achieves this combination of behaviour has yet to emerge. The mechanisms and policies described in this thesis are unique in their ability to exploit the distributed Train Algorithm in a manner that displays all four desirable qualities. Further the mechanisms allow any number of mutator and collector threads to operate concurrently within a site; this is also a unique property amongst train-based mechanisms (distributed or otherwise). Confidence in the quality of the approach promoted in this thesis is obtained via a top-down approach. Firstly a concise behavioural model is introduced to capture fundamental requirements for safe and complete behaviour from train-based collection mechanisms. The model abstracts over the techniques previously introduced under the banner of the Train Algorithm. It serves as a self- contained template for correct train-based collection that is independent of a target object system for deployment of the algorithm. Secondly a means to instantiate the model in a distributed object system is described. The instantiation includes well-established techniques from prior literature, and via the model these are correctly refined and reorganised with new techniques to achieve asynchrony, scalability, and support for concurrency. The result is a flexible approach that allows a distributed system to exhibit a variety of local collection mechanisms and policies, while ensuring their interaction is safe, complete, asynchronous, and scalable regardless of the local choices made by each site. Additional confidence in the properties of the new approach is obtained from implementation within a distributed object system simulation. The implementation provides some insight into the practical issues that arise through the combination of distribution, concurrent execution within sites, and train-based collection. Executions of the simulation system are used to verify that safe collection is observed at all times, and obtain evidence that asynchrony, scalability, and concurrency can be observed in practice. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--School of Computer Science, 2004.

Logistics has became one of the most important activities for all companies where has been treated as strategic function to gain competitive advantage over a companies' competitors. Agribusiness as any other business is also using logistics tools in their supply chain to reduce their chain cost and more important to improve their business efficiency as a whole. Transportation is one of the logistics activities that most influences price of product which in some cases can represent 25% of the final price. Milk collection for a dairy business plays an important part in the overall performance of the company. A poor milk collection system jeopardise the entire chain as it is the first stage of the manufacturing process. The main purpose of this work is to identify and describe the possible differences and similarities between a Brazilian and New Zealand Dairy Company regarding their logistics of milk collection. Even though the two companies are in the same business segment they are inserted in different environments/markets therefore need to deal with different issues regarding milk collection such as companies' structure, milk production's cycle, and routing and scheduling applications. However, both understand the importance of the logistics activities and apply tools in their chain to improve their efficiency. Due to its size and market share the New Zealand Company has a better collection system in place than the Brazilian Company. Both have implemented some changes in the last few years that brought some improvements for their milk collection.

NJ, Univ., Dep. of Economics, Diss.--Princeton, 1971. / Kopie, ersch. im Verl. UMI, Ann Arbor, Mich. - Enth. 3 Beitr.

Norwegian School of Management BI, Diss.--Oslo, 2006. / Enth. 4 Beitr.

Univ., Diss.--Göteborg, 2007. / Enth. 3 Beitr. Zusfassung in engl. Sprache.

Univ., Diss.--Copenhagen, 2007. / Enth. 4 Beitr.

School of Economics, Diss.--Helsinki, 2007. / Enth. 5 Beitr.

Handelshögskolan, Diss.--Stockholm, 2007. / Enth. 3 Beitr.