O mercado das distribuidoras de energia elétrica é composto por consumidores cativos, especiais potencialmente livres e potencialmente livres. Neste trabalho, considera-se consumidores cativos aqueles com demanda menor que 500kW, especiais potencialmente livres aqueles com demanda igual ou superior a 500kW e menor que 3MW e potencialmente livres aqueles com demanda igual ou superior a 3 MW. De acordo com a Lei no 9427 de 1996, consumidor especial é qualificado segundo o critério de demanda contratada, ou seja, com demanda igual ou superior a 500 kW. Esse consumidor tem a alternativa de migrar para o mercado livre, desde que adquira energia somente de fontes incentivadas, como, pequenas centrais hidroelétricas, eólicas, biomassa e solar. Esta alternativa de migração resulta em uma fonte de incerteza nos estudos de mercado da distribuidora e, consequentemente, no volume de energia a ser adquirida para atendimento de seu mercado. A metodologia tradicional de projeção de mercado de energia elétrica da classe industrial não considera o consumidor especial de forma explícita. Neste sentido, o presente trabalho apresenta uma metodologia para projeção de mercado da classe industrial a longo prazo, considerando os consumidores especiais. Para avaliar o efeito desta migração sobre o mercado das distribuidoras foi construído um modelo de simulação, que contempla a decisão dos consumidores especiais. Com base no modelo proposto, são apresentados cenários de projeção de mercado, que comprovam a necessidade de considerar os consumidores especiais de forma explícita nos estudos de mercado e os efeitos na evolução do mercado das distribuidoras. / The market for power utilities consists of captive consumers, special potentially free and potentially free. Here, one considers captives consumer, those with less than 500kW demand, special potentially free, those with demand greater than or equal to 500kW and less than 3 MW, and potentially free, those with demand greater than or equal to 3 MW. According to Law n. 9427 of 1996, special consumer is qualified according to the contracted demand criteria with demand equal to or greater than 500 kW. This consumer has the option to migrate to the free market, provided that they acquire energy only from encouraged sources, such as small hydropower, windpower, biomass power and solar power. This alternative of migration leads to an uncertainty in the power utilities market research and, consequently, in the amount of energy to be purchased to supply their market. The traditional methodology of forecasting the market the electrical energy for industrial class does not consider the particular consumer explicitly. In this sense, this work presents a methodology for forecasting the market for industrial class long-term, considering the special consumers. In order to evaluate the effect of migration on the distribution market, a simulation model was built, which includes the decision of the special consumers. Based on the proposed model, one presents scenarios of market forecasting, establishing the need to consider the special consumers explicitly in power utilities market research and its effects on evolution of market distribution.

O discurso oficial sustenta que o modelo de desenvolvimento brasileiro da última década baseia-se no binômio investimento em infraestrutura e expansão do mercado de massa (DWECK, CHAVES e CHERNAVSKY, 2013). Por sua vez, a ampliação do mercado consumidor no país ocorreu a partir da incorporação de novos consumidores, base do processo difundido como o surgimento de uma suposta nova classe média. Essa chamada classe é, na realidade, um estrato de renda, definido a partir de limites financeiros superiores e inferiores estabelecidos arbitrariamente para criar uma imagem positiva do país, um movimento típico da ciência da ocultação, aquela que tenta encobrir os problemas históricos do subdesenvolvimento. Ao logo deste ensaio, demonstro as inconsistências na lógica interna que sustenta o conceito de nova classe média, rejeitando sua organização. Em seu lugar, proponho outro olhar teórico para o fenômeno, baseado nas categorias dialética do consumo, a partir de Álvaro Vieira Pinto (2008), e superexploração do trabalho, parte da Teoria Marxista da Dependência (TMD), conforme postulada por Ruy Mauro Marini (1991a). Esse procedimento permite analisar o aumento do consumo em sua articulação com as classes sociais, o trabalho e a produção, relações inseridas nas contradições do capitalismo dependente. Portanto, nesta Tese defendo o argumento de que a estratégia de expansão mercado de massa oculta, através do conceito de nova classe média, as contradições do capitalismo dependente e renova a superexploração do trabalho no consumo de não-consumidores. / Official discourse sustatins that the brazilian development model in the last decade is based on the binomial: investments in infrastructure and mass-market expansion. My point of departure in this Thesis is the growth of the consumer market originated in the incorporation of new consumers, the base of the process known as the emergence of the Brazilian new middle class. This so called class is, in fact, an income stratum, defined by superior and inferior financial limits arbitrarily established to create a positive image of the country, a typical movement of the occultation science, one that tries to uncover underdevelopment historical problems. Throughout this research, I demonstrate the inconsistencies in the internal logic that sustains the concept of new middle class, rejecting it. Instead, I propose another theoretical approach, based on the categories dialectics of consumption, by Álvaro Vieira Pinto (2008), and overexploitation of labor, by Ruy Mauro Marini (1991a). This procedure allows analyzing the increase in consumption in its articulation to the categories of social classes, labor and production, relations merged in the contradictions of the dependent capitalism. Eventually, I defend the following argument in this Thesis: the strategy that organizes the expansion of mass-market hides, behind the new middle class concept, the contradictions of the dependent capitalism and renews the non-consumers overexploitation of labor.

Wong, Yuen Chau. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 80-83). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / Chapter 1 --- Introduction --- p.1 / Chapter 1.1 --- Overview --- p.1 / Chapter 1.2 --- Motivation --- p.3 / Chapter 1.3 --- Objective --- p.5 / Chapter 1.4 --- Our contribution --- p.5 / Chapter 1.5 --- Organization of the Thesis --- p.6 / Chapter 2 --- Related Work --- p.7 / Chapter 2.1 --- Existing Sentiment Classification Approach --- p.7 / Chapter 2.2 --- Existing Sentiment Analysis Approach --- p.9 / Chapter 2.3 --- Our Approach --- p.11 / Chapter 3 --- Extracting Product Feature Sentences using Supervised Learning Algorithms --- p.12 / Chapter 3.1 --- Overview --- p.12 / Chapter 3.2 --- Association Rules Mining --- p.13 / Chapter 3.2.1 --- Apriori Algorithm --- p.13 / Chapter 3.2.2 --- Class Association Rules Mining --- p.14 / Chapter 3.3 --- Naive Bayesian Classifier --- p.14 / Chapter 3.3.1 --- Basic Idea --- p.14 / Chapter 3.3.2 --- Feature Selection Techniques --- p.15 / Chapter 3.4 --- Experiment --- p.17 / Chapter 3.4.1 --- Data Sets --- p.18 / Chapter 3.4.2 --- Experimental Setup and Evaluation Measures --- p.19 / Chapter 3.4.1 --- Class Association Rules Mining --- p.20 / Chapter 3.4.2 --- Naive Bayesian Classifier --- p.22 / Chapter 3.4.3 --- Effect on Data Size --- p.25 / Chapter 3.5 --- Discussion --- p.27 / Chapter 4 --- Extracting Product Feature Sentences Using Unsupervised Learning Algorithms --- p.28 / Chapter 4.1 --- Overview --- p.28 / Chapter 4.2 --- Unsupervised Learning Algorithms --- p.29 / Chapter 4.2.1 --- K-means Algorithm --- p.29 / Chapter 4.2.2 --- Density-Based Scan --- p.29 / Chapter 4.2.3 --- Hierarchical Clustering --- p.30 / Chapter 4.3 --- Distance Function --- p.32 / Chapter 4.3.1 --- Euclidean Distance --- p.32 / Chapter 4.3.2 --- Jaccard Distance --- p.32 / Chapter 4.4 --- Experiment --- p.33 / Chapter 4.4.1 --- Cluster Labeling --- p.33 / Chapter 4.4.2 --- K-means Algorithm --- p.34 / Chapter 4.4.3 --- Density-Based Scan --- p.35 / Chapter 4.4.4 --- Hierarchical Clustering --- p.36 / Chapter 4.5 --- Discussion --- p.37 / Chapter 5 --- Extracting Product Feature Sentences Using Concept Clustering --- p.39 / Chapter 5.1 --- Overview --- p.39 / Chapter 5.2 --- Distance Function --- p.40 / Chapter 5.2.1 --- Association Weight --- p.40 / Chapter 5.2.2 --- Chi Square --- p.41 / Chapter 5.2.3 --- Mutual Information --- p.41 / Chapter 5.3 --- Experiment --- p.41 / Chapter 5.3.1 --- Effect on Distance Functions --- p.42 / Chapter 5.3.2 --- Extraction of Product Features Clusters --- p.43 / Chapter 5.3.3 --- Labeling of Sentences --- p.45 / Chapter 5.4 --- Discussion --- p.48 / Chapter 6 --- Extracting Product Feature Sentences Using Concept Clustering and Proposed Unsupervised Learning Algorithm --- p.49 / Chapter 6.1 --- Overview --- p.49 / Chapter 6.2 --- Problem Statement --- p.50 / Chapter 6.3 --- Proposed Algorithm - Scalable Thresholds Clustering --- p.50 / Chapter 6.4 --- Properties of the Proposed Unsupervised Learning Algorithm --- p.54 / Chapter 6.4.1 --- Relationship between threshold functions & shape of clusters --- p.54 / Chapter 6.4.2 --- Expansion process --- p.56 / Chapter 6.4.3 --- Impact of Different Threshold Functions --- p.58 / Chapter 6.5 --- Experiment --- p.61 / Chapter 6.5.1 --- Comparative Studies for Clusters Formation and Sentences Labeling with Digital Camera Dataset --- p.62 / Chapter 6.5.2 --- Experiments with New Datasets --- p.67 / Chapter 6.6 --- Discussion --- p.74 / Chapter 7 --- Conclusion and Future Work --- p.76 / Chapter 7.1 --- Compare with Existing Work --- p.76 / Chapter 7.2 --- Contribution & Implication of this Work --- p.78 / Chapter 7.3 --- Future Work & Improvement --- p.79 / REFFERENCE --- p.80 / Chapter A --- Concept Clustering for DC data with DB Scan (Terms in Concept Clusters) --- p.84 / Chapter B --- Concept Clustering for DC data with Single-linkage Hierarchical Clustering (Terms in Concept Clusters) --- p.87 / Chapter C --- Concept Clusters for Digital Camera data (Comparative Studies) --- p.91 / Chapter D --- Concept Clusters for Personal Computer data (Comparative Studies) --- p.98 / Chapter E --- Concept Clusters for Mobile data (Comparative Studies) --- p.103 / Chapter F --- Concept Clusters for MP3 data (Comparative Studies) --- p.109

Terrestrial organic matter (TOM) constitutes an important source of energy in many aquatic environments (streams, lakes, wetlands). This is the first study to examine the role of TOM in food webs of the rocky intertidal zone. We compared the consumption of red alder leaves (Alnus rubra) to common marine sources of drifting detritus along the southern Oregon coast (Nereocystis luetkeana, Phyllospadix spp., and Fucus gardneri). We used short term (hours to days) and long term (months) feeding experiments to compare the rate of consumption among each plant species during the Spring and Fall of 2014 and 2015. In addition, we quantified the amount of TOM in beach wrack and in the drift of two streams that flowed directly to the rocky intertidal zone. We also measured the food quality of each plant species (C:N and polyphenolic concentrations). On average, the two small streams in this study transported 1,113.6 kg AFDM/m3 of TOM per day during Fall leaf abscission to the rocky intertidal zone. Also, the biomass of terrestrial leaves in beach wrack varied from negligible (2.1 g AFDM) to the dominant source of detritus (60.7 g AFDM) depending on if it was the dominant riparian plant growing along the edges of the shore. Consistent with previous research, N. luetkeana was a high quality food (C:N = 15:1; polyphenolics = 418 mg/ml), whereas F. gardneri (C:N = 22:1; polyphenolics = 8098 mg/ml) was more recalcitrant. Phyllospadix spp. was puzzling because it had low concentrations of polyphenolics (800 mg/ml) but was not consumed. Alnus rubra had a high concentration of structural compounds (C:N = 33:1) and intermediate levels of polyphenolics (3,415 mg/ml after leaching). Both short term and long term experiments showed that the rates of consumption of Spring-shed, green leaves and freshly fallen brown leaves of A. rubra were intermediate between N. luetkeana and the less palatable marine species (F. gardneri and Phyllospadix spp.). Thus, A. rubra was eaten by common intertidal consumers and may constitute an important source of energy between brief inputs of more nutritious marine resources (e.g. N. luetkeana).

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between American consumersand “Environmentally and Ethically Sustainable Fashion” (EESF), with a specific focus on African-American female consumers in order to discover how relevant EESF is in their lifestyles and fashionconsumption practices. Additionally, the study aims to investigate if African-American femaleconsumers are being overlooked in the discourse surrounding EESF.Methodology: The research was qualitative with an inductive approach. A survey was conductedelectronically in order to collect data, and was designed using research collected from literature,scientific articles and online resources. Using the method of snowball sampling, respondents weregathered from a pool of my cohorts, who further distributed the survey on to their contacts.Findings: The findings suggest that African-American female consumers are aware and haveknowledge of EESF, however EESF is not relevant in their lifestyles and fashion consumptionroutines. The literature review which was conducted prior to collecting the data indicates that African-American female consumers are being overlooked in the discourse surrounding EESF and theconcepts surrounding it.Contributions: The findings in this study have managerial implications which will prompt thescientific community, governments, organizations and apparel brands to further study this group ofconsumers in order to assess better ways to reach them in ways that are relevant to their lifestyles andfashion consumption practices. The study also contributes to the existing literature about the consumerbehavior and fashion consumption practices of African-American women.

Hållbarhet, vilket kan förklaras som en balans mellan sociala, ekonomiska och ekologiska faktorer, är ett ständigt aktuellt ämne och Transparens ett relativt nytt sådant. Transparens beskrivs som den mängd information som ett företag är villig att avslöja om deras leverantörskedja. Det sägs att människor vill höra klädesplaggets historia, så som vem, var och hur det har blivit tillverkat, men trots detta är Fast Fashion fortfarande ett utbrett koncept. Fast Fashion innebär att företag prioriterar låga priser, kort leveranstid och snabbt föränderliga trender. Denna studie syftar till att undersöka om Transparens kan räknas som ett verktyg för Hållbarhet inom Fast Fashion, utifrån studenters perspektiv. Genom en kvantitativ enkät är förhoppningen att få svar på frågor om vad dessa konsumenter anser om hållbarhet och om det kopplas ihop med Transparens. Studien är menad att bidra till modeföretag med indikationer på konsumenters kunskap och åsikter om ämnet, för att ge dem en eventuell anledning att implementera Transparens i sin verksamhet. Resultaten visar på att intresse för Transparens finns hos målgruppen studenter och indikerar på att dessa ser ett samband mellan Hållbarhet och Transparens. / Sustainability, which can be explained as a balance between social, economic and ecological factors, is a constantly relevant topic and Transparency is a relatively new one. Transparency is described as the amount of information a company is willing to disclose about their supply chain. It is said that people want to hear the history of the garment, such as who, where and how it has been manufactured, but despite that, Fast Fashion is still a widespread concept. Fast Fashion means that companies prioritize low prices, short delivery times and fast-changing trends.This study aims at investigating whether Transparency can be regarded as a tool for sustainability in Fast Fashion, based on student perspectives. Through a quantitative survey, the hope is to answer questions about these consumers opinions about sustainability and if it is connected to Transparency. The study is intended to contribute to fashion companies with indications of consumer knowledge and opinions about the subject, to give them a possible reason to implement Transparency in their business. The results show that interest in Transparency is found in the target audience of students, indicating that they see a connection between Sustainability and Transparency. This paper is written in Swedish.

With the adoption of biotechnology in many agricultural products with first-generation biotechnology traits such as increased pest resistance, greater herbicide resistance, and increased yields the growers have accepted them. The next wave of biotech crops have second-generation traits, such as improved nutrient content, extended shelf life, reduced pesticide and herbicide application (a consumer demanded trait), and better taste. Will these consumer benefits offset any concern that the consumer has regarding biotechnology? What are those benefits and how should the information be communicated to the consumer? Three focus groups give insight to the proposed questions. The focus groups were done in three California cities, with participants screened to be: 18-65 years of age, the primary shopper for the household, and with an education level up to a bachelor’s degree. We found that the consumer has little knowledge of biotechnology, but that they assume any concern over these products is reduced if the grocery store or point of purchase is a reputable location. The consumer does look for added utility in products, but they are not willing to pay more unless they understand the production of biotechnology developed products. The consumer feels that there should be labeling of these products, but will likely purchase the least expensive option.

Community solar is a renewable energy practice that's been adopted by multiple U.S. states and is being considered by many more, including the state of Oregon. A recent senate bill in Oregon, called the "Clean Electricity and Coal Transition Plan", includes a provision that directs the Oregon Public Utility Commission to establish a community solar program for investor-owned utilities by late 2017. Thus, energy consumers in Portland will be offered participation in community solar projects in the near future. Community solar is a mechanism that allows ratepayers to experience both the costs and benefits of solar energy while also helping to offset the proportion of fossil-fuel generated electricity in utility grids, thus aiding climate change mitigation. For community solar to achieve market success in the residential sector of Portland, ratepayers of investor-owned utilities must socially accept this energy practice. The aim of this study was to forecast the potential social acceptance of community solar among Portland residents by measuring willingness to participate in these projects. Additionally, consumer characteristics, attitudes, awareness, and knowledge were captured to assess the influence of these factors on intent to enroll in community solar. The theory of planned behavior, as well as the social acceptance, diffusion of innovation, and dual-interest theories were frameworks used to inform the analysis of community solar adoption. These research objectives were addressed through a mixed-mode survey of Portland residents, using a stratified random sample of Portland neighborhoods to acquire a gradient of demographics. 330 questionnaires were completed, yielding a 34.2% response rate. Descriptive statistics, binomial logistic regression models, and mean willingness to pay were the analyses conducted to measure the influence of project factors and demographic characteristics on likelihood of community solar participation. Roughly 60% of respondents exhibited interest in community solar enrollment. The logistic regression model revealed the percent change in utility bill (essentially the rate of return on the community solar investment) as a dramatically influential variable predicting willingness to participate. Community solar project scenarios also had a strong influence on willingness to participate: larger, cheaper, and distant projects were preferred over small and expensive local projects. Results indicate that community solar project features that accentuate affordability are most important to energy consumers. Additionally, demographic characteristics that were strongly correlated with willingness to enroll were politically liberal ideologies, higher incomes, current enrollment in green utility programs, and membership in an environmental organization. Thus, the market acceptance of community solar in Portland will potentially be broadened by emphasizing affordability over other features, such as community and locality. Additionally, I explored attitudinal influences on interest in community solar by conducting exploratory factor analysis on attitudes towards energy, climate change, and solar barriers and subsequently conducting binomial logistic regression models. Results found that perceiving renewable energy as environmentally beneficial was positively correlated with intent to enroll in community solar, which supported the notion that environmental attitudes will lead to environmental behaviors. The logistic regression model also revealed a negative correlation between community solar interest and negative attitudes towards renewable energy. Perceptions of solar barriers were mild, indicating that lack of an enabling mechanism may be the reason solar continues to be underutilized in this region.

This study examined the potential significant differences in the distribution of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) by reporter (consumer versus physician) and patient outcome at case and event level. This study also contains exploratory questions to evaluate reporting of ADRs by consumers versus physician by system organ class (SOC) and reporter demographics within the United States Food & Drug Administration Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). The theoretical foundation applied in this quantitative study was the social amplification of risk framework. Data from the second quarter of 2016 were obtained from FAERS, and a total of 87,807 ADR reports corresponding to 143,399 ADRs were analyzed by utilizing the chi-square test, the odds ratio, and logistic regression. Cross-sectional design was employed to compare reporting of ADRs at the case and event level (case-based and event-based analyses, respectively) between reporters (consumer versus physician), specifically, for patient outcome, as well as SOC and reporter demographics. For both the case-based and event-based analyses, findings revealed that consumers reported more serious ADRs in comparison to physicians. Furthermore, findings confirmed a difference in ADR reporting between consumers and physicians depending on SOC groups. Additionally, consumers reported more nonserious ADRs in comparison to physicians. The results from this study may have implications for positive social change by augmenting pharmacovigilance systems at a national and international level to identify risks and risk factors spontaneously reported after drugs have been on the market.

La consommation d’aliments biologiques et sa part relative dans le régime alimentaire n’ont été que peu étudiées. De même, les profils nutritionnels et de santé, les motivations et les pratiques de tels consommateurs ne sont que rarement décrits. L’objectif de cette thèse était d’étudier et de caractériser les profils des consommateurs de produits issus de l’agriculture biologique sur le plan nutritionnel, de la santé et des pratiques. Les données de la cohorte NutriNet-Santé incluant des adultes français ont été exploitées. Les résultats de cette thèse ont montré qu’une forte consommation de produits bio était associée à une meilleure qualité nutritionnelle globale du régime. Le régime des très forts consommateurs de bio était ainsi souvent caractérisé par une place importante donnée aux produits végétaux et aux produits complets en particulier. La mise en oeuvre d'une analyse typologique a mis en évidence une diversité de profils des consommateurs sur le plan nutritionnel d'une part et sur les modes de production d'autre part. Ces différents profils de consommateurs étaient marqués par des différences sur le plan des caractéristiques sociodémographiques, des modes de vie, des pratiques d’achat et des motivations d’achat. Par ailleurs, la probabilité de présenter le syndrome métabolique était plus faible chez les forts consommateurs de bio comparés aux faibles consommateurs. L’étude cas-témoins a montré chez les forts consommateurs de bio une teneur significativement plus faible de certains résidus de pesticides dans les urines (2-(diethylamino)-6-méthylpyrimidin-4-ol/one total, en DETP et DMTP et en 3-PBA). Les conclusions des premières analyses transversales sur les marqueurs de santé restent à confirmer dans des études prospectives. L’ensemble de ces travaux souligne la nécessité de considérer toutes les dimensions de l’alimentation (structure du régime et mode de production bio ou conventionnel) dans les futures études sur les potentiels effets de la consommation de bio sur la santé. Ces résultats plaident également pour l’intégration d’une diversité de profils de consommateurs lors de l’élaboration de stratégies visant à encourager les consommations alimentaires durables. / Few data are available regarding the contribution of organic foods to the diet. In addition, dietary patterns, nutritional and health status of organic food consumers have rarely been described. The objective of this thesis was to study the characteristics of different groups of organic food consumers in terms of nutritional intakes, health status and practices. Data of the cohort NutriNet-Santé including French adults were analysed. The results showed strong dietary behaviour correlates associated with high organic food consumption. Higher levels of organic food consumption were related to healthier dietary patterns. Dietary patterns of high organic food consumers were characterised by high consumption of plant-based products, and wholegrain products in particular. A cluster analysis has underlined a diversity of profiles of consumers in terms of dietary patterns and mode of food production. Disparities in sociodemographic and lifestyle patterns were observed across clusters. Furthermore, the probability of having the metabolic syndrome was lower among high organic food consumers. The case-control study showed significantly lower levels of some pesticide residues (2-(diethylamino)-6-methylpyrimidin-4-ol/one total, DETP, DMTP and 3-PBA) among high organic food consumers compared to low organic food consumers. Prospective studies are needed to confirm these findings. To accurately assess potential effects of consumption of organic products, future etiological studies need to take into consideration all components of the diet (dietary patterns as well as level of organic food consumption in the diet). These results highlight the importance of the integration of a diversity of consumers’ profiles when developing strategies aimed at promoting sustainable food practices.