Tuberculosis remains a communicable disease of major public health importance in South Africa. The purpose of this study is to search for trends in management of tuberculosis at Hillbrow Health Centre from 2000 to 2002. Furthermore, to assess completeness of routine records, compare performance of tuberculosis control in this clinic with others in region 8 during 2002 and identify residential areas with high volumes of tuberculosis patients. Data was obtained from tuberculosis documents at the facility. Information provided by the district office was compared with research findings and used to evaluate performance of Hillbrow Health Centre against the other four clinics in the region. The main findings from the study conducted at Hillbrow Health Centre were the large number of patients diagnosed with tuberculosis annually and cure rates below 40% during the study period. In 2002, the clinic reported the highest proportion of TB patients and the lowest cure rate compared to the other four clinics reporting tuberculosis in region 8. “Hot spots” for the disease were identified in Hillbrow and Joubert Park suburbs and this is where Esselen, Hillbrow and Urban Health Clinics are situated. There is room for improvement of tuberculosis control. More research needs to be done to determine factors contributing to the high incidence of TB in Hillbrow and Joubert Park Suburbs.

This study investigated hydrogen produced from feeding three types of biomass wastes (rice straw, banyan leaves, and dry algae) into the microwave plasma system. When operating the microwave plasma system atmospherically (including 12SLM of central and vortex air flow at a power of 800W, 900W, or 1000W), different feeding methods were adopted, and the researchers measured the concentration of hydrogen and other gas products, calculated the conversion rate, and evaluated the feasibility of the technique. For feeding rice straws into the microwave plasma system at 800W, 900W, and 1000W using the upstream method, the concentrations of the produced hydrogen were 47.92%, 52.66%, and 56.08%, respectively. For feeding rice straws using the downstream method, the concentrations of the produced hydrogen were 33.65%, 40.15%, and 45.39%, respectively. For feeding banyan leaves using the upstream method, the concentrations of the produced hydrogen were 40.61%, 48.63%, and 52.82%, respectively. For feeding banyan leaves using the downstream method, the concentrations of the produced hydrogen were 34.08%, 37.97%, and 40.52%, respectively. For feeding dry algae using the upstream method, the concentrations of the produced hydrogen were 36.75%, 41.34%, and 45.13%, respectively. For feeding dry algae using the downstream method, the concentrations of the produced hydrogen were 30.80%, 33.20%, and 37.58%, respectively. This data indicates that the upstream feeding method is better than the downstream one for hydrogen production, and an increase of power can enhance the production of hydrogen. The most optimum hydrogen production was achieved when rice straws were fed into the system using the upstream method at a power of 1000W; each gram of rice straws produced about 40.47mg of hydrogen (conversion rate = 67.45%). For banyan leaves and dry algae, 40.40mg (conversion rate = 67.33%) and 31.46mg (conversion rate = 52.43%) of hydrogen were produced respectively. For other gas products, no CH4 was produced in this study because most of the produced CH4 from microwave plasma conversion had reacted with CO2 and produced CO and H2. The study also revealed that the concentration of CO2 decreased as the power decreased, and this drop of concentration was more apparent in the upstream feeding method than in the downstream method. Nevertheless, the result from t-test suggested that the different CO2 concentration at different power was not statistically significant. SWOT analysis was performed to examine the feasibility of using microwave plasma atmospherically for converting biomass wastes to hydrogen, and the result revealed that internally, the emphasis should be placed on the quality and quantity of products, as well as the techniques and performance, while externally, economy, policies, and energy sources should be the focuses.

The goal of this Master's thesis is to explain the importance of the Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) at today's E-commerce market share. A lot of people in Czech Republic confuse this term with more popular and similar term: Search Engine Optimization (SEO). The CRO focuses on the particular website and its ability to meet the business goals. The goal of the CRO is to improve the website and its conversion rates for acceptable costs. The ROI is important here. The CRO is a broad topic so I focus only on one part -- A/B Testing. This technique is based on showing different variations of a specific web page to the users. They are divided among these variations. Each part can see different variation. In the result we can see which variation was the best in meeting the business goals. The goal of this Master's thesis is to thoroughly introduce this technique and the tool which is perfectly suitable for that -- Google Website Optimizer. It is free and worldwide known and used. This Master's thesis is divided into several main chapters. In the introduction I describe few marketing models that are closely related to the CRO. Then I focus on the CRO, A/B Testing and Google Website Optimizer. In the last chapter you can find a case study full of practical examples. So far there are only a few resources about CRO in the Czech language. That also demonstrates the fact, that the CRO is not much popular in Czech Republic so far. On the contrary in the USA or Western Europe these techniques are commonly used. Not only big companies like Google or Amazon.com, but even small businesses use the techniques of CRO and can profit from it. I think it is only the matter of time it becomes more popular also in the Czech Republic. Therefore I believe a lot of people find my Master's thesis very useful.

The purpose of this study is to explore how good User Experience (UX) in web design leads to increased possibilities for conversion rate. By using specific design elements and applying them with a UX perspective on the web design for Aller Media's new recipe site Stowe, high conversion rates would be expected. As a member of the Stowe project group, I have developed different sketches. Theoretical basis for this has been literature with a focus on conversion optimization, UX and web design. Based on that, I have created the design for several web pages of the Stowe site using the graphic design software Sketch. Accordingly, my part was to decide how different design elements could be used to improve the possibilities of high conversion and offer good UX, and also how this could be implemented into factual design. In so doing I have followed the process of web design from beginning to end. The result of this was an in detail sketch of Stowe's landing page, an onboarding flow and sketches of several different Stowe pages, some of which were a collection page and a recipe page. / Syftet med denna studie är att utforska hur man men hjälp av bra användarupplevelse (UX) skapa webbdesign med ett konverteringsperspektiv. Genom att applicera UX på specifika designelement i webbdesignen för Aller Medias nya recepttjänst Stowe förväntas vissa konverteringsmål nås. Som medlem i Stowe's projektgrupp har jag analyserat och gjort efterforskningar och utifrån dessa skapat olika skisser. Litteratur som behandlar konverteringsoptimering, UX och webbdesign har utgjort den teoretiska basen för studien. Utifrån det har jag sedan skapat design för flertalet olika sidor för Stowe's hemsida i programmet Sketch. Således var min roll att avgöra hur olika designelement kunde användas för att skapa förutsättningar för konvertering och erbjuda bra UX samt att implementera detta i faktisk design. På så sätt har jag följt processen för webbdesignen från början. Resultatet blev en detaljerad skiss av Stowe's landningssida, ett onboarding flow samt flera olika sidor till tjänstens hemsida, där ibland receptsida och samlingssida.

The aim of this thesis consists of defining a set of recommendations that should lead to more successful e-commerce website of EuroCup Agency s.r.o. The aim also consists of creating a schedule of their realization, setting of the complete realization goals and realizing of the recommendations that belong to the first phase. The thesis is based on theoretical presentation of possible steps that could be realized for improving e-shops' successfulness, and on extensive analysis of the monitored e-commerce website. This analysis is focused on the company's market, target segments and competitors, company's sales, offline conversion rate, statistics measured by Google Analytics tool, and usability of the e-commerce website.

This thesis examined the question “What barriers are preventing Swedish companies from performing a structured conversion rate optimization process?”. As the purpose is to obtain an understanding of what is preventing companies from successfully execute conversion rate optimization (CRO). Given that CRO is an important part in most digital marketing activities. And despite increase in budget and importance in marketing, resource constraint continues to be the biggest obstacle.  The method employed to investigate this question was qualitative interviews with participants who worked with websites in seven different companies. An analysis was carried out, estimating the participating companies’ level of knowledge, overall structure, what to prioritize and current obstacles. It was established that the interviewees had several different areas of concern with regards to conversion rate optimization. Limited time, budget, priorities, knowledge, ownership, structured approach and interpreting data, were all treated in the analysis. A discussion was carried out to argument the definition of “biggest” barrier, as some barriers were more common than others but easier to overcome. Overall, these obstacles could all be traced back to barriers as prioritization, structure and ownership. The conclusion was that companies must have a more structured working process within the area of conversion rate optimization in order for this practice to be prioritized as a substantial part of companies online marketing activities. / Denna uppsats har undersökt frågan "Vilka hinder hindrar svenska företag från att genomföra en strukturerad konverteringsoptimerings process?". Med syfte att få en förståelse för vad som hindrar företagen att utföra konverteringsoptimering (CRO). Då CRO är en viktig del i de flesta digitala marknadsaktiviteter. Och trots ökad budget och kunskap inom marknadsföring är resursbegränsningen fortfarande det största hindret. Metoden som användes för att undersöka denna fråga var kvalitativa intervjuer med deltagare som arbetade med webbplatser inom sju olika företag. En analys genomfördes, som tog upp företags kunskapsnivå, övergripande struktur, prioriteringar och nuvarande hinder. Det fastställdes att intervjuarna hade flera olika problemområden med avseende om konverteringsoptimering. Begränsad tid, budget, prioriteringar, kunskap, ägandeskap, strukturerat abetsflöde och tolkning av data, behandlades alla i analysen. En diskussion gjordes för att argumentera för definitionen av "största" barriären, eftersom vissa hinder var vanligare än andra men lättare att övervinna. Sammantaget kan dessa hinder alltså spåras tillbaka till hinder som prioritering, struktur och ägande. Slutsatsen var att företagen måste ha en mer strukturerad arbetsprocess inom området för konverteringsoptimering för att denna disciplin ska prioriteras som en väsentlig del av företagets marknadsföringsaktiviteter online.

Digital marketing involves several channels that represent important touchpoints across the customer journey which SMEs must prioritize and invest in effectively. However, SMEs can struggle with limited resources of time, budget and knowledge which makes successful implementation of digital marketing and conversion rate optimization difficult. The challenges are even more severe when adding information overload to the context and how this affects consumers behavior along the increasingly complex nature of the customer journey. Thereby, the purpose of this study is to explore what Swedish SMEs should prioritize when it comes to digital marketing touchpoints to increase conversions, especially emphasizing how consumers’ behaviors may be affected by information overload across the customer journey. This was carried out by using a qualitative approach with an exploratory nature and by conducting in-depth interviews with consumers and experts in the digital marketing field. The main findings of this study suggest that online advertising, SEO, social media, web pages and customer reviews are of highest priority for SMEs to increase conversions. Further, information overload has a significant role in the customer journey in terms of large quantities of information, wrong characteristics, information disorganization, complex task and process parameters and lacking quality of content. Lastly, information overload is also shown as a conflict between marketers and consumers.

O objetivo desse trabalho foi avaliar as características anatômicas e químicas, as propriedades físicas e mecânicas, obter o rendimento do processo de produção de piso e sua qualidade e elaborar programas de secagem simplificada da madeira de árvores de teca (Tectona grandis L. f.) de plantações florestais seminais em diferentes idades, aproximadamente 9,5; 14,4 e 18,7 anos, provenientes dos municípios de Glória D\'Oeste, Porto Esperidião e Rosário D\'Oeste no Mato Grosso e de Angatuba no estado de São Paulo com idade de 9,4 anos. As toras obtidas desses povoamentos foram processadas para obtenção de amostras destinadas às referidas avaliações, bem como para produção de lotes de pisos de madeira maciça, os quais também foram analisados através de ensaios específicos de qualidade. Foram determinados os programas de secagem da madeira para cada um dos tratamentos, usando-se o método simplificado de secagem drástica. Através dessas avaliações e análises pretendeu-se verificar se as propriedades da madeira de teca, independentemente da idade, região e manejo, apresentam resultados similares, bem como se os pisos produzidos com o uso de madeiras de desbaste e com idade mais jovem mostram qualidade análoga aos produtos gerados com a madeira proveniente de florestas com idade definida para cortes intermediários e finais. A mesma avaliação foi realizada comparando-se a madeira produzida nos estados do Mato Grosso e São Paulo, na idade de 9,5 anos, para verificar possíveis diferenças na qualidade da madeira, devido às variações climáticas, de solo e de manejo. Os resultados apresentados mostram que o manejo da floresta, principalmente, em relação à densidade populacional inicial, influenciou o crescimento das árvores. A idade influenciou o maior diâmetro e volume individual das árvores. O volume e porcentagem de cerne apresentou a mesma tendência, aumentando com a idade, já a excentricidade da medula reduziu com a idade. A estabilidade dimensional foi menor no plantio de SP, devido às diferenças climáticas mais acentuadas e a maior população inicial do povoamento. Há correlação positiva entre a densidade básica e todas as propriedades mecânicas estudadas, bem como com algumas dimensões anatômicas como comprimento das fibras e espessura da parede. Não houve nenhuma correlação entre a idade dos plantios e as propriedades físicas, mecânicas ou anatômicas. Quanto maior a idade da floresta, maior foi o índice de conversão no processo de produção de piso. Entretanto, o volume de piso gerado por área foi maior na floresta com melhor manejo adotado, ou seja, menor densidade populacional inicial. Dentre os tratamentos avaliados o plantio com 9,5 anos do MT apresentou melhor produtividade de piso por área, o que mostra que esse tratamento, associado a essa finalidade, é mais vantajoso economicamente do que os outros, mas é necessária uma avaliação dos custos de produção do piso. Isso denota que o manejo aplicado nessa área, principalmente quanto a menor densidade populacional na implantação da floresta, apresentou melhores resultados de produção total de toras e conversão para piso e boa qualidade do produto final. / The purpose of this work was to evaluate the anatomical and chemical characteristics, physical and mechanical properties, obtain the yield of the flooring production process and its quality and to elaborate programs of simplified drying of the wood of teak trees (Tectona grandis L. f.) of plantations forest at different ages, approximately 9.5; 14.4 and 18.7 years, from the municipalities of Glória D\'Oeste, Porto Esperidião and Rosário D\'Oeste in Mato Grosso, and from Angatuba in São Paulo state, aged 9.4 years. The logs obtained from these stands were processed to obtain samples for the said evaluations, as well as for the production of lots of solid wood floors, which were also analyzed through specific quality tests. The drying programs of the wood were determined for each of the treatments, using the simplified drastic drying method. Through these evaluations and analyzes it was sought to verify if the properties of the teak wood, regardless of age, region and management, present similar results, as well as if the floors produced with the use of thinning woods and younger age show similar quality to the products generated with the wood coming from forests with defined age for intermediate and final cuts. The same evaluation was carried out comparing the wood produced in the states of Mato Grosso and São Paulo at the age of 9.5 years to verify possible differences in wood quality due to climatic, soil and management variations. The results show that the forest management, mainly in relation to the initial population density, influenced the growth of the trees. Age influenced the largest diameter and individual volume of trees. The volume and percentage of heartwood presented the same tendency, increasing with the age, but the eccentricity of the marrow reduced with the age. The dimensional stability was lower in SP planting, due to the more pronounced climatic differences and the greater initial settlement population. There is a positive correlation between the basic density and all the mechanical properties studied, as well as some anatomical dimensions such as fiber length and wall thickness. There was no correlation between planting age and physical, mechanical or anatomical properties. The higher the forest age, the higher the conversion rate in the flooring production process. However, the flooring volume generated by area was higher in the forest with better management adopted, that is, lower initial population density. Among the evaluated treatments, the 9.5-year old plantation in MT presented better flooring productivity per area, which shows that this treatment, associated with this purpose, is more economically advantageous than the others, but an evaluation of the flooring production cost is need. This indicates that the management applied in this area, mainly as the lower population density in the forest implantation, presented better results of log total production and conversion to flooring and good quality of the final product.

This study uses the mindset of Bryan Eisenbergs four behavior types (Competitive, Spontaneous, Humanistic, and Methodical), to in- crease the conversion rate and the user experience while shopping online. Traditional retailers, i.e physical stores, are not a priority anymore and a challenge for an e-commerce site is to maintain a relationship to the customer online. The mindset of the four be- havior types is aimed to be used to target the universe of buyers. This mindset and theory will be applied to a CRO-design process, where the focus is to increase the conversion rate optimization of a website. An extensive literature study, an analysis phase, user tests and a questionnaire were used to decide whether this concept is worth using as a part of the process or not. The results indicate that the concept of the four behavior types can be used to target the audience. The thesis states that the concept could be used as a general foundation to further develop this mindset.

Face à la demande énergétique de plus en plus croissante, et les problèmes environnementaux qui en découlent, la biomasse, en tant que vecteur énergétique et en association avec des techniques thermochimiques de conversion en gaz combustibles, pourrait être un vecteur énergétique intéressant s’il est produit de manière durable. En effet, accroitre le bouquet énergétique, en substituant d’avantage les énergies fossiles par des énergies renouvelables est devenu une réalité incontournable. De ce fait, les résidus agro-sylvo-pastoraux présentent un potentiel important au Sénégal en général et en particulier dans la région de Ziguinchor jadis appelée grenier du Sénégal, et des technologies de valorisation comme la pyrolyse et gazéification se trouvent parmi les voies les plus prometteuses pour la production d’énergie. Ainsi le modèle dynamique de Saeman basé sur la détermination des propriétés intrinsèques des résidus utilisés a été mis en œuvre afin de simuler l’écoulement de la charge de coques de cajou, de palme et d’arachide. Le modèle dynamique ainsi développé va permettre d'étudier l’influence des conditions opératoires et propriétés rhéologiques sur les profils de chargement, qui conduiront par la suite aux meilleurs transferts de chaleur et de masse dans les fours tournants en situation inerte comme réactive. Les meilleures conditions expérimentales retenues pour cette étude hydrodynamique sont : des vitesses de rotations comprises entre 2 - 4 tr/min, une inclinaison de 1°, et un rapport longueur sur diamètre supérieur ou égal à 0,05. La gazéification des trois résidus sous différents atmosphères (100 % -H2O, 75 % -H2O / 25 %- CO2, 50 % -H2O / 50 % -CO2, 25 % -H2O / 75 % -CO2, et 100 % -CO2) et à différentes températures comprises entre 950 - 1050 °C dans un réacteur à lit fixe ont permis de valider les résultats issus de la littérature qui mettent bien en évidence l’effet positif de la température sur la cinétique de gazéification des différents chars de résidus de biomasse. La pyrolyse de nos trois échantillons donne ainsi des rendements qui sont de 36,44 % pour la coque d’arachide, 37,28 % pour la coque de cajou et 39,97 % pour la coque de palme et quant à leur gazéification, elle conduit respectivement à des énergies d’activation comprises entre 110 - 126 kJ/mol, 104 - 125 kJ/mol et 116 - 150 kJ/mol. Les mesures expérimentales montrent aussi l’influence de la température sur la valeur du PCI des gaz obtenus (8 - 12 MJ/Nm3) et que ce PCI des gaz est inversement proportionnel à la taille des particules de biomasse. Par ailleurs la gazéification sous atmosphère mixte de vapeur d’eau et de gaz carbonique a montré que la réactivité des différents chars est fonction de l’augmentation de la concentration en vapeur d’eau. Le bilan global d’une telle étude expérimentale sur l’hydrodynamique et sur la dégradation thermique visant la maîtrise des phénomènes au sein des fours tournants permet ainsi une première analyse dans la mise en place de combustibles alternatifs pour la valorisation des potentialités locales de la région verte de la Casamance. / In view of the growing energy demand and the resulting environmental problems, biomass as an energy vector and at combination with thermochemical techniques for conversion into combustible gases, could be an interesting energy vector if it is produced in a sustainable manner. Indeed, increasing the energy mix, by replacing fossil fuels with renewable energies, has become an undeniable reality. As a result, agro-sylvo-pastoral residues have significant potential in Senegal in general and in particular in Ziguinchor region, formerly known as Senegal's granary, and valorisation technologies such as pyrolysis and gasification are among the most promising way for energy production. The Seaman’s dynamic model based on the determination of the intrinsic properties of the residues used has been implemented in order to simulate the flow of cashew, palm and peanut shells. Thus, the dynamic model developed will make it possible to study the influence of the operating conditions and rheological properties on the loading profiles which will conduct later of the best heat and mass transfers in the rotating furnaces in inert and reactive conditions. The best experimental conditions for this hydrodynamic study are: rotational speeds between 2 - 4 rpm, inclination of 1 °, and length to diameter ratio greater than or equal to 0.05. The gasification of the three residues under different atmospheres (100 % -H2O, 75 % -H2O / 25 %-CO2, 50 % -H2O / 50 % -CO2, 25 % -H2O / 75 % -CO2, and 100 % -CO2) and at different temperatures between 950 - 1050 °C in a fixed bed reactor enable to validate the results from the literature which clearly show the positive effect of temperature on the gasification kinetics of the various chars. The pyrolysis of our three samples gives yields of 36.44 % for the peanut shell, 37.28 % for the cashew shell and 39.97 % for the palm shell; and when gasified, it leads respectively at activation energies between 110 - 126 kJ / mol, 104 - 125 kJ / mol and 116 - 150 kJ / mol. The experimental measurements also show the influence of temperature on the Lower heating gas values (LHV) obtained (8 - 12 MJ/Nm3) and that, this LHV of gas is inversely proportional to the size of the biomass particles. Moreover, the gasification under mixed atmosphere of steam and carbon dioxide showed that the reactivity of the different chars depend on the increase of the concentration of water vapor. The overall assessment of such an experimental study on the hydrodynamic and thermal degradation of our residues aimed at controlling the phenomena within rotating furnaces (kilns) allows an initial analysis in the setting up of alternative fuels for the valorization of the local potentialities of the green region of Casamance.