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Background: Tooth loss has a negative impact on patients’ general health and wellbeing. Dental prostheses can restore oral function, aesthetics and improve oral health related quality of life. Preferences for dental prostheses cannot be fully captured using existing clinical studies and questionnaires. Discrete choice experiment (DCE) is a novel method in health economics to elicit people’s preference for treatments and it allows the researcher to integrate all aspects relevant to treatment into evaluation and measurement of interrelationship between factors. The aim of this PhD thesis is to use a mixed method of DCE and qualitative interviews to analyse dentists and patient’s preferences for dental prosthesis choices in replacing missing teeth. Methods: Discrete choice experiment questionnaires were developed, describing dental prosthdontic treatments in multi-dimensions, including outcome, process and economic factors. Survey and analysis using the questionnaires were conducted with dentists and patients in Edinburgh. Qualitative interviews with Edinburgh dentists and patients were carried out to derive factors to aid the DCE questionnaire design and provide in-depth understanding of DCE results. Systematic reviews were performed to summarise existing evidence on prosthesis evaluation in traditional quantitative studies and perception of prostheses in qualitative interviews. The current application of DCEs in dentistry was also systematically reviewed. Results: Treatment longevity was identified as the most important factor for dentists and patients’ treatment decisions of anterior missing tooth replacements, followed by appearance and chewing function. Dentists put more value on fixation/comfort and treatment procedure than patients. Patients cared about cost of treatment whereas dentists were relatively insensitive. Gender, age and treatment experience significantly influenced patients’ preference for treatment characteristics. Dental implant supported crown was preferred by dentists, whereas patients gave higher utility to traditional prosthodontic treatments. The monetary benefit of fixed dental prostheses ranged from £1856 -£3848 for patients, far exceeding their willingness-to-pay (WTP), which was £120 - £240. Dentists were willing to pay £600-£3000, more than the perceived benefit £503 to £1649. Qualitative study identified the above factors and provided interpretation of DCE results. Problems in the dental care system related to referral and training for dental implant treatments were raised. Discussion: This thesis is the first DCE application in dentistry evaluating and comparing dentists and patients preferences for missing tooth replacements. Dentists and patients’ preferences were elicited qualitatively and qualitatively integrating multidimensional factors. Patients’ preference for treatments, monetary benefit and WTP were demonstrated to be different from dentists’. Treatment benefits exceeded patients WTP for fixed dental prostheses.

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The aim of this thesis is to create simulation model of a conveyor node in the field of sequential stack topcoat paintshop of ŠKODA AUTO a.s. in Mladá Boleslav. Simulation model is create in Plant Simulation. The chapters of this thesis describes the overview of conveying technology used for the transportation of bodies in the solved area, basics of discrete simulation, describe solved area and process of creation a simulation model. Using the simulation model is tested overall throughput of solved area, when changes input parameters. From results of experiments are deducted the conclusions.

Composting has been practiced for thousands of years as a way of stabilizing and recycling organic matter into useful soil amendments. Thermophilic compost releases significant amounts of heat at temperatures (~140 °F) that are useful for environmental heating or process water. This heat has been taken advantage of in various ways throughout history, but development of a widely adopted technology remains elusive. The biggest barrier to adoption of compost heat recovery (CHR) systems is projecting accurate, attractive economic returns. The cost of transfer equipment is significant, and with variability in composting substrates and methods, it is difficult to predict the power and quality of heat a proposed system would produce. While the ultimate heat release may be calculated with standard techniques, the dynamics of compost temperature and thermal power are less understood. As heat yield is one of many goals, better understanding of compost’s thermal dynamics is important for CHR optimization. This research addresses the issue by developing a field test that measures heat release and temperature across a representative-scale compost volume. The compost test vessel was built from common construction materials and insulated enough to be self-heating in cold weather. A 4’ x 4’ x 4’ cube of 2” foam insulation panels held 1.812 cubic yards of active compost, intermittently aerated at ~35 CFM. Data from 84 temperature sensors, and one pressure sensor at the blower, was logged at 1-minute intervals for a period of 35 days. Spatial temperature fields were estimated by Kriging, and used to calculate conductive heat loss and compost volume temperature over time. Enthalpy loss was calculated using the blower pressure curve, temperature data and humidity assumptions. The compost exhibited wide variation in temperature and heat flow over time, and less horizontal symmetry than expected. The results are dynamic and best viewed graphically. Enthalpy loss varied with adjustments to the aeration cycle, ranging from 100 to 550 W (60-minute average rates), while conductive losses were in the range of 75 W. Peak sustained thermal output was around 600 W (500 W by aeration) from days 11-13 with about 0.6 yd3 of compost in the thermophilic zone; however, this cooled the compost significantly. Aeration was then reduced, and the compost temperature recovered, with 50% - 90% of the compost volume above 130 °F from days 14-23; during this period, total heat loss was around 150 - 200 W with aeration loss around 60-100 W. The test was successful in producing hot compost and building temperature field and heat loss models. However representative aeration rates cooled a large amount of the compost volume as cool air was drawn into the vessel. Aeration rate reduction accomplished desired compost temperatures, but resulted in low enthalpy extraction rate and temperature. Future work will address this issue with the ability to recirculate air through the compost.

The Citizen Continental-America Telescopic Eclipse (CATE) Experiment established a standardized set of observation procedures and 72 volunteer observation teams with identical equipment along the path of the 2017 total solar eclipse. CATE successfully imaged the solar corona from 66 of the 72 observation sites resulting in a high dynamic range animation of 90 minutes of solar corona data collected by volunteer citizen science teams. A subgroup of CATE began work in the fall of 2017 to evaluate use of the standard CATE observation setup for exoplanet transit observations. Light curves and analysis of data using AstroImageJ of two well know transiting exoplanets, HD209458b (V = 7.65, depth = 1.5%) and HD189733b (V= 7.67, depth=2.4%) are presented along with modifications to CATE telescopes required for successful exoplanet follow up observations.

The purpose of the present research was to examine extinction of responding with regard to the rapidity and thoroughness of the process when conditioned reinforcement was available on one of five schedules during extinction. Forty-five mixed-breed pigeons served as subjects with 15 in each of three experiments. Reinforcement training schedules were as follows: Experiment 1, continuous; Experiment 2, fixed ratio 15; Experiment 3, variable-interval one-minute. After training, subjects experienced one of five extinction procedures (here called schedules of extinction) which were as follows: traditional schedule without keylight did not provide conditioned reinforcement; traditional with keylight had the keylight on continuously but withheld other conditioned reinforcement (no schedule, per se, was used); the remaining three schedules (i.e., continuous, fixed ratio 15, and variable-interval one-minute) provided the following four conditioned reinforcers: the sound of the food magazine, the hopper light, the sight of food, and the keylight. Predictions for responding were based on the discrimination hypothesis which states that the more alike training and extinction conditions are, the slower the process of extinction. In order to compare response rates among subjects, a percentage of baseline responding was computed. Four spontaneous recovery tests were conducted to measure the thoroughness of the extinction procedures. Results did not support predictions based on the discrimination hypothesis; that is, subject response rates did not appear to be affected by the similarity of the extinction condition to previous training history. The second finding was that the most rapid and thorough extinction was obtained when the extinction schedule was traditional without keylight. When conditioned reinforcement was available, the continuous extinction schedule produced the most rapid and thorough extinction. The third major finding was that the schedule of unconditioned reinforcement was more predictive of extinction responding than was the conditioned reinforcement schedule during extinction. The last finding was that a subject's pattern of responding was typical of the schedule whether it was on an unconditioned or a conditioned reinforcement schedule. It is suggested that extinction-of-a-human-intervention strategies might be more effective if conditioned reinforcement was identified and controlled.

One approach to communicating and thereby building a close relationship with consumers is via advertising. In other words, if service providers can invoke feelings of connection and intimacy--where consumers feel understood, cared for, and validated--through advertising, a stronger bond and sense of loyalty is likely to follow. When intimacy is conceived as knowing and being known by another, which incorporates mutual and reciprocal (though not necessarily equal) liking and vulnerability, its application extends beyond romantic relationships to the current context of relationship and services marketing. This research provides empirical support for the use of intimacy as an appeal in services marketing advertising by operationalizing the concepts presented in Stern's (1997) article "Advertising Intimacy: Relationship Marketing and the Services Consumer." The methods employed range from exploratory focus groups and in-depth interviews to the generation of a ratings scale and experimental testing of intimacy appeals that account for individual differences (i.e., gender, need for affiliation and felt involvement).

Die Studie untersucht Aktivitätsverlauf, Funktionsstatus und Lebensqualität nach minimal-invasivem anteriorem Zugang bei Hüfttotalendoprothesen (präoperativ bis sechs Wochen postoperativ) mit Hilfe der Fragebögen PHQ-D, XSMFA-D, SF-36, HHS, Täglicher Würzburger Aktivitätsfragebogen, Arzt- u. Patientenbogen Hüfte. / This clinical study investigates activity, functionality outcome and health-related quality of life using a minimally invasive anterior approach for total hip arthroplasty (preoperatively up to six weeks postoperatively) using questionnaires inter alia PHQ-D, XSMFA-D, SF-36, HHS, Daily activity questionnaire (DAQ).

The question of whether outsourcing is a good or bad organizational practice has traditionally come down to whether the positive financial impact of outsourcing overcomes the potential organizational liabilities. The theoretical model proposed in this thesis argues that such thinking underestimates the positive organizational benefits that arise from outsourcing by giving inadequate consideration to impacts that outsourcing has on the innovation cycle of outsourcing providers. This research adds to our understanding of outsourcing decision-making in three important ways. First, the thesis presents how innovation benefits can arise from outsourcing and proposes four potential innovation benefits from outsourcing – the motivation for creativity, innovation scale, innovation scope and complementarity of capability. The central hypotheses argue that these beneficial factors should increase the likelihood of a decision to outsource an activity. Second, this research extends our understanding of outsourcing by examining the moderating effect of value appropriation on the decision to outsource. Third, the thesis provides a rigorous empirical utility theoretical approach – best-worst scaling and discrete choice modeling – to understanding managerial preferences and the components of outsourcing decision making. The findings reveal that a significant segment of managers do indeed look beyond cost in choosing to outsource, focusing instead to concentrate broadly on a supplier’s commitment to innovation, complementarity of capabilities and the ability of an outsourcing contract to appropriate value created in a relationship. This implies that the managerial application of outsourcing is not restricted to a short-term solution for cost savings, but can potentially be thought of, and used as, a strategic mechanism to drive innovation in organizations. Some benefits may not be immediately obvious (e.g., a supplier’s motivation for innovation) and require more awareness from managers. Together, the theory and empirics provide insight into outsourcing decision-making and the opportunities for extending outsourcing as a strategic mechanism to drive innovation more broadly.