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[pt] Nos últimos anos o comércio eletrônico tem se difundido na sociedade e a logística de entrega dos produtos é um dos pilares para que este mercado mantenha o nível de serviço alto e continue sendo vantajoso para o consumidor decidir por realizar a compra pela internet. O presente trabalho se destina a estudar sobre o problema de roteamento de veículos de entrega last-mile para e-commerce e aplicar a metaheurística Iterated Local Search (ILS) visando otimizar o roteamento do trecho last-mile de encomendas realizadas em uma empresa de comércio eletrônico brasileira. Com o objetivo de encontrar rotas de menor custo para as entregas a serem realizadas, este trabalho propõe uma extensão para o Vehcile Routing Problem With Occasional Drivers (VRPOD),considerando frota heterogênea e motoristas ocasionais realizando o transporte de mais de uma entrega. Para a aplicação do método foram utilizados dados fornecidos por uma empresa de e-commerce que foram devidamente anonimizados de forma a não ser possível identificar a empresa e nem os clientes, respeitando os princípios éticos. Foram utilizadas 121 instâncias, sendo a menor com um vértice e a maior com 344. Os resultados do modelo proposto são apresentados em dois cenários, primeiramente considerando que o roteamento é realizado sem a utilização de motoristas ocasionais. O segundo cenário considera a disponibilização de motoristas ocasionais para serem utilizados em algumas rotas. Ambos os cenários foram comparados com as rotas geradas pelo roteador existente hoje na companhia e os resultados preliminares indicam que o sem a utilização de motoristas ocasionais o ILS proposto obtém melhores soluções em 53.72 por cento das instâncias e quando os motoristas ocasionais são incorporados a rota ocorre melhoria em 76.03 por cento das instâncias utilizadas. A utilização de motoristas ocasionais também proporciona uma redução de 10.30 por cento no custo médio de roteamento. / [en] In recent years, e-commerce has become widespread in society, and the logistics of product delivery is a crucial pillar for this market to maintain a high level of service and remain advantageous for consumers choosing to make purchases online. The present work aims to study the problem of last-mile vehicle routing for e-commerce deliveries and apply an Iterated Local Search (ILS) metaheuristic to optimize the routing of parcels in a Brazilian e-commerce company. With the objective of finding routes with the lowest cost for the deliveries, this study proposes an extension to the Vehicle Routing Problem with Occasional Drivers (VRPOD), considering a heterogeneous fleet and occasional drivers handling multiple deliveries. For the methodology application, data provided by an e-commerce company are used, and they are properly anonymized to prevent the identification of the company and its clients, respecting ethical principles. A total of 121 instances are used, ranging from the smallest with one vertex to the largest with 344. The results of the proposed model are presented in two scenarios: firstly, considering routing without the use of occasional drivers, and secondly, considering the availability of occasional drivers for some routes. Both scenarios are compared with the routes generated by the current router used in the company, and preliminary results indicate that without the use of occasional drivers, the proposed ILS obtains better solutions in 53.72 percent of the instances, and when occasional drivers are incorporated into the route, improvements occur in 76.03 percent of the instances. The utilization of occasional drivers also provides a 10.30 percent reduction in the average routing cost.

The load response to voltage and frequency changeshas a considerable impact on the behaviour of the powersystem. Thus, the selection of a load model structure andits corresponding parameters is an important task in orderto study and predict the system behaviour. Currently,the Nordic Transmission System Operators (TSO) use theZIP load model, as it provides an easy and flexible way ofrepresenting the load. The main goal of the thesis has beento test two approaches for deriving ZIP model parameters,namely the component-based and measurement-basedapproaches. The former approach uses predefined parametervalues, and information on the loads electricityconsumption, whereas the latter uses measurement dataand curve-fitting techniques. In order to evaluate themethodology, a case study has been performed, wherethe two aggregation approaches were applied on anevaluation point. It was found that the aggregation bymeans of the component-based approach may result in ZIPparameters lacking physical significance. ZIP parameterswithout physical significance pose a challenge for systemplanners, who may have difficulties in accepting thesevalues as they are less intuitive than physically significantones. Furthermore, the results of the measurement-basedapproach indicate that the ZIP model has some limitationwhen it comes to the sudden load changes that it canaccommodate. This has been the case with the measuredreactive power in the case study. Based on the resultsof applying the methodology, it can be concluded thatthe component-based and measurement-based approachesprovide useful information when understanding powersystem loads. / Lastens svar på spänning och frekvensförändringarhar en betydande inverkan på elkraftsystemet. Sålundaär valet av en lastmodell och dess parametrar viktigt föratt kunna studera och förutsäga systemets beteende. Förnärvarande använder de nordiska stamnätsägarna (TSO)ZIP lastmodellen, eftersom det ger ett enkelt och flexibeltsätt att representera lasten. Huvudsyftet med den häravhandlingen har varit att testa två metoder för att ta framZIP modellparametrar, nämligen en komponent-baseradoch en mätnings-baserade metod. Den tidigare metodenanvänder fördefinierade parametervärden, och informationom lasternas elförbrukning, medan den senare användermätdata och kurvanpassningstekniker. För att utvärderametoden har en fallstudie genomförts där de två metodernaapplicerades på en utvärderingspunkt. Det konstateradesatt den komponent-baserade metoden kan resultera i ZIPparametrar som saknar fysisk betydelse. ZIP parametrarutan fysisk betydelse utgör en utmaning för systemplanerare,som kan ha svårt att acceptera dessa värden eftersom deär mindre intuitiva än fysiskt betydande sådana. Dessutomindikeras det, att ZIP modellen har begränsningar när detgäller att representera stora steg i den uppmätta effektenssvar, då den mätnings-baserade metoden används. Dettaär fallet för den reaktiva effekten i fallstudien. Baserat påresultaten av tillämpningen av metoden, kan man dra slutsatsenatt den komponent-baserade och mätnings-baserademetoden ge användbar information när man vill förståkraftsystems laster.

The rapid growth of E-commerce around the world has prompted related stakeholders to place a greater emphasis on automation. Catastrophes like pandemics are boosting the public demand for quick and efficient transportation, among others. Automated vehicle technologies are associated with the last-mile delivery operations that lead to improving sustainability and Smart Cities. In this context, Autonomous Vehicles are being explored as a viable urban logistics solution.This empirical thesis conducts a feasibility study to investigate the feasibility of incorporating an Autonomous Vehicle into E-commerce operations in Stockholm, Sweden. A case study is analyzed by foodora AB, a German company that operates as a distributor of food and goods in the Swedish market. The study provides a framework that depicts the issues faced by Q- commerce, Operational Planning, and Stakeholders, respectively when introducing Autonomous Vehicles. The results of the study’s qualitative and quantitative approach show that Stockholm's infrastructure is in line with the sustainability plans and is considered ready for droid operations. According to the findings, the utilization rate that is defined as the number of orders delivered per hour can be as high as 2.4 resulting in a high degree of customer satisfaction. However, regulations, classifications, weather conditions, and internet connectivity continue to be major challenges. Autonomous Vehicles must be included in legislative consideration as a mode of transportation in the future to facilitate operations and safety measures. / Den snabba tillväxten av e-handel runtom i världen har fått närstående intressenter att lägga större vikt vid automatisering. Katastrofer som pandemier ökar allmänhetens krav på bland annat snabba och effektiva transporter. Autonoma fordon är förknippade med ”last-mile” transporter av gods som leder till förbättrad hållbarhet och smarta städer. I detta sammanhang utforskas autonoma fordon som en livskraftig citylogistik-lösning.Denna empiriska avhandling genomför en genomförbarhetsstudie för att undersöka möjligheten att integrera ett autonomt fordon i e-handelsverksamheten i Stockholm, Sverige. I synnerhet analyseras en fallstudie av foodora AB, ett tyskt företag som är verksamma som distributör av matvaror på den svenska marknaden. Studien ger ett ramverk som visar de frågor som Q-handel, operativ planering respektive intressenter står inför vid ett införande av autonoma fordon. Resultaten av studiens kvalitativa och kvantitativa tillvägagångssätt visar att Stockholms infrastruktur är i linje med hållbarhetsplanerna och till synes redo för droid leveranser. Enligt resultaten kan utnyttjandegraden, definierad som antal utförda orderleveranser inom en timme, vara så hög som 2,4, vilket resulterar i en hög grad av kundtillfredsställelse. Regler, klassificeringar, väderförhållanden och internetanslutning är dock fortfarande stora utmaningar. Autonoma fordon måste tas med i lagstiftningen som ett transportmedel i framtiden för att underlätta drift och säkerhetsåtgärder.

Given access to detailed tracking data, the problem of attribution modelling has recently gained attention in both academia and the industry. Being able to determine the influence of each marketing channel in driving conversions can help advertisers to allocate their marketing budgets accordingly and ultimately increase their customer base and achieve a higher Return On Investment (ROI). However, Last-Touch Attribution (LTA), the current industry standard to approach the problem, has been criticized for oversimplification.  In this degree project, two data-driven attribution models are therefore compared to the LTA model on real data from an insurance company, with the objective to optimize for customer base growth and ROI. Raw attributions for each channel are obtained after training the models to predict conversion or non-conversion. By using a linear function to obtain a Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) estimate, the attributions are then adjusted to the ROI of each channel and finally validated through an attribution based budget allocation and historical marketing data replay. The experimental results demonstrate that all models reach approximately 82% accuracy on balanced data, just below the calculated theoretical maximum. While current research consistently argues for more complex data-driven Multi-Touch Attribution (MTA) models, this project provides a nuance to this field of research in showing that the LTA model may, in fact, be suitable in some cases. A new approach to develop specialized models based on correlations between conversion and contextual variables, then shows that attribution models for mobile users specifically yield higher accuracy. The sum of such unnormalized attributions function as indicators for the conversion strength of contextual variables and can further assist decision making. / Givet tillgång till detaljerad spårningsinformation har attributionsmodellering nyligen fått uppmärksamhet i både akademin och näringslivet. Att kunna förstå påverkan varje marknadsföringskanal har på att driva konverteringar, kan underlätta för annonsörer att fördela marknadsföringsbudgetar och i slutändan öka antalet kunder samt uppnå en högre avkastning på investeringen. Last-Touch-Attribution (LTA), den nuvarande branschstandarden för att angripa problemet, har emellertid kritiserats för att vara överförenklande. I det här examensarbetet jämförs därför två datadrivna attributions-modeller med LTA på verklig data från ett försäkringsbolag med målet att optimera för kundbastillväxt och avkastning. Råa attributioner för varje kanal erhålls efter att modellerna tränats på att prediktera konvertering eller icke-konvertering. Genom att estimera kundens livstidsvärde med en linjär funktion, justeras attributionerna sedan med avkastningen på investering för varje kanal och valideras slutligen genom en attributionsbaserad budgetallokering och uppspelning av historisk marknadsföringsdata. De experimentella resultaten visar att alla modeller når ungefär 82% träffsäkerhet på balanserad data, strax under det beräknade teoretiska maximivärdet. Medan aktuell forskning konsekvent argumenterar för mer komplexa datadrivna multi-touch-modeller, ger det här projektet en nyans till forskningsfältet genom att visa att LTA i vissa fall kan vara lämplig. Ett nytt tillvägagångssätt för att utveckla specialiserade modeller baserade på korrelationer mellan konvertering och kontextuella variabler, visar sedan att attributionsmodeller för enbart mobilanvändare ger högre träffsäkerhet. Summan av sådana onormaliserade attributioner fungerar som indikatorer på konverteringsstyrkan för kontextuella variabler och kan ytterligare underlätta beslutsfattandet.

This dissertation represents an interpretation of the different forms of negativity in the modernist work that can be understood in terms of that which is unsaid, unsayable, or any other means of refusing to give an affirmative proposition regarding the world the work describes. It explores this negativity as both a representation of that which cannot be represented, and as an operational negativity, or negation, that takes part in the unmaking of the work's figures. The function of this negativity, as interpreted in Marcel Proust's Remembrance of Things Past (1913-1927), James Joyce's Ulysses (1922) and Krapp's Last Tape (1959) by Samuel Beckett, is to rewrite the representations of the work. Negativity is then also understood as a transformation and conditioning of elements already present in the literary work, that lead to ambivalent and problematic representations in the work. In this sense, negativity can be understood as a form of rewriting of the work's representations. The interpretations of the works of Proust, Joyce and Beckett are guided by this understanding, as given in the introduction, of negativity. In the analysis of Proust's novel, in "The Unmaking of Proust: Negation and Errors in Remembrance of Things Past", this form of negativity is situated in relation to Proust's handling of epistemological questions and mimetic references to reality in his work. The analysis of Joyce's work in "The Wandering of Language in James Joyce's Ulysses" discusses his treatment of language and the origins of language as being characterized by a negation that increases the difficulty of the language, and attempts to negate its origins. Finally, in the analysis of Beckett's "Krapp's Last Tape", in "Beckett, Proust, and the End of Literature", it is shown that negativity conditions both the reception of the influence of Proust by Beckett, and the play's attempt to suggest the end of writing. In conclusion the dissertation returns to the idea of negativity as a form of rewriting, and briefly indicates that the function of negativity in these novels can be understood as a form of invention. / Thesis (M.A.)--Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education, 2000.

This dissertation represents an interpretation of the different forms of negativity in the modernist work that can be understood in terms of that which is unsaid, unsayable, or any other means of refusing to give an affirmative proposition regarding the world the work describes. It explores this negativity as both a representation of that which cannot be represented, and as an operational negativity, or negation, that takes part in the unmaking of the work's figures. The function of this negativity, as interpreted in Marcel Proust's Remembrance of Things Past (1913-1927), James Joyce's Ulysses (1922) and Krapp's Last Tape (1959) by Samuel Beckett, is to rewrite the representations of the work. Negativity is then also understood as a transformation and conditioning of elements already present in the literary work, that lead to ambivalent and problematic representations in the work. In this sense, negativity can be understood as a form of rewriting of the work's representations. The interpretations of the works of Proust, Joyce and Beckett are guided by this understanding, as given in the introduction, of negativity. In the analysis of Proust's novel, in "The Unmaking of Proust: Negation and Errors in Remembrance of Things Past", this form of negativity is situated in relation to Proust's handling of epistemological questions and mimetic references to reality in his work. The analysis of Joyce's work in "The Wandering of Language in James Joyce's Ulysses" discusses his treatment of language and the origins of language as being characterized by a negation that increases the difficulty of the language, and attempts to negate its origins. Finally, in the analysis of Beckett's "Krapp's Last Tape", in "Beckett, Proust, and the End of Literature", it is shown that negativity conditions both the reception of the influence of Proust by Beckett, and the play's attempt to suggest the end of writing. In conclusion the dissertation returns to the idea of negativity as a form of rewriting, and briefly indicates that the function of negativity in these novels can be understood as a form of invention. / Thesis (M.A.)--Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education, 2000.

This thesis examines attitudes and approaches towards death, as well as aesthetic representations of death, in Anglo-Saxon hagiography. The thesis contributes to the discussion of the historical and intellectual contexts of hagiography and considers how saintly death-scenes are represented to form commentaries on exemplary behaviour. A comprehensive survey of death-scenes in Anglo-Saxon hagiography has been undertaken, charting typical and atypical motifs used in literary manifestations of both martyrdom and non-violent death. The clusters of literary motifs found in these texts and what their use suggests about attitudes to exemplary death is analysed in an exploration of whether Anglo-Saxon hagiography presents a consistent aesthetic of death. The thesis also considers how modern scholarly fields such as thanatology can provide fresh discourses on the attitudes to and depictions of ‘good' and ‘bad' deaths. Moreover, the thesis addresses the intersection of the hagiographic inheritance with discernibly Anglo-Saxon attitudes towards death and dying, and investigates whether or not the deaths of native Anglo-Saxon saints are presented differently compared with the deaths of universal saints. The thesis explores continuities and discontinuities in the presentations of physical and spiritual death, and assesses whether or not differences exist in the depiction of death-scenes based on an author's personal agenda, choice of terminology, approaches towards the body–soul dichotomy, or the gender of his or her subject, for example. Furthermore, the thesis investigates how hagiographic representations of death compare with portrayals in other literature of the Anglo-Saxon period, and whether any non-hagiographic paradigms provide alternative exemplars of the ‘good death'. The thesis also assesses gendered portrayals of death, the portrayal of last words in saints' lives, and the various motifs relating to the soul at the moment of death. The thesis contains a Motif Index of saintly death-scenes as Appendix I.

Fler konsumenter väljer att handla på internet. Vare sig det handlar om bekvämlighet eller priser har denna ökning en påverkan på hur detaljhandel sköts och distribueras. Kundkraven ändras och konsumenten har mer att säga till om. Rapporten syftar till att beskriva hur en ökad e-handel har påverkat och fortsatt kommer att påverka distributionen av detaljhandelsvaror nationellt. Den beskriver även hur ökningen påverkar distributionsföretagen och hur dessa i sin tur valt att agera för att bemöta förändringen som sker på marknaden. Vad som påverkar distributionsbolagen mest kommer också att beröras och rapporten ger en bild av e-handelns påverkan på distributionsföretagen. De slutsatser som kunnat dras av rapporten är att de ökande volymerna av gods från e-handel i dagsläget inte påverkat företagen nämnvärt, men att förändringar förmodligen kommer att behöva ske inom vissa områden i framtiden. Ökningen av e-handelsgods har gett distributionsföretagen en högre volym att hantera. De ökade volymerna för även med sig ytterligare kostnader i den mest kostsamma delen av distributionen, the last mile, genom att det blir fler leveranser till konsumentens hem. På grund av denna ökade kostnad ser distributionsföretagen ett behov av att öka sina vinstmarginaler genom att erbjuda konsumenten olika tilläggstjänster. Ytterligare ser företagen att det har blivit förändringar i de krav konsumenterna ställer. Krav på leveransservice blir allt högre och pressen på distributionsföretagen att ha kvalitet i sin produktion ökar. I dagens läge konstateras att volymerna alltjämt är för låga för att motivera en omfattande affärsutveckling med dyra investeringar för att möta den nivå av ökning som hittills skett. Detta kommer förmodligen vara nödvändigt i framtiden om ökningen fortsätter i samma takt som nu. Att utöka kunskapen och arbeta mer aktivt för att främja leveransservice är därför någonting som i rapporten framkommer som viktigt inför framtidens utmaningar. / More consumers choose to shop online. Whether it is because of convenience or prices this increase has an impact on how retailing is managed and distributed. Customer demands change and the consumer has more power. This report aims to describe how an increase in e-commerce has affected and will continue to influence the distribution of retail goods nationally and how it affects the companies providing transportation of e-commerce goods. The report also discuss how the distribution companies act in response to these changes in the market and which areas that have been affected the most. The conclusions drawn from the report is that the increasing volume of goods from e-commerce have not currently affected the distribution companies significantly, however in the future changes are believed to be necessary in certain areas. The increase of e-commerce goods has contributed to a higher volume of goods for distribution companies to manage. These increased volumes bring additional costs to the most expensive part of the distribution, the last mile, by bringing more deliveries to the consumer’s home. Because of this increase in costs, the distribution companies need to increase their margins by offering consumers additional services. Additionally, the companies see a change in the customer demands. Customer demands on delivery service are increasing and the pressure on the distribution companies to have a high quality in their production increases. Today the volume is still too low to justify a heavy business development with costly investments to counter the increasing volume. These changes will probably be necessary in the future if the increase continues at the same rate. To increase the knowledge and evolve the delivery service is something that this report indicates to be important in the future.