Many news outlets allow users to contribute comments on topics about daily world events. News articles are the seeds that spring users' interest to contribute content, i.e., comments. An article may attract an apathetic user engagement (several tens of comments) or a spontaneous fervent user engagement (thousands of comments). This environment creates a social dynamic that is little studied. The social dynamics around articles have the potential to reveal interesting facets of the user population at a news outlet. We report some salient finding about these social media based on data collected from 17 news outlets. Analysis of the data reveals interesting insights such as there is an uneven relationship between news outlets and their user populations across outlets. Such observations and others have not been revealed, to our knowledge. Besides, we also study the problem of predicting the total number of user comments a news article will receive. Our main insight is that the early dynamics of user comments contribute the most to an accurate prediction, while news article specific factors have surprisingly little influence. We show that the early arrival rate of comments is the best indicator of the eventual number of comments. We conduct an in-depth analysis of this feature across several dimensions, such as news outlets and news article categories. Online comments submitted by readers of news articles can provide valuable feedback and critique, personal views and perspectives, and opportunities for discussion. Previously, we manually collect user comments from 17 news outlets for data analysis. However, this kind of manual solution is very limited and cannot work for variety of websites. Therefore, we need to have an automatic solution for thousands of news outlets. We find that most new websites employ third party commenting systems to create and manage their comment sections. One can crawl the comments by sending URL requests to those commenting system servers. We propose an approach of crawling user comments by instantiating URL templates supported by these web servers. We propose a hybrid framework that combines the advantages of labeling functions, in the form of regular expressions, and deep learning. We conduct extensive experiments with thousands of web pages to show that we can crawl comments from many websites with our approach. / Computer and Information Science

Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) tube placement is one of the methods of providing enteral nutrition support and is often used in critically ill patients. There are several complications of PEG tube placement, including intussusception. Jejunojejunal and retrograde jejunoduodenogastric intussusception are well-documented complications of PEG tube placement. Here we describe the case of a 25-year-old female who was diagnosed with anterograde gastroduodenal intussusception with the PEG tube acting as a lead point. Our case is unique as, to the best of our knowledge, there are no documented cases of PEG tube-related anterograde gastroduodenal intussusception. The reported patient was found to have extensive gastric pneumatosis and portal venous gas concerning for acute ischemia. Such cases warrant immediate surgical intervention. However, in our case, the patient's family opted for comfort care measures.

Colorectal cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer related deaths in western world. While most common site for metastasis for colon cancer is liver, lung, and the peritoneum, metastasis to various other organs such as brain, bones and thyroid has been reported. Metastatic lesions to the small bowel are more common than primary lesions and most common primary neoplasms that metastasize to the duodenum are lung cancer, renal cell carcinoma, breast cancer, and malignant melanoma. We report a very rare case of recurrent adenocarcinoma of colon metastasizing to duodenum after 2 years of curative resection of primary cancer. Surgical resection for curative intent as well as palliative management is recommended.

With the exception of a brief legislative stay of execution, resale price maintenance (RPM), has been illegal per se in the United States since a 1911 Supreme Court decision. The Court has however, afforded vertical territorial restraints the protection of the rule of reason. A growing body of economic literature has proposed numerous pro-competitive uses of RPM by manufacturers. In addition, the literature indicates that vertical territorial and vertical price restraints are both different means of achieving the same end i.e., both are economic tools employed by manufacturers to achieve efficiencies in their distribution system. Opponents of RPM counter this assertion by arguing that if both are identical economic phenomenon, then manufacturers have no need to employ RPM since they can use vertical market division in its place. In this paper I will show that under demand conditions characterized by the outlets hypothesis, RPM is Pareto-superior to vertical market division. It is equally possible to imagine market conditions under which the opposite is true. Since the court room is an ill-suited home for such business decisions, the law should not continue to maintain its present artificial distinction between RPM and vertical market division. The economic consequences of both are essentially the same, hence, I advocate that RPM also be brought under the protection of the rule of reason. / Master of Arts / incomplete_metadata

The purpose of the research was to determine the sources of customer satisfaction with apparel factory outlet stores. Six store attributes consisting of physical facilities, location, store service, merchandise, store atmosphere, and promotion were investigated. Data were collected through a mall intercept survey using a self-administered questionnaire. A total of 200 respondents participated in the study. The rate of refusal was estimated to be 42 percent. One-way analysis of variance was used to test for differences in customers' perception of stores on six attributes. Differences were found to exist among the stores on three attributes, specifically, "physical facilities," "store service," and "store atmosphere." ANOVA results for importance attached to store attributes showed no significant differences among the customers of the five stores. Correlation analyses showed high correlations between and among perception/importance combinations for each store attribute and overall satisfaction. Multiple regression gave "merchandise" and "promotion" as the best predictors of overall satisfaction. Correlations, ANOVA, and t-test were used to establish the relationship(s) between customer personal characteristics and overall satisfaction. No relationships were found between demographic characteristics or fashion interest, and overall satisfaction. However, buying behavior patterns were found to be related to overall satisfaction. Chi-square tests were used to determine significant relationship(s) between selected personal characteristic variables. Cramer's V indicated the strength of association between variables. Association was found to be moderately strong only between frequency of shopping and distance traveled. Those who more frequently shopped at the store lived nearer the area. / Ph. D.

Submitted by JOSIANE SANTOS DE OLIVEIRA (josianeso) on 2018-04-25T13:35:45Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Henrique Schardosin Ferreira_.pdf: 4214270 bytes, checksum: b40eaaf06dd9b49a976b944788dce2f1 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-04-25T13:35:45Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Henrique Schardosin Ferreira_.pdf: 4214270 bytes, checksum: b40eaaf06dd9b49a976b944788dce2f1 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-09-29 / Nenhuma / Nessa dissertação foi apresentado um estudo do uso do ejetor bifásico em um sistema de refrigeração para condicionamento de ar automotivo, para recuperação das perdas de energia durante o processo de expansão. Um modelo numérico foi utilizado para a predição do ganho energético com a aplicação do ejetor com base no ciclo padrão de ejetor proposto por Gay (1931). Posteriormente, foi proposto um modelo numérico para a determinação das dimensões básicas necessárias para a fabricação do ejetor. Uma bancada de simulação construída para o ciclo de refrigeração padrão para condicionamento de ar automotivo foi modificada para a instalação do ejetor e passou a operar de acordo com o ciclo COS de Oshitani et al. (2005). Dos diversos modelos matemáticos existentes na literatura, foi escolhido um modelo de simulação de ciclo de ejetor para operação em regime subcrítico da análise unidimensional proposta por Kornhauser (1990) e para a solução do modelo foram desenvolvidos programas computacionais no software EES - Engineering Equation Solver, no qual as rotinas de cálculos foram construídas para solução numérica iterativa visando à determinação do ponto ótimo de operação do ciclo. Para comprovação do modelo e dos resultados obtidos pelos programas, foi repetida a análise apresentada por Kornhauser (1990) e os resultados comparados com os seus. Os resultados gerados pelos programas mostraram boa aderência aos publicados por autores que estudaram aplicação semelhante, sendo assim considerados confiáveis na aplicação para predição de desempenho de ciclos com ejetor em operação com fluidos em regime subcrítico. A bancada de testes instalada no Laboratório de Estudos Térmicos e Fluido Dinâmicos da Unisinos (LETEF), construída por Souza (2011) e posteriormente utilizada por Noetzold (2016) na simulação do ciclo padrão de refrigeração de um sistema de condicionamento de ar automotivo foi alterada para instalação do ejetor em operação sob configuração do ciclo COS. A adoção do ciclo COS se deu em função da incerteza do retorno de óleo e do controle da separação das fases do refrigerante no acumulador de sucção do ciclo padrão. O sistema foi submetido as condições de operação previstas na norma SAE J2765 OCT2008 (2008) e operou com R-134a. Os resultados foram comparados com os do ciclo padrão de Noetzold (2016) apresentando aumento médio do COP do ciclo de 25% para a faixa de baixa rotação e de 46% para a faixa de alta rotação e comparados também aos resultados de Lawrence (2012). / In this work was presented a study of the use of the ejector in a cooling system for automotive air conditioning, to recover energy losses during the expansion process. A numerical model was used to predict the energetic gain with ejector application based on the ejector standard cycle proposed by Gay (1931). Subsequently, a numerical model was proposed to determine the basic dimensions necessary for the ejector manufacturing. A simulation system for the standard refrigeration cycle for automotive air conditioning was modified for the ejector installation and started to operate according to the COS cycle by Oshitani et al. (2005). From the several mathematical models in the literature, a model of the ejector cycle simulation for subcritical fluids of the one-dimensional analysis proposed by Kornhauser (1990) was chosen, and for the solution of the model computational programs were developed in the EES - Engineering Equation Solver software in which the calculation routines were constructed for iterative numerical solution in order to determine the optimum operating point of the cycle. To prove the model and the results obtained by the programs, the analysis presented by Kornhauser (1990) and the results compared were repeated. The results generated by the programs showed good results, being thus considered reliable in the application to predict performance of ejector cycles in operation with sub-critical fluids. The simulation system installed in the Laboratory of Thermal and Dynamic Fluid Studies of Unisinos (LETEF), built by Souza (2011) and later used by Noetzold (2016) in the simulation of the standard refrigeration cycle of an automotive air conditioning system, was changed for installation of the ejector in operation under COS cycle configuration. The choice of the COS cycle was due to the uncertainty of the oil return to compressor and the control of the separation of the phases of the refrigerant in the suction accumulator of the standard cycle. The system was subjected to the operating conditions set forth in the standard SAE J2765 OCT2008 (2008) and operated with R-134a. The results were compared with those of standard cycle by Noetzold (2016), showing a mean increase of the cycle COP of 25% for the low rotation range and 46% for the high rotation range and also compared to Lawrence (2012).

Master of Science / Department of Agricultural Economics / Hikaru H. Peterson / Alexander E. Saak / Notable changes are occurring in the U.S. organic food sector. First, the U.S. organic food system is increasingly relying on imports, because the expansion in the organic production has failed to satisfactorily meet the rapidly growing demand for organic foods. Second, the “locally grown” concept has become appealing to consumers, with some evidence of consumers switching from certified organic foods to local, conventional foods. Third, organic food has penetrated the mass-market channel, and organic foods are no longer being sold exclusively in natural product stores. And fourth, the social and environmental awareness among consumers is increasing. Thus, consumers are also willing to pay a price premium to support small farmers. To understand how these changes are affecting the demand for organic foods, this study used survey data to assess U.S. consumers‟ preferences for fresh organic apples that are sourced from various places and from supply chain operations that vary in scale. The survey was administered via the Internet to a random sample of 285 households across the U.S through a research company. Choice experiment was selected as the valuation method. Results indicate that among the levels of the location attributes, the “locally grown” label was associated with the highest average WTP. The “regionally grown” was the second most preferred, “U.S. grown” the third, and “imported” the least. The “locally grown” label was valued higher than the “certified organic label”. Also, consumers were willing to pay a higher value for apples produced on a small farm compared to those from a large farm. However, they did not distinguish the type of retail outlets where apples were offered. The analysis incorporating the effects of consumer characteristics suggest that the perceived importance of public benefits impacted the values of origin attributes more than the private ones; the type of retail outlet attributes became significant among certain gender and age segments; and the value of small farm attribute increased with consumers‟ income. Finally, results from a theoretical model suggest that the variability in the WTP obtained among the origin attributes could be explained by the reputation of product quality depending on their origin.

Thesis (MEng)--Stellenbosch University, 2015. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Increased awareness of environmental problems has awakened interest in renewable energy systems. Natural ventilation systems are especially of interest, as people spend most of their time indoors. Indoor air quality is an important consideration when human health and occupant comfort is to be maintained. This study focusses on determining the best inlet and outlet shape for a natural ventilation system from a chosen set of configurations. The inlet and outlet configurations were tested on a PDEC (Passive Downdraught Evaporative Cooling) shaft and solar chimney. The PDEC incorporated an evaporative cartridge made from cotton cloth. Independent models of the PDEC and solar chimney were built in a thermally controlled space where the configurations were tested at different wind speeds. The configurations were tested on a wet or dry PDEC shaft and on a hot or cold solar chimney. One-dimensional finite difference models, accounting for some two-dimensional effects in the evaporative cartridge, of the cartridge and solar chimney were developed. CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) models were further constructed in FLUENTr, simulating operating conditions for each inlet and outlet test. The CFD models were constructed to obtain numerical comparisons for the experimental data. The ability of the one-dimensional and CFD models to predict the performance of the PDEC and solar chimney were investigated. The results indicated that an inlet configuration called a TFI (Turbine Fan Inlet) performed the best at the tested wind speeds. The TFI was further able to significantly increase volumetric flow rate in the PDEC shaft for the dry evaporative cartridge tests. The outlet that performed best under the tests is a Windmaster Tornado Wind Turbine, or Whirlybird, which is a commercially available configuration. The one-dimensional models were not able to accurately predict conditions during start-up. The CFD models were highly accurate in predicting the experimental values. It is recommended that a two-dimensional theoretical model be developed to better predict start-up conditions. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Verhoogde bewustheid van omgewings probleme het belangstelling in hernubare energie stelsels ontwaak. Natuurlike ventilasie stelsels is veral van belang, sedert mense die meeste van hul tyd binnenshuis spandeer. Binnenshuise lug kwaliteit is ’n belangrike oorweging wanneer menslike gesondheid en insittendes se gemak in stand gehou moet word. Hierdie studie fokus op die bepaling van die beste inlaat en uitlaat vorm van ’n gekose stel konfigurasies vir ’n natuurlike ventilasie-stelsel. Die inlaaten uitlaat-konfigurasies is op ’n PDEC (Passive Downdraught Evaporative Cooling) skag en sonkrag skoorsteen getoets. Die PDEC het ’n verdampings doek, gemaak van katoen, ingesluit. Onafhanklike modelle van die PDEC en sonkrag skoorsteen is in ’n termies-beheerde ruimte en die konfigurasies is by ’n onveranderende wind spoed getoets. Die konfigurasies is op ’n nat of droog PDEC skag en op ’n warm of koue son skoorsteen getoets. Een-dimensionele eindige verskil modelle, wat sommige twee-dimensionele effekte in ag neem in die verdampings doek, van die doek en sonkrag skoorsteen is ontwikkel. CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) modelle is verder gebou in FLUENTr, wat die werkstoestande vir elke inlaat en uitlaat toets simuleer. Die CFD modelle is ontwikkel om die eksperimentele data met numeriese waardes te vergelyk. Die vermoë van die een-dimensionele en CFD modelle om die verrigting van die PDEC en sonkrag skoorsteen te voorspel, is ondersoek. Die resultate dui daarop dat ’n inlaat opset genoem TFI (Turbine Fan Inlet) die beste vaar by die elke getoetsde wind spoed. Die TFI was verder in staat om die volumetriese vloeitempo in die PDEC skag aansienlik te verhoog vir die toetse met ’n droë verdamping doek. Die uitlaat wat die beste presteer het in die toetse is ’n Windmaster Tornado Wind Turbine, of Whirlybird, wat ’n kommersieel beskikbare konfigurasie is. Die een-dimensionele modelle was nie in staat om die toestande tydens die begin-fase akkuraat te voorspel nie. Die CFD modelle was hoogs akkuraat in die voorspelling van die eksperimentele waardes. Dit word aanbeveel dat ’n twee-dimensionele teoretiese model ontwikkel word om die toestande tydens begin-fase beter te voorspel.

The purpose of the study was to determine the practices of a selected number of chain shoe store organizations in training management personnel for their retail shoe outlets. The data secured from these sources will also be compared with the opinions of several authorities in the field of management to determine the extent to which the practices in actual use agree with those recommended.

Syftet med studien är att försöka förstå vilka betydelsefulla delar som Acne bör fokusera på isamband med försäljning via outletbutik respektive concept store. Frågeställningarna syftartill att undersöka om varumärkets profil förändras genom att fler konsumenter har tillgång tillvarumärket genom en outletbutik. Ett annat delproblem inriktar sig på köpbeteende och hurdet förändras liksom säljtekniken i en outletbutik i jämförelse med en concept store. Vårstudie har genomförts med både kvalitativa och kvantitativa metoder i egenskap av intervjuer,marknadsundersökningar samt observationer. Problemformuleringen har besvarats utifrån tvåempiriska perspektiv, företagets och konsuments perspektiv. Vår avgränsning har gjorts tillvarumärket Acne, deras concept store i Göteborg och deras outletbutik på Freeport DesignerOutlet Village i Kungsbacka. De två olika perspektiven har använts för att beskriva ochanalysera de olika synvinklar samt teorin som använts för att utifrån det kunna dra slutsatser.Vi anser att de betydelsefulla delar Acne bör fokusera på i samband med försäljning viaoutletbutik respektive concept store är säljteknik och visual merchandising. Vi grundarslutsatsen på den analys vi genomfört och anser att aspekterna bör tillhandahållas på de bådaförsäljningsplatserna. En rad olika steg innefattas i en kunds köpprocess där inga markantaskillnader utmärktes av köpbeteendet i jämförelse mellan en concept store och en outletbutik.Utgången av vår analys har resulterat i att trovärdheten av varumärket genom outlet-konceptetkan ta skada på lång sikt utifall det missbrukas. / Program: Butikschefsutbildningen