Thesis (M.A. in history)--Washington State University, May 2009. / Title from PDF title page (viewed on May 26, 2009). "Department of History." Includes bibliographical references (p. 74-81).

Originally presented as the author's thesis (doctoral)--Delft University of Technology. / Includes bibliographical references (p. [185]-194) and index.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1968. / Typescript. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 140-143).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Iowa, 2006. / Supervisor: Mary Noonan Includes bibliographical references (leaves 170-182).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2007. / Title from first page of PDF file. Includes bibliographical references (p. 129-135).

Thesis (M.S.)--Rochester Institute of Technology, 2007. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaf 39).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1994. / Vita. Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 155-158). Also available via the Internet.

Master of Agribusiness / Department of Agricultural Economics / Kevin Dhuyvetter / Many companies use surveys to establish customer satisfaction metrics. This OEM has been using surveys to analyze customer satisfaction with their products, services, and distribution channel for several decades. Satisfaction metrics are established for the brand, product, and channel partners. The product metric is derived from a question on the survey asking customers how satisfied they are with the product. There are subsequent questions thereafter inquiring about satisfaction with specific functional areas of the product. It is common practice to use Partial Least Squares (PLS) regression analysis to evaluate what impacts the functional area questions have on the overall satisfaction question. The model results are used to understand what areas of the machine should be focused on to improve customers’ experiences with the machine. These results are compared to other data sources such as warranty, field reports, customer focus groups, etc. The results from these models are sometimes questioned based on what common intuition would suggest. Typically the top three drivers to the product metric are understandable, but there are often one or two key areas that do not make logical sense. The objective of this thesis was to understand whether PLS modeling is appropriate given the nature of customer survey data. Models were estimated using existing survey data on a specific model in the tractor product line. PLS models assume data are linear with no bounds. This in itself likely makes this type of model inappropriate for analyzing customer survey data. Responses are bounded on an 11 point scale from 0-10, however, the PLS model being non-bounded assumes there can be a score under 0 or over 10. The model also assumes a linear slope that would indicate each covariate answer 0-10 has the same level of effect on the response variable. This research has found that each covariate answer is in fact non-linear. For example, a customer answering a 2 to quality of manufacturing workmanship has a different impact on the overall satisfaction score than a customer who answers 8. Finally, this research discovered that the PLS models produce negative coefficients of significant value that are not reported to the enterprise. Binary and ordered logistic (logit) models were estimated as an alternative to PLS. Logistic models are non-linear and are commonly used to evaluate bounded data. Response data were separated into two groups based on Net Promoter Score (NPS) Methodology (Reicheld 2006). Using the NPS methodology, 0-6 scores are considered detractors, 7-8 scores are considered passives, and 9-10 scores are considered promoters. The logistic models demonstrate that the top two drivers to customer satisfaction scores are still quality of manufacturing workmanship and reliability/operational availability (similar to results of the PLS model). The unresolved problems question on the survey was included in the models and demonstrated that the predicted probability of a customer being a promoter is much higher in both binary and ordered logit models if no unresolved problems exist. Finally, the model found engine oil consumption remained negative and is statistically significant suggesting that even with the alternative modeling approach there still may be data issues related to the survey. It is recommended that the OEM implement logistic modeling for analyzing customer survey data. It is also recommended that a new survey design be constructed to eliminate issues with correlated data that can lead to spurious and unexplainable results.

Neste trabalho é proposta uma adaptação do método de Mínimos Quadrados aplicado à reconstrução de imagens com Super-Resolução, visando a reconstrução de vídeo (sequências de imagens) em tempo real. Resultados demonstram que a implementação proposta pode apresentar um desempenho melhor que o algoritmo de menor custo computacional da literatura, com um pequeno incremento no número de operações. Por fim, a estrutura proposta sugere viabilidade de análise. De posse de um modelo teórico de comportamento, parâmetros ótimos de projeto podem ser obtidos melhorando ainda mais o desempenho do algoritmo. / Submitted by Ana Guimarães Pereira (agpereir@ucs.br) on 2015-02-11T16:26:47Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertacao Rodrigo Brandalise.pdf: 882370 bytes, checksum: f5b09a60e986391a1d064bc07ccb57e6 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-02-11T16:26:47Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertacao Rodrigo Brandalise.pdf: 882370 bytes, checksum: f5b09a60e986391a1d064bc07ccb57e6 (MD5) / In this work an adaptation of the Least Squares method applied to Super-Resolution image reconstruction is proposed aiming real time video (image sequences) reconstruction. Results demonstrate that the proposed implementation presents a better performance than the algorithm with the lower computational cost presented in the literature, considering a small increase in the number of operations. Finally, the proposed structure suggests feasibility of analysis. A theoretical model for the algorithm behavior can leads to an optimal parameters design yielding further improvements in the algorithm performance.

The didactic material advances according to the progress of the available media and evolve bringing new visions and foundations to pedagogy. This dissertation is about creating and estimating new didactic options, based on mathematical games, figures and magical squares and introducing them to the mathematics class where they will meet more classical options such as handwriting or more modern options like computers. The first part deals with the theoretical introduction of the concepts to study. We will introduce the magical figures and especially the magic squares to give an overview of their mathematical properties which are useful to generate the material we will present. In the particular case of the magical squares, we will give an historical introduction and present briefly their relation with some other sectors related to the human being, such as arts, psychology or the hobbies and we will add some useful methods to create these magical squares. We will introduce the didactic usefulness of the magical figures in their connexion with some topics of the mathematics secondary programme. We will analyse the different nowadays most used didactic options in the mathematics class and determine which of them will be used as a basis for the material we will create, the exercises that will be done on paper sheets, the use of computers and of the digital boards. The second part of the dissertation deals with the use of the magical figures in the actual education in Czech Republic as education options, the same way textbooks or digital devices are used with educational purpose. Moreover, we will have a look at already existing material on the education web of another country: Spain. We will present the didactic material we generated on paper sheets and digitally and we will check its usefulness in the educational system both in Czech Republic and in Spain and see if it creates motivation on the students.