Out-of-stock problem: possible classification schemes

An out-of-stock (OOS) event is referred as one of the biggest supply-chain management problem concerning retailers, distributors and consumers. We present available PCG data and discuss how to determine the importance of some features (fields), their interconnections and compare them with standard data fields used in other publicly accessible studies and recommendations from Efficient Consumer Response (ECR). We propose several models and algorithms to predict and solve Out of stock problem and at the end the computational results of these models are presented

Optimal asset allocation and annuitisation in a defined contribution pension scheme

In this thesis, we investigate a pensioner’s gains from access to annuities. We observe a pensioner aged 65, having constant income from social security, having certain amount of pension wealth at age 65. The pensioner optimally decides each year how much of his available assets to consume, to invest into tradable assets, and how much to convert to annuities. Annuities are irreversible investments, once bought they provide income in the later years, but it is not possible to trade annuities any more. The pensioner makes optimal decisions such that the expected discounted utility from future consumption and bequest (if the pensioner has a bequest motive) is maximised. We develop and solve two models for the member of a defined contribution pension scheme in the post–retirement period. The first one is a two assets model with stochastic inflation. We refer to this model as the inflation risk model. The pensioner in the inflation risk model has access to risk less (cash) and risky (equity) investment and to nominal and/or real annuities. The solution of this type of problem using numerical mathematics is presented in detail. We investigate different constraints on annuitisation. The main results presented and analysed are the pensioner’s gains from access to certain class/classes of annuities, and also the pensioner’s optimal asset allocation and annuitisation strategies such that the maximised expected discounted utility from future consumption and bequest is attained. The second model for the pensioner in a defined contribution pension scheme is a three assets model with a stochastic interest rate. We refer to this model as the interest rate risk model. The pensioner in the interest rate risk model has access to risk less (one year bond), low risk (rolling bond with constant duration) and risky (equity) assets, and to annuities. Again, we precisely define the problem mathematically and solve it using numerical mathematics. We present and thoroughly analyse the pensioner’s optimal asset allocation and optimal annuitisation such that his expected discounted utility from consumption and bequest is maximised. Particularly, we investigate in detail the dependence of the results on the value of the interest rate during the year before retirement. After investigating the inflation risk model and interest rate risk model separately, we investigate deeper the new results obtained by introducing a stochastic interest rate. We compare the results obtained in the inflation risk model where the value of the interest rate is constant and the results in the interest rate risk model where the value of the interest rate changes. Particularly, in the interest rate risk model, we investigate deeper the dependence of the results on the value of the interest rate during the year before retirement and on the value of the interest rate during each year before annuitisation and asset allocation during the retirement period

Through the Looking Glass Darkly: Episodes from the History of Deviance

This dissertation is a cultural history of deviance in the United States. I use a series of case studies to examine the way deviant figures have been represented and experienced within American culture. The dissertation covers four historical eras and examines a representative deviant figure in each of them. The first chapter deals with the figure of the witch in Puritan New England, the second examines the libertine in the early American republic, the third deals with freaks in Victorian America and the fourth studies the flapper in the roaring twenties. Each of these chapters is focused on a particular historical crisis, trial or scandal that produced a rich body of historical evidence for study and analysis: the Salem Witch Trial of 1692, the Apthorp-Morton Scandal of 1788, the sensational Beecher-Tilton Affair of 1875 and the Ruth Snyder Trial of 1927. My overarching thesis is that representations of deviants reveal a deep cultural preoccupation with failure and inadequacy, which are projected onto deviant figures. This interpretation is an attempt to move beyond viewing representations of deviance as simply being attempts to repress those who do not conform to societal norms, or to shore up fragile social identities by creating ‘others’ against whom the normal American could be negatively defined. Instead, I argue that representations of deviance were compelling to the Americans who created them primarily as powerful fantasies about failure, lack and inadequacy. On to the rich symbolic canvas of the deviant figure, Americans projected their anxieties about personal and social failure. In different ways at different times, deviants have been used to articulate the various possible ways in which a person could fail to meet their society’s ideals and expectations, and to imagine the consequences of such failures for both individual personhood and society as a whole. The deviant has therefore historically served as a kind of mirror to the culture which produced him or her: a mirror in which a culture might darkly glimpse its own values, distorted by the terrifying failure to achieve that which is most prized

Optimal asset allocation and annuitisation in a defined contribution pension scheme

In this thesis, we investigate a pensioner’s gains from access to annuities. We observe a pensioner aged 65, having constant income from social security, having certain amount of pension wealth at age 65. The pensioner optimally decides each year how much of his available assets to consume, to invest into tradable assets, and how much to convert to annuities. Annuities are irreversible investments, once bought they provide income in the later years, but it is not possible to trade annuities any more. The pensioner makes optimal decisions such that the expected discounted utility from future consumption and bequest (if the pensioner has a bequest motive) is maximised. We develop and solve two models for the member of a defined contribution pension scheme in the post–retirement period. The first one is a two assets model with stochastic inflation. We refer to this model as the inflation risk model. The pensioner in the inflation risk model has access to risk less (cash) and risky (equity) investment and to nominal and/or real annuities. The solution of this type of problem using numerical mathematics is presented in detail. We investigate different constraints on annuitisation. The main results presented and analysed are the pensioner’s gains from access to certain class/classes of annuities, and also the pensioner’s optimal asset allocation and annuitisation strategies such that the maximised expected discounted utility from future consumption and bequest is attained. The second model for the pensioner in a defined contribution pension scheme is a three assets model with a stochastic interest rate. We refer to this model as the interest rate risk model. The pensioner in the interest rate risk model has access to risk less (one year bond), low risk (rolling bond with constant duration) and risky (equity) assets, and to annuities. Again, we precisely define the problem mathematically and solve it using numerical mathematics. We present and thoroughly analyse the pensioner’s optimal asset allocation and optimal annuitisation such that his expected discounted utility from consumption and bequest is maximised. Particularly, we investigate in detail the dependence of the results on the value of the interest rate during the year before retirement. After investigating the inflation risk model and interest rate risk model separately, we investigate deeper the new results obtained by introducing a stochastic interest rate. We compare the results obtained in the inflation risk model where the value of the interest rate is constant and the results in the interest rate risk model where the value of the interest rate changes. Particularly, in the interest rate risk model, we investigate deeper the dependence of the results on the value of the interest rate during the year before retirement and on the value of the interest rate during each year before annuitisation and asset allocation during the retirement period.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Zum Wortgut deutscher Herkunft im plurizentrischen Serbokroatischen nach der Auflösung Jugoslawiens

Das Forschungsinteresse der vorliegenden Bachelorarbeit besteht darin, zu untersuchen, a) wie und unter welchen historischen Bedingungen die Lehnwörter aus dem Deutschen in das Serbokroatische bzw. seine Varianten (Bosnisch, Kroatisch und Serbisch) nach der Auflösung Jugoslawiens Anfang der 1990-er Jahre eingedrungen sind; b) ob sich die These verifizieren lässt, dass die deutschen Integrate – trotz der Zersplitterung der ehemaligen Amtssprache Jugoslawiens und der vom Staat unterstützten sprachpuristischen Strömungen – eine immer noch herausragende Stelle in der heutigen Umgangssprache einnehmen. In der hier vorgenommenen lexikologischen Untersuchung wird kontrastiv und sachgruppenspezifisch vorgegangen, indem die durch sprachkontaktinduzierten und übereinstimmenden Integrate im Bosnischen, Kroatischen und Serbischen nach Dornseiff (2004) in onomasiologische Paradigmen eingeordnet und synchron mit dem Deutschen verglichen werden. Die daraus resultierenden Ergebnisse, 180 Worteinheiten deutscher Herkunft, lassen Regelmäßigkeiten bei der Verwendung der Integrate im Wortschatzsystem der drei Standardvarietäten beobachten, so dass die Befürchtungen ihres Nicht-Fortbestehens unbegründet sind.La investigación del presente trabajo fin de grado se detiene en analizar: a) cómo y bajo qué condiciones históricas se han integrado los préstamos provenientes del alemán en el serbocroata, más concretamente en sus variantes (bosnio, croata y serbio), después de la desintegración de Yugoslavia a principios de los años 90; y b) si es posible corroborar la tesis de que los préstamos alemanes –a pesar de la fragmentación de la antigua lengua oficial de Yugoslavia y de las corrientes lingüísticas puristas apoyadas por el estado– siguen ocupando un lugar destacado dentro del registro coloquial actual. En el presente estudio lexicológico se adopta un enfoque contrastivo e ideológico. Los préstamos homónimos en el bosnio, croata y serbio resultantes del contacto lingüístico, son clasificados según Dornseiff (2004) en paradigmas onomasiológicos y comparados sincrónicamente con el alemán. Los resultados obtenidos, 180 lexemas de origen alemán, permiten concluir regularidades de uso de los préstamos en el sistema léxico de cada una de las tres variedades estándar, de modo que los temores sobre su desaparición son infundados.The research in present Bachelor’s Degree Final Project is concerned with analysing: a) how and under what historical conditions German loanwords have been integrated into SerboCroatian, more specifically into its variants (Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian), after the disintegration of Yugoslavia in the early 1990s; and b) whether it is possible to corroborate the thesis that German loanwords - despite the fragmentation of the former official language of Yugoslavia and state-supported purist linguistic currents - still occupy a prominent place in the current colloquial register. The present lexicological study adopts a contrastive and ideological approach. Homonymous loanwords in Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian resulting from language contact are classified according to Dornseiff (2004) in onomasiological paradigms and compared synchronically with German. The results obtained, 180 lexemes of German origin, allow us to conclude regularities of loanword usage in the lexical system of each of the three standard varieties, so that fears about their disappearance are unfounded.Istraživački interes ovog diplomskog rada sastoji se u tome da se istraži: a) kako i pod kojim istorijskim uslovima su pozajmljenice iz njemačkog jezika poslije raspada Jugoslavije početkom 90-tih godina prošlog vijeka prodrle u srpskohrvatski odnosno njegove varijante (bosanski, hrvatski i srpski); b) da li se može provjeriti teza da pozajmljenice iz njemačkog jezika – uprkos fragmentaciji bivšeg službenog jezika Jugoslavije i purističkim jezičkim strujama podržanim od države – i dalje zauzimaju istaknuto mjesto u današnjem govornom jeziku. Leksikološka studija, koja je u ovom radu sprovedena, odvija se kontrastivno i na način specifičan za predmetnu grupu, tako što su homonimne pozajmljenice u bosanskom, hrvatskom i srpskom, nastale kao rezultat jezičkog kontakta, prema Dornseiffu (2004) klasifikovane u onomasiološke paradigme i sinhrono se upoređuju sa njemačkim. Dobijeni rezultati, 180 lekseme njemačkog porijekla, otkrivaju pravilnosti u upotrebi pozajmljenica u leksičkom sistemu tri standardna varijeteta, tako da su strahovi o njihovom nestanku neosnovani.Departamento de Filología Francesa y AlemanaGrado en Lenguas Modernas y sus Literatura

Towards foundations of categorical cybernetics

We propose a categorical framework for processes which interact bidirectionally with both an environment and a ‘controller’. Examples include open learners, in which the controller is an optimiser such as gradient descent, and an approach to compositional game theory closely related to open games, in which the controller is a composite of game-theoretic agents. We believe that ‘cybernetic’ is an appropriate name for the processes that can be described in this framework

Optimizing Bus Routes in Nicosia

In this report the conclusions by the team of experts that took the ”Trans- portation Organization of the Nicosia District (OSEL)” challenge are provided. The challenge was to identify ways to improve efficiency of the bus network and increase the utilization of the network by the public. A thorough analysis of the various factors that affect bus route planning is provided. Moreover, a demonstration of a simplified route planning problem is described in order to motivate further work on this topic. Recommendations are provided to the company on the way to move forward towards solving the problem of creating a bus network with increased efficiency and grater appeal to the public. Specific recommendations include the collection of a larger amounts of data that can be used to generate models used in simulation analysis. Data include demographic data on bus usage and bus usage preferences by the public. In addition, data is required on bus travel times, walking distance to the nearest bus stop by the commuter, and traffic data

Prospective, randomized, controlled, double-blind, multi-center, multinational study on the safety and efficacy of 6% Hydroxyethyl starch (HES) sOlution versus an Electrolyte solutioN In patients undergoing eleCtive abdominal Surgery:study protocol for the PHOENICS study

BACKGROUND: Hydroxyethyl starch (HES) solutions are used for volume therapy to treat hypovolemia due to acute blood loss and to maintain hemodynamic stability. This study was requested by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) to provide more evidence on the long-term safety and efficacy of HES solutions in the perioperative setting. METHODS: PHOENICS is a randomized, controlled, double-blind, multi-center, multinational phase IV (IIIb) study with two parallel groups to investigate non-inferiority regarding the safety of a 6% HES 130 solution (Volulyte 6%, Fresenius Kabi, Germany) compared with a crystalloid solution (Ionolyte, Fresenius Kabi, Germany) for infusion in patients with acute blood loss during elective abdominal surgery. A total of 2280 eligible patients (male and female patients willing to participate, with expected blood loss ≥ 500 ml, aged > 40 and ≤ 85 years, and ASA Physical status II–III) are randomly assigned to receive either HES or crystalloid solution for the treatment of hypovolemia due to surgery-induced acute blood loss in hospitals in up to 11 European countries. The dosing of investigational products (IP) is individualized to patients’ volume needs and guided by a volume algorithm. Patients are treated with IP for maximally 24 h or until the maximum daily dose of 30 ml/kg body weight is reached. The primary endpoint is the treatment group mean difference in the change from the pre-operative baseline value in cystatin-C-based estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), to the eGFR value calculated from the highest cystatin-C level measured during post-operative days 1-3. Further safety and efficacy parameters include, e.g., combined mortality/major post-operative complications until day 90, renal function, coagulation, inflammation, hemodynamic variables, hospital length of stay, major post-operative complications, and 28-day, 90-day, and 1-year mortality. DISCUSSION: The study will provide important information on the long-term safety and efficacy of HES 130/0.4 when administered according to the approved European product information. The results will be relevant for volume therapy of surgical patients. TRIAL REGISTRATION: EudraCT 2016-002162-30. ClinicalTrials.govNCT0327854

Scale-free static and dynamical correlations in melts of monodisperse and Flory-distributed homopolymers: A review of recent bond-fluctuation model studies

It has been assumed until very recently that all long-range correlations are screened in three-dimensional melts of linear homopolymers on distances beyond the correlation length $\xi$ characterizing the decay of the density fluctuations. Summarizing simulation results obtained by means of a variant of the bond-fluctuation model with finite monomer excluded volume interactions and topology violating local and global Monte Carlo moves, we show that due to an interplay of the chain connectivity and the incompressibility constraint, both static and dynamical correlations arise on distances $r \gg \xi$. These correlations are scale-free and, surprisingly, do not depend explicitly on the compressibility of the solution. Both monodisperse and (essentially) Flory-distributed equilibrium polymers are considered.Comment: 60 pages, 49 figure