Empirical dynamics of neuronal rhythms: Data-driven modeling of spontaneous magnetoencephalographic and local field potential recordings

Vaart, A.W. van der [Promotor]Mone-Bijma, F. [Copromotor

The significance of indirect costs—application to clinical laboratory test economics using computer facilities

The significance of indirect costs in the cost price calculation of clinical chemistry laboratory tests by way of the production centres method has been investigated. A cost structure model based on the ‘production centres’ method, the Academisch Ziekenhuis Groningen (AZG) 1-2-3 model, is used for the calculation of cost and cost prices as an add-in tool to the spreadsheet program Lotus 1-2-3. The system specifications of the AZG 1-2-3 cost structure model have been extended with facilities to impute all relevant indirect costs to cost centres by aid of allocation rules, which can be chosen freely. The inference is made that as indirect costs play a more important part in decision-making processes concerning planning and control, the specification of the relation to the cost centres should be determined in a more detailed way. The AZG 1-2-3 cost structure model has therefore been extended in order to increase the significance as a management tool for laboratory management

Acceptance conditions in automated negotiation

In every negotiation with a deadline, one of the negotiating parties has to accept an offer to avoid a break off. A break off is usually an undesirable outcome for both parties, therefore it is important that a negotiator employs a proficient mechanism to decide under which conditions to accept. When designing such conditions one is faced with the acceptance dilemma: accepting the current offer may be suboptimal, as better offers may still be presented. On the other hand, accepting too late may prevent an agreement from being reached, resulting in a break off with no gain for either party. Motivated by the challenges of bilateral negotiations between automated agents and by the results and insights of the automated negotiating agents competition (ANAC), we classify and compare state-of-the-art generic acceptance conditions. We focus on decoupled acceptance conditions, i.e. conditions that do not depend on the bidding strategy that is used. We performed extensive experiments to compare the performance of acceptance conditions in combination with a broad range of bidding strategies and negotiation domains. Furthermore we propose new acceptance conditions and we demonstrate that they outperform the other conditions that we study. In particular, it is shown that they outperform the standard acceptance condition of comparing the current offer with the offer the agent is ready to send out. We also provide insight in to why some conditions work better than others and investigate correlations between the properties of the negotiation environment and the efficacy of acceptance condition

Exploring multivariate clinical chemical routine data concerning three major disease groups

In preparation for multivariate analysis, an exploratory study has been undertaken to investigate the relative position, separability, homogeneity and shape of three major disease groups, using data from a clinical chemical routine package

Institutions and Functions

What is an institution? And what distinguishes one type of institution from another? We answer these questions using a functionalist approach: types of institutions are identified by their function, or the coordination problems they solve; token institutions are specific solutions to these problems, or equilibria of strategic games. The functionalist approach provides some insights into the limits of reform, or the extent to which institutions \u2013 like marriage, property, or democracy \u2013 can be modified without turning them into entities of a different kind

Análisis de un canal de YouTube : el caso de la youtuber Zoella

Zoe Sugg, coneguda a internet com Zoella, té més d'11 milions de seguidors al seu canal de YouTube. És una de les youtubers britàniques més conegudes mundialment i la seva influència li ha fet batre rècords a diferents àmbits comunicatius, superant a molts famosos de la comunicació tradicional. En aquest treball es pretén analitzar el potencial d'aquesta xarxa social i les causes de l'èxit en línia, a través de l'estudi de la metodologia i el contingut del canal de Zoe. YouTube ha canviat la manera de consumir material audiovisual i ha permès a molts usuaris com Zoella guanyar diners i triomfar sense haver de sortir de la seva habitació.Zoe Sugg, conocida en Internet como Zoella, tiene más de 11 millones de seguidores en su canal de YouTube. Es una de las youtubers británicas más conocidas mundialmente y su influencia le ha hecho batir récords en diferentes ámbitos comunicativos, superando a celebrities de la comunicación tradicional. En este trabajo se pretende analizar el potencial de esta red social y las causas del éxito en línea, a través del estudio de la metodología y el contenido del canal de Zoe. YouTube ha cambiado la forma de consumir material audiovisual y ha permitido a muchos usuarios, como Zoella, ganar dinero y triunfar sin tener que salir de su habitación.Zoe Sugg, known on the internet as Zoella, has more than 11 million followers on her YouTube channel. She is one of the best known British youtubers in the world and her influence has made her break records in different communicative fields, beating celebrities of traditional communication. This paper aims to analyse the potential of this social network and the causes of success online, through the study of the methodology and content of Zoe's channel. YouTube has changed the way audiovisual material is viewed and has allowed many users, like Zoella, to make money and succeed without having to leave their room