Competitive Benchmarking: An IS Research Approach to Address Wicked Problems with Big Data and Analytics

Wicked problems like sustainable energy and financial market stability are societal challenges that arise from complex socio-technical systems in which numerous social, economic, political, and technical factors interact. Understanding and mitigating them requires research methods that scale beyond the traditional areas of inquiry of Information Systems (IS) “individuals, organizations, and markets” and that deliver solutions in addition to insights. We describe an approach to address these challenges through Competitive Benchmarking (CB), a novel research method that helps interdisciplinary research communities to tackle complex challenges of societal scale by using different types of data from a variety of sources such as usage data from customers, production patterns from producers, public policy and regulatory constraints, etc. for a given instantiation. Further, the CB platform generates data that can be used to improve operational strategies and judge the effectiveness of regulatory regimes and policies. We describe our experience applying CB to the sustainable energy challenge in the Power Trading Agent Competition (Power TAC) in which more than a dozen research groups from around the world jointly devise, benchmark, and improve IS-based solutions

Pan-cancer analysis of whole genomes

Cancer is driven by genetic change, and the advent of massively parallel sequencing has enabled systematic documentation of this variation at the whole-genome scale(1-3). Here we report the integrative analysis of 2,658 whole-cancer genomes and their matching normal tissues across 38 tumour types from the Pan-Cancer Analysis of Whole Genomes (PCAWG) Consortium of the International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). We describe the generation of the PCAWG resource, facilitated by international data sharing using compute clouds. On average, cancer genomes contained 4-5 driver mutations when combining coding and non-coding genomic elements; however, in around 5% of cases no drivers were identified, suggesting that cancer driver discovery is not yet complete. Chromothripsis, in which many clustered structural variants arise in a single catastrophic event, is frequently an early event in tumour evolution; in acral melanoma, for example, these events precede most somatic point mutations and affect several cancer-associated genes simultaneously. Cancers with abnormal telomere maintenance often originate from tissues with low replicative activity and show several mechanisms of preventing telomere attrition to critical levels. Common and rare germline variants affect patterns of somatic mutation, including point mutations, structural variants and somatic retrotransposition. A collection of papers from the PCAWG Consortium describes non-coding mutations that drive cancer beyond those in the TERT promoter(4); identifies new signatures of mutational processes that cause base substitutions, small insertions and deletions and structural variation(5,6); analyses timings and patterns of tumour evolution(7); describes the diverse transcriptional consequences of somatic mutation on splicing, expression levels, fusion genes and promoter activity(8,9); and evaluates a range of more-specialized features of cancer genomes(8,10-18).Peer reviewe

More than smell - COVID-19 is associated with severe impairment of smell, taste, and chemesthesis

Recent anecdotal and scientific reports have provided evidence of a link between COVID-19 and chemosensory impairments, such as anosmia. However, these reports have downplayed or failed to distinguish potential effects on taste, ignored chemesthesis, and generally lacked quantitative measurements. Here, we report the development, implementation, and initial results of a multilingual, international questionnaire to assess self-reported quantity and quality of perception in 3 distinct chemosensory modalities (smell, taste, and chemesthesis) before and during COVID-19. In the first 11 days after questionnaire launch, 4039 participants (2913 women, 1118 men, and 8 others, aged 19-79) reported a COVID-19 diagnosis either via laboratory tests or clinical assessment. Importantly, smell, taste, and chemesthetic function were each significantly reduced compared to their status before the disease. Difference scores (maximum possible change ±100) revealed a mean reduction of smell (-79.7 ± 28.7, mean ± standard deviation), taste (-69.0 ± 32.6), and chemesthetic (-37.3 ± 36.2) function during COVID-19. Qualitative changes in olfactory ability (parosmia and phantosmia) were relatively rare and correlated with smell loss. Importantly, perceived nasal obstruction did not account for smell loss. Furthermore, chemosensory impairments were similar between participants in the laboratory test and clinical assessment groups. These results show that COVID-19-associated chemosensory impairment is not limited to smell but also affects taste and chemesthesis. The multimodal impact of COVID-19 and the lack of perceived nasal obstruction suggest that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus strain 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection may disrupt sensory-neural mechanisms. © 2020 The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved

Integrated Stiffness Analysis of Redundant Parallel Manipulator Based on Finite Element Method

An integrated stiffness model is established for a Planar Parallel Manipulator (PPM) with actuation redundancy based on Finite Element Method (FEM), and the static stiffness, dynamitic stiffness and moving stiffness of the PPM are analyzed according to the integrated stiffness model. Firstly, a dynamic model of flexible plane beam element is created as a basic unit for branches. Secondly, each branch is assembled in generalized coordinates, and the integrated stiffness model of the PPM is established. Then calculation and simulation for the static stiffness, dynamitic stiffness and moving stiffness are carried out. The results show that the static stiffness and dynamitic stiffness are related with the position and posture of the PPM. The moving stiffness shows that the elastic deformations cause the oscillation of the PPM. In this paper, three stiffness models are unified in the integrated stiffness model, which improves the efficiency of the stiffness calculation and mechanism design.Marine and Transport TechnologyMechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineerin

Polymersomes as a potential tool in nuclear medicine

Amphiphilic di-block copolymers composed of poly(ethylene oxide-b-butadiene), abbreviated PEO-PB can self-assemble into polymer vesicles (polymersomes) when placed in aqueous solution, provided that the ratio of hydrophilic block to the total molecular mass is between 25 % and 45 %. These vesicles consist of an aqueous cavity surrounded by a double-layered hydrophobic membrane constituted of poly-butadiene and it remains soluble due to the hydrophilic PEO brush that coats the inner and outer surface of the assembly. The major goal of this thesis is to design polymersomes for nuclear medical applications, in particular for alpha radionuclide therapy and to investigate their properties as potential nano-carriers. In this thesis, the first steps towards the application of polymersomes in nuclear medicine have been taken. The results clearly show the great potential of these carriers, i.e., high loading efficiency and no loss, but they also reveal that the pharmacokinetics of the polymersomes need to be improved and that different nano-vesicle design will be needed to increase recoil retention.Radiation, Radionuclides & ReactorsApplied Science

CMOS bandgap references and temperature sensors and their applications

Two main parts have been presented in this thesis: device characterization and circuit. In integrated bandgap references and temperature sensors, the IC(VBE, characteristics of bipolar transistors are used to generate the basic signals with high accuracy. To investigate the possibilities to fabricate high-precision bandgap references and temperature sensors in low-cost CMOS technology, the electrical characteristics of substrate bipolar pnp transistors have been investigated over a wide temperature range. The measurement results of the IC(VBE, characteristics show that at a moderate current range, a good exponential relation between the base-emitter voltage and the collector current exists. Moreover, the temperature behavior of the base-emitter voltage can be well modeled with the well-known Gummel-Poon model. Even the negative correlation between the extracted parameters Vgo and is similar to that earlier reported for bipolar technology. Non-ideal effects, for instance the low forward common-emitter current gain (BF), high base resistance, low and high level injections and stress effect, etc. have also been analysed. Methods and suggestions have been given to get rid of the non-ideal effects in order to improve the performances of the bandgap references and temperature sensors. In order to design high-performance temperature sensors or bandgap references in CMOS technology, in addition to exploiting the best characteristics of the bipolar transistors, we needed to apply advanced circuit techniques. In this thesis, special advanced circuit techniques for application in low-speed sensor systems have been described. For instance, three signal auto-calibration can be applied to eliminate the additive and multiplexitive uncertainties of the transfer circuit. Chopping technique has been applied to reduce the low-frequency interferences and 1/f noise. By applying dynamic element matching (DEM), errors due to component mismatching can be reduced to second order. In the described sensor systems, indirect A/D converters (modulators) have been applied, because of their simplicity, high accuracy and high resolution. To reduce the effects of low-frequency interference and 1/f noise, a chopping technique was applied. To increase the input range, pre-amplifier and divider are applied for small and large signals respectively. By applying DEM technique the errors due to component mismatching can be significantly reduced. Accurate pre-amplifier and divider can be realized in this way. A circuit design for the thermocouple interface has been presented. On-chip bandgap reference and temperature sensor have been included for auto-calibration and the compensation of the reference junction temperature. Research on the characteristics of bipolar transistors fabricated in CMOS technology has been applied for designing high performance bandgap reference and temperature sensor. A switch-capacitor input circuit has been applied which allows the thermocouple voltage to have a rail-to-rail common-mode voltage. Furthermore, advanced circuit techniques such as three-signal auto-calibration, DEM and chopping mentioned above have been applied too. The interface circuit has been designed and implemented in 0.7-ï­m CMOS technology. The interface has been tested and the test results have been presented in this thesis. The design and test results of a DEM SC instrumentation amplifier have also been presented in this thesisElectrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Scienc

An Equity and Foreign Exchange Heston-Hull-White model for Variable Annuities

This project aims to develop and validate the Heston-Hull-White model on Variable Annuities. Such a stochastic modelling assumption is crucial in pricing and hedging the long term exotic options. We calibrate the Equity and FX Heston-Hull-White model in the corresponding markets. A novel numerical integration option pricing method-COS method significantly improve this calibration process. From the conditioned calibration, large amounts of scenarios of 6 stock indices and 3 exchange rates are generated based on this hybrid model using Monte Carlo simulations. Finally we compare the Heston-Hull-White model with the Black Scholes model in the scenario-based valuation of the Guaranteed Minimum Withdrawal Benefits to see the impact of the stochastic model.Master of Applied MathematicsMathematicsElectrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Scienc

Towards Personalised Dementia Care: Approaches, Recommendations and Tools from Design

According to Person-Centred Care, as far as possible, people with dementia should be cared for in a way that takes into account their personality, life experiences and preferences. Personalisation is hence the core of Person-Centred Care, yet the approaches, recommendations and tools are lacking for this purpose. Therefore, the author investigated how this personalisation could be facilitated by design. Specifically, the author explored how to personalise the care for Behavioural and Psychosocial Symptoms of Dementia (BPSD). This is because BPSD contributes to the most stressful, complex, and costly aspects of dementia care. Non-pharmacological interventions for BPSD care have been developed, which offers ample room for personalisation. From the field of healthcare, the author drew on Person-Centred Care, and from there, she looked at BPSD from the lens of the Need-driven Dementia-compromised Behaviour (NDB) model, where BPSD is interpreted as a way for people with dementia to express their unmet needs. Factors contributing to BPSD have been categorised by this model, which could be unique for each person with dementia. From the field of design, she approached the challenge from the lens of Human-Centered Design and explored three design approaches that are most relevant in designing for personalised BPSD care, namely, Ergonomics in Ageing, Co-design and Data-enabled Design. The author hypothesised that a combination of these three design approaches could reveal insights into the factors contributing to BPSD, as mentioned in the NDB model, for each person with dementia exhibiting BPSD symptoms. She further hypothesised that gaining insights about these factors could facilitate the design of personalised dementia care. The author implemented a series of steps in evaluating these hypotheses from the literature and from the field. The learnings gained throughout the literature and field research enabled the integration of the three design approaches into Knowme, a toolkit for designing for personalised dementia care. The author concludes with a summary of research findings, a reflection on the research approach, and ends with recommendations for future work.Applied Ergonomics and Desig