Evaluation Measures for Hierarchical Classification: a unified view and novel approaches

Hierarchical classification addresses the problem of classifying items into a hierarchy of classes. An important issue in hierarchical classification is the evaluation of different classification algorithms, which is complicated by the hierarchical relations among the classes. Several evaluation measures have been proposed for hierarchical classification using the hierarchy in different ways. This paper studies the problem of evaluation in hierarchical classification by analyzing and abstracting the key components of the existing performance measures. It also proposes two alternative generic views of hierarchical evaluation and introduces two corresponding novel measures. The proposed measures, along with the state-of-the art ones, are empirically tested on three large datasets from the domain of text classification. The empirical results illustrate the undesirable behavior of existing approaches and how the proposed methods overcome most of these methods across a range of cases.Comment: Submitted to journa

IP-Valuation as a Tool to Sustain Innovation

In recent years, a variety of interests have argued that improved standards are needed for valuing intangible assets. Although there is agreement on this general point, there is persistent divergence among accountants, investors and analysts, economists and other proponents about what intangibles to measure, why to measure them, and how to measure them. This project attempts to lift the question above these divergent perspectives and argues that the larger concern involves how the valuation and capitalization of intangible assets can promote and sustain innovation processes in the economy. This report is based on a position paper presented at the UNECE High Level Task-Force on Valuation and Capitalization of Intellectual Assets, and is supplemented by a commentated presentation of the taskforce s first meeting

LSHTC: A Benchmark for Large-Scale Text Classification

LSHTC is a series of challenges which aims to assess the performance of classification systems in large-scale classification in a a large number of classes (up to hundreds of thousands). This paper describes the dataset that have been released along the LSHTC series. The paper details the construction of the datsets and the design of the tracks as well as the evaluation measures that we implemented and a quick overview of the results. All of these datasets are available online and runs may still be submitted on the online server of the challenges

Transformation of digital da'wah as an instrument for enhancing social welfare

Purpose - The purpose of this study was to examine how the community views digital da'wah in promoting social welfare and understanding Islamic values.Method - A purposive sampling technique will be employed to select a minimum of 200 respondents, representing diverse ages, genders, educational levels, and occupational backgrounds, to ensure representative data. The respondents will be aged 17-70 years, actively access the internet, and have education ranging from elementary school to tertiary level, using digital technology to access da'wah content.Result  -  The results showed that both digital and conventional da'wah play a crucial role in understanding Islamic values and enhancing social welfare.Implication – This Method suggest to to developing fresh strategies for disseminating religious messages, improving education on Islamic values, and proposing policy recommendations to enhance Muslim community involvement in digital platforms.Originality - This research exploration of the transformation of digital da'wah and its role in enhancing social welfare, as well as its influence on the perception and acceptance of the Muslim community towards digital platforms.***Tujuan - Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk mengkaji bagaimana masyarakat melihat dakwah digital dalam mempromosikan kesejahteraan sosial dan pemahaman nilai-nilai Islam.Metode - Teknik purposive sampling akan digunakan untuk memilih minimal 200 responden, yang mewakili berbagai usia, jenis kelamin, tingkat pendidikan, dan latar belakang pekerjaan, untuk memastikan data yang representatif. Responden tersebut berusia 17-70 tahun, aktif mengakses internet, dan memiliki pendidikan mulai dari sekolah dasar hingga tingkat perguruan tinggi, menggunakan teknologi digital untuk mengakses konten dakwah.Hasil - Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa baik dakwah digital maupun konvensional memainkan peran penting dalam pemahaman nilai-nilai Islam dan meningkatkan kesejahteraan sosial.Implikasi - Metode ini menyarankan pengembangan strategi baru untuk menyebarkan pesan-pesan agama, meningkatkan pendidikan tentang nilai-nilai Islam, dan mengusulkan rekomendasi kebijakan untuk meningkatkan keterlibatan masyarakat Muslim dalam platform digital.Orisinalitas/Nilai - Penelitian ini merupakan eksplorasi tentang transformasi dakwah digital dan perannya dalam meningkatkan kesejahteraan sosial, serta pengaruhnya terhadap persepsi dan penerimaan masyarakat Muslim terhadap platform digital.

Experiences on Recruitment and Retention of Volunteers in the First HIV Vaccine Trial in Dar es Salam, Tanzania - The phase I/II HIVIS 03 trial.

Eventual control of HIV/AIDS is believed to be ultimately dependent on a safe, effective and affordable vaccine. Participation of sub-Saharan Africa in the conduct of HIV trials is crucial as this region still experiences high HIV incidences. We describe the experience of recruiting and retaining volunteers in the first HIV vaccine trial (HIVIS03) in Tanzania. In this trial enrolled volunteers from amongst Police Officers (POs) in Dar es Salaam were primed with HIV-1 DNA vaccine at months 0, 1 and 3; and boosted with HIV-1 MVA vaccine at months 9 and 21. A stepwise education provision/sensitization approach was employed to eventual recruitment. Having identified a "core" group of POs keen on HIV prevention activities, those interested to participate in the vaccine trial were invited for a first screening session that comprised of provision of detailed study information and medical evaluation. In the second screening session results of the initial assessment were provided and those eligible were assessed for willingness to participate (WTP). Those willing were consented and eventually randomized into the trial having met the eligibility criteria. Voluntary participation was emphasized throughout. Out of 408 POs who formed the core group, 364 (89.0%) attended the educational sessions. 263 out of 364 (72.2%) indicated willingness to participate in the HIV vaccine trial. 98% of those indicating WTP attended the pre-screening workshops. 220 (85.0%) indicated willingness to undergo first screening and 177 POs attended for initial screenings, of whom 162 (91.5%) underwent both clinical and laboratory screenings. 119 volunteers (73.5%) were eligible for the study. 79 were randomized into the trial, while 19 did not turn up, the major reason being partner/family advice. 60 volunteers including 15 females were recruited during a one-year period. All participated in the planned progress updates workshops. Retention into the schedule was: 98% for the 3 DNA/placebo vaccinations, while it was 83% and 73% for the first and second MVA/placebo vaccinations respectively. In this first HIV vaccine trial in Tanzania, we successfully recruited the volunteers and there was no significant loss to follow up. Close contact and updates on study progress facilitated the observed retention rates.\u

Stroke risk factors in an incident population in urban and rural Tanzania: a prospective, community-based, case-control study

Background The burden of stroke on health systems in low-income and middle-income countries is increasing. However, high-quality data for modifi able stroke risk factors in sub-Saharan Africa are scarce, with no communitybased, case-control studies previously published. We aimed to identify risk factors for stroke in an incident population from rural and urban Tanzania. Methods Stroke cases from urban Dar-es-Salaam and the rural Hai district were recruited in a wider study of stroke incidence between June 15, 2003, and June 15, 2006. We included cases with fi rst-ever and recurrent stroke. Community-acquired controls recruited from the background census populations of the two study regions were matched with cases for age and sex and were interviewed and assessed. Data relating to medical and social history were recorded and blood samples taken. Findings We included 200 stroke cases (69 from Dar-es-Salaam and 131 from Hai) and 398 controls (138 from Dar-es- Salaam and 260 from Hai). Risk factors were similar at both sites, with previous cardiac event (odds ratio [OR] 7·39, 95% CI 2·42–22·53; p<0·0001), HIV infection (5·61, 2·41–13·09; p<0·0001), a high ratio of total cholesterol to HDL cholesterol (4·54, 2·49–8·28; p<0·0001), smoking (2·72, 1·49–4·96; p=0·001), and hypertension (2·14, 1·09–4·17; p=0·026) identifi ed as signifi cant independent risk factors for stroke. In Hai, additional risk factors of diabetes (4·04, 1·29–12·64) and low HDL cholesterol (9·84, 4·06–23·84) were also signifi cant. Interpretation We have identifi ed many of the risk factors for stroke already reported for other world regions. HIV status was an independent risk factor for stroke within an antiretroviral-naive population. Clinicians should be aware of the increased risk of stroke in people with HIV, even in the absence of antiretroviral treatment

Declining HIV-1 Prevalence and Incidence among Police Officers - A potential Cohort for HIV Vaccine Trials, in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

A safe effective and affordable HIV vaccine is the most cost effective way to prevent HIV infection worldwide. Current studies of HIV prevalence and incidence are needed to determine potentially suitable cohorts for vaccine studies. The prevalence and incidence of HIV-1 infection among the police in Dar es Salaam in 1996 were 13.8% and 19.6/1000 PYAR respectively. This study aimed at determining the current prevalence and incidence of HIV in a police cohort 10 years after a similar study was conducted. Police officers in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania were prospectively enrolled into the study from 2005 and followed-up in an incidence study three years later. HIV infection was determined by two sequential enzyme linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) in the prevalence study and discordant results between two ELISAs were resolved by a Western blot assay. Rapid HIV assays (SD Bioline and Determine) were used for the incidence study. A total of 1,240 police participated in the HIV prevalence study from August 2005 to November 2008. Of these, 1101 joined the study from August 2005-September 2007 and an additional 139 were recruited between October 2007 to November 2008 while conducting the incidence study. A total of 726 (70%) out of the 1043 eligible police participated in the incidence study.The overall HIV-1 prevalence was 65/1240 (5.2%). Females had a non-statistically significant higher prevalence of HIV infection compared to males 19/253, (7.5%) vs. 46/987 (4.7%) respectively (p = 0.07). The overall incidence of HIV-1 was 8.4 per 1000 PYAR (95% CI 4.68-14.03), and by gender was 8.8 and 6.9 per 1000 PYAR, among males and females respectively, (p = 0.82). The HIV prevalence and incidence among the studied police has declined over the past 10 years, and therefore this cohort is better suited for phase I/II HIV vaccine studies than for efficacy trials