An Intelligent Decision Support System Prototype for Asset Allocation

Asset allocation decision involves bringing together estimates of current capital conditions and investor considerations in order to determine the asset allocation mix that will provide maximum utility to the investor. This can be accomplished by either maximizing return for a given risk level or by minimizing the risk for a given return objective. The purpose of this study is to develop a prototype decision support system that will provide a model for an investor to use in determining the optimal asset allocation for an investment portfolio at a particular risk level. This DSS consisted of five primary components. In this paper, we limited our discussion to the neural network (NN) component. The results of NN model can then be used as input to a quadratic programming model to determine the optimal asset allocation

Organizational readiness for implementation of Supply Chain Analytics

Supply chains today are amassed with data. To remain competitive in a global economy, supply chain organizations need to constantly derive meaningful information from this plethora of data and make critical business decisions. This process is also referred to as Supply Chain Analytics (SCA). This paper attempts to measure the readiness of organizations to implement Business Analytics – a more generic form of SCA. The results were derived from the survey analysis of 112 respondents in 7 countries from various industries and professional backgrounds. This survey analyzed organizations in four broad categories – standardized and integrated data, well-established infrastructure, sound technical and non-technical expertise and the organizational culture and strategy – and attempted to determine their readiness for implementing Analytics in the organization

Participatory Sensing or Sensing of Participation: Privacy Issues with Smartphone Apps Usage

The convenience and mobility provided by smartphones have made them a preferred mode of conducting many daily activities and various types of applications for these devices have been developed. Apps on a smartphone can be used as a medium for tracking users’ behaviors and collecting personal data about them. The collected data can potentially violate users’ privacy. Many users may acknowledge this but their actions do not support that claim. The seeming inconsistency between professed privacy concerns and the use of smartphone apps may be more a consequence of ignorance rather than irrationality. In this study, an experiment is developed to understand how awareness about the privacy risks associated with the use of smartphone apps would alter the level of the use of apps. Our empirical results support the assertions that awareness significantly increases privacy concerns and reduces inclination to use apps. Implications of these findings are discussed

Knowledge Management: The Role of the CKO

The CKO is portrayed as a catalyst for knowledge management programs. This paper provides a brief overview of the CKO leadership role, a review of CKO job responsibilities, and a review of critical success factors for the CKO position. Opportunities for research are discussed

NOTICING: A FACTOR TO IMPROVE IRANIAN PRE-INTERMEDIATE EFL LEARNERS’ STRUCTURAL ACCURACY

Abstract: The present study was conducted to investigate the effect of noticing, explicit focus on form on linguistic accuracy. To fulfill the purpose of the study, 44 Iranian pre-intermediate EFL learners of one of the language institutes were chosen by means of administering the KET homogeneity test. These learners were pretested through a structured interview to check their current accuracy level regarding the oral production of five structures. Based on the results of the pretest, two matched groups, one as the control group and the other as experimental group, were formed. Then, two groups were provided with tasks through listening about the target structures in the study. Of course, the experimental group underwent focus on form explicitly through noticing, while the control group was not provided with it. After twenty sessions of treatment, each ninety minutes, the two groups were post tested through another structured interview. The data obtained from instruments used in the present study indicated that the instructional treatment, noticing, had a significant effect on the acquisition of the target forms. The scores of the participants demonstrated that in experimental group outperformed the control group in terms of the average accuracy gains. Finally, it was concluded that explicit focus on form, noticing, can lead to higher accuracy in oral production in comparison to control groupKeywords: explicit focus on form, noticing, accurac

A Human Centered Framework for Information Security Management: A Healthcare Perspective

Research on the human element of information security is fragmented at best. This paper presents a management framework for organizations in the health care industry who wish to improve their information security procedures in an effort to comply with HIPAA and other regulations. The emphasis is on securing an organization from internal threats by adequately educating employees and building an organizational culture where security initiatives are valued and respected. The premise of the paper is that a cultural approach is the only way to gain the versatile security environment needed to comply with regulations as vast and complex as HIPAA. We argue that this framework demands that empirical data be collected through careful industry research with health care providers so as to prove the real world value of its application

From Hashtags to Movements: A Framing Perspective of The Role of Social Media in the Emergence and Development of Impactful Social Movements

Social media plays a critical role in social movement activities. This study takes a framing perspective to investigate how social media affordances support the process of creation, communication, and negotiation of frames and assess the impact of the framing process on social movement outcomes

Comparison of the Therapeutic Effects of Topiramate and Phenobarbital on the Quality of Life of Children under Five with Fever and Convulsion

Background & Objectives: Failure to treat febrile seizure in children leads to physical, psychological and social problems and if not treated timely, might lead to epilepsy which affects the quality of life of children. The purpose of this study was to compare the therapeutic effects of two drugs on the quality of life of children under five with febrile convulsion. Methods: This was a descriptive-analytical study that was done in an interventional manner. In this study, the quality of life of 40 children with febrile convulsion treated with topiramate and 51 children who had the same problem and treated with phenobarbital drug were compared. Data collection tool was EQ5D questionnaire. ANOVA and t-test were used for statistical analysis and data were entered into SPSS statistical software version 22. Results: Mean scores of quality of life in children taking phenobarbital and topiramate were 72.5 and 82.7, respectively. Topiramate had a significant effect on the mean score of quality of life in children with febrile convulsion and increased it. Parental education and early febrile convulsion had a significant relationship with patients' quality of life. Conclusion: Health policy makers, physicians, and other members of health care system must provide access to appropriate educational, medical, and therapeutic services for children with febrile seizure in order to improve their health status. Key­words: Febrile convulsion, Topiramate, Phenobarbital, Quality of Life, Children Citation: Talebianpour H, Talebianpour E, Nemati H, Keshavarz K. Comparison of the Therapeutic Effects of Topiramate and Phenobarbital on the Quality of Life of Children under Five with Fever and Convulsion. Journal of Health Based Research 2019; 5(3): 261-72

Infantile Spasm: A Review Article

How to Cite This Article: Taghdiri MM, Nemati H. Infantile Spasm: A Review Article. Iran J Child Neurol. 2014 Summer;8(3): 1-5.AbstractObjectiveInfantile spasm (IS) is a convulsive disease characterized by brief, symmetric axial muscle contraction (neck, trunk, and/or extremities). IS is a type of seizure that was first described by West in 1841, who witnessed the seizure in his own son. West’s syndrome refers to the classic triad of spasms, characteristic EEG, and neurodevelopmental regression. Most cases involve flexors and extensors,but either of the types may be involved independently.IS, as its name implies, most often occurs during the first year of life with an incidence of approximately 1 per 2000-4000 live births. Most, but not all, patients with this disorder have severe EEG abnormalities; this pattern was originallyreferred to as hypsarrhythmia by Gibbs and Gibbs. Cases with known etiology or signs of brain damage are considered as symptomatic. The Overall prognosis of the disease is poor. Peak onset age of the epileptic syndrome is 3 to 7 months, which mainly occurs before 2 years of age in 93% of patients. Hypsarrhythmia is the EEG hallmark of IS, which comprised a chaotic, bilaterally asynchronous high-voltage polyspike, and slow wave discharges interspersed with multifocal spikes and slow waves.Etiological classification is as follows: 1) Symptomatic: with identifiable prenatal, perinatal, and postnatal causes with developmental delay at the presentation time; 2) Cryptogenic: unknown underlying cause, normal development at the onset of spasms, normal neurological exam and neuroimaging, and no abnormality in the metabolic evaluation; 3) Idiopathic: pure functional cerebral dysfunction with complete recovery, no residual dysfunction, normal neuroimaging and normal etiologic evaluation, and normal neurodevelopment.ReferencesInfantile Spasms. In: Jean Aicardi: Disease of Nervous system in childhood. 3th ed. 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