BEA: An efficient Bayesian emulation-based approach for probabilistic seismic response

This paper presents an advanced Bayesian emulation-based approach (hereafter BEA) that allows a reduced number of analyses to be carried out to compute the probabilistic seismic response and fragility of buildings. The BEA, which is a version of kriging, uses a mean function as a first approximation of the expected Engineering Demand Parameter given Intensity Measure (EDP|IM) and then models the approximation errors as a Gaussian Process (GP). A main advantage of the BEA is its flexibility, as it does not impose a fixed mathematical form on the EDP|IM relationship (unlike other approaches such as the standard cloud method). In addition, BEA makes fewer assumptions than standard methods, and provides improved characterization of uncertainty. This paper first presents the BEA approach and then assesses its computational efficiency as compared to the standard cloud method. This is done through the creation of EDP|IM relationships and fragility functions using the outputs of nonlinear dynamic and nonlinear static analyses for two case-study buildings representing Pre- and Special-Code seismic vulnerability classes. The nonlinear dynamic and static analysis methods represent different levels of accuracy i.e., are of high and low fidelity, respectively. The BEA and standard cloud methods are compared in their ability to recreate three “pseudo-realities”, each represented by an artificially generated EDP|IM relationship derived from a large set of analysis runs. Several input configurations are tested, including, reduced sets of training inputs (analysis runs), training inputs of high and low fidelity, two sampling processes for these inputs (i.e., random and stratified sampling) and two different IM representations. The results demonstrate that BEA yields both an improved accuracy in terms of mean estimates, as well as smaller uncertainty bounds compared to the cloud method. The improved performance of the BEA is maintained for all “pseudo-realities” tested regardless of whether it is trained with high or low fidelity analysis data, with the improvement particularly pronounced in cases when the advanced IM INp is used. It is demonstrated that good accuracy can be achieved with BEA even with reduced samples, yielding a saving in 25% in number of analyses required to generate the EDP|IM relationship. Finally, the use of BEA drastically improves both the accuracy and efficiency of the resultant seismic fragility functions

Lab-on-a-chip for biological fluids analysis by spetrophotometry

The healthcare sector is nowadays one of the most dynamic and where the novelty is a strategic and operational imperative. The possibility of increase the quantity and quality of clinical analysis, performed with instantaneous results and outside the clinical laboratories, contributes to a better quality in the health care services and also a better efficiency in the clinical and administrative processes [1]. This possibility can be achieved with the presented lab-on-a-chip for spectrophotometric analysis of biological fluids. It allows the selective measurement of the concentration of several biomolecules in biological fluids, with instantaneous results, at any location, with small quantities of reagents and samples and with low-cost. That measurement is based on colorimetric detection by the optical absorption in a part of the visible spectrum defined by the reaction of the specific biomolecule with a specific reagent. The device comprises a highly efficient and selective optical filtering and colorimetric detection system. This system allows the measurement with a regular white light illumination, thus avoiding the use of complex and expensive analysis systems like the ones that comprise spectrophotometers, for example. This feature highly facilitates portability and ensures analysis within consultation time, at a patient house (allowing a first trial) and in clinical laboratories or hospitals.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) SFRH/BD/1281/2000 Escola de Engenharia da Universidade do Minho - Projecto IN2TEC. Centro Algoritmi da Universidade do Minh

Play for Performance: Using Computer Games to Improve Motivation and Test-Taking Performance

The importance of testing, especially certification and high-stakes testing, has increased substantially over the past decade. Building on the “serious gaming” literature and the psychology “priming” literature, we developed a computer game designed to improve test-taking performance using psychological priming. The game primed the concept of achievement to increase an individual’s expectation of success and motivation. Our results show that individuals who took a test immediately after playing the game significantly outperformed those who played a placebo computer game designed to have no effect. The effect size was medium (0.63). We believe that these results have important implications for information system education, including improving individual test-taking performance, identifying ways to develop information systems topic-specific games, and the need for more research to better understand how and why such games influence performance

Правозащитная деятельность современного украинского государства (общетеоретический аспект)

Аракелян М. Р. Правозащитная деятельность современного украинского государства (общетеоретический аспект) / М. Р. Аракелян // Правове життя сучасної України : матеріали Міжнар. наук. конф. проф.-викл. та аспірант. складу (м. Одеса, 16-17 травня 2013 р.) / відп. за вип. В. М. Дрьомін ; НУ "ОЮА". Півд. регіон. центр НАПрН України. - Одеса : Фенікс, 2013. - Т. 1. - С. 143-145

Mapping the Corporate Blogosphere: Linking Audience, Content, and Management to Blog Visibility

Blogs have been a common part of the Web for many years. Individuals create most blogs for their own purposes, but corporations have also begun to develop corporate blogs as a means for communicating with their stakeholders (e.g., customers, partners, investors). In this paper, we extend theory by generating what Gregor (2006) would call a type I theory. Specifically, we develop a theoretical framework for classifying and analyzing corporate blogs that examines blogs’ target audience, their content (focus and function), and how one should manage them. We use this framework to analyze the impact of these characteristics on the visibility of blogs operated by a sample of Fortune 500 companies. Our results show that a blog’s target audience and how its content and management fit with this audience can have significant impacts on blog visibility. We believe this framework provides a useful foundation for studying corporate blogs in the future

Characterization of silicon photodiodes for diffuse reflectance signal extraction

Early detection of gastrointestinal (GI) can cers is one of most important concerns in medical field. Its detection at the earliest stage is crucial to increase the patient survival chances. Optical signals extraction and analysis, specifically diffuse reflectance and intrinsic fluorescence, may impr ove the ability to detect GI dysplasia, once some morphological and biochemical changes on the tissues (related with early cancer progre ssion) can modify these signals’ shape and intensity. The project under th is paper aims to develop a chip - sized spectros copy microsystem for the early detection of GI cancer. This paper presents the characterization of silicon photodiodes (n+/p - epilayer type) fabricated in a standard 0.7 μm CMOS process, with different dimensions. The main goal is to conclude which photodio de must be fabricated for the microsystem implementation, taking into account its capacity to extract the signals in the relevant spectral band (350 nm – 750 nm), not comprising the microsystem dimensions. With this study , it can be conclude d that the suit able photodiodes for the detection of those spectroscopic signals are the ones with 125 × 125 μm 2 or 100 × 100 μm 2 active area , once their quantum efficiency varies between 20% and 55%, approximately, above 450 nm. In spite of the low photodiod es quantum efficiency (lower than 20%) below 450 nm, the viability of using the 100 × 100 μm 2 photodiode to extract the diffuse reflectance signal, between 350 nm and 750 nm, was proven using a test phantom representative of a GI tissue.This work is funded by FEDER funds through the "Eixo I do Programa Operacional Fatores de Competitividade (POFC) QREN, projects reference COMPETE: FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-020241 and FCOMP-01-124-FEDER-037291 (PEst-C/FIS/UI0607/2013) and by FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, project reference PTDC/EBB-EBI/120334/2010. S. Pimenta thanks the FCT for the SFRH/BD/87605/2012 PhD grant

Biosystem with 16 highly selective optical channels for biological fluids analysis in the visible spectrum

This paper reports a biosystem (biological system) for analyzing biochemical substances in biological fluids. Rather than one channel, it comprises 16 highly selective optical channels that enable the measurement of the concentration of 16 different biochemical substances. An array of 16 optical filters with high reflectivity and low absorption loss has been designed using dielectric films. Each filter is sensitive in a single wavelength with a FWHM (Full Width Half Maximum) 52%. A commercially available band pass optical filter with a band pass wavelength in 450 600 nm is used to enable the use of a white light source for biosystem illumination. Preliminary tests with a single channel are successfully demonstrated.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) - SFRH/BD/1281/2000, POCTI/33747/ESE/ /1999), FEDER

HICSS Panel Report on Cognitive Foreshadowing: Next Steps in Applying Neuroscience and Cognitive Science to Information Systems Research

The use of neurophysiological tools in the information systems domain has received increased attention over the last decade. The Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences has helped provide a home for rigorously exploring such work through related minitracks and symposia. This paper reports on a panel presented at the 49th HICSS conference held in 2016 during a symposium organized to help orient interested researchers to the usefulness of cognitive neuroscience in IS research. This paper first introduces the rise in the IS discipline for integrating the methodologies and tools of cognitive neuroscience. It then presents individual viewpoints from the varying panel members at the symposium as they addressed questions of longevity, applicability, and next steps for the neuroIS subdiscipline. The four panel members included Alan Dennis, Angelika Dimoka, Allen Lee, and Ofir Turel

Optimization of process integration and multi-skilled resource utilization in off-site construction

Traditional approaches in construction project management assign each process to a trade contractor with an individual specialisation, and trades with the greatest work content (bottlenecks) have a significant influence on the progress rate of projects. A system with integrated processes, however, is able to function dynamically in response to variability in product demand and labour resources. This investigation aims to compare and contrast cross-training strategies that are applicable to off-site construction in order to create multi-skilled resources. To this end, the optimal number of additional skills was formulated as a constrained optimization problem. Then, production data from two prefabricated production facilities in Melbourne and Brisbane, Australia were used to construct a total of 1080 simulation experiments. Tangible performance metrics of systems were used to compare process integration strategies and use of multi-skilled resources. Findings show that choosing optimal process integration architecture depends on the level of capacity imbalance and processing time variability. This investigation optimises the decision making on process integration in off-site construction networks

Причини та особливості реорганізації навчального процесу в Рішельєвському ліцеї в період 1830-1840-х років

Аракелян М. Р. Причини та особливості реорганізації навчального процесу в Рішельєвському ліцеї в період 1830-1840-х років / М. Р. Аракелян // Правові та інституційні механізми забезпечення розвитку України в умовах європейської інтеграції : матеріали Міжнародної науково-практичної конференції (м. Одеса, 18 травня 2018 р.) У 2-х т. Т. 1 / відп. ред. Г. О. Ульянова. – Одеса : Видавничий дім «Гельветика», 2018. – С. 150-154