SmartEx: a case study on user profiling and adaptation in exhibition booths

An investigation into user profiling and adaptation with exhibition booth as a case study is reported. First a review of the field of exhibitions and trade fairs and a summary introduction to adaptation and profiling are given. We then introduce three criteria for the evaluation of exhibition booth: effectiveness, efficiency and affect. Effectiveness is related the amount of information collected, efficiency is a measurement of the time taken to collect the information, and affect is the perception of the experience and the mood booth visitors have during and after their visit. We have selected these criteria to assess adaptive and profiled exhibition booths, we call smart exhibition (SmartEx). The assessment is performed with an experiment with three test conditions (non-profiled/non adaptive, profiled/non-adaptive and profiled adaptive presentations). Results of the experiment are presented along discussion. While there is significant improvements of effectiveness and efficiency between the two-first test conditions, the improvement is not significant for the last test condition, for reasons explained. As for the affect, the results show that it has an under-estimated importance in people minds and that it should be addressed more carefully

Scenario-Based Design Theorizing:The Case of a Digital Idea Screening Cockpit

As ever more companies encourage employees to innovate, a surplus of ideas has become reality in many organizations – often exceeding the available resources to execute them. Building on insights from a literature review and a 3-year collaboration with a banking software provider, the paper suggests a Digital Idea Screening Cockpit (DISC) to address this challenge. Following a design science research approach, it suggests a prescriptive design theory that provides practitioner-oriented guidance for implementing a DISC. The study shows that, in order to facilitate the assessment, selection, and tracking of ideas for different stakeholders, such a system needs to play a dual role: It needs to structure decision criteria and at the same be flexible to allow for creative expression. Moreover, the paper makes a case for scenario-based design theorizing by developing design knowledge via scenarios

Scenario-based requirements elicitation for user-centric explainable AI

Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) develops technical explanation methods and enable interpretability for human stakeholders on why Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) models provide certain predictions. However, the trust of those stakeholders into AI models and explanations is still an issue, especially domain experts, who are knowledgeable about their domain but not AI inner workings. Social and user-centric XAI research states it is essential to understand the stakeholder’s requirements to provide explanations tailored to their needs, and enhance their trust in working with AI models. Scenario-based design and requirements elicitation can help bridge the gap between social and operational aspects of a stakeholder early before the adoption of information systems and identify its real problem and practices generating user requirements. Nevertheless, it is still rarely explored the adoption of scenarios in XAI, especially in the domain of fraud detection to supporting experts who are about to work with AI models. We demonstrate the usage of scenario-based requirements elicitation for XAI in a fraud detection context, and develop scenarios derived with experts in banking fraud. We discuss how those scenarios can be adopted to identify user or expert requirements for appropriate explanations in his daily operations and to make decisions on reviewing fraudulent cases in banking. The generalizability of the scenarios for further adoption is validated through a systematic literature review in domains of XAI and visual analytics for fraud detection

A Transcriptional “Scream” Early Response of E. coli Prey to Predatory Invasion by Bdellovibrio

We have transcriptionally profiled the genes differentially expressed in E. coli prey cells when predatorily attacked by Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus just prior to prey cell killing. This is a brief, approximately 20–25 min period when the prey cell is still alive but contains a Bdellovibrio cell in its periplasm or attached to and penetrating its outer membrane. Total RNA was harvested and labelled 15 min after initiating a semi-synchronous infection with an excess of Bdellovibrio preying upon E. coli and hybridised to a macroarray spotted with all predicted ORFs of E. coli. SAM analysis and t-tests were performed on the resulting data and 126 E. coli genes were found to be significantly differentially regulated by the prey upon attack by Bdellovibrio. The results were confirmed by QRT-PCR. Amongst the prey genes upregulated were a variety of general stress response genes, potentially “selfish” genes within or near prophages and transposable elements, and genes responding to damage in the periplasm and osmotic stress. Essentially, the presence of the invading Bdellovibrio and the resulting damage to the prey cell elicited a small “transcriptional scream”, but seemingly no specific defensive mechanism with which to counter the Bdellovibrio attack. This supports other studies which do not find Bdellovibrio resistance responses in prey, and bodes well for its use as a “living antibiotic”

Manganese transformations by marine Bacillus species,

ABSTRACT. A wide variety of micro-organisms promote the oxidation or reduction of manganese, through indirect or direct mechanisms. An example of the latter category is Bacillus SGl, a marine organism isolatefJrom a aear-shore manganese sediment. Its mature domwnt spores catalyze the oxidation ofMn to Mn +. The process requires molecular oxygen and is catalyzed by a spore coat component. The manganese oxide (Mn02) produced remains bound to the The vegetative cells do not have the oxidizing capacity. They are able to reduce Mn + to Mn + under low-oxygen conditions. The reducing activity has a pH optimum of 7.5 and is abolished by preheating of the cells at 90° C for 5 minutes. Addition of mercuric chloride (HgC12) (final concentration 0.01%) to cells which are actively reducing manganese oxide causes immediate cessation of the process. Manganese oxide reduction is also inhibited at high oxygen tensions and by inhibitors of the electron transport system. Bacillus cells contain b- and c-type cytochromes which are oxidized in situ when manganese oxide is added to an anoxic cell suspension. The results suggest that vegetative cells may use the manganese oxide formed by the spores from which they germinate as a terminal electron acceptor. The possible applications of manganese transforming micro-organisms in human society are discussed

Internal thoracic vein draining into the extrapericardial part of the superior vena cava: a case report

The internal thoracic veins are venae comitantes of each internal thoracic artery draining the territory supplied by it and usually unite opposite the third costal cartilage. This single vein enters the corresponding brachiocephalic vein. We present a variation of right internal mammary vein draining into superior vena cava in a 45-year-old male cadaver. Likely development and clinical significance of the vein are discussed.<br>As veias torácicas internas são veias comitantes de cada artéria torácica interna drenando o território suprido por ela e geralmente se unem em frente à terceira cartilagem costal. Esta única veia entra na veia braquicefálica correspondente. Apresentamos uma variação da veia mamária interna direita drenando para a veia cava superior em um cadáver masculino de 45 anos. O provável desenvolvimento e a significância clínica da veia são discutidos