Customer profiling using classification approach for bank telemarketing

Telemarketing is a type of direct marketing where a salesperson contacts the customers to sell products or services over the phone. The database of prospective customers comes from direct marketing database. It is important for the company to predict the set of customers with highest probability to accept the sales or offer based on their personal characteristics or behaviour during shopping. Recently, companies have started to resort to data mining approaches for customer profiling. This project focuses on helping banks to increase the accuracy of their customer profiling through classification as well as identifying a group of customers who have a high probability to subscribe to a long-term deposit. In the experiments, three classification algorithms are used, which are Naïve Bayes, Random Forest, and Decision Tree. The experiments measured accuracy percentage, precision and recall rates and showed that classification is useful for predicting customer profiles and increasing telemarketing sales

Prickle1 is required for EMT and migration of zebrafish cranial neural crest

The neural crest—a key innovation of the vertebrates—gives rise to diverse cell types including melanocytes, neurons and glia of the peripheral nervous system, and chondrocytes of the jaw and skull. Proper development of the cephalic region is dependent on the tightly-regulated specification and migration of cranial neural crest cells (NCCs). The core PCP proteins Frizzled and Disheveled have previously been implicated in NCC migration. Here we investigate the functions of the core PCP proteins Prickle1a and Prickle1b in zebrafish cranial NCC development. Using analysis of pk1a and pk1b mutant embryos, we uncover similar roles for both genes in facilitating cranial NCC migration. Disruption of either gene causes pre-migratory NCCs to cluster together at the dorsal aspect of the neural tube, where they adopt aberrant polarity and movement. Critically, in investigating Pk1-deficient cells that fail to migrate ventrolaterally, we have also uncovered roles for pk1a and pk1b in the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of pre-migratory NCCs that precedes their collective migration to the periphery. Normally, during EMT, pre-migratory NCCs transition from a neuroepithelial to a bleb-based and subsequently, mesenchymal morphology capable of directed migration. When either Pk1a or Pk1b is disrupted, NCCs continue to perform blebbing behaviors characteristic of pre-migratory cells over extended time periods, indicating a block in a key transition during EMT. Although some Pk1-deficient NCCs transition successfully to mesenchymal, migratory morphologies, they fail to separate from neighboring NCCs. Additionally, Pk1b-deficient NCCs show elevated levels of E-Cadherin and reduced levels of N-Cadherin, suggesting that Prickle1 molecules regulate Cadherin levels to ensure the completion of EMT and the commencement of cranial NCC migration. We conclude that Pk1 plays crucial roles in cranial NCCs both during EMT and migration. These roles are dependent on the regulation of E-Cad and N-Cad

Examining the role of the English literature component in the Malaysian English curriculum

This paper examines the role and the position of the English Literature component in the current Malaysian English curriculum.A brief historical overview of the role and the position of English literature in the Malaysian curriculum will be provided. English literature has been through volatile changes throughout the years and is often seen to play a secondary role to help increase English proficiency of students.In the preliminary National Education Blueprint (2013 – 2025), once again English literature is juxtaposed as a tool to help increase English proficiency.Given the many revamps the curriculum in Malaysia has undergone, this paper argues that there is a general state of ambivalence towards the role and position of English Literature in the curriculum.This paper proposes that English Literature as a subject should be reconceptualised given its potential to help educate and prepare young Malaysians for the impact of globalization and the vibrant changes and challenges in the Malaysian political and social context.Literature should no longer be considered merely as a tool to increase English proficiency; it should serve as a bridge to educate young Malaysians about their rich literary traditions, heritage and culture

Element Free Galerkin Post-processing Technique Based Error Estimator for Elasticity Problems

The study present a Mesh Free based post-processing technique for asymptotically (upper) bounded error estimator for Finite Element Analyses of elastic problems. The proposed technique uses Galerkin Element Free procedure for recovery of the displacement derivatives over a patch of nodes in radial domains. The radial nodes patches are used to construct the trial shape functions utilizing the moving least-squares (MLS) techniques. The proposed technique has been tested on three benchmark elastic problems discretized using 4-node quadrilateral elements. The recovered nodal stresses are utilized to calculate the error in finite element solution in energy norm. The study also demonstrates adaptive analysis application of proposed error estimator. The performance of proposed error estimator based on mesh independent node patches has been compared with that of mesh dependent node patches based Zienkiewicz-Zhu (ZZ) error estimator on structured and unstructured mesh. The improved results of the proposed error estimator in terms of convergence rate and effectivity are obtained. It is shown that present study incorporates the superiority of the Mesh Free Galerkin method into finite element analysis environment

The challenge in diagnosing and managing heterotopic interstitial pregnancy in natural conception / Noor Azura Noor Mohamad … [et al.]

Heterotopic interstitial pregnancy in natural conception is very rare. Definitive diagnosis is made by systematic pelvic ultrasound. Simultaneous viable conception observed in both intraand extra-uterine is pathognomonic of heterotopic interstitial pregnancy. We report a 34-yearold woman primigravida at 10 weeks’ amenorrhoea who underwent evacuation of retained product of conception for missed miscarriage. Intraoperatively, minimal product of conception was retrieved. Bedside pelvic ultrasound showed cystic mass at right superolateral part of uterine fundus suspicious of interstitial pregnancy. Cornual resection was performed via laparotomy. Histopathological examination showed presence of product of conception and interstitial pregnancy. Serum β-human chorionic gonadotropin dropped from 10,027 IU/l on day one post-ERPC to 210 IU/l at day three post-cornual resection. This case report highlighted the challenge in diagnosing heterotopic interstitial pregnancy conceived naturally. Timely diagnosis may avert dire consequences of massive haemorrhage from ruptured uterine cornua

People and audit process attributes of audit quality: Evidence from Malaysia / Noor Adwa Sulaiman, Suhaily Shahimi and Ranjit Kaur Nashtar Singh.

This study seeks to add to understanding of the concept and attributes of audit quality from the perspective of those responsible for delivery audit services, the auditors, as a key constituent group in the auditing system. The study surveyed two groups of external auditors (group 1- audit partners and managerial level and, group 2 - senior auditors and junior auditors), as a basis to compare their perceptions on important of auditors and audit process attributes in achieving audit quality in practice. The study was conducted in the form of a survey, with data being gathered via questionnaire. Returned surveys from external auditors yielded a 37% response rate. Overall, top 5 highest rated attributes of audit quality reported to be most important in determining audit quality are: compliance with the International Standard Quality Control (ISCQ) 1, obtaining credible and sufficient audit evidence, technical expertise of audit team, audit work meeting the audit firms’ quality standards, and competency of the audit team. Further analysis shows that the two groups of respondents have differential views on attributes of audit quality in practice. Group 1 perceived attributes of audit quality are related to auditor’s assessment of risk and internal quality review procedures within the audit firm. In comparison, group 2 perceived auditors’ competency and compliance with relevant standards as indicators of audit quality. This study suggests differences in underlying view about attributes audit quality in practice by the two groups of auditors. Public accounting firms might be interested to understand such underlying differences so that efforts in improving audit quality in practice would be focusing on the key attributes that perceived to be important on delivery high-quality audit services. This study is significant by extending the literature on audit quality and also provides useful input to public accounting firms in improving audit quality in practice

Effectiveness of diabetes in pregnancy study group India diagnostic criterion in detecting gestational diabetes mellitus: a rural Bangalore study

Background: The oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) is considered the current standard for diagnosis of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). International association of diabetes and pregnancy study groups (IADPSG) recommends OGTT, with fasting, one-hour and two-hour venous blood samples drawn after intake of 75g oral glucose. In the Indian context, diabetes in pregnancy study group in India (DIPSI) recommends glucose challenge test (GCT), where 75 g glucose is given irrespective of the fasting state, and a single venous sample is drawn after two-hour. Diagnosis of GDM is made, if any cut-off value is met or exceeded. This prospective study was conducted to compare the DIPSI and IADPSG criteria for diagnosis of GDM.Methods: Pregnant women between 24 to 28 weeks of gestation were subjected to non-fasting GCT. Capillary sample were also drawn simultaneously using Accu check active glucometer. These women were counselled to undergo a standard 75gram OGTT, within a week of recruitment.Results: According to IADPSG criteria, 17.6% (18/102) of our participants had GDM, as compared to 19.6% (20/102) by DIPSI criteria using venous samples, and 25.3% (25/99) by capillary sample method. Sensitivity and specificity of GCT using venous sample was 72.22% and 91.67%, and using capillary sample was 70.59% and 84.15% respectively. DIPSI criteria using venous samples wrongly labelled 8.3% women as GDM, and capillary samples wrongly labelled 15.9% women as GDM. More importantly DIPSI criteria using venous samples labelled 27.8% women as false-negative and capillary samples labelled 29.4% women as false-negative for GDM. Almost one quarter of women with GDM will be missed if DIPSI criteria is used as a universal screening modality.Conclusions: We suggest that the IADPSG criteria be used for diagnosis of GDM in antenatal women in India

The effect of pegylation on the transfection activity of two homologous cationic cholesteryl cytofectins

Polyethylene glycol is being used increasingly to improve circulation times and enhance bioavailability of therapeutic molecules and nano sized macromolecular assemblies. Here, two homologous cationic cholesteryl cytofectins 3β[N-(N’,N’-dimethylaminoethane)-carbamoyl] cholesterol (DC-Chol) and 3β[N- (N’,N’-dimethylaminopropane)-carbamoyl] cholesterol (Chol-T) with 2 and 3 carbon spacer elements, respectively, have been formulated into liposomes with near equimolar amounts of dioleoylphosphatidyl ethanolamine (DOPE) and 2 and 5% polyethylene glycol2000 (PEG2000). Pegylated liposomes (80 - 150 nm diameter) formed electrostatic complexes with plasmid DNA in the 1.5:1 – 2.5:1 range of liposome (positive): DNA (negative) charge ratio, which afforded protection to the DNA cargo against serum nuclease digestion. Plasmid pGL3-containing pegylated lipoplexes were only weakly cytotoxic in the human embryonic kidney cell line HEK 293. Gene transfer experiments in this cell line confirmed that the homologue with the 3 carbon spacer Chol-T, is associated with higher transgene activity, a trend which has been previously observed in unpegylated lipoplexes. Furthermore, only a 15% drop in transfection activity was recorded in increase of pegylation level from 2 to 5 mole percent.Key words: Cationic cytofectin, gene transfer, polyethylene glycol, HEK 293