Customer Active Probability and Customer Lifetime Value Analysis in Internet

As the age of digital information, marketers are in information overload. A mass of customers’ data is available but may be useless only if it can be turned into business intelligence and implement appropriate database marketing. This research aims to assist managers in discriminating and learning from their right customers that helps to serve high value customers and create successful marketing programs targeted at the prospected ones. Transaction data on the purchasing of VCD at an online retailer was used as empirical analysis; Pareto/NBD model and customer lifetime value model were applied to capture customer active probability and construct profitable customer profile. The results demonstrated four priority ranks of online customers for managers to choose the prospects that best match the profitable customer profile by observing their purchase behaviors

Linked MaaS: a vision for leveraging semantic web technologies for mobility as a service.

Mobility as a Service (MaaS) promises to dissolve the boundaries of today's transport network through the integration of transport modes. However, stakeholders such as the operators, public transport authorities, or end-user routing application developers, are facing interoperability barriers in the way of providing a seamless travel experience. To identify, understand, and devise a plan for integration, we must first be able to clearly define the interoperability requirements of MaaS. In this paper, we propose a framework consisting of 6 layers: (i) the Stakeholder layer, (ii) the Data layer, (iii) the Infrastructure layer, (iv) the Ownership layer, (v) the Auth layer, and (vi) the Connection layer. In each layer, we outline the opportunities for Semantic Web technologies. In addition, each layer is equipped with use-cases to illustrate the application of the framework. Through the Linked MaaS framework, we formulate a baseline that extends the research focus of semantics in transportation and builds a guideline for the development of an explicitly defined and understood MaaS

Future-proofing Klang Valley’s veins with REBET: a framework for directing transportation technologies towards infrastructure resilience.

The transportation industry is in the midst of a revolution with technologies, such as shared vehicles, drones, and autonomous vehicles, that are poised to reshape the way we move. Yet, the multitude of technologies present a difficulty in prioritizing which technologies should be invested in. While focusing on Klang Valley's transportation system, this research proposes the REsilience Brittleness and Emerging Technologies (REBET) framework, which aims to identify the transportation technologies with the highest potential of strengthening the system's resilience. We used a Dephi technique to identify the Sources of Brittleness (SBs) in the system and technologies with the highest relevance to the Malaysian setting. Using multiple linear regression, we then derived a relationship between the two aspects. The framework defines the relative resilience of the technologies according to their forecasted ability to eliminate system brittleness. The results ranked 23 technologies, with the topmost recommendations being ITS, Big Data, and Smart Buses. We highlight REBET's robustness as a global decision-making tool for infrastructure managers, researchers, and policymakers to identify ideal technologies for their transportation systems

Pre-primary education in Hong Kong : the evolution of governance and policy tools

published_or_final_versionPolitics and Public AdministrationMasterMaster of Public Administratio

How students cope with part-time study

This study provides a qualitative test and illustration of a model of how students cope with the demands of part-time study. The model shows that students who are successful in finding the time to complete the requirements of part-time courses do so by adopting three mechanisms; sacrifice, support and the negotiation of arrangements. All three mechanisms operate in four domains, namely work, family, social lives and the self. The mechanisms and domains were related together in a three by four matrix. Data to verify and illuminate the model were gathered by the researchers through an on-line forum discussion on the topic of coping with part-time study. The researchers themselves were studying part-time in a course called Adult Education and Professional Development. Analysis of the data showed that the work domain was very important but little adaptation was possible. The family was seen as the most important domain and all three mechanisms were used. Time was commonly found for part-time study by sacrificing social lives. The self-domain was interpreted as important in establishing motivation and self-determination

Size-selective purification of hepatitis B virus-like particle in flow-through chromatography: types of ion exchange adsorbent and grafted polymer architecture

Hepatitis B virus-like particles expressed in Escherichia coli were purified using anion exchange adsorbents grafted with polymer poly(oligo(ethylene glycol) methacrylate) in flow-through chromatography mode. The virus-like particles were selectively excluded, while the relatively smaller sized host cell proteins were absorbed. The exclusion of virus-like particles was governed by the accessibility of binding sites (the size of adsorbents and the charge of grafted dextran chains) as well as the architecture (branch-chain length) of the grafted polymer. The branch-chain length of grafted polymer was altered by changing the type of monomers used. The larger adsorbent (90 μm) had an approximately twofold increase in the flow-through recovery, as compared to the smaller adsorbent (30 μm). Generally, polymer-grafted adsorbents improved the exclusion of the virus-like particles. Overall, the middle branch-chain length polymer grafted on larger adsorbent showed optimal performance at 92% flow-through recovery with a purification factor of 1.53. A comparative study between the adsorbent with dextran grafts and the polymer-grafted adsorbent showed that a better exclusion of virus-like particles was achieved with the absorbent grafted with inert polymer. The grafted polymer was also shown to reduce strong interaction between binding sites and virus-like particles, which preserved the particles' structure

Oral health of community dwelling elders in Hong Kong

Introduction: The world’s population is ageing and the elders are vulnerable to oral health problems. This project aimed to observe the oral health status of community dwelling elders in Hong Kong, investigate the oral health impact on their quality of life and nutritional status, and provide oral health education and preventive service. Methods: Community dwelling elders (65 or above) were recruited from five community centers. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was completed to collect information on their socio-demographic background and oral health perception/practice. Their oral health related quality of life (OHQoL) and nutritional status were measured by using the Geriatric Oral Health Assessment Index (GOHAI) and Mini-Nutritional Assessment (MNA), respectively. Their tooth and periodontal status, oral hygiene and soft tissues were examined. Individualized advice, oral health education and scaling were provided. Results: A total of 195 elders participated. Despite their sound knowledge on dental caries, their awareness of the causes and risk factors of periodontal diseases was low. Several misconceptions of oral health were common and their expectation towards oral health was low. Although 81% brush their teeth at least twice a day, over 75% did not perform interdental cleaning mainly due to unawareness of the necessity (32%) and lack of skills (42%). Their dental visits were treatment-driven and mainly for pain-relieving and emergency care. Only 19% were regular dental attendees. The mean (SD) DMFT was 8.9 (7.8). Over 60% had periodontal pockets; 6% were edentulous and 38% had fewer than 20 teeth. The mean (SD) total GOHAI score was 56.4 (8.0); 60% reported negative impact of oral health on their quality of life. The mean (SD) MNA score was 25.2 (2.9); 30% had malnutrition or were at risk. Multivariate analysis showed that tooth loss and untreated decayed teeth (DT) were significant determinants of poor OHQoL; older age, higher education level, and poorer OHQoL were significantly associated with higher risk of malnutrition (all p<0.05). Conclusions: Oral health problems are common among community dwelling elders in Hong Kong. Their oral health awareness and practice are yet to be improved. Tooth loss and unmet treatment need for dental caries significantly compromise elders’ quality of life, which in turn increases their risk for malnutrition. Outreach oral health education and service are well received by the community.published_or_final_versio

Homozygous Missense Mutation in ABR Causes Cerebellar Hypoplasia with Early Lethality - A New Condition Identified by Exome Sequencing?

Poster PresentationWe performed whole exome sequencing (WES) in a consanguineous Pakistani family with a recurrent pattern of cerebellar hyposplasia, intra-uterine growth restriction, and various CNS/non-CNS malformations, resulting in early lethality (1 perinatal death and 1 intrauterine death). Karyotype (in the first pregnancy) and oligonucleotide array (in the 2nd affected pregnancy) were normal. Parents declined post-mortem examination. By WES, a novel homozygous missense mutation was identified in the ABR gene (ABR: NM_021962.4:c.G2455T: p.A819S) in both affected pregnancies. Both parents were identified to be heterozygous of the same mutation while the healthy child did not carry any mutation. The mutation is located in a highly conserved region and is predicted to be highly damaging by all the commonly used in silico mutation prediction tools. The protein encoded by ABR gene contains a GTPase-activating protein domain, a domain found in members of the Rho family of GTP-binding proteins. Previous reports showed that OPHN1, mutations in which cause X-linked mental retardation with cerebellar hypoplasia (OMIM300486), also encodes for a regulator of GTPase-activating protein. Both OPHN1 and ABR are highly expressed in the human brain especially in the cerebellum, and both contain a GTPase-activating domain. Rho proteins are important mediators of intracellular signal transduction, which affects cell migration and cell morphogenesis. Other studies have demonstrated a regulatory role of Rho GTPase in differentiation of cerebellar neurons, and that ethanolassociated impairment of Rho GTPase might contribute to brain defects in fetal alcohol syndrome. Further functional studies, including zebrafish morpholino studies, are currently ongoing. WES can be helpful in individual families with undiagnosed lethal MCA syndromes to identify potentially responsible autosomal recessive mutations and may lead to a better understanding of the role of various developmental pathways in human embryogenesis.published_or_final_versio

Development of a standardized histopathology scoring system using machine learning algorithms for intervertebral disc degeneration in the mouse model—An ORS spine section initiative

Mice have been increasingly used as preclinical model to elucidate mechanisms and test therapeutics for treating intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD). Several intervertebral disc (IVD) histological scoring systems have been proposed, but none exists that reliably quantitate mouse disc pathologies. Here, we report a new robust quantitative mouse IVD histopathological scoring system developed by building consensus from the spine community analyses of previous scoring systems and features noted on different mouse models of IDD. The new scoring system analyzes 14 key histopathological features from nucleus pulposus (NP), annulus fibrosus (AF), endplate (EP), and AF/NP/EP interface regions. Each feature is categorized and scored; hence, the weight for quantifying the disc histopathology is equally distributed and not driven by only a few features. We tested the new histopathological scoring criteria using images of lumbar and coccygeal discs from different IDD models of both sexes, including genetic, needle-punctured, static compressive models, and natural aging mice spanning neonatal to old age stages. Moreover, disc sections from common histological preparation techniques and stains including H&E, SafraninO/Fast green, and FAST were analyzed to enable better cross-study comparisons. Fleiss\u27s multi-rater agreement test shows significant agreement by both experienced and novice multiple raters for all 14 features on several mouse models and sections prepared using various histological techniques. The sensitivity and specificity of the new scoring system was validated using artificial intelligence and supervised and unsupervised machine learning algorithms, including artificial neural networks, k-means clustering, and principal component analysis. Finally, we applied the new scoring system on established disc degeneration models and demonstrated high sensitivity and specificity of histopathological scoring changes. Overall, the new histopathological scoring system offers the ability to quantify histological changes in mouse models of disc degeneration and regeneration with high sensitivity and specificity