Digital signal processing and artificial intelligence for the automated classification of food allergy

As a by-product of the ‘information revolution’ which is currently unfolding, lifetimes of man (and indeed computer) hours are being allocated for the automated and intelligent interpretation of data. This is particularly true in medical and clinical settings, where research into machine-assisted diagnosis of physiological conditions gains momentum daily. Of the conditions which have been addressed, however, automated classification of allergy has not been investigated, even though the numbers of allergic persons are rising, and undiagnosed allergies are most likely to elicit fatal consequences. On the basis of the observations of allergists who conduct oral food challenges (OFCs), activity-based analyses of allergy tests were performed. Algorithms were investigated and validated by a pilot study which verified that accelerometer-based inquiry of human movements is particularly well-suited for objective appraisal of activity. However, when these analyses were applied to OFCs, accelerometer-based investigations were found to provide very poor separation between allergic and non-allergic persons, and it was concluded that the avenues explored in this thesis are inadequate for the classification of allergy. Heart rate variability (HRV) analysis is known to provide very significant diagnostic information for many conditions. Owing to this, electrocardiograms (ECGs) were recorded during OFCs for the purpose of assessing the effect that allergy induces on HRV features. It was found that with appropriate analysis, excellent separation between allergic and nonallergic subjects can be obtained. These results were, however, obtained with manual QRS annotations, and these are not a viable methodology for real-time diagnostic applications. Even so, this was the first work which has categorically correlated changes in HRV features to the onset of allergic events, and manual annotations yield undeniable affirmation of this. Fostered by the successful results which were obtained with manual classifications, automatic QRS detection algorithms were investigated to facilitate the fully automated classification of allergy. The results which were obtained by this process are very promising. Most importantly, the work that is presented in this thesis did not obtain any false positive classifications. This is a most desirable result for OFC classification, as it allows complete confidence to be attributed to classifications of allergy. Furthermore, these results could be particularly advantageous in clinical settings, as machine-based classification can detect the onset of allergy which can allow for early termination of OFCs. Consequently, machine-based monitoring of OFCs has in this work been shown to possess the capacity to significantly and safely advance the current state of clinical art of allergy diagnosis

Towards a Mobile Assistive Technology for Monitoring and Assessing Cognitive Fatigue in Individuals with Acquired Brain Injury

Those living with an acquired brain injury often have issues with fatigue due to factors resulting from the injury. Cognitive impairments such as lack of memory, concentration and planning have a great impact on an individual’s ability to carry out general everyday tasks, which subsequently has the effect of inducing cognitive fatigue. Moreover, there is difficulty in assessing cognitive fatigue, as there are no real biological markers that can be measured. Rather, it is a very subjective effect that can only be diagnosed by the individual. Consequently, the traditional way of assessing cognitive fatigue is to use a self-assessment questionnaire that is able to determine contributing factors. State of the art methods to evaluate cognitive! fa tigue employ cognitive tests in order to analyse performance on predefined tasks. However, one primary issue with such tests is that they are typically carried out in a clinical environment, therefore do not have the ability to be utilized in situ within everyday life. This paper presents a smartphone application for the evaluation of fatigue, which can be used daily to track cognitive performance in order to assess the influence of fatigue.

Brief response to Ashton and colleagues regarding Fractionating Human Intelligence

Ashton and colleagues concede in their response (Ashton, Lee, & Visser, in this issue), that neuroimaging methods provide a relatively unambiguous measure of the levels to which cognitive tasks co-recruit dif- ferent functional brain networks (task mixing). It is also evident from their response that they now accept that task mixing differs from the blended models of the classic literature. However, they still have not grasped how the neuroimaging data can help to constrain models of the neural basis of higher order ‘g’. Specifically, they claim that our analyses are invalid as we assume that functional networks have uncorrelated capacities. They use the simple analogy of a set of exercises that recruit multiple muscle groups to varying extents and highlight the fact that individual differences in strength may correlate across muscle groups. Contrary to their claim, we did not assume in the original article (Hampshire, High- field, Parkin, & Owen, 2012) that functional networks had uncorrelated capacities; instead, the analyses were specifically designed to estimate the scale of those correlations, which we referred to as spatially ‘diffuse’ factors

Fractionating Human Intelligence

What makes one person more intellectually able than another? Can the entire distribution of human intelligence be accounted for by just one general factor? Is intelligence supported by a single neural system? Here, we provide a perspective on human intelligence that takes into account how general abilities or ‘‘factors’’ reflect the functional organiza- tion of the brain. By comparing factor models of individual differences in performance with factor models of brain functional organization, we demon- strate that different components of intelligence have their analogs in distinct brain networks. Using simulations based on neuroimaging data, we show that the higher-order factor ‘‘g’’ is accounted for by cognitive tasks corecruiting multiple networks. Finally, we confirm the independence of these com- ponents of intelligence by dissociating them using questionnaire variables. We propose that intelli- gence is an emergent property of anatomically distinct cognitive systems, each of which has its own capacity.

Smart environment technology as a possible enabler of smart cities

This paper discusses the technology of smart floors as a enabler of smart cities. The discussion will be based on technology that is embedded into the environment that enable location, navigation but also wireless power transmission for powering up elements siting on it, typically mobile devices. One of those examples is the smart floor, this implementation follows two paths, one where the floor is passive, and normally passive RFID's are embedded into the floor, they are used to provide intelligence into the surrounding space, this is normally complemented with a battery powered mobile unit that scans the floor for the sensors and communicates the information to a database which locates the mobile device in the environment. The other path for the smart city enabler is where the floor is active and delivers energy for the objects standing on top of it. In this paper these two approaches will be presented, by discussing the technology behind it. © 2014 IEEE.

Dados de reconhecimento facial em Business Intelligence

Vivemos cada vez mais numa era de crescentes avanços tecnológicos em diversas áreas. O que há uns anos atrás era considerado como praticamente impossível, em muitos dos casos, já se tornou realidade. Todos usamos tecnologias como, por exemplo, a Internet, Smartphones e GPSs de uma forma natural. Esta proliferação da tecnologia permitiu tanto ao cidadão comum como a organizações a sua utilização de uma forma cada vez mais criativa e simples de utilizar. Além disso, a cada dia que passa surgem novos negócios e startups, o que demonstra o dinamismo que este crescimento veio trazer para a indústria. A presente dissertação incide sobre duas áreas em forte crescimento: Reconhecimento Facial e Business Intelligence (BI), assim como a respetiva combinação das duas com o objetivo de ser criado um novo módulo para um produto já existente. Tratando-se de duas áreas distintas, é primeiramente feito um estudo sobre cada uma delas. A área de Business Intelligence é vocacionada para organizações e trata da recolha de informação sobre o negócio de determinada empresa, seguindo-se de uma posterior análise. A grande finalidade da área de Business Intelligence é servir como forma de apoio ao processo de tomada de decisão por parte dos analistas e gestores destas organizações. O Reconhecimento Facial, por sua vez, encontra-se mais presente na sociedade. Tendo surgido no passado através da ficção científica, cada vez mais empresas implementam esta tecnologia que tem evoluído ao longo dos anos, chegando mesmo a ser usada pelo consumidor final, como por exemplo em Smartphones. As suas aplicações são, portanto, bastante diversas, desde soluções de segurança até simples entretenimento. Para estas duas áreas será assim feito um estudo com base numa pesquisa de publicações de autores da respetiva área. Desde os cenários de utilização, até aspetos mais específicos de cada uma destas áreas, será assim transmitido este conhecimento para o leitor, o que permitirá uma maior compreensão por parte deste nos aspetos relativos ao desenvolvimento da solução. Com o estudo destas duas áreas efetuado, é então feita uma contextualização do problema em relação à área de atuação da empresa e quais as abordagens possíveis. É também descrito todo o processo de análise e conceção, assim como o próprio desenvolvimento numa vertente mais técnica da solução implementada. Por fim, são apresentados alguns exemplos de resultados obtidos já após a implementação da solução.

BIWiki - Using a Business Intelligence Wiki to Form a Virtual Community of Practice for Portuguese Master's Students

Web 2.0 software in general and wikis in particular have been receiving growing attention as they constitute new and powerful tools, capable of supporting information sharing, creation of knowledge and a wide range of collaborative processes and learning activities. This paper introduces briefly some of the new opportunities made possible by Web 2.0 or the social Internet, focusing on those offered by the use of wikis as learning spaces. A wiki allows documents to be created, edited and shared on a group basis; it has a very easy and efficient markup language, using a simple Web browser. One of the most important characteristics of wiki technology is the ease with which pages are created and edited. The facility for wiki content to be edited by its users means that its pages and structure form a dynamic entity, in permanent evolution, where users can insert new ideas, supplement previously existing information and correct errors and typos in a document at any time, up to the agreed final version. This paper explores wikis as a collaborative learning and knowledge-building space and its potential for supporting Virtual Communities of Practice (VCoPs). In the academic years (2007/8 and 2008/9), students of the Business Intelligence module at the Master's programme of studies on Knowledge Management and Business Intelligence at Instituto Superior de Estatistica e Gestao de Informacao of the Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Portugal, have been actively involved in the creation of BIWiki - a wiki for Business Intelligence in the Portuguese language. Based on usage patterns and feedback from students participating in this experience, some conclusions are drawn regarding the potential of this technology to support the emergence of VCoPs; some provisional suggestions will be made regarding the use of wikis to support information sharing, knowledge creation and transfer and collaborative learning in Higher Education.

Indoor location-based analytics systems: Portuguese market compettive assessment and entry procing strategy of BIPs' technology in Sonae Sierra Shopping malls stores

This project attempts to provide an in-depth competitive assessment of the Portuguese indoor location-based analytics market, and to elaborate an entry-pricing strategy for Business Intelligence Positioning System (BIPS) implementation in Portuguese shopping centre stores. The role of industry forces and company’s organizational resources platform to sustain company’s competitive advantage was explored. A customer value-based pricing approach was adopted to assess BIPS value to retailers and maximize Sonae Sierra profitability. The exploratory quantitative research found that there is a market opportunity to explore every store area types with tailored proposals, and to set higher-than-tested membership fees to allow a rapid ROI, concluding there are propitious conditions for Sierra to succeed in BIPS store’s business model in Portugal.

Intelligent Use of Emotions in Personal Selling: A Study into the Effect of Emotional Intelligence on the Performance of Sales Executives

School of Management Studies, Cochin University of Science and Technology

Emotional Intelligence and Organisational Role Stress — A study among managers in selected industrial organisations in Kerala

Emotional intelligence is very important in organisations and the ability to manage feelings and handle stress is an important aspect of El. Even though a number of studies have been done to prove that E1 is related to organisationally relevant variables like leadership effectiveness, job satisfaction, performance, career success etc., and the theoretical grounding for emotional intelligence-stress-relationship seems sound, only a few studies have been done to establish this linkage. This study is an attempt to measure emotional intelligence and organisational role stress of managers working in industrial organisations and to examine the relationship between Emotional Intelligence and Organisational Role Stress. It also attempts to explore the influence of personal and occupational variables viz., age, education, gender, marital status, experience, department, type of organisation and designation on emotional intelligence. The investigator has also examined the difference in the level of role stress experienced by junior, middle and senior-level managers. The main objective of the study is to examine the relationship between emotional intelligence and organisational role stress.

Knowledge Management: Creating Competitive Intelligence for the Future

In this knowledge era, the value of corporations, academic organizations and individuals is directly related to their knowledge and intellectual capital(IC). A newand potentially paradigm shift focus in the intersection between knowledge and intelligence is the recognition of the importance of understanding the intellectual capital of organizations. This paper explains how Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT) is identifying and managing its intellectual capital for creating competitive advantage for the future. This paper also explores the different cost effective knowledge management strategies applied at CUSAT for managing its intellectual capital

Adaptive business intelligence for an open negotiation environment

Engineering of negotiation model allows to develop effective heuristic for business intelligence. Digital ecosystems demand open negotiation models. To define in advance effective heuristics is not compliant with the requirement of openness. The new challenge is to develop business intelligence in advance exploiting an adaptive approach. The idea is to learn business strategy once new negotiation model rise in the e-market arena. In this paper we present how recommendation technology may be deployed in an open negotiation environment where the interaction protocol models are not known in advance. The solution we propose is delivered as part of the ONE Platform, open source software that implements a fully distributed open environment for business negotiation

COMP3016 Web Technology - Strand 3 "History" Lecture 1

Lecture 1: The Pioneers and History of Hypertext (pre-WWW) Contains Powerpoint Lecture slides and Hypertext Research Papers: Bush: As We may Think; Engelbart: NLS and A Framework for Augmenting Human Intelligence; Nelson: Xanalogical Structure; Conklin: A Survey of Hypertext; Halasz 1987: Reflections on NoteCards: Seven Issues for the Next Generation of Hypermedia Systems; Berners-Lee 1994 The World-Wide Web.

Evolving features-algorithms knowledge map to support NIDS data intelligence and learning loop architecting – a generalised approach to NIDS pattern feature space knowledge processing

This paper describes a proposed new approach to the Computer Network Security Intrusion Detection Systems (NIDS) application domain knowledge processing focused on a topic map technology-enabled representation of features of the threat pattern space as well as the knowledge of situated efficacy of alternative candidate algorithms for pattern recognition within the NIDS domain. Thus an integrative knowledge representation framework for virtualisation, data intelligence and learning loop architecting in the NIDS domain is described together with specific aspects of its deployment.