Fuzzy Recommendations in Marketing Campaigns

The population in Sweden is growing rapidly due to immigration. In this light, the issue of infrastructure upgrades to provide telecommunication services is of importance. New antennas can be installed at hot spots of user demand, which will require an investment, and/or the clientele expansion can be carried out in a planned manner to promote the exploitation of the infrastructure in the less loaded geographical zones. In this paper, we explore the second alternative. Informally speaking, the term Infrastructure-Stressing describes a user who stays in the zones of high demand, which are prone to produce service failures, if further loaded. We have studied the Infrastructure-Stressing population in the light of their correlation with geo-demographic segments. This is motivated by the fact that specific geo-demographic segments can be targeted via marketing campaigns. Fuzzy logic is applied to create an interface between big data, numeric methods for processing big data and a manager.Comment: conferenc

Design-led procurement: linking the design process with procurement of construction projects

Separation of design from construction has led to serious coordination and communication problems in our industry, which are unlikely to be resolved by BIM without significant changes. Although collaborative design and construction methods have been developed for major projects, over 80% of all construction projects still suffer from a divisive risk management culture, which perpetuates problems of integration between briefing, design and construction. Design-led procurement facilitates the engagement of trade and specialist contractors in the briefing and design process. Designers lead the supervision of work on site, thereby bridging the gaps between briefing, design and construction. Network governance supported by Project Insurance, instead of Professional Indemnity Insurance, facilitates the optimization between briefing, design and construction. A new paradigm has to be established to disentangle long established routines across the design and construction professions

The emergence and evolution of trans-corporeality in Charles Darwin\u27s On The Origin of Species and Henry David Thoreau\u27s Walden and Walking

“The Emergence and Evolution of Trans-Corporeality in Charles Darwin\u27s On The Origin of Species and Henry David Thoreau\u27s Walden and ‘Walking\u27” attempts to establish a nineteenth-century, trans-Atlantic connection between English naturalist Charles Darwin and American Transcendentalist Henry David Thoreau by considering the manner in which each author\u27s seminal work considers the relationship between human beings and the natural world. By considering the lens of twenty-first century scholar Stacy Alaimo, whose concept of trans-corporeality suggests that all organic beings are inseparably linked to their environments, readers will discover that such interconnected sentiments have existed in our society even before Darwin and Thoreau\u27s time, but their seminal texts specifically stress that humanity has nothing to fear from such connections. To address these fears, I argue that Darwin uses his concept of a metaphorical “Tree of Life” to challenge the Malthusian fear that human beings will inevitably go extinct by depleting their natural resources and instead argues that humanity has a vested interest in living harmoniously with all manner of flora and fauna. Across the Atlantic, Thoreau uses Transcendentalist sentiments to challenge American Gothic writers who fear humanity\u27s interconnected link with the wilderness, a phenomenon I refer to as “grotesque trans-corporeality.” Overall, I argue that it is concerning how both Darwin and Thoreau\u27s sentiments about humanity\u27s close, trans-corporeal connections to the natural world occasionally go unnoticed

Disintegration of a Liquid Jet

This report presents an experimental determination of the process of disintegration and atomization in its simplest form, and the influence of the physical properties of the liquid to be atomized on the disintegration of the jet. Particular attention was paid to the investigation of the process of atomization

Dairy fats and cardiovascular disease: do we really need to be concerned?

peer-reviewedCardiovascular diseases (CVD) remain a major cause of death and morbidity globally and diet plays a crucial role in the disease prevention and pathology. The negative perception of dairy fats stems from the effort to reduce dietary saturated fatty acid (SFA) intake due to their association with increased cholesterol levels upon consumption and the increased risk of CVD development. Institutions that set dietary guidelines have approached dairy products with negative bias and used poor scientific data in the past. As a result, the consumption of dairy products was considered detrimental to our cardiovascular health. In western societies, dietary trends indicate that generally there is a reduction of full-fat dairy product consumption and increased low-fat dairy consumption. However, recent research and meta-analyses have demonstrated the benefits of full-fat dairy consumption, based on higher bioavailability of high-value nutrients and anti-inflammatory properties. In this review, the relationship between dairy consumption, cardiometabolic risk factors and the incidence of cardiovascular diseases are discussed. Functional dairy foods and the health implications of dairy alternatives are also considered. In general, evidence suggests that milk has a neutral effect on cardiovascular outcomes but fermented dairy products, such as yoghurt, kefir and cheese may have a positive or neutral effect. Particular focus is placed on the effects of the lipid content on cardiovascular health

Age-period-cohort analysis of trends in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis incidence

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease with an unknown cause. Studies have reported that the incidence rate of ALS might be changing. As ALS is an age related disease, crude incidence could increase as population structure changes and overall life expectancy improves. Age-period-cohort (APC) models are frequently used to investigate trends in demographic rates such as incidence. Age-specific incidence rate for ALS from 1996 to 2014 were taken from a population-based ALS register in Ireland. To circumvent the well-known identifiability issue in APC models, we apply the method of Partial Least Squares Regression to separate the effects of Age, Period and Cohort on ALS incidence over time. This APC analysis shows no cohort effect and the initial signs of a period effect; increasing incidence of ALS in the most recently diagnosed group. As further years of data accrue to the Irish register it will become clear if this effect emerges as a strong trend in the incidence of ALS in Ireland and replication of these analyses in other populations will show if our findings on temporal patterns in ALS incidence are shared elsewhere

History and Fantasy in The True Heart

The essay argues that Warner’s 1929 novel The True Heart explores the possibility of feminist fantasy within the context of historical realism. It considers the pressures exerted on the protagonist Sukey Bond by the constraints implicit within historical, classical, and religious contexts, and looks in particular at the gender implications of the novel’s debt to Apuleius’s narrative of Cupid and Psyche. The essay compares the ideas of emancipation in The True Heart with those in its predecessor Lolly Willowes

Targeted Sanctions and Organised Crime

Sanctions are increasingly being used to tackle a range of specific issues. These include sanctions to respond to human rights abuses, combat corruption and address malicious cyber activity. As sanctions use has broadened, the question of their application to organised criminal activity has been increasingly raised. Yet, the use of sanctions against organised crime has remained limited to a specific set of issuers, notably the US and, more recently, the UN.In the UK, the government has advanced its vision of an ambitious post-Brexit independent sanctions regime, with the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act 2018 allowing sanctions use 'in the interests of national security'. New regimes addressing human rights and corruption have emerged. With serious and organised crime deemed a national security threat by the UK government, there is a case to add a sanctions regime to address this particular threat. The National Crime Agency itself has called for a legislative amendment to reference serious and organised crime as grounds for sanctions use.However, little research or evaluation has been undertaken to assess the impact of sanctions against organised crime. With US sanctions used over almost three decades to disrupt cross-border trafficking, the lack of a body of rigorous relevant research is a key shortcoming. Similarly, few past initiatives have sought to assess the lessons these experiences hold for future sanctions issuers in this space. With interest mounting in the potential use of organised crime-related sanctions, this represents a critical limitation.This paper represents the first effort to target this knowledge gap, by reviewing existing evidence on the use and impact of sanctions to disrupt organised criminal activity. It focuses on two case studies, Colombia and Libya, in differing regions of the world and with different exposure to organised crime-focused sanctions. While Colombia tops the list of states globally for organised crime-focused sanctions on individuals and entities in its territory (with the third-highest number of relevant listings since 2016), Libya's exposure is more recent and limited. Libya nonetheless has experience of listings under UN and US country regimes relating to fuel smuggling, people smuggling and human trafficking. Here, it differs markedly from Colombia, which is the epitome of the historic US approach to narcotics-related sanctions.This paper analyses organised crime-related sanctions data, examines the current state of knowledge on the implementation and impact of these sanctions, and draws on the two case studies. It identifies a number of factors that influence the impact of organised crime-focused sanctions, including:The extent to which the host government of the sanction's target is willing to cooperate with the sanction's issuer.The extent to which the issuance of sanctions is embedded within a coherent broader strategic approach.The overarching focus of the regime within which relevant designations are made.The degree of clarity of objective and purpose of the issuer when applying sanctions against organised criminal actors.Resourcing and engagement of key agencies in both the country of issuance and the target's host country.The targeting strategy adopted, and the extent to which this accounts for the divergent levels of vulnerability of key actors across the illicit trade chain.With these factors and the research's broader findings in mind, this paper concludes with a set of 10 considerations for those countries that may, in the future, contemplate introducing organised crime-focused sanctions:The need to identify where new issuers could have greatest impact.How sanctions fit into broader strategic approaches to countering organised crime.The criteria to be adopted to guide their use.The resourcing required to administer sanctions effectively.The need to balance sanctions use with interventions that address drivers of organised crime.The necessity of creating a dedicated new regime versus using existing regimes.The way in which sanctions address the role of state versus non-state actors in organised criminal activity.The need to ensure that sanctions use does not impede longer-term criminal justice outcomes.The need to account for due process concerns.Individual states should consider how action in this area could offer an alternative to the gridlock in the UN Security Council around sanctions use

To Be or Not to Be: W<scp>ill</scp> V<scp>irtual</scp> W<scp>orlds and the</scp> M<scp>etaverse</scp> G<scp>ain</scp> L<scp>asting</scp> T<scp>raction</scp>?

Since their beginnings, virtual worlds have experienced two major media hypes in their short lifetime—the first in 2003 after the launch of Second Life and the second in 2021, with Mark Zuckerberg announcing his strategy for the Metaverse. Most academic research on virtual worlds emerged between these two peaks of interest. This article delves into the enduring relevance of such research, contrasting the two hype cycles. It analyzes the reasons behind current caution expressed by companies and offers insights into the future trajectory of the Metaverse and which crucial developments are needed for sustained traction in virtual worlds. </jats:p