Incremental Nonnegative Tucker Decomposition with Block-Coordinate Descent and Recursive Approaches

Nonnegative Tucker decomposition (NTD) is a robust method used for nonnegative multilinear feature extraction from nonnegative multi-way arrays. The standard version of NTD assumes that all of the observed data are accessible for batch processing. However, the data in many real-world applications are not static or are represented by a large number of multi-way samples that cannot be processing in one batch. To tackle this problem, a dynamic approach to NTD can be explored. In this study, we extend the standard model of NTD to an incremental or online version, assuming volatility of observed multi-way data along one mode. We propose two computational approaches for updating the factors in the incremental model: one is based on the recursive update model, and the other uses the concept of the block Kaczmarz method that belongs to coordinate descent methods. The experimental results performed on various datasets and streaming data demonstrate high efficiently of both algorithmic approaches, with respect to the baseline NTD methods.

Modeling of Wages and Prices Behavior: System Dynamic Approach

The economies of almost every country in the whole word have been suffered from coronavirus pandemic consequences. The damage was especially hard for labor markets. The large magnitude of demand and production shocks that was caused by COVID-19 significantly disturbed the dynamics of output, wages and prices. The research problem addressed in this paper focuses on dynamic properties of wages and prices behavior influenced by shocks with different magnitudes and types. We apply a system dynamic approach to conduct the simulations of economic variables and investigate the possibility of their convergence to some stable path. We examine the impact of demand and production shocks on the output and prices as well as on wage and inflation behavior. It is proved that values of models parameters are crucial for existing of new steady state and convergence of economic variables. The paper determines the bifurcation points that separate different modes of transition period in moving towards or away from equilibrium. The research includes the investigation of the impact of economy’s original state and emphasizes the importance of initial point of the system for the next its dynamics after shock. The research results derived in the paper serves as a useful learning tool to develop a discussion of the policy design issues related to reduction of negative impact of severe and unanticipated disturbance like COVID-19.

A Dynamic Approach for Early Risk Prediction of Gram-Negative Bloodstream Infection and Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome in Febrile Pediatric Hemato-Oncology Patients

The aim of this paper was to evaluate the usefulness of C-Reactive Protein (CRP), Procalcitonin (PCT) and Interleukine 6 (IL6) biomarkers in predicting the existence of Gram negative bloodstream infections (Gr-BSI) or the development of Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (SIRS) during the first 24 hours of fever in pediatric cancer patients. The present study included a total of 103 consecutive fever episodes in 44 hemato-oncological pediatric patients, from whom samples for biomarkers CRP, PCT and IL6 were taken upon initial evaluation and then between 12 and 24 hours after.An IL6 value at the first evaluation (IL6-1) higher than 164 pg/ml and an increase in CRP higher than 291% between the first and subsequent samples (CRP-2vs1) showed a statistically significant OR of 26.03 and 19.62, respectively, in multivariate analysis.Conclusion: IL6-1 and CRP-2vs1 showed a strong, independent correlation with Gr-BSI and SIRS episodes and, therefore, could be used as reliable predictors of these kinds of severe episodes. The approach taken in our study, using biomarker variations over time as a variable, has shown itself to be an improvement in the predictive model.

Mini-texts of English web-literature in the context of contemporary digital discourse: system-dynamic approach

The article is devoted to the study of modern mini-format literary works of English web literature. This subject is addressed due to the fact that there exists an urgent need to study ways of ensuring effective communication in the light of modern tendencies of verbal optimization of the cognitive processes and the reduction of the physical length of the texts. Mini-texts of web literature are considered from the standpoint of the system-dynamic approach, namely from the point of view of the dynamics of the formation of a complex semantic construct in the process of interaction and mutual influence of different-level elements of the discourse system, including the factors of the exterior environment. The methods of discourse, contextual and linguosynergetic analysis are employed for the analysis of the texts, which allows to understand how systemic interaction of speech elements within a small-format text is organized. In particular, the article describes the mechanisms of the emergence of additional semantic combinations due to the interdiscursive interaction at the level of form and content within the mini-format web narratives. Another mechanism of creating additional semantic structures consists in the violation of the proportionality between the structural and semantic plans of the mini-texts. Besides, attention is paid to ways of expanding the semantic plan of the discourse system due to the specific interaction of lexical operators that form the verbal layers of the text. In general, it is concluded that the synergetic interaction of different-level textual elements is of fundamental importance for ensuring pragmatic effectiveness of small-format web narratives, since on its basis an integral semantic system is formed which does not only influence the cognitive sphere of the recipients, but also is capable of fulfilling their aesthetic needs.

Importance of Corporate Governance: Evidence from Kosovo’s Banking Sector

This study identifies and assesses the impact and effect of corporate governance (CG), as a good practice mechanism, as well as some specific financial indicators on the performance of the banking sector in Kosovo. The data used in the research are defined as secondary data that include nine (9) commercial banks and cover the period 2013–2020. The analysis applied to data processing is the dynamic approach through 2SLS estimation for the dependent variables ROA, ROE, and NIM. The results obtained at the end of the study show that all variables applied in this research, depending on the variable defined for evaluation, have a significant impact on the performance of the banking sector. The results also show that the most adequate measure for assessing a bank’s performance is the net interest margin (NIM). This research paves the way for debate and discussion on the governing structures of financial institutions and policymakers.