Search results for: human immunodeficiency
7730 Unraveling the Phonosignological Foundations of Human Language and Semantic Analysis of Linguistic Elements in Cross-Cultural Contexts
Authors: Mahmudjon Kuchkarov, Marufjon Kuchkarov, Mukhayyo Sobirjanova
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The origins of human language remain a profound scientific mystery, characterized by speculative theories often lacking empirical support. This study presents findings that may illuminate the genesis of human language, emphasizing its roots in natural, systematic, and repetitive sound patterns. Also, this paper presents the phonosignological and semantic analysis of linguistic elements across various languages and cultures. By utilizing the principles of the "Human Language" theory, we analyze the symbolic, phonetic, and semantic characteristics of elements such as "A", "L", "I", "F", and "四" (pronounced /si/ in Chinese and /shi/ in Japanese). Our findings reveal that natural sounds and their symbolic representations form the foundation of language, with significant implications for understanding religious and secular myths. This paper explores the intricate relationships between these elements and their cultural connotations, particularly focusing on the concept of "descent" in the context of the phonetic sequence "A, L, I, F," and the symbolic associations of the number four with death.Keywords: empirical research, human language, phonosignology, semantics, sound patterns, symbolism, body shape, body language, coding, Latin alphabet, merging method, natural sound, origin of language, pairing, phonetics, sound and shape production, word origin, word semantic
Procedia PDF Downloads 177729 Weal: The Human Core of Well-Being as Attested by Social and Life Sciences
Authors: Gyorgy Folk
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A finite set of cardinal needs define the human core of living well shaped on the evolutionary time scale as attested by social and life sciences of the last decades. Well-being is the purported state of living well. Living of humans akin any other living beings involves the exchange of vital substance with nature, maintaining a supportive symbiosis with an array of other living beings, living up to bonds to kin and exerting efforts to sustain living. A supportive natural environment, access to material resources, the nearness to fellow beings, and life sustaining activity are prerequisites of well-being. Well-living is prone to misinterpretation as an individual achievement, one lives well only and only if bonded to human relationships, related to a place, incorporated in nature. Akin all other forms of it, human life is a self-sustaining arrangement. One may say that the substance of life is life, and not materials, products, and services converted into life. The human being remains shaped on an evolutionary time scale and is enabled within the non-altering core of human being, invariant of cultural differences in earthly space and time. Present paper proposes the introduction of weal, the missing link in the causal chain of societal performance and the goodness of life. Interpreted differently over the ages, cultures and disciplines, instead of well-being, the construct in general use, weal is proposed as the underlying foundation of well-being. Weal stands for the totality of socialised reality as framing well-being for the individual beyond the possibility of deliberate choice. The descriptive approach to weal, mapping it under the guidance of discrete scientific disciplines reveals a limited set of cardinal aspects, labeled here the cardinal needs. Cardinal expresses the fundamental reorientation weal can bring about, needs deliver the sense of sine qua non. Weal is conceived as a oneness mapped along eight cardinal needs. The needs, approached as aspects instead of analytically isolated factors do not require mutually exclusive definitions. To serve the purpose of reorientation, weal is operationalised as a domain in multidimensional space, each dimension encompassing an optimal level of availability of the fundamental satisfiers between the extremes of drastic insufficiency and harmful excess, ensured by actual human effort. Weal seeks balance among the material and social aspects of human being while allows for cultural and individual uniqueness in attaining human flourishing.Keywords: human well-being, development, economic theory, human needs
Procedia PDF Downloads 2157728 Numerical Simulation on Airflow Structure in the Human Upper Respiratory Tract Model
Authors: Xiuguo Zhao, Xudong Ren, Chen Su, Xinxi Xu, Fu Niu, Lingshuai Meng
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The respiratory diseases such as asthma, emphysema and bronchitis are connected with the air pollution and the number of these diseases tends to increase, which may attribute to the toxic aerosol deposition in human upper respiratory tract or in the bifurcation of human lung. The therapy of these diseases mostly uses pharmaceuticals in the form of aerosol delivered into the human upper respiratory tract or the lung. Understanding of airflow structures in human upper respiratory tract plays a very important role in the analysis of the “filtering” effect in the pharynx/larynx and for obtaining correct air-particle inlet conditions to the lung. However, numerical simulation based CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) technology has its own advantage on studying airflow structure in human upper respiratory tract. In this paper, a representative human upper respiratory tract is built and the CFD technology was used to investigate the air movement characteristic in the human upper respiratory tract. The airflow movement characteristic, the effect of the airflow movement on the shear stress distribution and the probability of the wall injury caused by the shear stress are discussed. Experimentally validated computational fluid-aerosol dynamics results showed the following: the phenomenon of airflow separation appears near the outer wall of the pharynx and the trachea. The high velocity zone is created near the inner wall of the trachea. The airflow splits at the divider and a new boundary layer is generated at the inner wall of the downstream from the bifurcation with the high velocity near the inner wall of the trachea. The maximum velocity appears at the exterior of the boundary layer. The secondary swirls and axial velocity distribution result in the high shear stress acting on the inner wall of the trachea and bifurcation, finally lead to the inner wall injury. The enhancement of breathing intensity enhances the intensity of the shear stress acting on the inner wall of the trachea and the bifurcation. If human keep the high breathing intensity for long time, not only the ability for the transportation and regulation of the gas through the trachea and the bifurcation fall, but also result in the increase of the probability of the wall strain and tissue injury.Keywords: airflow structure, computational fluid dynamics, human upper respiratory tract, wall shear stress, numerical simulation
Procedia PDF Downloads 2357727 The 'Human Medium' in Communicating the National Image: A Case Study of Chinese Middle-Class Tourists Visiting Japan
Authors: Abigail Qian Zhou
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In recent years, the prosperity of mass tourism in China has accelerated the breadth and depth of direct communication between countries, and the national image has been placed in a new communication context. Outbound tourists are not only directly involved in the formation of the national image, but are also the most direct medium and the most active symbol representing the national image. This study uses Chinese middle-class tourists visiting Japan as a case study, and analyzes, through participant observation and semi-structured interviews, the communication function of the national image transmitted by 'human medium' in tourism activities. It also explores the 'human medium' in the era of mass tourism. This study hopes to build a bridge for tourism research and national image and media studies. It will provide a theoretical basis and practical guidance for promoting the national image, strengthening exchanges between tourists and local populations, and expanding the tourism market in the future.Keywords: human medium, national image, communication, Chinese middle class, outbound tourists
Procedia PDF Downloads 1227726 Correlation between Entrepreneur's Perception of Human Resource Function and Company's Growth
Authors: Ivan Todorović, Stefan Komazec, Jelena Anđelković-Labrović, Ondrej Jaško, Miha Marič
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Micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) are important factors of the economy in each country. Recent years have brought increased number and higher sophistication of scientific research related to numerous aspects of entrepreneurship. Various authors try to find the positive correlation between entrepreneur's personal characteristics, skills and knowledge on one hand, and company growth and success of small business on the other hand. Different models recognize staff as one of the key elements in every organizational system. Human resource (HR) function is present in almost all large companies, despite the geographical location or industry. Small and medium enterprises also often have separate positions or even departments for HR administration. However, in early stages of organizational life cycle human resources are usually managed by the founder, entrepreneur. In this paper we want to question whether the companies where founder, entrepreneur, recognizes the significance of human capital in the organization and understands the importance of HR management have higher growth rate and better business results. The findings of this research can be implemented in practice, but also in the academia, for improving the curricula related to the MSME and entrepreneurship.Keywords: entrepreneurship, MSME, micro small and medium enterprises, company growth, human resources, HR management
Procedia PDF Downloads 3467725 At the Crossroads of Education and Human Rights for Girls and Women in Nigeria: The Language Perspective
Authors: Crescentia Ugwuona
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Appropriate language use has been central and critical in advancing education and human rights for women and girls in many countries the world over. Unfortunately, these lofty aims have often been violated by rural Igbo-Nigerians as they use stereotyping and dehumansing language in their cultural songs against women and girls. The psychological impact of the songs has a significant negative impact on education, human rights, quality of life, and opportunities for many rural Igbo-women and girls in Nigeria. This study, therefore, examines the forms, shades, and manifestations of derogatory and stereotypical language against women and girls the Igbo cultural songs; and how they impede education and human rights for females in Nigeria. Through Critical discourse analysis (CDA) of data collected via recording, the study identifies manifestations of women and girls’ stereotypes such as subjugations, male dominance, inequality in gender roles, suppression, and oppression, and derogatory use of the language against women and girls in the Igbo cultural songs. This study has a great promise of alerting the issues of derogatory and stereotypical language in songs, and contributes to an education aimed at gender equality, emancipator practice of appropriate language use in songs, equal education and human rights for both male and female, respect and solidarity in Nigeria and beyond.Keywords: gender stereotypes, cultural songs, women and girls, language use in Nigeria, critical discourse analysis, CDA, education
Procedia PDF Downloads 3347724 Understanding the Conflict Between Ecological Environment and Human Activities in the Process of Urbanization
Authors: Yazhou Zhou, Yong Huang, Guoqin Ge
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In the process of human social development, the coupling and coordinated development among the ecological environment(E), production(P), and living functions(L) is of great significance for sustainable development. This study uses an improved coupling coordination degree model (CCDM) to discover the coordination conflict between E and human settlement environment. The main work of this study is as follows: (1) It is found that in the process of urbanization development of Ya 'an city from 2014 to 2018, the degree of coupling (DOC) value between E, P, and L is high, but the coupling coordination degree (CCD) of the three is low, especially the DOC value of E and the other two has the biggest decline. (2) A more objective weight value is obtained, which can avoid the analysis error caused by subjective judgment weight value.Keywords: ecological environment, coupling coordination degree, neural network, sustainable development
Procedia PDF Downloads 647723 Human Activities Recognition Based on Expert System
Authors: Malika Yaici, Soraya Aloui, Sara Semchaoui
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Recognition of human activities from sensor data is an active research area, and the main objective is to obtain a high recognition rate. In this work, we propose a recognition system based on expert systems. The proposed system makes the recognition based on the objects, object states, and gestures, taking into account the context (the location of the objects and of the person performing the activity, the duration of the elementary actions, and the activity). This work focuses on complex activities which are decomposed into simple easy to recognize activities. The proposed method can be applied to any type of activity. The simulation results show the robustness of our system and its speed of decision.Keywords: human activity recognition, ubiquitous computing, context-awareness, expert system
Procedia PDF Downloads 1317722 Demographic Factors Influencing Employees’ Salary Expectations and Labor Turnover
Authors: M. Osipova
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Thanks to informational technologies development every sphere of economics is becoming more and more data-centralized as people are generating huge datasets containing information on any aspect of their life. Applying research of such data to human resources management allows getting scarce statistics on labor market state including salary expectations and potential employees’ typical career behavior, and this information can become a reliable basis for management decisions. The following article presents results of career behavior research based on freely accessible resume data. Information used for study is much wider than one usually uses in human resources surveys. That is why there is enough data for statistically significant results even for subgroups analysis.Keywords: human resources management, salary expectations, statistics, turnover
Procedia PDF Downloads 3387721 Synthesis and Molecular Docking Studies of Hydrazone Derivatives Potent Inhibitors as a Human Carbonic Anhydrase IX
Authors: Sema Şenoğlu, Sevgi Karakuş
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Hydrazone scaffold is important to design new drug groups and is found to possess numerous uses in pharmaceutical chemistry. Besides, hydrazone derivatives are also known for biological activities such as anticancer, antimicrobial, antiviral, and antifungal. Hydrazone derivatives are promising anticancer agents because they inhibit cancer proliferation and induce apoptosis. Human carbonic anhydrase IX has a high potential to be an antiproliferative drug target, and targeting this protein is also important for obtaining potential anticancer inhibitors. The protein construct was retrieved as a PDB file from the RCSB protein database. This binding interaction of proteins and ligands was performed using Discovery Studio Visualizer. In vitro inhibitory activity of hydrazone derivatives was tested against enzyme carbonic anhydrase IX on the PyRx programme. Most of these molecules showed remarkable human carbonic anhydrase IX inhibitory activity compared to the acetazolamide. As a result, these compounds appear to be a potential target in drug design against human carbonic anhydrase IX.Keywords: cancer, carbonic anhydrase IX enzyme, docking, hydrazone
Procedia PDF Downloads 707720 HRD Practices in IT Industry – A Study of Select Companies
Authors: Shireesha Devraj, Vishwanath Kokkonda
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Information Technology Industry is one of the fastest up-and-coming, knowledge and skill concentrated industries in India. India preserves its position as the world’s notable global sourcing terminus for IT services. The swift progress in the competitive age is possible only through effective human resource development practices. In the IT industry attracting, nurturing talent, retaining and managing human resources have been the principal issues. The sustenance and growth of IT companies worldwide depends on the intellectual capital it possesses. The IT sector cannot be effectively managed through traditional human resource development practices. In order to stay competitive in future, the IT sector in India has to enrich the skilled talent pool through pertinent HRD practices. An attempt is made in this paper to study the trends in Indian IT Industry.Keywords: HRD practices, IT industry, India, competitive age
Procedia PDF Downloads 3497719 The New Insight about Interspecies Transmission of Iranian H9N2 Influenza Viruses from Avian to Human
Authors: Masoud Soltanialvar, Ali Bagherpour
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Documented cases of human infection with H9N2 avian influenza viruses, first detected in 1999 in Hong Kong and China, indicate that these viruses can be directly transmitted from birds to humans. In this study, we characterized the mutation in the Hemagglutinin (HA) genes and proteins that correlates with a shift in affinity of the Hemagglutinin (HA) protein from the “avian” type sialic receptors to the “human” type in 10 Iranian isolates. We delineated the genomes and receptor binding profile of HA gene of some field isolates and established their phylogenetic relationship to the other Asian H9N2 sub lineages. A total of 1200 tissue samples collected from 40 farms located in various states of Iran during 2008 – 2010 as part of a program to monitor Avian Influenza Viruses (AIV) infection. To determine the genetic relationship of Iranian viruses, the Hemagglutinin (HA) genes from ten isolates were amplified and sequenced (by RT-PCR method). Nucleotide sequences (orf) of the (HA) genes were used for phylogenetic tree construction. Deduced amino acid sequences showed the presence of L226 (234 in H9 numbering) in all ten Iranian isolates which indicates a preference to binding of α (2–6) sialic acid receptors, so these Iranian H9N2 viruses have the potential to infect human beings. These isolates showed high degree of homology with 2 human H9N2 isolates A/HK/1073/99, A/HK/1074/99. Phylogenetic analysis of showed that all the HA genes of the Iranian H9N2 viruses fall into a single group within a G1-like sublineage which had contributed as donor of six internal genes to H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza. The results of this study indicated that all Iranian viruses have the potential to emerge as highly pathogenic influenza virus, and considering the homology of these isolates with human H9N2 strains, it seems that the potential of these avian influenza isolates to infect human should not be overlooked.Keywords: influenza virus, hemagglutinin, neuraminidase, Iran
Procedia PDF Downloads 4387718 A Leadership Approach for the Sake of Organizations: Human-Oriented Leadership
Authors: Eser Bingül
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The leadership and leaders, also having been a privileged subject of scientific researches in the last century, have become influential in shaping the destiny of the states since the first examples of the warfare history. The issue of leadership, finding a place in the management science, can also be defined as an integration of function within the aspect of leader. In this description, the relationship has come to the foreground which is established between the development of leadership theories and the elements of function which are leader, followers, and condition. While one reason of this analysis in leadership is to keep a lens to the historical background, the main reason has been a questioning the traits and education of leaders who have still affected the nation’s and organization’s fate. The links and analysis established in the definition of leadership have put forward the necessity of solving the unpredictable structure of human nature and behaviors in the focus of leadership approach. On the other hand becoming a model that meets the today’s needs of any system has given a clue that the leaders should turn towards the people. Being aware of this necessity, human-oriented leadership approach aims to gain both followers and their abilities to the system with giving them a deserved esteem and create the team spirit based on mutual trust. Ultimately this approach, with the determined leadership qualities consisting of charisma, ability of communication and trust, will be able to produce the solutions to the instant and long-term problems and uncertainties, derived from the variables of function, for the sake of systems.Keywords: human nature, leadership, human-oriented approach, social sciences and humanities
Procedia PDF Downloads 3117717 Biosignal Measurement System Based on Ultra-Wide Band Human Body Communication
Authors: Jonghoon Kim, Gilwon Yoon
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A wrist-band type biosignal measurement system and its data transfer through human body communication (HBC) were investigated. An HBC method based on pulses of ultra-wide band instead of using frequency or amplitude modulations was studied and implemented since the system became very compact and it was more suited for personal or mobile health monitoring. Our system measured photo-plethysmogram (PPG) and measured PPG signals were transmitted through a finger to a monitoring PC system. The device was compact and low-power consuming. HBC communication has very strong security measures since it does not use wireless network. Furthermore, biosignal monitoring system becomes handy because it does not need to have wire connections.Keywords: biosignal, human body communication, mobile health, PPG, ultrawide band
Procedia PDF Downloads 4667716 Preparation, Solid State Characterization of Etraverine Co-Crystals with Improved Solubility for the Treatment of Human Immunodeficiency Virus
Authors: B. S. Muddukrishna, Karthik Aithal, Aravind Pai
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Introduction: Preparation of binary cocrystals of Etraverine (ETR) by using Tartaric Acid (TAR) as a conformer was the main focus of this study. Etravirine is a Class IV drug, as per the BCS classification system. Methods: Cocrystals were prepared by slow evaporation technique. A mixture of total 500mg of ETR: TAR was weighed in molar ratios of 1:1 (371.72mg of ETR and 128.27mg of TAR). Saturated solution of Etravirine was prepared in Acetone: Methanol (50:50) mixture in which tartaric acid is dissolved by sonication and then this solution was stirred using a magnetic stirrer until the solvent got evaporated. Shimadzu FTIR – 8300 system was used to acquire the FTIR spectra of the cocrystals prepared. Shimadzu thermal analyzer was used to achieve DSC measurements. X-ray diffractometer was used to obtain the X-ray powder diffraction pattern. Shake flask method was used to determine the equilibrium dynamic solubility of pure, physical mixture and cocrystals of ETR. USP buffer (pH 6.8) containing 1% of Tween 80 was used as the medium. The pure, physical mixture and the optimized cocrystal of ETR were accurately weighed sufficient to maintain the sink condition and were filled in hard gelatine capsules (size 4). Electrolab-Tablet Dissolution tester using basket apparatus at a rotational speed of 50 rpm and USP phosphate buffer (900 mL, pH = 6.8, 37 ˚C) + 1% Tween80 as a media, was used to carry out dissolution. Shimadzu LC-10 series chromatographic system was used to perform the analysis with PDA detector. An Hypersil BDS C18 (150mm ×4.6 mm ×5 µm) column was used for separation with mobile phase comprising of a mixture of ace¬tonitrile and phosphate buffer 20mM, pH 3.2 in the ratio 60:40 v/v. The flow rate was 1.0mL/min and column temperature was set to 30°C. The detection was carried out at 304 nm for ETR. Results and discussions: The cocrystals were subjected to various solid state characterization and the results confirmed the formation of cocrystals. The C=O stretching vibration (1741cm-1) in tartaric acid was disappeared in the cocrystal and the peak broadening of primary amine indicates hydrogen bond formation. The difference in the melting point of cocrystals when compared to pure Etravirine (265 °C) indicates interaction between the drug and the coformer which proves that first ordered transformation i.e. melting endotherm has disappeared. The difference in 2θ values of pure drug and cocrystals indicates the interaction between the drug and the coformer. Dynamic solubility and dissolution studies were also conducted by shake flask method and USP apparatus one respectively and 3.6 fold increase in the dynamic solubility were observed and in-vitro dissolution study shows four fold increase in the solubility for the ETR: TAR (1:1) cocrystals. The ETR: TAR (1:1) cocrystals shows improved solubility and dissolution as compared to the pure drug which was clearly showed by solid state characterization and dissolution studies.Keywords: dynamic solubility, Etraverine, in vitro dissolution, slurry method
Procedia PDF Downloads 3347715 Enterprise Risk Management, Human Capital and Organizational Performance: Insights from Public Listed Companies
Authors: Omar Moafaq Saleh Aljanabi, Noradiva Hamzah, Ruhanita Maelah
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In today’s challenging global economy, which is driven by information and knowledge, risk management is undergoing a great change, as organizations shift from traditional and compartmental risk management to an enterprise-wide approach. Enterprise risk management (ERM), which aims at increasing the sustainability of an organization and achieving competitive advantage, is gaining global attention and fast becoming an essential concern in all industries. Furthermore, in order to be effective, ERM should be managed by managers with high-level skills and knowledge. Despite the importance of the knowledge embedded in, there remains a paucity of evidence concerning how human capital could influence the organization’s ERM. Responses from 116 public listed companies (PLCs) on the main market of Bursa Malaysia were analyzed using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). This study found that there is a significant association between ERM and organizational performance. The results also indicate that human capital has a positive moderating effect on the relationship between ERM and performance. The study contributes to the ERM literature by providing empirical evidence on the relationship between ERM, human capital, and organizational performance. Findings from this study also provide guidelines for managers, policy makers, and the regulatory bodies, to evaluate the ERM practices in PLCs.Keywords: enterprise risk management, human capital, organizational performance, Malaysian public listed companies
Procedia PDF Downloads 1817714 Impact of Climate Variation on Natural Vegetations and Human Lives in Thar Desert, Pakistan
Authors: Sujo Meghwar, Zulfqar Ali laghari, Kanji Harijan, Muhib Ali Lagari, G. M. Mastoi, Ali Mohammad Rind
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Thar Desert is the most populous Desert of the world. Climate variation in Thar Desert has induced an increase in the magnitude of drought. The variation in climate variation has caused a decrease in natural vegetations. Some plant species are eliminated forever. We have applied the SPI (standardized precipitation index) climate model to investigate the drought induced by climate change. We have gathered the anthropogenic response through a developed questionnaire. The data was analyzed in SPSS version 18. The met-data of two meteorological station elaborated by the time series has suggested an increase in temperature from 1-2.5 centigrade, the decrease in rain fall rainfall from 5-25% and reduction in humidity from 5-12 mm in the 20th century. The anthropogenic responses indicate high impact of climate change on human life and vegetations. Triangle data, we have collected, gives a new insight into the understanding of an association between climate change, drought and human activities.Keywords: Thar desert, human impact, vegetations, temperature, rainfall, humidity
Procedia PDF Downloads 3957713 The Violations of Human Rights After the February Revolution in Libya
Authors: Abdsalam Alahwal, Suren Pillay
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Libya saw the occurrence of violations of human rights on a large scale as well as the deterioration of the rule of law in large parts of the country after the February 17 revolution that removed the Colonel Muammar Gaddafi from power in what is known upheaval of the Arab Spring. Although Libya, a country with a modern democracy, but he has declared unconstitutional temporarily allowed to exercise all the rights of political, civil and judicial, but the presence of weapons in the hands of militias list on the basis of regional, tribal and ideology was the main reason for the deterioration of the humanitarian situation as well as the foreign intervention in Libya. Where reports stressed that violations are serious committed by the conflicting parties from power after the fall of Gaddafi of assassinations and kidnapping of identity and practices related to human trafficking Some of these reports indicate that some ethnic ingredients such as Tawergha and Epiphyseal where was deliberately targeted by some militias were displacement around the city because of their allegiance to the former regime after the war ended in 2012. It is noteworthy that many of these violations and abuses committed by these militias that participated overthrow Gaddafi may rise to war crimes and crimes against humanity. That the intervention in Libya, although it had a human purpose and under the pretext of reducing the political system of human rights violations, but that the main objective, which was behind the international intervention was to overthrow the existing political system and the elimination of Muammar Gaddafi.Keywords: Arab Spring, democracy, revolution , Libya
Procedia PDF Downloads 2927712 Measuring the Height of a Person in Closed Circuit Television Video Footage Using 3D Human Body Model
Authors: Dojoon Jung, Kiwoong Moon, Joong Lee
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The height of criminals is one of the important clues that can determine the scope of the suspect's search or exclude the suspect from the search target. Although measuring the height of criminals by video alone is limited by various reasons, the 3D data of the scene and the Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) footage are matched, the height of the criminal can be measured. However, it is still difficult to measure the height of CCTV footage in the non-contact type measurement method because of variables such as position, posture, and head shape of criminals. In this paper, we propose a method of matching the CCTV footage with the 3D data on the crime scene and measuring the height of the person using the 3D human body model in the matched data. In the proposed method, the height is measured by using 3D human model in various scenes of the person in the CCTV footage, and the measurement value of the target person is corrected by the measurement error of the replay CCTV footage of the reference person. We tested for 20 people's walking CCTV footage captured from an indoor and an outdoor and corrected the measurement values with 5 reference persons. Experimental results show that the measurement error (true value-measured value) average is 0.45 cm, and this method is effective for the measurement of the person's height in CCTV footage.Keywords: human height, CCTV footage, 2D/3D matching, 3D human body model
Procedia PDF Downloads 2437711 The Sustained Utility of Japan's Human Security Policy
Authors: Maria Thaemar Tana
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The paper examines the policy and practice of Japan’s human security. Specifically, it asks the question: How does Japan’s shift towards a more proactive defence posture affect the place of human security in its foreign policy agenda? Corollary to this, how is Japan sustaining its human security policy? The objective of this research is to understand how Japan, chiefly through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) and JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency), sustains the concept of human security as a policy framework. In addition, the paper also aims to show how and why Japan continues to include the concept in its overall foreign policy agenda. In light of the recent developments in Japan’s security policy, which essentially result from the changing security environment, human security appears to be gradually losing relevance. The paper, however, argues that despite the strategic challenges Japan faced and is facing, as well as the apparent decline of its economic diplomacy, human security remains to be an area of critical importance for Japanese foreign policy. In fact, as Japan becomes more proactive in its international affairs, the strategic value of human security also increases. Human security was initially envisioned to help Japan compensate for its weaknesses in the areas of traditional security, but as Japan moves closer to a more activist foreign policy, the soft policy of human security complements its hard security policies. Using the framework of neoclassical realism (NCR), the paper recognizes that policy-making is essentially a convergence of incentives and constraints at the international and domestic levels. The theory posits that there is no perfect 'transmission belt' linking material power on the one hand, and actual foreign policy on the other. State behavior is influenced by both international- and domestic-level variables, but while systemic pressures and incentives determine the general direction of foreign policy, they are not strong enough to affect the exact details of state conduct. Internal factors such as leaders’ perceptions, domestic institutions, and domestic norms, serve as intervening variables between the international system and foreign policy. Thus, applied to this study, Japan’s sustained utilization of human security as a foreign policy instrument (dependent variable) is essentially a result of systemic pressures (indirectly) (independent variables) and domestic processes (directly) (intervening variables). Two cases of Japan’s human security practice in two regions are examined in two time periods: Iraq in the Middle East (2001-2010) and South Sudan in Africa (2011-2017). The cases show that despite the different motives behind Japan’s decision to participate in these international peacekeepings ad peace-building operations, human security continues to be incorporated in both rhetoric and practice, thus demonstrating that it was and remains to be an important diplomatic tool. Different variables at the international and domestic levels will be examined to understand how the interaction among them results in changes and continuities in Japan’s human security policy.Keywords: human security, foreign policy, neoclassical realism, peace-building
Procedia PDF Downloads 1267710 Glycation of Serum Albumin: Cause Remarkable Alteration in Protein Structure and Generation of Early Glycation End Products
Authors: Ishrat Jahan Saifi, Sheelu Shafiq Siddiqi, M. R. Ajmal
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Glycation of protein is very important as well as a harmful process, which may lead to develop DM in human body. Human Serum Albumin (HSA) is the most abundant protein in blood and it is highly prone to glycation by the reducing sugars. 2-¬deoxy d-¬Ribose (dRib) is a highly reactive reducing sugar which is produced in cells as a product of the enzyme thymidine phosphorylase. It is generated during the degradation of DNA in human body. It may cause glycation in HSA rapidly and is involved in the development of DM. In present study, we did in¬vitro glycation of HSA with different concentrations of 2-¬deoxy d-¬ribose and found that dRib glycated HSA rapidly within 4h incubation at 37◦C. UV¬ Spectroscopy, Fluorescence spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and Circular Dichroism (CD) technique have been done to determine the structural changes in HSA upon glycation. Results of this study suggested that dRib is the potential glycating agent and it causes alteration in protein structure and biophysical properties which may lead to development and progression of Diabetes mellitus.Keywords: 2-deoxy D-ribose, human serum albumin, glycation, diabetes mellitus
Procedia PDF Downloads 2047709 Health and Safety of Red Cross Workers in Long-Term Homes during Early Days of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Human Performance Perspective
Authors: Douglas J. Kube
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At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Canadian Red Cross deployed workers into long-term care homes across Canada to support our most vulnerable citizens. It began by recruiting and training small teams of workers to provide non-clinical services for facilities in outbreak. Deployed workers were trained on an approach based on successful Red Cross deployments used with Ebola in which zones were established, levels of protection used, and strict protocols followed to prevent exposure. This paper addresses aspects of human performance through a safety culture lens. The Red Cross deployments highlight valuable insights and are an excellent case study in the principles of human performance and organizational culture. This paper looks at human performance principles, including human fallibility, predictability of error-likely situations, avoiding events by understanding reasons mistakes occur, and the influence on behaviour by organizational factors. This study demonstrates how the Red Cross’s organizational culture and work design positively influenced performance to protect workers and residents/clients. Lastly, this paper shares lessons that can be applied in many workplaces to improve worker health and safety and safety culture. This critical examination is based on the author’s experience as a Senior Occupational Health and Safety Advisor with the Red Cross during the pandemic as part of the team responsible for developing and implementing biological safety practices in long-term care deployments.Keywords: COVID, human performance, organizational culture, work design
Procedia PDF Downloads 527708 Integration of FMEA and Human Factor in the Food Chain Risk Assessment
Authors: Mohsen Shirani, Micaela Demichela
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During the last decades, a number of food crises such as Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), Mad-Cow disease, Dioxin in chicken food, Food-and-Mouth Disease (FMD), have certainly inflicted the reliability of the food industry. Consequently, the trend in applying different scientific methods of risk assessment in food safety has obtained more attentions in the academic and practice. However, lack of practical approach considering entire food supply chain is tangible in the academic literature. In this regard, this paper aims to apply risk assessment tool (FMEA) with integration of Human Factor along the entire supply chain of food production and test the method in a case study of Diary production, and analyze its results.Keywords: FMEA, food supply chain, risk assessment, human factor
Procedia PDF Downloads 4317707 Human Centred Design Approach for Public Transportation
Authors: Jo Kuys, Kirsten Day
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Improving urban transportation systems requires an emphasis on users’ end-to-end journey experience, from the moment the user steps out of their home to when they arrive at their destination. In considering such end-to-end experiences, human centred design (HCD) must be integrated from the very beginning to generate viable outcomes for the public. An HCD approach will encourage innovative outcomes while acknowledging all factors that need to be understood along the journey. We provide evidence to show that when designing for public transportation, it is not just about the physical manifestation of a particular outcome; moreover, it’s about the context and human behaviours that need to be considered throughout the design process. Humans and their behavioural factors are vitally important to successful implementation of sustainable public transport systems. Through an in-depth literature review of HCD approaches for urban transportation systems, we provide a base to exploit the benefits and highlight the importance of including HCD in public transportation projects for greater patronage, resulting in more sustainable cities. An HCD approach is critical to all public transportation projects to understand different levels of transportation design, from the setting of transport policy to implementation to infrastructure, vehicle, and interface design.Keywords: human centred design, public transportation, urban planning, user experience
Procedia PDF Downloads 1767706 Human Rights and Juvenile Justice System: A Case Study of Warangal District, Telangana State, India
Authors: Vijaya Chandra Tenneti
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The juvenile justice delivery system in India suffers from many lacunae at the operational level and ignores many dimensions of human rights guaranteed to the juvenile delinquents. The present study begins with the hypothesis that the existing justice delivery system seemingly ignores the basic tenets of the fair trial and systemic support to the delinquent juveniles in integrating them into the mainstream of society. As per the designed methodology, data has been collected from the unit of the present study, and other stakeholders, namely, Juvenile Justice Board, Observation Homes etc., of Warangal district of Telangana state, India. The study shows that there is the overemphasis on procedural laws. The juvenile integration programs are not effective. The administrators lack training. Juveniles lack formal education. The study indicates the incidents of juvenile crimes is on the rise and that the majority of the juvenile delinquents hold a low socio-economic profile. Another significant observation of the study is that the juvenile justice system lacks a holistic and human rights-centric approach.Keywords: delinquency, human rights, juvenile justice, rehabilitation
Procedia PDF Downloads 1297705 Practice of Social Audit in Hotel Companies: Case Study of Agadir, Morocco
Authors: M. El Mousadik, F. Elkandoussi
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The concern for increased rigor in social management has led more and more Moroccan business leaders to question the value of applying social audit as an essential tool in the management of human resources. Hotel companies are not excluded; in fact, they are expected to implement such an audit to develop sound and credible human resources management (HRM) policies. The main objective of this paper is to establish the relationship between the practice of social audit as a tool, and its impact on the tourism sector, especially on hotels at one of the Morocco’s first and most popular city for tourism, Agadir. This exploratory study of properties in Agadir has revealed that hotel executives are aware of the importance of social auditing to hone their decisions in the field of HRM.Keywords: social audit, hotel companies, human resources management, social piloting
Procedia PDF Downloads 2687704 Human Skin Identification Using a Specific mRNA Marker at Different Storage Durations
Authors: Abla A. Ali, Heba A. Abd El Razik, Nadia A. Kotb, Amany A. Bayoumi, Laila A. Rashed
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The detection of human skin through mRNA-based profiling is a very useful tool for forensic investigations. The aim of this study was definitive identification of human skin at different time intervals using an mRNA marker late cornified envelope gene 1C. Ten middle-aged healthy volunteers of both sexes were recruited for this study. Skin samples controlled with blood samples were taken from the candidates to test for the presence of our targeted mRNA marker. Samples were kept at dry dark conditions to be tested at different time intervals (24 hours, one week, three weeks and four weeks) for detection and relative quantification of the targeted marker by RT PCR. The targeted marker could not be detected in blood samples. The targeted marker showed the highest mean value after 24 hours (11.90 ± 2.42) and the lowest mean value (7.56 ± 2.56) after three weeks. No marker could be detected at four weeks. This study verified the high specificity and sensitivity of mRNA marker in the skin at different storage times up to three weeks under the study conditions.Keywords: human skin, late cornified envelope gene 1C, mRNA marker, time intervals
Procedia PDF Downloads 1587703 Gestural Pragmatic Inference among Primates: An Experimental Approach
Authors: Siddharth Satishchandran, Brian Khumalo
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Humans are able to derive semantic content from syntactic and pragmatic sources. Multimodal evidence from signaling theory, which examines communication between individuals within and across species, suggests that non-human primates possess similar syntactic and pragmatic capabilities. However, the extent remains unknown because primate pragmatics are relatively under-examined. Our paper reviews research within communication theory amongst non-human primates to understand current theoretical trends. We examine evidence for primate pragmatic capacities through observational, experimental, and theoretical work on gestures. Given fragmented theoretical perspectives, we provide a unified framework of communication for future research that contextualizes the available research under code biology. To achieve this, we rely on biological semiotics (biosemiotics), the philosophy of biology investigating prelinguistic meaning-making as a function of signs and codes. We close by discussing areas of potential research for studying gestural pragmatics amongst non-human primates, particularly chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes), Diana monkeys (Cercopithecus diana), and other potential candidates.Keywords: pragmatics, non-human primates, gestural communication, biological semiotics
Procedia PDF Downloads 267702 Policy Brief/Note of Philippine Health Issues: Human Rights Violations Committed on Healthcare Workers
Authors: Trina Isabel Santiago, Daniel Chua, Jumee Tayaban, Joseph Daniel Timbol, Joshua Yanes
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Numerous instances of human rights violations on healthcare workers have been reported during the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines. This brief aims to explore these civil and political rights violations and propose recommendations to address these. Our review shows that a wide range of civic and political human rights violations have been committed by individual citizens and government agencies on individual healthcare workers and health worker groups. These violations include discrimination, red-tagging, evictions, illegal arrests, and acts of violence ranging from chemical attacks to homicide. If left unchecked, these issues, compounded by the pandemic, may lead to the exacerbations of the pre-existing problems of the Philippine healthcare system. Despite all pre-existing reports by human rights groups and public media articles, there still seems to be a lack of government action to condemn and prevent these violations. The existence of government agencies which directly contribute to these violations with the lack of condemnation from other agencies further propagate the problem. Given these issues, this policy brief recommends the establishment of an interagency task force for the protection of human rights of healthcare workers as well as the expedited passing of current legislative bills towards the same goal. For more immediate action, we call for the establishment of a dedicated hotline for these incidents with adequate appointment and training of point persons, construction of clear guidelines, and closer collaboration between government agencies in being united against these issues.Keywords: human rights violations, healthcare workers, COVID-19 pandemic, Philippines
Procedia PDF Downloads 6067701 Spatiotemporal Neural Network for Video-Based Pose Estimation
Authors: Bin Ji, Kai Xu, Shunyu Yao, Jingjing Liu, Ye Pan
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Human pose estimation is a popular research area in computer vision for its important application in human-machine interface. In recent years, 2D human pose estimation based on convolution neural network has got great progress and development. However, in more and more practical applications, people often need to deal with tasks based on video. It’s not far-fetched for us to consider how to combine the spatial and temporal information together to achieve a balance between computing cost and accuracy. To address this issue, this study proposes a new spatiotemporal model, namely Spatiotemporal Net (STNet) to combine both temporal and spatial information more rationally. As a result, the predicted keypoints heatmap is potentially more accurate and spatially more precise. Under the condition of ensuring the recognition accuracy, the algorithm deal with spatiotemporal series in a decoupled way, which greatly reduces the computation of the model, thus reducing the resource consumption. This study demonstrate the effectiveness of our network over the Penn Action Dataset, and the results indicate superior performance of our network over the existing methods.Keywords: convolutional long short-term memory, deep learning, human pose estimation, spatiotemporal series
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