Search results for: double links

Authors: Svetlana Guryeva, Inna Kornienko, Andrey Usanov, Dmitry Usanov, Elena Petersen

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Every day cells in our organism are exposed to various factors: chemical agents, reactive oxygen species, ionizing radiation, and others. These factors can cause damage to DNA, cellular membrane, intracellular compartments, and proteins. The fate of cells depends on the exposure intensity and duration. The prolonged and intense exposure causes the irreversible damage accumulation, which triggers the permanent cell cycle arrest (cellular senescence) or cell death programs. In the case of low dose of impacts, it can lead to cell renovation and to cell functional state improvement. Therefore, it is a pivotal question to investigate the factors and doses that result in described positive effects. In order to estimate the influence of different agents, the proliferation index and levels of cell death markers (annexin V/propidium iodide), senescence-associated β-galactosidase, and lipofuscin were measured. The experiments were conducted on primary human fibroblasts of the 8th passage. According to the levels of mentioned markers, these cells were defined as senescent cells. The effect of low-frequency magnetic field was investigated. Different modes of magnetic field exposure were tested. The physical agents were compared with chemical agents: metformin (10 mM) and taurine (0.8 mM and 1.6 mM). Cells were incubating with chemicals for 5 days. The highest decrease in the level of senescence-associated β-galactosidase (21%) and lipofuscin (17%) was observed in the primary senescent fibroblasts after 5 days after double treatments with 48 h intervals with low-frequency magnetic field. There were no significant changes in the proliferation index after magnetic field application. The cytotoxic effect of magnetic field was not observed. The chemical agent taurine (1.6 mM) decreased the level of senescence-associated β-galactosidase (23%) and lipofuscin (22%). Metformin improved the activity of senescence-associated β-galactosidase on 15% and the level of lipofuscin on 19% in this experiment. According to these results, the effect of double treatment with 48 h interval with low-frequency magnetic field and the effect of taurine (1.6 mM) were comparable to the effect of metformin, for which anti-aging properties are proved. In conclusion, this study can become the first step towards creation of the standardized system for the investigation of different effects on senescent cells.

Keywords: biomarkers, magnetic field, metformin, primary fibroblasts, senescence, taurine

Procedia PDF Downloads 259

Authors: Catherine K. Derow

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Possibly a slime mold somehow mutated or already was mutated at progeniture and so stayed as a metazoan when it developed into the fruiting stage and so the slime mold(s) we are evolved and similar to are genetically differ from the slime molds in existence now. This may be why there are genetic links between humans and other metazoa now alive and slime molds now alive but we are now divergent branches of the evolutionary tree compared to the original slime mold, or perhaps slime mold-like organisms, that gave rise to metazoan animalia and perhaps algae and plantae as slime molds were undifferentiated enough in many ways that could allow their descendants to evolve into these three separate phylogenetic categories. Or it may be a slime mold was born or somehow progenated as multicellular, as the particular organism was mutated enough to have say divided in a a 'pseudo-embryonic' stage, and this could have happened for algae, plantae as well as animalia or all the branches may be from the same line but the missing link might be covered in 'phylogenetic sequence comparison noise'.

Keywords: metazoan evolution, unicellular bridge to metazoans, evolution, slime mold

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Authors: Lali Khurtsia, Vano Tsertsvadze

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The purpose of the study was to find out incentives and expectations, methods and ways, which are influential to students during working with their thesis. Research findings shows that the use of plagiarism has cultural links deep in the history - on the one hand, the tradition of sharing knowledge in the oral manner, with its different interpretations, and on the other hand the lack of fair and honest methods in the academic process. Research results allow us to determine general ideas about preventive policy to reduce the use of plagiarism. We conducted surveys in three different groups – we interviewed so-called diploma writers, students on bachelors and masters level and the focus group of lecturers. We found that the problem with plagiarism in Georgia has cultural-mental character. We think that nearest years’ main task should be breaking of barriers existed between lecturers and students and acknowledgement of honest principals of study process among students and pupils.

Keywords: education, Georgia, plagiarism, study process, school, university

Procedia PDF Downloads 211

Authors: Richard Tanaka, Ying Zhu

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This paper studies a few randomized algorithms in application-layer peer-to-peer networks. The significant gain in scalability and resilience that peer-to-peer networks provide has made them widely used and adopted in many real-world distributed systems and applications. The unique properties of peer-to-peer networks make them particularly suitable for randomized algorithms such as random walks and gossip algorithms. Instead of simulations of peer-to-peer networks, we leverage the Docker virtual container technology to develop implementations of the peer-to-peer networks and these distributed randomized algorithms running on top of them. We can thus analyze their behaviour and performance in realistic settings. We further consider the problem of identifying high-risk bottleneck links in the network with the objective of improving the resilience and reliability of peer-to-peer networks. We propose a randomized algorithm to solve this problem and evaluate its performance by simulations.

Keywords: distributed randomized algorithms, peer-to-peer networks, virtual container technology, resilient networks

Procedia PDF Downloads 184

Authors: Daphne Ashley Sze, Kenneth Santos, Ariane Gabrielle Lim

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As women are now given more freedom and choice to pursue employment, the world’s over-all fertility has been decreasing mainly due to the shift in time allocation between working and child rearing. As such, we study the case of the Philippines, where there exists a decreasing fertility rate and increasing openness for women labor participation. We focused on the distinction between fertility and fecundity, the former being the manifestation of the latter and aim to trace and compare the effects of both fecundity and fertility to women’s employment status through the estimation of the reproduction function and multinomial logistic function. Findings suggest that the perception of women regarding employment opportunities in the Philippines links the negative relationship observed between fertility, fecundity and women’s employment status. Today, there has been a convergence in the traditional family roles of men and women, as both genders now have identical employment opportunities that continue to shape their preferences.

Keywords: multinomial logistic function, tobit, fertility, women employment status, fecundity

Procedia PDF Downloads 578

Authors: Ursula D. C. Resende, Fabiano S. Bicalho, Sandro T. M. Gonçalves

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The growing demand for cheap and clean energy sources have been motivated by the study and development of distinct technologies and devices able to provide different amounts of energy. In order to supply energy for small loads, the energy from the electromagnetic spectrum can be harvested. This possibility is particularly interesting because this kind of energy is constantly available in the environment and the number of radiofrequency sources is permanently increasing, due to advances in telecommunications services. A rectenna, which is a combination of an antenna and a rectifier circuit, is an equipment that can efficiently perform the electromagnetic energy harvesting. However, since the amount of electromagnetic energy available in the environment is very small, limited values of power can be harvested by the rectenna. Therefore, several technical strategies have been investigated in order to increase this amount of power. In this work, a metamaterial electromagnetic lens is used to improve the electromagnetic energy harvesting. The rectenna investigated was designed and optimized to charge a Li-Ion battery using the electromagnetic energy from an internet Wi-Fi commercial router model TL-WR841HP operating in 2.45 GHz with maximal output power equal to 18 dBm. The rectenna consists of a high directive antenna, a double voltage rectifier circuit and a metamaterial lens. The printed antenna, constituted of two rectangular radiator elements, was projected and optimized by using the Computer Simulation Software (CST) in order to obtain high directivities and values of S11 parameter below -10 dB in 2.45 GHz. The antenna was printed over a double-sided copper fiberglass substrate, FR4, with characterized relative electric permittivity εr = 4.3 and tangent of losses δ = 0.01. The rectifier circuit, which incorporates a circuit for impedance matching and uses the Schottky diode HSMS-2852, was projected and optimized by using Advanced Design Software (ADS) and built over the same FR4 substrate. The metamaterial cell is composed of two Square Split Ring Resonator (S-SRR) and a thin wire in order to operate with negative values of εr and relative magnetic permeability in 2.45 GHz. In order to evaluate the performance of the purposed rectenna two experimental charging tests were performed, one without and other with the metamaterial lens. The result obtained demonstrate that the electromagnetic lens was able to significantly increase the levels of electric current delivered to the battery, approximately 44%.

Keywords: electromagnetic energy harvesting, electromagnetic lens, metamaterial, rectenna

Procedia PDF Downloads 125

Authors: Igor A. Podgorny

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TurboTax AnswerXchange is a social Q/A system supporting users working on federal and state tax returns. Content quality and popularity in the AnswerXchange can be predicted with propensity models using attributes of the question and answer. Using uplift modeling, we identify features of questions and answers that can be modified during the question-asking and question-answering experience in order to optimize the AnswerXchange content quality. We demonstrate that adding details to the questions always results in increased question popularity that can be used to promote good quality content. Responding to close-ended questions assertively improve content quality in the AnswerXchange in 90% of cases. Answering knowledge questions with web links increases the likelihood of receiving a negative vote from 60% of the askers. Our findings provide a rationale for employing the uplift modeling approach for AnswerXchange operations.

Keywords: customer relationship management, human-machine interaction, text mining, uplift modeling

Procedia PDF Downloads 230

Authors: Urszula Malaga-Toboła, Marek Gugała, Rafał Kornas, Robert Rusinek, Marek Gancarz

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The work focused on presenting the elements that determine the quality of fresh milk in the context of the quality of its transport. The quality of the raw material depends on the quality of transport. Milk transport involves many activities in which, apart from the temperature and sterility of the means of transport, it is important not to expose the raw material to shocks. Recently, there have been changes in the milk supply chain, thus affecting the logistics processes between its links. Based on the conducted research and analyses, it was found that the condition of the road surface on which milk is transported affects its quality. For the T1 milk transport route- gravel roads of very poor and poor quality, the lowest number of bacteria and the highest number of somatic cells, fat content, and temperature of the transported milk were obtained. A well-organized integrated transport system is a real need for most companies today. The analysis showed significant differences in the quality of milk delivered to the dairy.

Keywords: fresh milk, transport, milk quality, dairy

Procedia PDF Downloads 64

Authors: Ariane C. Lim, Daphne Ashley L. Sze, Kenneth S. Santos

Abstract:

As women are now given more freedom and choice to pursue employment, the world’s over-all fertility has been decreasing mainly due to the shift in time allocation between working and child-rearing. As such, we study the case of the Philippines, where there exists a decreasing fertility rate and increasing openness for women labor participation. We focused on the distinction between fertility and fecundity, the former being the manifestation of the latter and aim to trace and compare the effects of both fecundity and fertility to women’s employment status through the estimation of the reproduction function and multinomial logistic function. Findings suggest that the perception of women regarding employment opportunities in the Philippines links the negative relationship observed between fertility, fecundity and women’s employment status. Today, there has been a convergence in the traditional family roles of men and women, as both genders now have identical employment opportunities that continue to shape their preferences.

Keywords: multinomial logistic function, tobit, fertility, women employment status, fecundity

Procedia PDF Downloads 599

Authors: Tobias Milz, L. Macpherson, Varvara Vetrova

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The law is a fundamental pillar of human societies as it shapes, controls and governs how humans conduct business, behave and interact with each other. Recent advances in computer-assisted technologies such as NLP, data science and AI are creating opportunities to support the practice, research and study of this pervasive domain. It is therefore not surprising that there has been an increase in investments into supporting technologies for the legal industry (also known as “legal tech” or “law tech”) over the last decade. A sub-discipline of particular appeal is concerned with assisted legal research. Supporting law researchers and practitioners to retrieve information from the vast amount of ever-growing legal documentation is of natural interest to the legal research community. One tool that has been in use for this purpose since the early nineteenth century is legal citation indexing. Among other use cases, they provided an effective means to discover new precedent cases. Nowadays, computer-assisted network analysis tools can allow for new and more efficient ways to reveal the “hidden” information that is conveyed through citation behavior. Unfortunately, access to openly available legal data is still lacking in New Zealand and access to such networks is only commercially available via providers such as LexisNexis. Consequently, there is a need to create, analyze and provide a legal citation network with sufficient data to support legal research tasks. This paper describes the development and analysis of a legal citation Network for New Zealand containing over 300.000 decisions from 125 different courts of all areas of law and jurisdiction. Using python, the authors assembled web crawlers, scrapers and an OCR pipeline to collect and convert court decisions from openly available sources such as NZLII into uniform and machine-readable text. This facilitated the use of regular expressions to identify references to other court decisions from within the decision text. The data was then imported into a graph-based database (Neo4j) with the courts and their respective cases represented as nodes and the extracted citations as links. Furthermore, additional links between courts of connected cases were added to indicate an indirect citation between the courts. Neo4j, as a graph-based database, allows efficient querying and use of network algorithms such as PageRank to reveal the most influential/most cited courts and court decisions over time. This paper shows that the in-degree distribution of the New Zealand legal citation network resembles a power-law distribution, which indicates a possible scale-free behavior of the network. This is in line with findings of the respective citation networks of the U.S. Supreme Court, Austria and Germany. The authors of this paper provide the database as an openly available data source to support further legal research. The decision texts can be exported from the database to be used for NLP-related legal research, while the network can be used for in-depth analysis. For example, users of the database can specify the network algorithms and metrics to only include specific courts to filter the results to the area of law of interest.

Keywords: case citation network, citation analysis, network analysis, Neo4j

Procedia PDF Downloads 89

Authors: M. Marchewka

Abstract:

The article is devoted to the possible optical transitions in double quantum wells system based on HgTe/HgCd(Mn)Te heterostructures. Such structures can find applications as detectors and sources of radiation in the terahertz range. The Double Quantum Wells (DQW) systems consist of two QWs separated by the transparent for electrons barrier. Such systems look promising from the point of view of the additional degrees of freedom. In the case of the topological insulator in about 6.4nm wide HgTe QW or strained 3D HgTe films at the interfaces, the topologically protected surface states appear at the interfaces/surfaces. Electrons in those edge states move along the interfaces/surfaces without backscattering due to time-reversal symmetry. Combination of the topological properties, which was already verified by the experimental way, together with the very well know properties of the DQWs, can be very interesting from the applications point of view, especially in the THz area. It is important that at the present stage, the technology makes it possible to create high-quality structures of this type, and intensive experimental and theoretical studies of their properties are already underway. The idea presented in this paper is based on the eight-band KP model, including the additional terms related to the structural inversion asymmetry, interfaces inversion asymmetry, the influence of the magnetically content, and the uniaxial strain describe the full pictures of the possible real structure. All of this term, together with the external electric field, can be sources of breaking symmetry in investigated materials. Using the 8 band KP model, we investigated the electronic shape structure with and without magnetic field from the application point of view as a THz detector in a small magnetic field (below 2T). We believe that such structures are the way to get the tunable topological insulators and the multilayer topological insulator. Using the one-dimensional electrons at the topologically protected interface states as fast and collision-free signal carriers as charge and signal carriers, the detection of the optical signal should be fast, which is very important in the high-resolution detection of signals in the THz range. The proposed engineering of the investigated structures is now one of the important steps on the way to get the proper structures with predicted properties.

Keywords: topological insulator, THz spectroscopy, KP model, II-VI compounds

Procedia PDF Downloads 102

Authors: Abdulwahab S. Shmailan

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The links between the halalan tayyiban dimensions and their impact on the propensity to purchase halal cosmetics in Muslim culture are investigated in this study. The information was gathered by a self-administered questionnaire survey of 207 Saudi Muslim customers using purposive sampling. The suggested model was tested using Pearson correlation coefficients and an ANOVA test. Significant and positive connections were found between halalan tayyiban dimensions, attitudes, and purchasing intent. There were also substantial changes in the study parameters depending on the respondent's work title. This is one of the first empirical tests of the halalan tayyiban, attitudes, and intention to purchase model among Saudi Muslim customers. The study offers helpful recommendations for cosmetics sector marketers as well as strategy formulation.

Keywords: cosmetics, halal cosmetics, halalan tayyiban, halal certificate, customers attitude, intention to purchase

Procedia PDF Downloads 151

Authors: Y. Landkocz, C. Lepers, P.J. Martin, B. Fougère, F. Roy Saint-Georges. A. Verdin, F. Cazier, F. Ledoux, D. Courcot, F. Sichel, P. Gosset, P. Shirali, S. Billet

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In 2013, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified air pollution and fine particles as carcinogenic to humans. Causal relationships exist between elevated ambient levels of airborne particles and increase of mortality and morbidity including pulmonary diseases, like lung cancer. However, due to a double complexity of both physicochemical Particulate Matter (PM) properties and tumor mechanistic processes, mechanisms of action remain not fully elucidated. Furthermore, because of several common properties between air pollution PM and tobacco smoke, like the same route of exposure and chemical composition, potential mechanisms of synergy could exist. Therefore, smoking could be an aggravating factor of the particles toxicity. In order to identify some mechanisms of action of particles according to their size, two samples of PM were collected: PM0.03 2.5 and PM0.33 2.5 in the urban-industrial area of Dunkerque. The overall cytotoxicity of the fine particles was determined on human bronchial cells (BEAS-2B). Toxicological study focused then on the metabolic activation of the organic compounds coated onto PM and some genetic and epigenetic changes induced on a co-culture model of BEAS-2B and alveolar macrophages isolated from bronchoalveolar lavages performed in smokers and non-smokers. The results showed (i) the contribution of the ultrafine fraction of atmospheric particles to genotoxic (eg. DNA double-strand breaks) and epigenetic mechanisms (eg. promoter methylation) involved in tumor processes, and (ii) the influence of smoking on the cellular response. Three main conclusions can be discussed. First, our results showed the ability of the particles to induce deleterious effects potentially involved in the stages of initiation and promotion of carcinogenesis. The second conclusion is that smoking affects the nature of the induced genotoxic effects. Finally, the in vitro developed cell model, using bronchial epithelial cells and alveolar macrophages can take into account quite realistically, some of the existing cell interactions existing in the lung.

Keywords: air pollution, fine and ultrafine particles, genotoxic and epigenetic alterations, smoking

Procedia PDF Downloads 324

Authors: Aleksander Veraksa, Alla Tvardovskaya, Margarita Gavrilova, Vera Yakupova, Martin Musálek

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Considering the current agreement on the significance of executive functions, there is growing interest in determining factors that contribute to the development of these skills, especially during the preschool period. Although multiple studies have been focusing on links between physical activity, physical fitness and executive functions, this topic was more investigated in schoolchildren and adults than in preschoolers. The aim of the current study was to identify different levels of physical fitness among pre-schoolers, followed by an analysis of differences in their executive functions. Participants were 261 5-6-years old children. Inhibitory control and working memory were positively linked with physical fitness. Cognitive flexibility was not associated with physical fitness. The research findings are considered from neuropsychological grounds, Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development, and the cultural-historical approach.

Keywords: cognitive flexibility, inhibitory control, physical activity, physical fitness, working memory.

Procedia PDF Downloads 79

Authors: Ismael Ávila, José Reynaldo F. Filho, Vasco Varanda Picchi

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The ever-growing consumer awareness of food provenance in Brazil is driving the creation of a trusted ecosystem around the animal protein supply chain. The traceability and accountability requirements of such an ecosystem demand a blockchain layer to strengthen the weak links in that chain. For that, direct involvement of the companies in the blockchain transactions, including as validator nodes of the network, implies formalizing a partnership with the consortium behind the ecosystem. Yet, their compliance standards usually require that a formal governance structure is in place before they agree with any membership terms. In light of such a strategic role of blockchain governance, the paper discusses a framework for tailoring a governance model for a blockchain-based solution aimed at the meat supply chain and evaluates principles and attributes in terms of their relevance to the development of a robust trust ecosystem.

Keywords: blockchain, governance, trust ecosystem, supply chain, traceability

Procedia PDF Downloads 93

Authors: Osama Terra, Hatem Hussein

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Calibration of Optical Time Domain Reflectometer (OTDR) is crucial for the accurate determination of loss budget for long optical fiber links. In this paper, the calibration of the attenuation scale of an OTDR using two different techniques is discussed and implemented. The first technique is the external modulation method (EM). A setup is proposed to calibrate an OTDR over a dynamic range of around 15 dB based on the EM method. Afterwards, the OTDR is calibrated using two standard reference fibers (SRF). Both SRF are calibrated using cut-back technique; one of them is calibrated at our home institute (the National Institute of Standards – NIS) while the other at the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) of the United Kingdom to confirm our results. In addition, the parameters contributing the calibration uncertainty are thoroughly investigated. Although the EM method has several advantages over the SRF method, the uncertainties in the SRF method is found to surpass that of the EM method.

Keywords: optical time domain reflectometer, fiber attenuation measurement, OTDR calibration, external source method

Procedia PDF Downloads 446

Authors: Yamba Dabone, Tounwendyam Frédéric Ouedraogo, Pengwendé Justin Kouraogo, Oumarou Sie

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Reliable data transport over the Internet is one of the goals of researchers in the field of computer science. Data such as videos and audio files are becoming increasingly large. As a result, transporting them over the Internet is becoming difficult. Therefore, it has been important to establish a method to locally interconnect autonomous systems (AS) with each other to facilitate traffic exchange. It is in this context that Internet Exchange Points (IXPs) are set up to facilitate local and even regional traffic. They are now the lifeblood of the Internet. Therefore, it is important to think about the factors that can characterize IXPs. However, other more quantifiable characteristics can help determine the quality of an IXP. In addition, these characteristics may allow ISPs to have a clearer view of the exchange node and may also convince other networks to connect to an IXP. To that end, we define five new IXP characteristics: the attraction rate (τₐₜₜᵣ); and the peering rate (τₚₑₑᵣ); the target rate of an IXP (Objₐₜₜ); the number of IXP links (Nₗᵢₙₖ); the resistance rate τₑ𝒻𝒻 and the attraction failure rate (τ𝒻).

Keywords: characteristic, autonomous system, internet service provider, internet exchange point, rate

Procedia PDF Downloads 71

Authors: Christopher Frank, Yoshiki Miyairi

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A jet-stream airsail concept takes advantage of aerology in order to fly without propulsion. Weather phenomena, especially jet streams, are relatively permanent high winds blowing from west to east, located at average altitudes and latitudes in both hemispheres. To continuously extract energy from the jet-stream, the system is composed of a propelled plane and a wind turbine interconnected by a cable. This work presents the aerodynamic characteristics and the behavior of the cable that links the two subsystems and transmits energy from the turbine to the aircraft. Two ways of solving this problem are explored: numerically and analytically. After obtaining the optimal shape of the cross-section of the cable, its behavior is analyzed as a 2D problem solved numerically and analytically. Finally, a 3D extension could be considered by adding lateral forces. The results of this work can be further used in the design process of the overall system: aircraft-turbine.

Keywords: jet-stream, cable, tether, aerodynamics, aircraft, airsail, wind

Procedia PDF Downloads 343

Authors: Charlotte Entwistle, Ryan Boyd

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Recent developments in information retrieval techniques and natural language processing have allowed for greater exploration of psychological and social processes. Linguistic analysis methods for understanding behaviour have provided useful insights within the field of mental health. One area within mental health that has received little attention though, is borderline personality disorder (BPD). BPD is a common mental health disorder characterised by instability of interpersonal relationships, self-image and affect. It also manifests through maladaptive behaviours, such as impulsivity and self-harm. Examination of language patterns associated with BPD could allow for a greater understanding of the disorder and its links to maladaptive thoughts and behaviours. Language analysis methods could also be used in a predictive way, such as by identifying indicators of BPD or predicting maladaptive thoughts, emotions and behaviours. Additionally, associations that are uncovered between language and maladaptive thoughts and behaviours could then be applied at a more general level. This study explores linguistic characteristics of BPD, and their links to maladaptive thoughts and behaviours, through the analysis of social media data. Data were collected from a large corpus of posts from the publicly available social media platform Reddit, namely, from the ‘r/BPD’ subreddit whereby people identify as having BPD. Data were collected using the Python Reddit API Wrapper and included all users which had posted within the BPD subreddit. All posts were manually inspected to ensure that they were not posted by someone who clearly did not have BPD, such as people posting about a loved one with BPD. These users were then tracked across all other subreddits of which they had posted in and data from these subreddits were also collected. Additionally, data were collected from a random control group of Reddit users. Disorder-relevant behaviours, such as self-harming or aggression-related behaviours, outlined within Reddit posts were coded to by expert raters. All posts and comments were aggregated by user and split by subreddit. Language data were then analysed using the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC) 2015 software. LIWC is a text analysis program that identifies and categorises words based on linguistic and paralinguistic dimensions, psychological constructs and personal concern categories. Statistical analyses of linguistic features could then be conducted. Findings revealed distinct linguistic features associated with BPD, based on Reddit posts, which differentiated these users from a control group. Language patterns were also found to be associated with the occurrence of maladaptive thoughts and behaviours. Thus, this study demonstrates that there are indeed linguistic markers of BPD present on social media. It also implies that language could be predictive of maladaptive thoughts and behaviours associated with BPD. These findings are of importance as they suggest potential for clinical interventions to be provided based on the language of people with BPD to try to reduce the likelihood of maladaptive thoughts and behaviours occurring. For example, by social media tracking or engaging people with BPD in expressive writing therapy. Overall, this study has provided a greater understanding of the disorder and how it manifests through language and behaviour.

Keywords: behaviour analysis, borderline personality disorder, natural language processing, social media data

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Authors: Ann Rousseau, Steven Eggermont

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The current study sought to explain pre-adolescents’ differential susceptibility to the internalization of mediated appearance ideals, using a three-wave panel survey of preadolescent girls and boys (N = 973, Mage = 11.14). Based on the premises of objectification theory and sexual script theory, we proposed a double role for pubertal timing and cross-sex interactions in preadolescents’ media internalization. More specifically, we expected pubertal timing and cross-sex interactions to (a) trigger higher levels of media internalization, directly and indirectly via body surveillance, and (b) positively moderate the relationship between objectifying media exposure and girls’ and boys’ media internalization. A first cross-lagged model tested whether the pubertal timing and cross-sex interactions could trigger preadolescents media internalization and body surveillance. Structural equation analysis indicated that pubertal timing (Wave1) positively predicted body surveillance and media internalization (both Wave3). Cross-sex involvement (Wave1) was positively linked to media internalization (Wave2), but body surveillance (Wave2) was not associated with cross-sex interactions. Results also showed a reciprocal interaction between media internalization (Wave 2 and 3) and body surveillance (Wave2 and 3). Multiple group analysis showed that the observed relationships did not vary by gender. A second moderated moderation model examined whether (a) the relationship between objectifying media exposure (television and magazines, both Wave1) and media internalization (Wave3) depended on pubertal timing (Wave1), and (b) the two-way interaction between objectifying media exposure (Wave1) and pubertal timing (Wave1) varied depending on cross-sex interactions (Wave1). Results revealed that cross-sex interactions functioned as a buffer against media internalization. For preadolescents who had fewer cross-sex interactions, early puberty (relative to peers) positively moderated the relationship between magazine exposure and the internalization of mediated appearance ideals. No significant relationships were found for television. Again, no gender difference could be observed. The present study suggests a double role for pubertal timing and cross-sex interactions in preadolescents media internalization, and indicate that early developers with few cross-sex experiences are particularly vulnerable for media internalization. Additionally, the current findings suggest that there is relative gender equity in magazines’ ability to cultivate media internalization among preadolescents.

Keywords: cross-sex interactions, media effects, objectification theory, pubertal timing

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Authors: Chunfang Zhou

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The growing issues of sustainability have increased the discussions on how to foster “green engineers” from diverse perspectives in both contexts of education and organizations. As creativity has been considered as the first stage of innovation process that can also be regarded as a path to sustainability, this paper will particularly propose creativity as a scientific literacy meaning a collection of awareness, ability, and skills about sustainability. From this sense, creativity should be an element in IT engineering education and organizational learning programmes, since IT engineers are one group of key actors in designing, researching and developing social media products that are most important channels of improving public awareness of sustainability. This further leads this paper to discuss by which pedagogical strategies and by which training methods in organizations, creativity and sustainability can be integrated into IT engineering education and IT enterprise innovation process in order to meeting the needs of ‘creative engineers’ in the society changes towards sustainability. Accordingly, this paper contributes to future work on the links between creativity, innovation, sustainability, and IT engineering development both theoretically and practically.

Keywords: creativity, innovation, IT engineers, sustainability

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Authors: Raziyeh Teimouri, Sadasivam Karuppannan, Alpana Sivam, Ning Gu

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Urban Green Space (UGS) is one of the most critical components of urban systems to create sustainable cities. UGS has valuable social benefits that closely correlate with people's life quality. Studying social sustainability factors that can be achieved by green spaces is required for optimal UGS planning to increase urban social sustainability. This paper aims to identify key factors that enhance urban social sustainability through UGS planning. To reach the goal of the study international experts’ survey has been conducted. According to the results of the survey analysis, factors of proper distribution, links to public transportation, walkable access, sense of place, social interactions, public education, safety and security, walkability and cyclability, physical activity and recreational facilities, suitability for all ages, disabled people, women, and children are among the key factors that should consider in UGS planning programs to promote urban social sustainability.

Keywords: UGS, planning, social sustainability, key factors

Procedia PDF Downloads 47

Authors: S. Zenia, A. Menasseria, A. E. Kheidous, F. Lariouna, A. Smai, H. Saadi, F. Haddadj, A. Milla, F. Marniche

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The objective of this study was to estimate the correlation ship between different pheasant external egg quality traits. A total of 938 eggs were collected. Egg weight (g), egg length (mm), egg width (mm), volume (cm3), shape index egg, surface area and water loss were measured. The overall mean values obtained for the different variables are respectively 29.2 ± 2,24, 43.01 ± 1,84, 34.05 ± 1,44, 25.63 ± 2.88 cm3, 79.00 ± 3%, 68% and 13%. Concerning studied regressions, it was considered only the most important regressions. Those that show significant links between the different parameters studied. The ANOVA procedure was applied to estimate correlations for the examined traits. The weights of the eggs being observed before incubation and before hatching are linearly correlated with a positive correlation coefficient of order 0.75. Egg length and the weight before incubation had a good and positive correlation with a coefficient r = 0.6. However, density had high and negative correlations with egg height r = -0.78. Shape index had a good linear and negative r= - 0.71 correlation with water loss.

Keywords: correlation, egg, morphometry of eggs, analysis of variance

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Authors: Sarah E. Casey

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Epilepsy is the most common neurological disorder in children and approximately one-third of children with epilepsy have seizures that are uncontrolled on anticonvulsants alone. Cannabidiol is shown to be an effective treatment at reducing the amount of breakthrough seizures experienced by children with drug resistant epilepsy. Improvements in quality of life and overall condition were noted during cannabidiol treatment. Adverse side effects were experienced and were generally mild to moderate in nature. Additional double-blind, controlled studies with a more diverse sample population and standardized dosing are needed to ensure the efficacy and safety of cannabidiol use in children with drug resistant epilepsy.

Keywords: cannabis, drug resistant epilepsy, children, epilepsy

Procedia PDF Downloads 201

Authors: J. G. Batista, L. J. de Bessa Neto, M. A. F. B. Lima, J. R. Leite, J. I. de Andrade Nunes

Abstract:

The robot manipulator is an equipment that stands out for two reasons: Firstly because of its characteristics of movement and reprogramming, resembling the arm; secondly, by adding several areas of knowledge of science and engineering. The present work shows the development of the prototype of a robotic manipulator driven by a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC), having two degrees of freedom, which allows the movement and displacement of mechanical parts, tools, and objects in general of small size, through an electronic system. The aim is to study direct and inverse kinematics of the robotic manipulator to describe the translation and rotation between two adjacent links of the robot through the Denavit-Hartenberg parameters. Currently, due to the many resources that microcomputer systems offer us, robotics is going through a period of continuous growth that will allow, in a short time, the development of intelligent robots with the capacity to perform operations that require flexibility, speed and precision.

Keywords: Denavit-Hartenberg, direct and inverse kinematics, microcontrollers, robotic manipulator

Procedia PDF Downloads 322

Authors: Catherine Coron

Abstract:

This paper first tries to scrutinize the diverse meanings and policies of inclusive education in the United Kingdom and France in the recent period thanks to a comparative analysis of the recent literature as well as the various definitions, legislation and good practices of inclusive education. The central question is to find the links between inclusion and economic wellbeing in the economic, social and cultural context of the two countries. The first part questions the economic, social and cultural meaning of the definitions thanks to a comparison between the various perspectives to envisage the notions of inclusion and wellbeing in the two countries in order to better understand the way they are interpreted according to each cultural background. The second part analyses the various policies implemented recently in order to determine the main characteristics, the differences, and the similarities, as well as the economic challenges in terms of wellbeing. The final goal of this paper is to identify the main economic, social and cultural values as regards sustainability in each country.

Keywords: education, inclusion, students with special needs, wellbeing

Procedia PDF Downloads 291

Authors: Sara Ataei, Molouk Hadjibabaie, Amirhossein Moslehi, Maryam Taghizadeh-Ghehi, Asieh Ashouri, Elham Amini, Kheirollah Gholami, Alireza Hayatshahi, Mohammad Vaezi, Ardeshir Ghavamzadeh

Abstract:

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is one of the complications of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and is associated with increased mortality. N-acetylcysteine (NAC) is a thiol compound with antioxidant and vasodilatory properties that has been investigated for the prevention of AKI in several clinical settings. In the present study, we evaluated the effects of intravenous NAC on the prevention of AKI in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation patients. A double-blind randomized placebo-controlled trial was conducted, and 80 patients were recruited to receive 100 mg/kg/day NAC or placebo as intermittent intravenous infusion from day -6 to day +15. AKI was determined on the basis of the Risk-Injury-Failure-Loss-Endstage renal disease and AKI Network criteria as the primary outcome. We assessed urine neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (uNGAL) on days -6, -3, +3, +9, and +15 as the secondary outcome. Moreover, transplant-related outcomes and NAC adverse reactions were evaluated during the study period. Statistical analysis was performed using appropriate parametric and non-parametric methods including Kaplan–Meier for AKI and generalized estimating equation for uNGAL. At the end of the trial, data from 72 patients were analyzed (NAC: 33 patients and placebo: 39 patients). Participants of each group were not different considering baseline characteristics. AKI was observed in 18% of NAC recipients and 15% of placebo group patients, and the occurrence pattern was not significantly different (p = 0.73). Moreover, no significant difference was observed between groups for uNGAL measures (p = 0.10). Transplant-related outcomes were similar for both groups, and all patients had successful engraftment. Three patients did not tolerate NAC because of abdominal pain, shortness of breath and rash with pruritus and were dropped from the intervention group before transplantation. However, the frequency of adverse reactions was not significantly different between groups. In conclusion, our findings could not show any clinical benefits from high-dose NAC particularly for AKI prevention in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation patients.

Keywords: acute kidney injury, N-acetylcysteine, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, urine neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin, randomized controlled trial

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Authors: Zahir Bakiri, Saci Nacefa

Abstract:

In this paper a comparison in made between two models, with and without dispersion term, and focused on the characterization of the movement of the sludge blanket in the secondary sedimentation tank using the solid flux theory and the velocity settling. This allowed us develop a one-dimensional models, with and without dispersion based on a thorough experimental study carried out in situ and the application of online data which are the mass load flow, transfer concentration, and influent characteristic. On the other hand, in the proposed model, the new settling velocity law (double-exponential function) used is based on the Vesilind function.

Keywords: wastewater, activated sludge, sedimentation, settling velocity, settling models

Procedia PDF Downloads 366

Authors: Ahmed Alaoui

Abstract:

This paper contributes to the ongoing debate as to the relevance of translation studies to professional practitioners. It exposes the various misconceptions permeating the links between theory and practice in the translation landscape in the Arab World. It is a thesis of this paper that specialization in translation should be redefined; taking account of the fact, that specialized knowledge alone is neither crucial nor sufficient in technical translation. It should be tested against the readability of the translated text, the appropriateness of its style and the usability of its content by end-users to carry out their intended tasks. The paper also proposes a preliminary model to establish a working link between theory and practice from the perspective of professional trainers and practitioners, calling for the latter to participate in the production of knowledge in a systematic fashion. While this proposal is driven by a rather intuitive conviction, a research line is needed to specify the methodological moves to establish the mediation strategies that would relate the components in the model of knowledge transfer proposed in this paper.

Keywords: knowledge transfer, misconceptions, specialized texts, translation theory, translation practice

Procedia PDF Downloads 377

Authors: Lucas B. Naves, Maria José Abreu

Abstract:

Reprocessing single-use device has attracted interesting on the medical environment over the last decades. The reprocessing technique was sought in order to reduce the cost of purchasing the new medical device, which can achieve almost double of the price of the reprocessed product. In this manuscript, we have done a literature review, aiming the reuse of medical device that was firstly designed for single use only, but has become, more and more, effective on its reprocessing procedure. We also show the regulation, the countries which allows this procedure, the classification of these device and also the most important issue concerning the re-utilization of medical device, how to minimizing the risk of gram positive and negative bacteria, avoid cross-contamination, hepatitis B (HBV), and C (HCV) virus, and also human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

Keywords: reusing, reprocessing, single-use medical device, HIV, hepatitis B and C

Procedia PDF Downloads 371