Search results for: human centered AI
8063 Effectiveness of Public Speaking Extracurricular in Gontor in Raising Leaders of the Advanced Global World's Needs
Authors: Ummi Sholihah Pertiwi Abidin, Khusnul Hajar Nuansari
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Human resource is one of the most important components that can not be separated from communication fields, either in a large community like a mass or narrow ones such as an institution, office, group and even family. Human resource is an asset which is often used as a tool to achieve certain goals. Therefore, development of human resources is essential for improving skills and character of a person especially at the time that has entered globalization era. People are required to be able to compete both in the local and international arena, no matter what. This paper raised topic related to human resource development solution by a unique educational leadership and communication skill improvement through a linguistic approach. Here the authors want to go by form of public speaking method applied in Modern Islamic Boarding School Darussalam Gontor as the extracurricular activity that is using three languages, they are: Indonesian as the mother language or the nation language of the students, Arabic and English as the second language and Gontor’s mean to supply its students to be able to conquer the globalization needs. This implementation produced the establishment of great leaders through confidence growing to speak in public by adjusting the listener context. In linguistic term, it will help enhancing verbal and nonverbal communication skills and so forth in owning a lot of vocabulary.Keywords: public speaking, Gontor, language, leadership
Procedia PDF Downloads 2478062 Optimized Deep Learning-Based Facial Emotion Recognition System
Authors: Erick C. Valverde, Wansu Lim
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Facial emotion recognition (FER) system has been recently developed for more advanced computer vision applications. The ability to identify human emotions would enable smart healthcare facility to diagnose mental health illnesses (e.g., depression and stress) as well as better human social interactions with smart technologies. The FER system involves two steps: 1) face detection task and 2) facial emotion recognition task. It classifies the human expression in various categories such as angry, disgust, fear, happy, sad, surprise, and neutral. This system requires intensive research to address issues with human diversity, various unique human expressions, and variety of human facial features due to age differences. These issues generally affect the ability of the FER system to detect human emotions with high accuracy. Early stage of FER systems used simple supervised classification task algorithms like K-nearest neighbors (KNN) and artificial neural networks (ANN). These conventional FER systems have issues with low accuracy due to its inefficiency to extract significant features of several human emotions. To increase the accuracy of FER systems, deep learning (DL)-based methods, like convolutional neural networks (CNN), are proposed. These methods can find more complex features in the human face by means of the deeper connections within its architectures. However, the inference speed and computational costs of a DL-based FER system is often disregarded in exchange for higher accuracy results. To cope with this drawback, an optimized DL-based FER system is proposed in this study.An extreme version of Inception V3, known as Xception model, is leveraged by applying different network optimization methods. Specifically, network pruning and quantization are used to enable lower computational costs and reduce memory usage, respectively. To support low resource requirements, a 68-landmark face detector from Dlib is used in the early step of the FER system.Furthermore, a DL compiler is utilized to incorporate advanced optimization techniques to the Xception model to improve the inference speed of the FER system. In comparison to VGG-Net and ResNet50, the proposed optimized DL-based FER system experimentally demonstrates the objectives of the network optimization methods used. As a result, the proposed approach can be used to create an efficient and real-time FER system.Keywords: deep learning, face detection, facial emotion recognition, network optimization methods
Procedia PDF Downloads 1148061 Foreign Human Capital as a Fiscal Burden on the UK's Exchequer: An Intellectual Capital Perspective
Authors: Tasawar Nawaz
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Migration has once again become a lively topic in Europe and UK, in particular. A burgeoning concern in the public debate, however, is driven by the fear that migrants are fiscal burden because they drain public resources by drawing on the generous social transfers introduced in Europe to prevent social exclusion. This study challenges these beliefs by gathering empirical evidence through a qualitative research approach on the subject matter. The analysis suggests that UK provides a rich social and economic environment for intellectual profiles especially, human intellectual capital of migrants to flourish and add value to the exchequer. Contrary to the beliefs held by politicians and general public, the empirical evidence suggests that migrants add higher fiscal contribution by working longer hours, paying consistent taxes, and bringing skills which UK may lack thus, are not fiscal burdens on the UK exchequer.Keywords: austerity, European union, human intellectual capital, migrants, social welfare, United Kingdom
Procedia PDF Downloads 3058060 Information Technology and Business Alignments among Different Divisions: A Comparative Analysis of Japan and South Korea
Authors: Michiko Miyamoto
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This paper empirically investigates whether information technology (IT) strategies, business strategies, and divisions are aligned to meet overall business goals for Korean Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), based on structure based Strategic Alignment Model, and make comparison with those of Japanese SMEs. Using 2,869 valid responses of Korean Human Capital Corporate Panel survey, a result of this study suggests that Korean human resources (HR) departments have a major influence over IT strategy, which is the same as Japanese SMEs, even though their management styles are quite different. As for IT strategy, it is not related to other departments at all for Korean SMEs. The Korean management seems to possess a great power over each division, such as Sales/Service, Research and Development/Technical Experts, HR, and Production.Keywords: IT-business alignment, structured based strategic alignment model, structural equation model, human resources department
Procedia PDF Downloads 2628059 Absolute Liability in International Human Rights Law
Authors: Gassem Alfaleh
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In Strict liability, a person can be held liable for any harm resulting from certain actions or activities without any mistake. The liability is strict because a person can be liable when he or she commits any harm with or without his intention. The duty owed is the duty to avoid causing the plaintiff any harm. However, “strict liability is imposed at the International level by two types of treaties, namely those limited to giving internal effect to treaty provisions and those that impose responsibilities on states. The basic principle of strict liability is that there is a liability on the operator or the state (when the act concerned is attributable to the state) for damage inflicted without there being a need to prove unlawful behavior”. In international human rights law, strict liability can exist when a defendant is in legal jeopardy by virtue of an internationally wrongful act, without any accompanying intent or mental state. When the defendant engages in an abnormally dangerous activity against the environment, he will be held liable for any harm it causes, even if he was not at fault. The paper will focus on these activities under international human rights law. First, the paper will define important terms in the first section of the paper. Second, it will focus on state and non-state actors in terms of strict liability. Then, the paper will cover three major areas in which states should be liable for hazardous activities: (1) nuclear energy, (2) maritime pollution, (3) Space Law, and (4) other hazardous activities which damage the environment.Keywords: human rights, law, legal, absolute
Procedia PDF Downloads 1458058 Human C-Cbl and Cbl-b Proteins Are More Highly Expressed in the Thymus Compared to the Testis
Authors: Mazo Kone, Rachida Salah, Harir Noria
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Background and objectives: c-Cbl and Cbl-b are two members of the Cbl family proteins, with a crucial role of downregulation of tyrosine kinase receptors. They act as E3 ubiquitin ligases and are multivalent adaptor proteins, making them important in maintaining homeostasis in the body. This study investigated the expression level in thymus and testis in normal conditions. Methods: The expression level was assessed by immunochemistry of tissue microarrays of normal thymus and testis biopsies. Results: Cbl-b and c-Cbl proteins were found to be highly expressed in normal testis and thymus, indicated as yellowish brown granules in the cytomembrane and cytoplasm compared to controls. The c-Cbl appears to be more highly expressed than the Cbl-b in the thymus, while c-Cbl appears slightly stronger than Cbl-b in the testis. The thymus was found with a higher grade compared to the testis. Conclusion: In this work we concluded, that in normal condition, thymus tissue expresses more Cbl family proteins(c-Cbl and Cbl-b) than the testis tissue in humans.Keywords: Human C-Cbl proteins, Human Cbl-b protein, Testis, Thymus
Procedia PDF Downloads 2248057 Defining Death and Dying in Relation to Information Technology and Advances in Biomedicine
Authors: Evangelos Koumparoudis
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The definition of death is a deep philosophical question, and no single meaning can be ascribed to it. This essay focuses on the ontological, epistemological, and ethical aspects of death and dying in view of technological progress in information technology and biomedicine. It starts with the ad hoc 1968 Harvard committee that proposed that the criterion for the definition of death be irreversible coma and then refers to the debate over the whole brain death formula, emphasizing the integrated function of the organism and higher brain formula, taking consciousness and personality as essential human characteristics. It follows with the contribution of information technology in personalized and precision medicine and anti-aging measures aimed at life prolongation. It also touches on the possibility of the creation of human-machine hybrids and how this raises ontological and ethical issues that concern the “cyborgization” of human beings and the conception of the organism and personhood based on a post/transhumanist essence, and, furthermore, if sentient AI capable of autonomous decision-making that might even surpass human intelligence (singularity, superintelligence) deserves moral or legal personhood. Finally, there is the question as to whether death and dying should be redefined at a transcendent level, which is reinforced by already-existing technologies of “virtual after-” life and the possibility of uploading human minds. In the last section, I refer to the current (and future) applications of nanomedicine in diagnostics, therapeutics, implants, and tissue engineering as well as the aspiration to “immortality” by cryonics. The definition of death is reformulated since age and disease elimination may be realized, and the criterion of irreversibility may be challenged.Keywords: death, posthumanism, infomedicine, nanomedicine, cryonics
Procedia PDF Downloads 618056 Multiscale Model of Blast Explosion Human Injury Biomechanics
Authors: Raj K. Gupta, X. Gary Tan, Andrzej Przekwas
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Bomb blasts from Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) account for vast majority of terrorist attacks worldwide. Injuries caused by IEDs result from a combination of the primary blast wave, penetrating fragments, and human body accelerations and impacts. This paper presents a multiscale computational model of coupled blast physics, whole human body biodynamics and injury biomechanics of sensitive organs. The disparity of the involved space- and time-scales is used to conduct sequential modeling of an IED explosion event, CFD simulation of blast loads on the human body and FEM modeling of body biodynamics and injury biomechanics. The paper presents simulation results for blast-induced brain injury coupling macro-scale brain biomechanics and micro-scale response of sensitive neuro-axonal structures. Validation results on animal models and physical surrogates are discussed. Results of our model can be used to 'replicate' filed blast loadings in laboratory controlled experiments using animal models and in vitro neuro-cultures.Keywords: blast waves, improvised explosive devices, injury biomechanics, mathematical models, traumatic brain injury
Procedia PDF Downloads 2458055 Cinema and the Documentation of Mass Killings in Third World Countries: A Study of Selected African Films
Authors: Chijindu D. Mgbemere
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Mass killing also known as genocide is the systematic killing of people from national, ethnic, or religious group, or an attempt to do so. The act has been there before 1948, when it was officially recognized for what it is. From then, the world has continued to witness genocide in diverse forms- negating different measures by the United Nations and its agencies to curb it. So far, all the studies and documentations on this subject are biased in favor of radio and the print. This paper therefore extended the interrogation of genocide, drumming its devastating effects, using the film medium; and in doing so devised innovative and pragmatic approach to genocide scholarship. It further centered attention on the factors and impacts of genocide, with a view to determine how effective film can be in such a study. The study is anchored on Bateson’s Framing Theory. Four films- Hotel Rwanda, Half of a Yellow Sun, Attack on Darfur, and sarafina, were analyzed, based on background, factors/causes, impacts, and development of genocide, via Content Analysis. The study discovered that: as other continents strive towards peace, acts of genocide are on the increase in African. Bloodletting stereotypes give Africa negative image in the global society. Difficult political frameworks, the trauma of postcolonial state, aggravated by ethnic and religious intolerance, and limited access to resources are responsible for high cases of genocide in Africa. The media, international communities, and peace agencies often abet other than prevent genocide or mass killings in Africa. High human casualty and displacement, children soldering, looting, hunger, rape, sex-slavery and abuse, mental and psychosomatic stress disorders are some of the impacts of genocide. Genocidaires are either condemned or killed. Grievances can be vented using civil resistance, negotiation, adjudication, arbitration, and mediation. The cinema is an effective means of studying and documenting genocide. Africans must factor the image laundering of their continent into consideration. Punishment of genocidaires without an attempt to de-radicalize them is counterproductive.Keywords: African film, genocide, framing theory, mass murder
Procedia PDF Downloads 1138054 The Posthuman Condition and a Translational Ethics of Entanglement
Authors: Shabnam Naderi
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Traditional understandings of ethics considered translators, translations, technologies and other agents as separate and prioritized human agents. In fact, ethics was equated with morality. This disengaged understanding of ethics is superseded by an ethics of relation/entanglement in the posthuman philosophy. According to this ethics of entanglement, human and nonhuman agents are in constant ‘intra-action’. The human is not separate from nature, from technology and from other nonhuman entities, and an ethics of translation in this regard cannot be separated from technology and ecology and get defined merely within the realm of human-human encounter. As such, a posthuman ethics offers opportunities for change and responds to the changing nature of reality, it is negotiable and reveals itself as a moment-by-moment practice (i.e. as temporally emergent and beyond determinacy and permanence). Far from the linguistic or cultural, or individual concerns, posthuman translational ethics discusses how the former rigid norms and laws are challenged in a process ontology which puts emphasis on activity and activation and considers ethics as surfacing in activity, not as a predefined set of rules and values. In this sense, traditional ethical principles like faithfulness, accuracy and representation are superseded by principles of privacy, sustainability, multiplicity and decentralization. The present conceptual study, drawing on Ferrando’s philosophical posthumanism (as a post-humanism, as a post-dualism and as a post-anthropocentrism), Deleuze-Guattarian philosophy of immanence and Barad’s physics-philosophy strives to destabilize traditional understandings of translation ethics and bring an ethics that has loose ends and revolves around multiplicity and decentralization into the picture.Keywords: ethics of entanglement, post-anthropocentrism, post-dualism, post-humanism, translation
Procedia PDF Downloads 678053 Human Factors Considerations in New Generation Fighter Planes to Enhance Combat Effectiveness
Authors: Chitra Rajagopal, Indra Deo Kumar, Ruchi Joshi, Binoy Bhargavan
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Role of fighter planes in modern network centric military warfare scenarios has changed significantly in the recent past. New generation fighter planes have multirole capability of engaging both air and ground targets with high precision. Multirole aircraft undertakes missions such as Air to Air combat, Air defense, Air to Surface role (including Air interdiction, Close air support, Maritime attack, Suppression and Destruction of enemy air defense), Reconnaissance, Electronic warfare missions, etc. Designers have primarily focused on development of technologies to enhance the combat performance of the fighter planes and very little attention is given to human factor aspects of technologies. Unique physical and psychological challenges are imposed on the pilots to meet operational requirements during these missions. Newly evolved technologies have enhanced aircraft performance in terms of its speed, firepower, stealth, electronic warfare, situational awareness, and vulnerability reduction capabilities. This paper highlights the impact of emerging technologies on human factors for various military operations and missions. Technologies such as ‘cooperative knowledge-based systems’ to aid pilot’s decision making in military conflict scenarios as well as simulation technologies to enhance human performance is also studied as a part of research work. Current and emerging pilot protection technologies and systems which form part of the integrated life support systems in new generation fighter planes is discussed. System safety analysis application to quantify the human reliability in military operations is also studied.Keywords: combat effectiveness, emerging technologies, human factors, systems safety analysis
Procedia PDF Downloads 1378052 Redefining Problems and Challenges of Natural Resource Management in Indonesia
Authors: Amalia Zuhra
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Indonesia is very rich with its natural resources. Natural resource management becomes a challenge for Indonesia. Improper management will make the natural resources run out and future generations will not be able to enjoy the natural wealth. A good rule of law and proper implementation determines the success of the management of a country's natural resources. This paper examines the need to redefine problems and challenges in the management of natural resources in Indonesia in the context of law. The purpose of this article is to overview the latest issues and challenges in natural resource management and to redefine legal provisions related to environmental management and human rights protection so that the management of natural resources in the present and future will be more sustainable. This paper finds that sustainable management of natural resources is absolutely essential. The aspect of environmental protection and human rights must be elaborated more deeply so that the management of natural resources can be done maximally without harming not only people but also the environment.Keywords: international environmental law, human rights law, natural resource management, sustainable development
Procedia PDF Downloads 2628051 Reasons to Live - Positive Psychology and Self Determination Theory in the Prevention of Depression and Suicidal Ideation
Authors: Luiz Carlos Dias Lima De Oliveira
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Psychology does not have the task of being confined only to the knowledge of losses, weaknesses or diseases, because it is necessary to give analogous dedication to the investigation of human virtues, efforts and aptitudes. The reasons for living with greater constancy and expressiveness act as a protective condition for risk behaviors, but with less constancy and expressiveness they can be a viable parameter of suicidal ideation or potential suicidal initiatives. In other words, Positive Psychology scientifically studies human strengths and virtues. In the same way, we refer to the basic psychological needs of the human being, according to the Theory of Self-Determination: the need for belonging, competence and autonomy to live the best possible life or the ability to make positive decisions in life. In this sense, following the assumptions of Positive Psychology, we raise the question of what are the reasons for living, seeking a way to draw attention to positive aspects of life.Keywords: psychology, positive, self-determination, belonging, competence, autonomy, depression, suicide.
Procedia PDF Downloads 658050 Soil Moisture Control System: A Product Development Approach
Authors: Swapneel U. Naphade, Dushyant A. Patil, Satyabodh M. Kulkarni
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In this work, we propose the concept and geometrical design of a soil moisture control system (SMCS) module by following the product development approach to develop an inexpensive, easy to use and quick to install product targeted towards agriculture practitioners. The module delivers water to the agricultural land efficiently by sensing the soil moisture and activating the delivery valve. We start with identifying the general needs of the potential customer. Then, based on customer needs we establish product specifications and identify important measuring quantities to evaluate our product. Keeping in mind the specifications, we develop various conceptual solutions of the product and select the best solution through concept screening and selection matrices. Then, we develop the product architecture by integrating the systems into the final product. In the end, the geometric design is done using human factors engineering concepts like heuristic analysis, task analysis, and human error reduction analysis. The result of human factors analysis reveals the remedies which should be applied while designing the geometry and software components of the product. We find that to design the best grip in terms of comfort and applied force, for a power-type grip, a grip-diameter of 35 mm is the most ideal.Keywords: agriculture, human factors, product design, soil moisture control
Procedia PDF Downloads 1698049 The Comparison Study of Human Microbiome in Chronic Rhinosinusitis between Adults and Children
Authors: Il Ho Park, Joong Seob Lee, Sung Hun Kang, Jae-Min Shin, Il Seok Park, Seok Min Hong, Seok Jin Hong
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Introduction: The human microbiota is the aggregate of microorganisms, and the bacterial microbiome of the human digestive tract contributes to both health and disease. In health, bacteria are key components in the development of mucosal barrier function and in innate and adaptive immune responses, and they also work to suppress the establishment of pathogens. In human upper airway, the sinonasal microbiota might play an important role in chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). The purpose of this study is to investigate the human upper airway microbiome in CRS patients and to compare the sinonasal microbiome of adults with children. Materials and methods: A total of 19 samples from 19 patients (Group1; 9 CRS in children, aged 5 to 14 years versus Group 2; 10 CRS in adults aged 21 to 59 years) were examined. Swabs were collected from the middle meatus and/or anterior ethmoid region under general anesthesia during endoscopic sinus surgery or tonsillectomy. After DNA extraction from swab samples, we analysed bacterial microbiome consortia using 16s rRNA gene sequencing approach (the Illumina MiSeq platform). Results: In this study, relatively abundance of the six bacterial phyla and tremendous genus and species found in substantial amounts in the individual sinus swab samples, include Corynebacterium, Hemophilus, Moraxella, and Streptococcus species. Anaerobes like Fusobacterium and Bacteroides were abundantly present in the children group, Bacteroides and Propionibacterium were present in adults group. In genus, Haemophilus was the most common CRS microbiome in children and Corynebacterium was the most common CRS microbiome in adults. Conclusions: Our results show the diversity of human upper airway microbiome, and the findings will suggest that CRS is a polymicrobial infection. The Corynebacterium and Hemophilus may live as commensals on mucosal surfaces of sinus in the upper respiratory tract. The further study will be needed for analysis of microbiome-human interactions in upper airway and CRS.Keywords: microbiome, upper airway, chronic rhinosinusitis, adult and children
Procedia PDF Downloads 1188048 A Systematic Review on Prevalence, Serotypes and Antibiotic Resistance of Salmonella in Ethiopia
Authors: Atsebaha Gebrekidan Kahsay, Tsehaye Asmelash, Enquebaher Kassaye
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Background: Salmonella remains a global public health problem with a significant burden in sub-Saharan African countries. Human restricted cause of typhoid and paratyphoid fever are S. Typhi and S. Paratyphi, whereas S. Enteritidis and S. Typhimurium is the causative agent of invasive nontyphoidal diseases among humans and animals are their reservoir. The antibiotic resistance of Salmonella is another public health threat around the globe. To come up with full information about human and animal salmonellosis, we made a systematic review of the prevalence, serotypes, and antibiotic resistance of Salmonella in Ethiopia. Methods: This systematic review used Google Scholar and PubMed search engines to search articles from Ethiopia that were published in English in peer-reviewed international journals from 2010 to 2022. We used keywords to identify the intended research articles and used a Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) checklist to ensure the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Frequencies and percentages were analyzed using Microsoft Excel. Results: Two hundred seven published articles were searched, and 43 were selected for a systematic review, human (28) and animals (15). The prevalence of Salmonella in humans and animals was 434 (5.2%) and 641(10.1%), respectively. Fourteen serotypes were identified from animals, and S. Typhimurium was among the top five. Among the ciprofloxacin-resistant isolates in human studies, 16.7% was the highest, whereas, for ceftriaxone, 100% resistance was reported. Conclusions: The prevalence of Salmonella among diarrheic patients and food handlers (5.2%) was lower than the prevalence in food animals (10.1%). We did not find serotypes of Salmonella in human studies, although fourteen serotypes were included in food-animal studies, and S. Typhimurium was among the top five. Salmonella species from some human studies revealed a non-susceptibility to ceftriaxone. We recommend further study about invasive nontyphoidal Salmonella and predisposing factors among humans and animals in Ethiopia.Keywords: antibiotic resistance, prevalence, systematic review, serotypes, Salmonella, Ethiopia
Procedia PDF Downloads 718047 Anticancer Activity of Calyx of Diospyros kaki Thunb. through Downregulation of Cyclin D1 Protein Level in Human Colorectal Cancer Cells
Authors: Jin Boo Jeong
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In this study, we elucidated anti-cancer activity and potential molecular mechanism of DKC against human colorectal cancer cells. DKC-E70 suppressed the proliferation of human colorectal cancer cell lines such as HCT116, SW480, LoVo and HT-29. Although DKC-E70 decreased cyclin D1 expression in protein and mRNA level, decreased level of cyclin D1 protein by DKC-E70 occurred at the earlier time than that of cyclin D1 mRNA, which indicates that DKC-E70-mediated downregulation of cyclin D1 protein may be a consequence of the induction of degradation and transcriptional inhibition of cyclin D1. In cyclin D1 degradation, we found that cyclin D1 downregulation by DKC-E70 was attenuated in presence of MG132. In addition, DKC-E70 phosphorylated threonine-286 (T286) of cyclin D1 and T286A abolished cyclin D1 downregulation by DKC-E70. We also observed that DKC-E70-mediated T286 phosphorylation and subsequent cyclin D1 degradation was blocked in presence of the inhibitors of ERK1/2, p38 or GSK3β. In cyclin D1 transcriptional inhibition, DKC-E70 inhibited the expression of β-catenin and TCF4, and β–catenin/TCF-dependent luciferase activity. Our results suggest that DKC-E70 may downregulate cyclin D1 as one of the potential anti-cancer targets through cyclin D1 degradation by T286 phosphorylation dependent on ERK1/2, p38 or GSK3β, and cyclin D1 transcriptional inhibition through Wnt signaling. From these findings, DKC-E70 has potential to be a candidate for the development of chemoprevention or therapeutic agents for human colorectal cancer. This research was supported by Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Education (NRF-2016R1D1A3B03931713).Keywords: anticancer, calyx of persimmon, cyclin D1, Diospyros kaki Thunb., human colorectal cancer
Procedia PDF Downloads 3078046 The Limits of Charity: Advancing a Rights-based Justice Model to Remedy Poverty and Hunger
Authors: Tracy Smith-Carrier
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In 1995, the World Health Organization declared that poverty was the biggest killer and the greatest cause of suffering in the world. Income is certainly a key social determinant of health, the lack of which causes innumerable health and mental health conditions. In seeking to provide relief from financial hardship for residents within their populace, states in the Global North have largely turned to the non-profit and charitable sector. The stigma and shame of accessing charity is a significant barrier for many, but what is more problematic is that the embrace of the charitable model has let governments off the hook from responding to their international human rights obligations. Although states are signatories to various human rights treaties and conventions internationally, many of these laws have not been implemented domestically. This presentation explores the limits of the charitable model in addressing poverty in countries of the Global North. Unlike in the ages passed, when poverty was thought to be an individual problem, we now know that poverty is largely systemic in nature. In this presentation, we will identify the structural determinants of poverty, outline why people are reticent to access charitable programs and services and how income security is reproduced through the charitable model, and discuss evidence-informed solutions, such as a basic income guarantee, to move beyond the charitable model in favour of a rights-based justice model. To move beyond charity, we must demand that governments recognize our fundamental human rights and address poverty and hunger using a justice model based on substantive human rights.Keywords: basic income, charity, poverty, income security, hunger, food security, social justice, human rights
Procedia PDF Downloads 1068045 Protective Potential of Hyperhalophilic Diatoms Extract Against Lead Induced Oxidative Stress in Rats and Human HepG2 and HEK293 Cells Line
Authors: Wassim Guermazi, Saoussan Boukhris, Neila Annabi Trabelsi, Tarek Rebai, Alya Sellami-Kamoun, Habib Ayadi
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This work investigates the protective effects of the microalga Halamphora sp. extract (H. Ext) as a natural product on lead-intoxicated liver and kidney human cells in vitro and in vivo on rats wistar. HepG2 cells line derived from human hepatocellular carcinoma and HEK293 cells line derived from human embryonic kidney were used for the in vitro study. The analysis of the fatty acids methyl esters of the extract was performed by a GC/MS. Four groups of rats, each of which was composed of six animals, were used for the in vivo experiment. The pretreatment of HepG2 and HEK293 cells line with the extract (100 µg mL-1) significantly (p < 0.05) protected against cytotoxicity induced by lead exposure. In vivo, the biochemical parameters in serum, namely malondialdehyde level (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activities, were measured in supernatants of organ homogenates. H. Ext was found to be rich in fatty acids, essentially palmitic and palmitoleic accounting respectively 29.46% and 42.07% of total fatty acids. Both in vitro and in vivo, the co-treatment with H. Ext allowed the protection of the liver and kidney cells structure, as well as the significant preservation of normal antioxidant and biochemical parameters in rats. Halamphora extract rich in fatty acids has been proven to be effective in protection against Pb-induced toxicity.Keywords: microalga extract, human cells line, fatty acid, lead exposure, oxidative stress, rats
Procedia PDF Downloads 818044 Disclosure in the Defence of Sexual Assault
Authors: Tony Zipp
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This paper will identify developments in the law in British Columbia, Canada, to disclosure to be provided to the defense in cases of sexual misconduct and sexual assault. Disclosure is the keystone to providing a full and robust defense to such charges. The investigation of sexual misconduct and sexual assault involving children usually involves multiple government agencies. This includes child welfare agencies, police and other social service participants. This paper will examine situations in which Courts have ordered disclosure of material from non-police agencies in criminal cases of charges of sexual assault when that material is ‘obviously relevant’ to the charges to enable the defense to present full answer and defense to the charges. The methodology of the oral presentation/paper will be a case analysis of decisions of the Supreme Court of British Columbia, the British Columbia Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada in the area of disclosure to the defense in criminal trials, including those for sexual assault and sexual misconduct. The emphasis will be on the decisions that expand the disclosure available. The robust defense of these charges is significant to the rule of law as it engenders public confidence in the Judicial system by remembering to protect the innocent while prosecuting these allegations. As such, disclosure is fundamental to human rights and human security. Human rights and human security cannot exclusively be confined to alleged victims but must also protect the rights of those charged to a fair Judicial process. This oral presentation/paper will illustrate that fulsome disclosure enhances the rule of law and law enforcement rather than hinders the prosecution of charges.Keywords: defence, law, human rights, sexual assault, sexual misconduct
Procedia PDF Downloads 68043 Trafficking of Women and Children and Solutions to Combat It: The Case of Nigeria
Authors: Olatokunbo Yakeem
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Human trafficking is a crime against gross violations of human rights. Trafficking in persons is a severe socio-economic dilemma that affects the national and international dimensions. Human trafficking or modern-day-slavery emanated from slavery, and it has been in existence before the 6ᵗʰ century. Today, no country is exempted from dehumanizing human beings, and as a result, it has been an international issue. The United Nations (UN) presented the International Protocol to fight human trafficking worldwide, which brought about the international definition of human trafficking. The protocol is to prevent, suppress, and punish trafficking in persons, especially women and children. The trafficking protocol has a link with transnational organised crime rather than migration. Over a hundred and fifty countries nationwide have enacted their criminal and panel code trafficking legislation from the UN trafficking protocol. Sex trafficking is the most common type of exploitation of women and children. Other forms of this crime involve exploiting vulnerable victims through forced labour, child involvement in warfare, domestic servitude, debt bondage, and organ removal for transplantation. Trafficking of women and children into sexual exploitation represents the highest form of human trafficking than other types of exploitation. Trafficking of women and children can either happen internally or across the border. It affects all kinds of people, regardless of their race, social class, culture, religion, and education levels. However, it is more of a gender-based issue against females. Furthermore, human trafficking can lead to life-threatening infections, mental disorders, lifetime trauma, and even the victim's death. The study's significance is to explore why the root causes of women and children trafficking in Nigeria are based around poverty, entrusting children in the hands of relatives and friends, corruption, globalization, weak legislation, and ignorance. The importance of this study is to establish how the national, regional, and international organisations are using the 3P’s Protection, Prevention, and Prosecution) to tackle human trafficking. The methodology approach for this study will be a qualitative paradigm. The rationale behind this selection is that the qualitative method will identify the phenomenon and interpret the findings comprehensively. The data collection will take the form of semi-structured in-depth interviews through telephone and email. The researcher will use a descriptive thematic analysis to analyse the data by using complete coding. In summary, this study aims to recommend to the Nigerian federal government to include human trafficking as a subject in their educational curriculum for early intervention to prevent children from been coerced by criminal gangs. And the research aims to find the root causes of women and children trafficking. Also, to look into the effectiveness of the strategies in place to eradicate human trafficking globally. In the same vein, the research objective is to investigate how the anti-trafficking bodies such as law enforcement and NGOs collaborate to tackle the upsurge in human trafficking.Keywords: children, Nigeria, trafficking, women
Procedia PDF Downloads 1788042 Employee Assessment Systems in the Structures of Corporate Groups
Authors: D. Bąk-Grabowska, K. Grzesik, A. Iwanicka, A. Jagoda
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The process of human resources management in the structures of corporate groups demonstrates certain specificity, resulting from the division of decision-making and executive competencies, which occurs within these structures between a parent company and its subsidiaries. The subprocess of employee assessment is considered crucial, since it provides information for the implementation of personnel function. The empirical studies conducted in corporate groups, within which at least one company is located in Poland, confirmed the critical significance of employee assessment systems in the process of human resources management in corporate groups. Parent companies, most often, retain their decision-making authority within the framework of the discussed process and introduce uniform employee assessment and personnel controlling systems to subsidiary companies. However, the instruments for employee assessment applied in corporate groups do not present such specificity.Keywords: corporate groups, employee periodical assessment system, holding, human resources management
Procedia PDF Downloads 4148041 Teacher Professional Development with Collaborative Action Research: Teachers' Responses to Research
Authors: Sumaya Saqr
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Although many teachers regard academic research as the inclusive domain of academic researchers, teachers should contribute to the body of research guiding their own practice. Drawing on the qualitative analysis of 20 teachers’ reflection journals and interviews, this case study sheds light on the personal and professional benefits of teachers’ applications of collaborative action research in English language teaching context. The findings reveal that several aspects of teacher identity and classroom practice were changed. The present paper aspires to reveal the way in which collaborative action research process, as a learner-centered approach to staff development, would help teachers to become more independent and professionally autonomous and hence effecting change that is far greater than its initial purpose.Keywords: change, collaborative action research, personal and professional benefits, professional development
Procedia PDF Downloads 1728040 Oncogenic Functions of Long Non-Coding RNA XIST in Human Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma by Targeting MiR-34a-5p
Authors: Cheng-Cao Sun, Shu-Jun Li, De-Jia Li
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Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) X inactivate-specific transcript (XIST) has been verified as an oncogenic gene in several human malignant tumors, and its dysregulation was closed associated with tumor initiation, development and progression. Nevertheless, whether the aberrant expression of XIST in human nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is corrected with malignancy, metastasis or prognosis has not been elaborated. Here, we discovered that XIST was up-regulated in NPC tissues and higher expression of XIST contributed to a markedly poorer survival time. In addition, multivariate analysis demonstrated XIST was an independent risk factor for prognosis. XIST over-expression enhanced, while XIST silencing hampered the cell growth in NPC. Additionally, mechanistic analysis revealed that XIST up-regulated the expression of miR-34a-5p targeted gene E2F3 through acting as a competitive ‘sponge’ of miR-34a-5p. Taking all into account, we concluded that XIST functioned as an oncogene in NPC through up-regulating E2F3 in part through ‘spongeing’ miR-34a-5p.Keywords: X inactivate-specific transcript; hsa-miRNA-34a-5p, miR-34a-5p; E2F3, nasopharyngeal carcinoma, tumorigenesis
Procedia PDF Downloads 2348039 Alternate Approaches to Quality Measurement: An Exploratory Study in Differentiation of “Quality” Characteristics in Services and Supports
Authors: Caitlin Bailey, Marian Frattarola Saulino, Beth Steinberg
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Today, virtually all programs offered to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities tout themselves as person-centered, community-based and inclusive, yet there is a vast range in type and quality of services that use these similar descriptors. The issue is exacerbated by the fields’ measurement practices around quality, inclusion, independent living, choice and person-centered outcomes. For instance, community inclusion for people with disabilities is often measured by the number of times person steps into his or her community. These measurement approaches set standards for quality too low so that agencies supporting group home residents to go bowling every week can report the same outcomes as an agency that supports one person to join a book club that includes people based on their literary interests rather than disability labels. Ultimately, lack of delineation in measurement contributes to the confusion between face value “quality” and true quality services and supports for many people with disabilities and their families. This exploratory study adopts alternative approaches to quality measurement including co-production methods and systems theoretical framework in order to identify the factors that 1) lead to high-quality supports and, 2) differentiate high-quality services. Project researchers have partnered with community practitioners who are all committed to providing quality services and supports but vary in the degree to which they are actually able to provide them. The study includes two parts; first, an online survey distributed to more than 500 agencies that have demonstrated commitment to providing high-quality services; and second, four in-depth case studies with agencies in three United States and Israel providing a variety of supports to children and adults with disabilities. Results from both the survey and in-depth case studies were thematically analyzed and coded. Results show that there are specific factors that differentiate service quality; however meaningful quality measurement practices also require that researchers explore the contextual factors that contribute to quality. These not only include direct services and interactions, but also characteristics of service users, their environments as well as organizations providing services, such as management and funding structures, culture and leadership. Findings from this study challenge researchers, policy makers and practitioners to examine existing quality service standards and measurements and to adopt alternate methodologies and solutions to differentiate and scale up evidence-based quality practices so that all people with disabilities have access to services that support them to live, work, and enjoy where and with whom they choose.Keywords: co-production, inclusion, independent living, quality measurement, quality supports
Procedia PDF Downloads 3918038 Evaluation of Top-down and Bottom-up Leadership Development Programs in a Finnish Company
Authors: Kati Skarp, Keijo Varis, Juha Kettunen
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The purpose of this paper is to examine and evaluate the top-down and bottom-up leadership development programs focused on human capital that improve the performance of a company. This study reports on the external top-down leadership development program supported by a consulting company and the internal participatory action research of the bottom-up program. The sickness rate and the lost time incident failure rate decreased and the ideas produced for cost savings improved, leading to increased earnings during the top-down program. The estimated cost savings potential of the bottom-up program was 3.8 million euro based on the cost savings of meeting habits, maintenance practices and the way of working in production. The results of this study are useful for those who plan and evaluate leadership development and human capital productivity consultation programs to improve the performance of a company.Keywords: leadership, development, human resources, company, indicators, evaluation
Procedia PDF Downloads 3228037 Insights into Archaeological Human Sample Microbiome Using 16S rRNA Gene Sequencing
Authors: Alisa Kazarina, Guntis Gerhards, Elina Petersone-Gordina, Ilva Pole, Viktorija Igumnova, Janis Kimsis, Valentina Capligina, Renate Ranka
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Human body is inhabited by a vast number of microorganisms, collectively known as the human microbiome, and there is a tremendous interest in evolutionary changes in human microbial ecology, diversity and function. The field of paleomicrobiology, study of ancient human microbiome, is powered by modern techniques of Next Generation Sequencing (NGS), which allows extracting microbial genomic data directly from archaeological sample of interest. One of the major techniques is 16S rRNA gene sequencing, by which certain 16S rRNA gene hypervariable regions are being amplified and sequenced. However, some limitations of this method exist including the taxonomic precision and efficacy of different regions used. The aim of this study was to evaluate the phylogenetic sensitivity of different 16S rRNA gene hypervariable regions for microbiome studies in the archaeological samples. Towards this aim, archaeological bone samples and corresponding soil samples from each burial environment were collected in Medieval cemeteries in Latvia. The Ion 16S™ Metagenomics Kit targeting different 16S rRNA gene hypervariable regions was used for library construction (Ion Torrent technologies). Sequenced data were analysed by using appropriate bioinformatic techniques; alignment and taxonomic representation was done using Mothur program. Sequences of most abundant genus were further aligned to E. coli 16S rRNA gene reference sequence using MEGA7 in order to identify the hypervariable region of the segment of interest. Our results showed that different hypervariable regions had different discriminatory power depending on the groups of microbes, as well as the nature of samples. On the basis of our results, we suggest that wider range of primers used can provide more accurate recapitulation of microbial communities in archaeological samples. Acknowledgements. This work was supported by the ERAF grant Nr. 1.1.1.1/16/A/101.Keywords: 16S rRNA gene, ancient human microbiome, archaeology, bioinformatics, genomics, microbiome, molecular biology, next-generation sequencing
Procedia PDF Downloads 1838036 WEMax: Virtual Manned Assembly Line Generation
Authors: Won Kyung Ham, Kang Hoon Cho, Sang C. Park
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Presented in this paper is a framework of a software ‘WEMax’. The WEMax is invented for analysis and simulation for manned assembly lines to sustain and improve performance of manufacturing systems. In a manufacturing system, performance, such as productivity, is a key of competitiveness for output products. However, the manned assembly lines are difficult to forecast performance, because human labors are not expectable factors by computer simulation models or mathematical models. Existing approaches to performance forecasting of the manned assembly lines are limited to matters of the human itself, such as ergonomic and workload design, and non-human-factor-relevant simulation. Consequently, an approach for the forecasting and improvement of manned assembly line performance is needed to research. As a solution of the current problem, this study proposes a framework that is for generation and simulation of virtual manned assembly lines, and the framework has been implemented as a software.Keywords: performance forecasting, simulation, virtual manned assembly line, WEMax
Procedia PDF Downloads 3218035 Human Resources Recruitment Defining Peculiarities of Students as Job Seekers
Authors: O. Starineca
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Some organizations as employers have difficulties to attract job seekers and retain their employees. Strategic planning of Human Resources (HR) presumes broad analysis of perspectives including analysis of potential job seekers in the field. Human Resources Recruitment (HRR) influences employer brand of an organization and peculiarities of both external organizational factors and stakeholders. Defining peculiarities of the future job seekers, who could potentially become the employees of the organization, could help to adjust HRR tools and methods adapt to the youngest generation employees’ preferences and be more successful in selecting the best candidates, who are likely to be loyal to the employer. The aim of the empirical study is definition of some students’ as job seekers peculiarities and their requirements to their potential employer. The survey in Latvia, Lithuania and Spain. Respondents were students from these countries’ tertiary education institutions Public Administration (PA) or relevant study programs. All three countries students’ peculiarities have just a slight difference. Overall, they all wish to work for a socially responsible employer that is able to provide positive working environment and possibilities for professional development and learning. However, respondents from each country have own peculiarities. The study might have a practical application. PA of the examined countries might use the results developing employer brand and creating job advertisements focusing on recent graduates’ recruitment.Keywords: generation Y, human resources recruitment, job seekers, public administration
Procedia PDF Downloads 1968034 Analysis of Human Toxicity Potential of Major Building Material Production Stage Using Life Cycle Assessment
Authors: Rakhyun Kim, Sungho Tae
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Global environmental issues such as abnormal weathers due to global warming, resource depletion, and ecosystem distortions have been escalating due to rapid increase of population growth, and expansion of industrial and economic development. Accordingly, initiatives have been implemented by many countries to protect the environment through indirect regulation methods such as Environmental Product Declaration (EPD), in addition to direct regulations such as various emission standards. Following this trend, life cycle assessment (LCA) techniques that provide quantitative environmental information, such as Human Toxicity Potential (HTP), for buildings are being developed in the construction industry. However, at present, the studies on the environmental database of building materials are not sufficient to provide this support adequately. The purpose of this study is to analysis human toxicity potential of major building material production stage using life cycle assessment. For this purpose, the theoretical consideration of the life cycle assessment and environmental impact category was performed and the direction of the study was set up. That is, the major material in the global warming potential view was drawn against the building and life cycle inventory database was selected. The classification was performed about 17 kinds of substance and impact index, such as human toxicity potential, that it specifies in CML2001. The environmental impact of analysis human toxicity potential for the building material production stage was calculated through the characterization. Meanwhile, the environmental impact of building material in the same category was analyze based on the characterization impact which was calculated in this study. In this study, establishment of environmental impact coefficients of major building material by complying with ISO 14040. Through this, it is believed to effectively support the decisions of stakeholders to improve the environmental performance of buildings and provide a basis for voluntary participation of architects in environment consideration activities.Keywords: human toxicity potential, major building material, life cycle assessment, production stage
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