Search results for: Charles Thomas Nugent
Commenced in January 2007
Frequency: Monthly
Edition: International
Paper Count: 640

Search results for: Charles Thomas Nugent

520 Integrating Environmental and Ecological Justice for the Sustainable Development of Smart Cities: A Normative Eco Framework

Authors: Thomas Benson

Abstract:

This paper leverages theoretical insights into two different justice approaches – environmental justice and ecological justice – to examine the effectiveness of sustainable development within smart cities and related smart city technology initiatives. Through theoretical development, the author seeks to establish an Eco Framework for smart cities and urban sustainable development. In turn, this paper aims to proffer the notion that there are ecologically sustainable ways in which smart cities can get smarter, and that such strategies can be compatible with ecological justice and environmental justice. Ultimately, a single conceptual framework is put forward to integrate the above approaches and concepts with normative prescriptions, which can serve researchers in the continued examination of smart cities and policymakers in their sustainable development of smart cities.

Keywords: ecological justice, environmental justice, normative framework, smart cities, sustainable development

Procedia PDF Downloads 150
519 The Role of International Organizations in the Implementation of Return Migration Policy in Cameroon

Authors: Charles Simplice Mbatsogo Mebo

Abstract:

With growth picking up again, Africa seems increasingly attractive for its own nationals who return home through new opportunities available for them. The purpose of our research paper is to understand the role of the international partners in Cameroon, with regards to their support for the return and reintegration of migrants. We, therefore, questioned the relevance and effectiveness and efficacy of international instruments in reintegrating returnees to Cameroon. After our analysis that was conducted on the basis of a documentary exploration, interviews, and field surveys, it appears that the contribution of the international partners in Cameroon is proven in relation to their participation in the financing and placement of returned experts. However, their contribution remains insufficient due to their low level of deployment and the insignificant impact of their investments on the reintegration of Cameroonian Diasporas. The research also reveals some exogenous and endogenous constraints that hinder international institutions' actions in terms of accompanying migrants returning to Cameroon. Finally, for a better management of the returnees' issue, it is necessary to set up a mechanism to raise awareness and a coordination system of all international actors involved. It is also relevant to reform the migration policy, build institutional capacities, and improve the juridical-administrative and economic environment so as to favor co-development in Cameroon.

Keywords: international partners, returnees, diaspora, migration policy, co-development

Procedia PDF Downloads 121
518 Modified Preputial Urethrostomy as a Salvage Procedure in Four Dogs

Authors: Thomas Giansetto, Olivier Broux, Géraldine Bolen, Stéphanie Claeys

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Objective: To describe a modified preputial urethrostomy in four dogs. Study design: Short case series. Animals: Four male dogs were treated by the modified preputial urethrostomy, three because of urethral stenosis, and one because of severe complications following perineal urethrostomy. Methods: Four dogs were presented for dysuria and urinary obstruction. secondary to urethral stenosis or tear. Obstruction was treated with a modified preputial urethrostomy. Results: Four dogs had resolution of dysuria with a modified preputial urethrostomy without penile amputation. None of the dogs presented signs of dysuria, urinary tract infection, or dermatitis postoperatively. Two dogs showed signs of urinary incontinence 15 days and one month postoperatively. Conclusion: The modified preputial urethrostomy resulted in a favorable prognosis and may be an alternative to prepubic urethrostomy in male dogs.

Keywords: urethrostomy, preputial, technique, urogenital

Procedia PDF Downloads 125
517 Failure Mode Analysis of a Multiple Layer Explosion Bonded Cryogenic Transition Joint

Authors: Richard Colwell, Thomas Englert

Abstract:

In cryogenic liquefaction processes, brazed aluminum core heat exchangers are used to minimize surface area/volume of the exchanger. Aluminum alloy (5083-H321; UNS A95083) piping must transition to higher melting point 304L stainless steel piping outside of the heat exchanger kettle or cold box for safety reasons. Since aluminum alloys and austenitic stainless steel cannot be directly welded to together, a transition joint consisting of 5 layers of different metals explosively bonded are used. Failures of two of these joints resulted in process shut-down and loss of revenue. Failure analyses, FEA analysis, and mock-up testing were performed by multiple teams to gain a further understanding into the failure mechanisms involved.

Keywords: explosion bonding, intermetallic compound, thermal strain, titanium-nickel Interface

Procedia PDF Downloads 175
516 Designing a Pregnancy Interactive Information Design for a Mobile Application

Authors: Thomas Adi Purnomo Sidhi

Abstract:

The importance of designing a pregnancy interactive information design for a mobile application is felt in order to assist pregnant women to get an easy access of highly credible pregnancy-related information on which often fail to be fulfilled, while it has been a very critical one. Thus, an observation of needs assessment for designing a pregnancy interactive information system design for a mobile application at iOS becomes current objective study. A comparative study of the top five pregnancy interactive information design available at the Apple Store conducted in order to fulfill it. Whilst, an observation of user experiences included for deeper analyzes. Moreover, a literature study conducted to support the arguments that being provided in the current study. The findings, surprisingly, also reveal the advantages of local wisdom in pregnancy that never been attached to those top five applications before.

Keywords: information system design, interactive design, local wisdom, pregnancy

Procedia PDF Downloads 159
515 Deep Learning for Recommender System: Principles, Methods and Evaluation

Authors: Basiliyos Tilahun Betru, Charles Awono Onana, Bernabe Batchakui

Abstract:

Recommender systems have become increasingly popular in recent years, and are utilized in numerous areas. Nowadays many web services provide several information for users and recommender systems have been developed as critical element of these web applications to predict choice of preference and provide significant recommendations. With the help of the advantage of deep learning in modeling different types of data and due to the dynamic change of user preference, building a deep model can better understand users demand and further improve quality of recommendation. In this paper, deep neural network models for recommender system are evaluated. Most of deep neural network models in recommender system focus on the classical collaborative filtering user-item setting. Deep learning models demonstrated high level features of complex data can be learned instead of using metadata which can significantly improve accuracy of recommendation. Even though deep learning poses a great impact in various areas, applying the model to a recommender system have not been fully exploited and still a lot of improvements can be done both in collaborative and content-based approach while considering different contextual factors.

Keywords: big data, decision making, deep learning, recommender system

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514 Implementing a Neural Network on a Low-Power and Mobile Cluster to Aide Drivers with Predictive AI for Traffic Behavior

Authors: Christopher Lama, Alix Rieser, Aleksandra Molchanova, Charles Thangaraj

Abstract:

New technologies like Tesla’s Dojo have made high-performance embedded computing more available. Although automobile computing has developed and benefited enormously from these more recent technologies, the costs are still high, prohibitively high in some cases for broader adaptation, particularly for the after-market and enthusiast markets. This project aims to implement a Raspberry Pi-based low-power (under one hundred Watts) highly mobile computing cluster for a neural network. The computing cluster built from off-the-shelf components is more affordable and, therefore, makes wider adoption possible. The paper describes the design of the neural network, Raspberry Pi-based cluster, and applications the cluster will run. The neural network will use input data from sensors and cameras to project a live view of the road state as the user drives. The neural network will be trained to predict traffic behavior and generate warnings when potentially dangerous situations are predicted. The significant outcomes of this study will be two folds, firstly, to implement and test the low-cost cluster, and secondly, to ascertain the effectiveness of the predictive AI implemented on the cluster.

Keywords: CS pedagogy, student research, cluster computing, machine learning

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513 A Study on Household Food Security and Dietary Diversity in Urban Centers of Thrissur

Authors: Sandra Thomas

Abstract:

This study tries to analyse the level of food security and dietary diversity among households of different socio-economic classes in the urban centers of Thrissur. The study revealed that there is no much difference in purchasing patterns of food articles among the socio-economic classes indicating a very high level of both physical and economic accessibility of food. On analysing the dietary diversity of the households none of the households scored below five and fifty-three per cent of the households scored eleven or twelve indicating higher diversity in diet. It was also found that income and education are the two important factors that influence the level of household food security.

Keywords: food security, dietary diversity, household level, socio-economic classes

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512 Impacts of International Training Program in Pedagogy in Higher Education in the United States on Visiting Scholars in China

Authors: Yuliang Liu, Thomas Lavallee, Mary Weishaar, Gretchen Fricke, Huaibo Xin

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The longitudinal study was designed to investigate the impacts of the International Training Program in Pedagogy (ITPP) at a midwestern institution in the United States on the visiting scholars from China from 2012-18. The study used the survey research method and involved 48 visiting scholars from Northwest Normal University in China in those eight ITPP cohorts. The results of both quantitative and qualitative data were critically examined and indicated both types of data sources revealed similar findings. It was found that the ITPP has significantly affected all scholars' instruction in China. International implications resulted from the study.

Keywords: international training program in pedagogy, visiting scholars, survey research method, International implications

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511 Development of MEMS Based 3-Axis Accelerometer for Hand Movement Monitoring

Authors: Zohra Aziz Ali Manjiyani, Renju Thomas Jacob, Keerthan Kumar

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This project develops a hand movement monitoring system, which feeds the data into the computer and gives the 3D image rotation according to the direction of the tilt and hence monitoring the movement of the hand in context to its tilt. Advancement of MEMS Technology has enabled us to get very small and low-cost accelerometer ICs which is based on capacitive principle. Accelerometer based Tilt sensor ADXL335 is used in this paper, based on MEMS technology and the project emphasis on the development of the MEMS-based accelerometer to measure the tilt, interfacing the hardware with the LabVIEW and showing the 3D rotation to the user, which is in his understandable form and tilt data can be saved in the computer. It provides an experience of working on emerging technologies like MEMS and design software like LabVIEW.

Keywords: MEMS accelerometer, tilt sensor ADXL335, LabVIEW simulation, 3D animation

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510 Epigenetic Mechanisms Involved in the Occurrence and Development of Infectious Diseases

Authors: Frank Boris Feutmba Keutchou, Saurelle Fabienne Bieghan Same, Verelle Elsa Fogang Pokam, Charles Ursula Metapi Meikeu, Angel Marilyne Messop Nzomo, Ousman Tamgue

Abstract:

Infectious diseases are one of the most important causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. These diseases are caused by micro-pathogenic organisms, such as bacteria, viruses, parasites, and fungi. Heritable changes in gene expression that do not involve changes to the underlying DNA sequence are referred to as epigenetics. Emerging evidence suggests that epigenetic mechanisms are important in the emergence and progression of infectious diseases. Pathogens can manipulate host epigenetic machinery to promote their own replication and evade immune responses. The Human Genome Project has provided new opportunities for developing better tools for the diagnosis and identification of target genes. Several epigenetic modifications, such as DNA methylation, histone modifications, and non-coding RNA expression, have been shown to influence infectious disease outcomes. Understanding the epigenetic mechanisms underlying infectious diseases may result in the progression of new therapeutic approaches focusing on host-pathogen interactions. The goal of this study is to show how different infectious agents interact with host cells after infection.

Keywords: epigenetic, infectious disease, micro-pathogenic organism, phenotype

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509 The Heart of Sanctuary Movement and the Ethics of Solidarity

Authors: Irene Ludji

Abstract:

This article discusses the relevance of the sanctuary movement in relation to the idea of solidarity understood through the lens of ethics. There are three parts of this article. First is the investigation on the background of sanctuary movements in the U.S., the UK, and Canada. The repeated theme behind sanctuary movements includes practicing religious traditions, protecting vulnerable life, and challenging the unjust law. Second is the examination of the ethics of solidarity using Thomas D. Williams, who claims it as the extension of responsible love based on respect towards human dignity, and Rebecca Todd Peters, who claims the ethics of solidarity as the transformative ethic rooted in social justice. Third is the analysis of the connection between the central theme of sanctuary movements and the ethics of solidarity. This article concludes that sanctuary movement is indeed a solidarity movement that remains relevant in our world today because the acknowledgment of human dignity, as the basis for solidarity, is vital in transforming an unjust social system that creates the need for a sanctuary in the first place.

Keywords: sanctuary movement, solidarity, ethics, U.S., UK, canada

Procedia PDF Downloads 37
508 Analysis of Cross-Correlations in Emerging Markets Using Random Matrix Theory

Authors: Thomas Chinwe Urama, Patrick Oseloka Ezepue, Peters Chimezie Nnanwa

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This paper investigates the universal financial dynamics in two dominant stock markets in Sub-Saharan Africa, through an in-depth analysis of the cross-correlation matrix of price returns in Nigerian Stock Market (NSM) and Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE), for the period 2009 to 2013. The strength of correlations between stocks is known to be higher in JSE than that of the NSM. Particularly important for modelling Nigerian derivatives in the future, the interactions of other stocks with the oil sector are weak, whereas the banking sector has strong positive interactions with the other sectors in the stock exchange. For the JSE, it is the oil sector and beverages that have greater sectorial correlations, instead of the banks which have the weaker correlation with other sectors in the stock exchange.

Keywords: random matrix theory, cross-correlations, emerging markets, option pricing, eigenvalues eigenvectors, inverse participation ratios and implied volatility

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507 Sociolinguistic Analysis of Campus Slang: The Case of Akwa Ibom State College of Education, Afaha Nsit, Nigeria

Authors: Charles Okon Effiong

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This paper is a sociolinguistic analysis of the semantics of students’ slang in Akwa Ibom State College of Education, Afaha Nsit, Nigeria. The descriptive survey design was deployed for the study and data were collected from one hundred and fifty (150) students through a series of instruments such as questionnaire, interviews and observations. The questionnaire was administered randomly to levels 200, 300 and Extra Time students only. Interviews and observations were also conducted on the students. These categories of students were selected because they had spent a longer time in the college and were thought to be familiar with campus slang. A total of ninety two (92) slang expressions were taken from the questionnaire and out of this number, twenty six (26) slang expressions were peculiar to the college while sixty six (66) were those slang terms also used in the society. The study proves the notion that every speaker handles a variety of registers and tends to choose among them in accordance with the social situation in which he finds himself. The study shows campus slang as a sociolect which facilitates communication among the students in a different sense. The slang expressions are fully intelligible to the students and this unique and elaborate lexicon serves to achieve group identity among other social implications.

Keywords: communication, slang, social relationship, sociolinguistics

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506 Newly Developed Epoxy-Polyol and Epoxy- Polyurethane from Renewable Resources

Authors: Akintayo Emmanuel Temitope, Akintayo Cecilia Olufunke, Ziegler Thomas

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Bio-polyols are important components in polyurethane industries. The preliminary studies into the synthesis of bio-polyol products (epoxy-polyol and epoxyl-polyurethanes) from Jatropha curcas were investigated. The reactions were followed by both infrared and nuclear magnetic resonance. Physico-chemical characterisation of the samples for iodine value (IV), acid value (AV), saponification value (SV) and hydroxyl value (HV) were carried out. Thermal transitions of the products were studied by heating 5 mg of the sample from 20ºC to 800ºC and then cooling down to -500ºC on a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC). The preparation of epoxylpolyol and polyurethane from Jatropha curcas oil was smooth and efficient. Results of film and solubility properties revealed that coatings of Jatropha curcas epoxy-polyurethanes performed better with increased loading of toluylene 2, 4-diisocyanate (TDI) up to 2 wt% while their solvent resistance decreased beyond a TDI loading of 1.2 wt%. DSC analysis shows the epoxy-polyurethane to be less stable compared to the epoxy-polyol.

Keywords: synthesis, epoxy-polyol, epoxy-polyurethane, jatropha curcas oil

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505 GPU-Accelerated Triangle Mesh Simplification Using Parallel Vertex Removal

Authors: Thomas Odaker, Dieter Kranzlmueller, Jens Volkert

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We present an approach to triangle mesh simplification designed to be executed on the GPU. We use a quadric error metric to calculate an error value for each vertex of the mesh and order all vertices based on this value. This step is followed by the parallel removal of a number of vertices with the lowest calculated error values. To allow for the parallel removal of multiple vertices we use a set of per-vertex boundaries that prevent mesh foldovers even when simplification operations are performed on neighbouring vertices. We execute multiple iterations of the calculation of the vertex errors, ordering of the error values and removal of vertices until either a desired number of vertices remains in the mesh or a minimum error value is reached. This parallel approach is used to speed up the simplification process while maintaining mesh topology and avoiding foldovers at every step of the simplification.

Keywords: computer graphics, half edge collapse, mesh simplification, precomputed simplification, topology preserving

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504 The History and Plausible Future of Assistive Technology and What It Might Mean for Singapore Students With Disabilities

Authors: Thomas Chong, Irene Victor

Abstract:

This paper discusses the history and plausible future of assistive technology and what it means for students with disabilities in Singapore, a country known for its high quality of education in the world. Over more than a century, students with disabilities have benefitted from relatively low-tech assistive technology (like eye-glasses, Braille, magnifiers and wheelchairs) to high-tech assistive technology including electronic mobility switches, alternative keyboards, computer-screen enlargers, text-to-speech readers, electronic sign-language dictionaries and signing avatars for individuals with hearing impairments. Driven by legislation, the use of assistive technology in many countries is becoming so ubiquitous that more and more students with disabilities are able to perform as well as if not better than their counterparts. Yet in many other learning environments where assistive technology is not affordable or mandated, the learning gaps can be quite significant. Without stronger legislation, Singapore may still have a long way to go in levelling the playing field for its students with disabilities.

Keywords: assistive technology, students with disabilities, disability laws in Singapore, inclusiveness

Procedia PDF Downloads 40
503 Ultrasonic Pulse Velocity Investigation of Polypropylene and Steel Fiber Reinforced Concrete

Authors: Erjola Reufi, Jozefita Marku, Thomas Bier

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Ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV) method has been shown for some time to provide a reliable means of estimating properties and offers a unique opportunity for direct, quick and safe control of building damaged by earthquake, fatigue, conflagration and catastrophic scenarios. On this investigation hybrid reinforced concrete has been investigated by UPV method. Hooked end steel fiber of length 50 and 30 mm was added to concrete in different proportion 0, 0.25, 0.5, and 1 % by the volume of concrete. On the other hand, polypropylene fiber of length 12, 6, 3 mm was added to concrete of 0.1, 0.2, and 0.4 % by the volume of concrete. Fifteen different mixture has been prepared to investigate the relation between compressive strength and UPV values and also to investigate on the effect of volume and type of fiber on UPV values.

Keywords: compressive strength, polypropylene fiber, steel fiber, ultrasonic pulse velocity, volume, type of fiber

Procedia PDF Downloads 378
502 Compressible Flow Modeling in Pipes and Porous Media during Blowdown Experiment

Authors: Thomas Paris, Vincent Bruyere, Patrick Namy

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A numerical model is developed to simulate gas blowdowns through a thin tube and a filter (porous media), separating a high pressure gas filled reservoir to low pressure ones. Based on a previous work, a one-dimensional approach is developed by using the finite element method to solve the transient compressible flow and to predict the pressure and temperature evolution in space and time. Mass, momentum, and energy conservation equations are solved in a fully coupled way in the reservoirs, the pipes and the porous media. Numerical results, such as pressure and temperature evolutions, are firstly compared with experimental data to validate the model for different configurations. Couplings between porous media and pipe flow are then validated by checking mass balance. The influence of the porous media and the nature of the gas is then studied for different initial high pressure values.

Keywords: compressible flow, fluid mechanics, heat transfer, porous media

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501 Developing Language Ownership: An Autoethnographic Perspective on Transformative Learning

Authors: Thomas Abbey

Abstract:

This paper is part of an ongoing research addressing the experience of language learners in developing a sense of language ownership in their second language. For the majority of language learners, the main goal of learning a second or foreign language is to develop proficiency in the target language. Language proficiency comprises numerous intersecting competency skills ranging from causally listening to speaking using certain registers. This autoethnography analyzes lived experiences related to transitioning from learning a language in a classroom to being in an environment where the researcher's second language is the primary means of communication. Focused on lived experiences, the purpose of this research is to provide an insight into the experiences of language learners entering new environments and needing to navigate life within another language. Through reflections, this paper offers a critical account of experience traveling to Baku, Azerbaijan as a Russian language learner. The analysis for this paper focuses on the development of a sense of language ownership.

Keywords: autoethnography, language learning, language ownership, transformative learning

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500 Racial Diversity in Founding Ownership Teams and Business Performance in New Firms

Authors: Cedric Herring, Loren Henderson, Hayward Derrick Horton, Melvin Thomas

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This paper asks whether business startups benefit from having racially diverse founding ownership teams. Using nationally representative data from the Kauffman Firm Survey, the analysis examines the relationship between the racial diversity of the founding ownership teams of business startups and their net worth, revenue, debt, and profits. The analysis shows that, net of firm characteristics and human capital characteristics, startups with racially diverse founding teams have higher net worth, lower debt, and greater profits than their non-diverse counterparts. The racial diversity of ownership teams is not, however, related to startup firms’ revenues, net of other factors. The implications of these findings are explored.

Keywords: racial diversity, business startups, founding ownership teams, diversity and business performance

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499 Mechanical Study Printed Circuit Boards Bonding for Jefferson Laboratory Detector

Authors: F. Noto, F. De Persio, V. Bellini, G. Costa. F. Mammoliti, F. Meddi, C. Sutera, G. M. Urcioli

Abstract:

One plane X and one plane Y of silicon microstrip detectors will constitute the front part of the Super Bigbite Spectrometer that is under construction and that will be installed in the experimental Hall A of the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (Jefferson Laboratory), located in Newport News, Virgina, USA. Each plane will be made up by two nearly identical, 300 μm thick, 10 cm x 10.3 cm wide silicon microstrip detectors with 50 um pitch, whose electronic signals will be transferred to the front-end electronic based on APV25 chips through C-shaped FR4 Printed Circuit Boards (PCB). A total of about 10000 strips are read-out. This paper treats the optimization of the detector support structure, the materials used through a finite element simulation. A very important aspect of the study will also cover the optimization of the bonding parameters between detector and electronics.

Keywords: FEM analysis, bonding, SBS tracker, mechanical structure

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498 Extending Image Captioning to Video Captioning Using Encoder-Decoder

Authors: Sikiru Ademola Adewale, Joe Thomas, Bolanle Hafiz Matti, Tosin Ige

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This project demonstrates the implementation and use of an encoder-decoder model to perform a many-to-many mapping of video data to text captions. The many-to-many mapping occurs via an input temporal sequence of video frames to an output sequence of words to form a caption sentence. Data preprocessing, model construction, and model training are discussed. Caption correctness is evaluated using 2-gram BLEU scores across the different splits of the dataset. Specific examples of output captions were shown to demonstrate model generality over the video temporal dimension. Predicted captions were shown to generalize over video action, even in instances where the video scene changed dramatically. Model architecture changes are discussed to improve sentence grammar and correctness.

Keywords: decoder, encoder, many-to-many mapping, video captioning, 2-gram BLEU

Procedia PDF Downloads 66
497 Women, Ethnic Minorities and Electoral Success

Authors: Karen Lesley Webster, Charles Crothers

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As the population of the Auckland region in New Zealand becomes markedly more super-diverse, the question of fair and effective representation becomes increasingly relevant. This paper explores who stood and who was elected to local office, in the three Auckland triennial local elections, following the 2010 amalgamation of the regions local authorities. It addresses the question of how representative the electoral candidates and elected members of local government in Auckland were of the diverse population they serve. A quantitative analysis of the gender and ethnicity of the Auckland Council candidates and elected members in 2013, 2016, and 2019 triennial elections was undertaken, and the gender and ethnicity compared with that of the Auckland population. Our findings show that under the two-tiered shared governance model established by the Local Government Act (Auckland Council) 2009, electoral candidates have become more ethnically and gender representative of Aucklanders at the local level, while at the regional level, divergence from predominantly New Zealand European, male local representatives is emerging, albeit with less pace. These findings warrant further investigation, but overall, the research presents a cautiously optimistic picture of Auckland local democracy in terms of increasing representational diversity.

Keywords: local government, representation, diversity, gender, ethnicity

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496 Cameroon’s State Bilingualism: Mending Fences between Linguistic Communities

Authors: Charles Esambe Alobwede

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From the time of the biblical story of the Tower of Babel, languages as well as people have learnt to co-exist. It is obvious that when languages co-exist, there is the inevitable tendency of linguistic influence. This is because a language can either be a unifying factor or a factor of division within a given community, especially in a multicultural and multi-linguistic community where such a situation has led to socio-political and economic tension. Thus, leaders of such communities have a duty to plan and implement a language policy that will meet the needs of all members of the community in order to enhance its corporateness. The present article will focus on some of the major reasons that prompted the government of Cameroon to embark on an official bilingual policy after independence in 1961 and then evaluate the evolution of the linguistic situation. The article will equally look at the consequences, especially on a socio-political platform and what today has been termed 'the Anglophone problem' in Cameroon which has caused a fuse between the country’s minority Anglophone population and the majority Francophone administration. Data for the present article is collected from literature on the state of official bilingualism in Cameroon, newspapers articles on the prevailing situation in the country and interviews with actors on the field.

Keywords: language policy, linguistic influence, multicultural, official bilingualism, socio-political tension

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495 Effectiveness of Online Language Learning

Authors: Shazi Shah Jabeen, Ajay Jesse Thomas

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The study is aimed at understanding the learning trends of students who opt for online language courses and to assess the effectiveness of the same. Multiple factors including use of the latest available technology and the skills that are trained by these online methods have been assessed. An attempt has been made to answer how each of the various language skills is trained online and how effective the online methods are compared to the classroom methods when students interact with peers and instructor. A mixed method research design was followed for collecting information for the study where a survey by means of a questionnaire and in-depth interviews with a number of respondents were undertaken across the various institutes and study centers located in the United Arab Emirates. The questionnaire contained 19 questions which included 7 sub-questions. The study revealed that the students find learning with an instructor to be a lot more effective than learning alone in an online environment. They prefer classroom environment more than the online setting for language learning.

Keywords: effectiveness, language, online learning, skills

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494 Colour and Curcuminoids Removal from Turmeric Wastewater Using Activated Carbon Adsorption

Authors: Nattawat Thongpraphai, Anusorn Boonpoke

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This study aimed to determine the removal of colour and curcuminoids from turmeric wastewater using granular activated carbon (GAC) adsorption. The adsorption isotherm and kinetic behavior of colour and curcuminoids was invested using batch and fixed bed columns tests. The results indicated that the removal efficiency of colour and curcuminoids were 80.13 and 78.64%, respectively at 8 hr of equilibrium time. The adsorption isotherm of colour and curcuminoids were well fitted with the Freundlich adsorption model. The maximum adsorption capacity of colour and curcuminoids were 130 Pt-Co/g and 17 mg/g, respectively. The continuous experiment data showed that the exhaustion concentration of colour and curcuminoids occurred at 39 hr of operation time. The adsorption characteristic of colour and curcuminoids from turmeric wastewater by GAC can be described by the Thomas model. The maximum adsorption capacity obtained from kinetic approach were 39954 Pt-Co/g and 0.0516 mg/kg for colour and curcuminoids, respectively. Moreover, the decrease of colour and curcuminoids concentration during the service time showed a similar trend.

Keywords: adsorption, turmeric, colour, curcuminoids, activated carbon

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493 N400 Investigation of Semantic Priming Effect to Symbolic Pictures in Text

Authors: Thomas Ousterhout

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The purpose of this study was to investigate if incorporating meaningful pictures of gestures and facial expressions in short sentences of text could supplement the text with enough semantic information to produce and N400 effect when probe words incongruent to the picture were subsequently presented. Event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded from a 14-channel commercial grade EEG headset while subjects performed congruent/incongruent reaction time discrimination tasks. Since pictures of meaningful gestures have been shown to be semantically processed in the brain in a similar manner as words are, it is believed that pictures will add supplementary information to text just as the inclusion of their equivalent synonymous word would. The hypothesis is that when subjects read the text/picture mixed sentences, they will process the images and words just like in face-to-face communication and therefore probe words incongruent to the image will produce an N400.

Keywords: EEG, ERP, N400, semantics, congruency, facilitation, Emotiv

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492 Levels of Plastic Waste and Fish Landed By Beach Seine Fishers in Coastal Ghana

Authors: Francis Gbogbo, Angelica Ama Essandoh, Wendy Teresa Baffoe, Henry Groos, Charles Mario Boateng, Emmanuel Robert Blankson

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Baseline data on plastic landing by fishers and monitoring of this is important in evaluating the success of plastic waste management efforts. This study investigated plastic and fish landed by beach seine fishers in Ghana, together with the rate of plastic deposition on an adjoining beach. Plastic constituted 31.6% of the total catch, and 41.7% of the fish landed by weight. There were significant differences between the average weight of fish (139.58±53.6kg) and plastic (65.73±14.6kg) landed per fishing session and the catch per unit effort of fish (183.4±76.7 kg/day) and plastic (88.4±35.2 kg/day). The mean weight of plastic landed per fishing session was higher than the mean weight of each of the 26 species of fisheries. The rate of plastic deposition on the beach was 8.1±2.5 plastic items per m2 per tidal cycle or 0.35±0.11kg plastic per m2 per tidal cycle, with food packs and tableware dominating the deposited plastic. The results suggested that ongoing water sachets and plastic bottle recycling in Ghana are yielding results and calls for targeted efforts in plastic food packs and tableware management.

Keywords: fishig, landing, plastic waste, intertidal area, fishing effort

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491 Mixture of Polymers and Coating Fullerene Soft Nanoparticles

Authors: L. Bouzina, A. Bensafi, M. Duval, C. Mathis, M. Rawiso

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We study the stability and structural properties of mixtures of model nanoparticles and non-adsorbing polymers in the 'protein limit', where the size of polymers exceeds the particle size substantially. We have synthesized in institute (Charles Sadron Strasbourg) model nanoparticles by coating fullerene C60 molecules with low molecular weight polystyrene (PS) chains (6 PS chains with a degree of polymerization close to 25 and 50 are grafted on each fullerene C60 molecule. We will present a Small Angle Neutron scattering (SANS) study of Tetrahydrofuran (THF) solutions involving long polystyrene (PS) chains and fullerene (C60) nanoparticles. Long PS chains and C60 nanoparticles with different arm lengths were synthesized either hydrogenated or deuteriated. They were characterized through Size Exclusion Chromatography (SEC) and Quasielastic Light Scattering (QLS). In this way, the solubility of the C60 nanoparticles in the usual good solvents of PS was controlled. SANS experiments were performed by use of the contrast variation method in order to measure the partial scattering functions related to both components. They allow us to obtain information about the dispersion state of the C60 nanoparticles as well as the average conformation of the long PS chains. Specifically, they show that the addition of long polymer chains leads to the existence of an additional attractive interaction in between soft nanoparticles.

Keywords: fulleren nanoparticles, polymer, small angle neutron scattering, solubility

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