Using Textual Emotion Extraction in Context-Aware Computing

In 2016, the number of global smartphone users will surpass 2 billion. The common owner uses about 27 apps monthly. On average, users of SwiftKey, an alternative Android software keyboard, type approximately 1800 characters a day. Still, all of the user-generated data of these apps is, for the most part, unused by the owner itself. To change this, we conducted research in Context-Aware Computing, Natural Language Processing and Affective Computing. The goal was to create an environment for recording this non-used contextual data without losing its historical context and to create an algorithm that is able to extract emotions from text. Therefore, we are introducing Emotext, a textual emotion extraction algorithm that uses conceptnet5’s realworld knowledge for word-interpretation, as well as Cofra, a framework for recording contextual data with time-based versioning

London’s foundations protecting the geodiversity of the capital

This report describes a geodiversity audit of London commissioned by a partnership led by the Greater London Authority (GLA), which includes the British Geological Survey (BGS), Natural England, Government Office for London, London Biodiversity Partnership, London Borough of Lambeth, Harrow and Hillingdon Geological Society, South London London RIGS Groups, Hanson UK and Queen Mary College, University of London. The project was funded by an Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund grant from Natural England plus additional support from the GLA, BGS and Natural England London Region. The audit began with a review of the available geodiversity documentation for London including: BGS field maps, databases and publications; Regional Important Geological Sites (RIGS) Group information; Natural England Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and Geological Conservation Review (GCR) documentation; and documentation and data from the GLA and London Boroughs. An initial list of around 470 sites with potential for geodiversity value was compiled from this information. This list was then narrowed down to 100 for further assessment by exporting site locations to a GIS and cross-checking against digital aerial photography backed up by BGS staff local geological expertise. Using the procedure set out in this report field auditing was carried out by BGS staff and the South London RIGS Group between November 2007 and April 2008. From the list of 100 sites, 35 sites were found to be suitable for detailed auditing. Harrow and Hillingdon Geological Society audited a further site in November 2008, bringing the total to 36 sites. Using the criteria set out in this report 14 of the 36 sites are recommended for designation as Regionally Important Geological/geomorphological Sites (RIGS) in borough Local Development Documents. Of the 33 London boroughs, RIGS are recommended in eight, with five in Bromley, three in Croydon and one each in Lewisham, Ealing, Greenwich, Harrow, Hillingdon and Bexley. Using the criteria set out in this report 15 of the 36 sites have the potential to be designated as Locally Important Geological Sites (LIGS). These sites are located in nine boroughs, three in Waltham Forest, two in Bromley, two in Islington and one each in Barnet, Lewisham, Redbridge, Wandsworth, Southwark and Sutton. Planning proposals should have regard to geodiversity in order to implement strategic and local policies. Sites should be protected, managed and enhanced and, where ppropriate, new development should provide improvements to the geodiversity value of a site. This can include measures that promote public access, study, interpretation and appreciation of geodiversity. In addition to individual sites of geodiversity interest, Greater London has distinctive natural landscapes shaped by geological processes, such as undulating chalk downlands with dry valleys in south London, and river terraces forming long flat areas separated by steeper areas of terrace front slopes. This natural topographic geodiversity underlying London should be understood, respected and only altered in that knowledge with full knowledge of it origin and form. Planners are encouraged to use authentic contouring in restoration work and new landscaping schemes, maintain the contributions of natural topography, rock outcrops, landscape features, and to maintain soil quality, quantity and function

Child Maltreatment Severity Questionnaire (MSQ) for professionals: development, validity, and reliability evidence

This article presents the development and validation of the child Maltreatment Severity Questionnaire (MSQ), aiming to contribute to increase the quality and efficiency of evaluation processes in the Child Protection System (CPS). To obtain a valid and reliable instrument, a set of studies was developed: Study 1—Based on two previous studies, the questionnaire was developed and the severity level of the items within maltreatment subtypes was assigned by 93 professionals from the welfare and CPS system. Consensus about the severity levels was assessed and described in terms of within-item reliability rankings; Study 2—The MSQ was filled out for 253 children and adolescents referred to the CPS. To ensure that the items within different subtypes of maltreatment were homogenous and had internal consistency, a reliability analysis was performed; Study 3—The MSQ was filled out for 1,000 children and adolescents referred to the CPS. This study involved testing validity evidence through an exploratory and a confirmatory factor analysis. We also analyzed the internal consistency, sensibility (i.e., sex and age differences) and concurrent validity of the MSQ. Findings support the adequacy and reliability of the MSQ to be used by CPS professionals in evaluating child maltreatment.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Culture and Context\u27s Influence on Hispanic Undergraduates\u27 Perceptions of Their Persistence toward STEM Degree Attainment

This dissertation examines the influences of context and culture on Hispanic undergraduate’s in the STEM pipeline. Study one utilized systematic review methods to assess the effectiveness of STEM intervention programs on Hispanic undergraduates. A total of 45 STEM related databases were searched from March-September 2020 with no limitations. Although a total of 259 studies were identified, only one study was actually found to specifically focus on Hispanic populations and include empirically based evaluations. The one remaining study did not find a statistically significant intervention effect for four- year graduation rates. The lack of evidence highlights a gap in research or tackling increased representation for Hispanic students in STEM and identifies the need for methodological changes in the way STEM interventions are evaluated. Study two utilized qualitative content analysis methods to identify Hispanic STEM majors perceptions of both supports and barriers in their STEM degree pathways. Two short answer questions exploring barriers and supports were asked of 947 Hispanic undergraduate, STEM majors. Our findings revealed nuanced perspectives that illuminated the importance of financial access, family, teacher, and peer support, as well as acknowledgement for the role of experiences unique to Hispanic groups. These findings illuminate the importance of respect and inclusion of Hispanic culture with regards to increasing Hispanic representation in STEM. Study three examined how cultural factors influence Hispanic undergraduate’s perception of themselves and career aspirations using the integrative theoretical models of Relational Developmental Systems Theory (RDST) and Relational Cultural Theory (RCT). A total of 947 Hispanic undergraduates completed an ethnic identity, familismo beliefs, career aspirations, STEM retention, and STEM identity questionnaires. SEM analyses revealed model relationships were significant and positive for both Hispanic men and women, however, these models differed in strength of relationships among some of the constructs

2014 Transformations Program

Originally established as Scholars\u27 Day in 1997, Transformations is a day-long conference devoted to showcasing the wide array of scholarship, research and creative activities occurring on campus. In 2012, a new emphasis on student research lead to a name change to Transformations: A Student Research and Creativity Conference. This event focuses on student research, which is defined as an original investigation or creative activity through the primary efforts of a student or group of students. The work should show problem-solving skills and demonstrate new conceptual outcomes.https://digitalcommons.cortland.edu/transformationsprograms/1024/thumbnail.jp

Communication disorders and indigenous Australians : a synthesis and critique of the available literature

Purpose: To synthesise and critique the available diverse literature related to communication disorders experienced by Indigenous Australians. This is in order to provide health professionals with a resource guide for evidence based decision making. The review has a specific focus on prevalence, assessment and effective treatment of communication disorders and explores these across the lifespan. Method: A three phase systematic search process was adopted. A number of key databases, speech pathology journals and grey literature sources were searched to obtain articles relevant to the research aims. Two researchers independently rated articles for inclusion as well as methodological quality using the Kmet rating tool. Data synthesis was completed by categorising articles according to communication disorder type and methodology used.. Each article was then summarised for key findings relating to the research aims. Results: A total of 85 articles rated highly relevant were included in the review. A total of 60% of the available literature was textual or grey literature and 40% was quantitative or qualitative studies. Methodological quality of the 34 quantitative and qualitative articles ranged from limited (13), adequate (2), good (5) to strong (14). The majority of articles focussed on hearing loss, language and early literacy. No articles were identified addressing voice or fluency disorders. Limited evidence was found for any of the areas addressed in the research aims. Conclusion: High quality scientific literature surrounding Indigenous communication disorders is limited. The available sources of information favoured textual papers or ‘grey’ literature government sources. Very little published scientific quantitative or qualitative studies are available to address the issues of prevalence, assessment or treatment of specific communication disorders. Given the likelihood of the burden of communication disorders amongst this population, the lack of evidence is concerning. The complexities of conducting research within the Indigenous Australian population are acknowledged and whilst empirical scientific evidence is still lacking, the last five years has seen greater focus and commitment to improving the knowledge base with higher quality scientific research being conducted

Anxiety, a Growing Social Problem: A Systematic Review of the Literature

Anxiety disorders as a stand-alone diagnosis are not recognized as a treatable mental health issue within the social services mental health realm. There are mixed results regarding if anxiety disorders are linked to suicide ideation and suicide attempts. The aim of this systematic review was to discover if there is a link between anxiety disorders and suicide ideation and suicide attempts within the current literature. All anxiety disorders were looked at, except for selective mutism and separation anxiety disorder due to these both typically only affecting those in very young childhood. The rest of the anxiety disorders affect those from childhood to adulthood and therefore were included in this meta-analysis. Meta-analysis was used to analyze empirical research showing the correlation or lack of correlation between anxiety disorders and suicide ideation/suicide attempts All age groups were included, and those articles used for evaluation were all within the past 10 years. Effect sizes were represented with Odds Ratios and Confidence Intervals were represented using p value ≥ 0.05 to show statistical significance. Of the beginning 81 research articles, only four met criteria for inclusion for the meta-analysis. All anxiety disorders were found to be statistically significant in Odds Ratios and p values with most having p valued of 0.001. The only anxiety disorders that did not have statistical significance were agoraphobia without panic disorder, social phobia (from the DSM-4) and anxiety disorder versus no anxiety disorder

Swedish is beautiful, Danish is ugly? Investigating the link between language attitudes and intelligibility

This paper investigates the hypothesis that attitudes towards a linguistic variety and intelligibility of that variety are linked. This is done by eliciting language attitudes and word recognition scores in 154 Danish and Swedish schoolchildren and adolescents between 7 and 16 years. Language attitudes towards the neighboring language are elicited by means of a matched-guise experiment while word recognition is tested by auditorily presenting the participants with 50 spoken stimuli in their neighboring language (Danish for Swedish children and vice versa) in a picture-pointing task. Results revealed that while Danish children held more positive attitudes towards Swedish than vice versa and their word recognition scores were generally higher than those of their Swedish peers, the correlation between these two variables is very low, indicating that the two variables are only loosely linked