Extensions of SoundPi project by social aspects and machine learning integration

Tato práce se zabývá rozšířením webové aplikace AuxBox o další funkce, které přináší nové případy užití aplikace, poskytují lepší navigaci, interaktivnější prostředí a zavádí do aplikace prvky sociálních sítí. Dále se věnuje přípravě doporučovacího systému pro výběr písní založeného na informacích o uživatelích v systémech AuxBox a SpotifyThis thesis focuses on extending the web application AuxBox by adding additional functionalities which will introduce new use cases allowing the users to navigate and work with the application in a more interactive, social , convenient and extensive way along with a research on recommendation systems which is going to provide a road map of asserting trained data models that would be used to build the cores of a recommendation system based on the data provided by Auxbox/Spotify user

Effects of a brief mindfulness-based intervention on emotional regulation and levels of mindfulness in senior students

Mindfulness-based interventions have been applied in diverse populations and achieved mental health benefits. This study examined the effects of a brief mindfulness program for emotional regulation and levels of mindfulness on senior students in Brazil. The intervention consisted of six weekly meetings attended by 30 participants. It is a pre-experimental research, with pre- and post-test comparative and correlation measurements. The preliminary results, which relied on parametrical and non-parametrical tests, revealed a reduction in total emotional regulation difficulties (p = 0.0001; r = − 0.55). Also, there was an increase in the levels of mindfulness in the subtests for both dimensions under evaluation: “Awareness” (p = 0.0001; d = 0.77) and “Acceptance” (p = 0.048; d = 0.37). By associating the amount of meditative practices performed by students with the variables, a significant positive correlation was found with the mindfulness dimension “Awareness” (rP = 0.422; p = 0.020), and there was a significant negative correlation with Difficulties in emotion regulation (rS = − 0.478; p = 0.008) and with its respective subscales “Non-acceptance” (rS = − 0.654; p = 0.0001) and “Clarity” (rS = − 0.463; p = 0.010). In conclusion, the application of a brief mindfulness-based intervention is promising in Brazilian university contexts; moreover, it can bring benefits to students, e.g., an increase in emotion regulation as well as in levels of mindfulness. We suggest that further research should use an experimental design and follow-up.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Female entrepreneurship in the United Arab Emirates: Legislative encouragements and cultural constraints

Onlookers from outside the Middle East tend to view the region as an essentially hostile environment for women in non-traditional roles. While this perspective may be valid in certain contexts, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) sets new standards of support for women in business ventures as it attempts to engage all its citizens in the economic and social development of this rapidly changing country. The present survey paper overviews for the international reader four key areas affecting the success of UAE female entrepreneurship: (1) the legislative attempts to enhance female entrepreneurial achievement; (2) the socio-cultural realities constraining women in business ventures; (3) the impact of the UAE\u27s strongly collectivist culture on business networking among women; (4) UAE women\u27s motivation for entrepreneurial endeavor given the abundant options for more secure employment. © 2011 Elsevier Ltd

Social Capital Impediments In The United Arab Emirates: A Case Of Emirati Female Entrepreneurs

It is possible that when looked at from the outside, the Gulf Arab countries give an impression that they are not very supportive to female entrepreneurs. This perception may be pertinent to a certain degree; however, Emirati female entrepreneurs (EFE) in the United Arab Emirates demonstrate that enhancing co-operation and support is possible through increasing interaction and networking with men. Analysis is undertaken of the observations and actions of conveniently selected 17 EFEs. The scoping of the respondents reveal that EFEs who engage with indirect male ties require a \u27male contact facilitator\u27 from their family or relatives to do so. These men are facilitated by the entrepreneur to adopt the role of a \u27male network partner (MNP) and provide support in overcoming challenges and achieving business objectives. The paper sets new standards of support for Emirati women in business ventures as it attempts to describe Emirati female entrepreneurship in a different language and proposes that co-operation, interaction and networking with men help EFEs access and use key resources, alleviate or remove key challenges and achieve business objectives

SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES IN TEACHING CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY: EVIDENCE FROM MEXICO AND CANADA

The need to incorporate and develop Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) within university programs is necessary for future leaders, managers and entrepreneurs. Within the framework of CSR and stakeholder theory the paper contributes a comparative case study that utilizes curriculum and in-depth interview analysis to illustrate not only the similarities and differences in the CSR programs, but how social responsibility is taught in a Mexican and Canadian University context. The main findings are: the CSR program in Mexico is perceived as a strategic management tool that adds value to the organization and does not pay any special attention to the globalization phenomena. Whereas in Canada, social responsibility is founded on ethics, attention to the different stakeholders in a globalized environment is emphasized and the strategic importance of CSR is widely accepted. The paper provides academics and researcher insight into exploring how universities can further facilitate students as stakeholders in considering social responsibility as important and necessary to ensure CSR sustainability in practice

A Time-Series Approach to Predict Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) Episodes

Abstract -Sleep apnea is a common respiratory disorder during sleep. It is characterized by pauses in breathing or shallow breathing during sleep for longer than 10 seconds. Except the fact that not having a proper sleep and being rested for the next day, in some cases the apnea period (not breathing interval) may last more than 30 seconds and this situation can even be fatal. 14% of men and 5% of women suffer from Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) in United States. Patients may experience apnea for more than 300 times in a single night sleep. Polysomnography (PSG) is a multi-parametric recording of biophysiological changes, containing EEG, ECG, SpO2, Nasal Airflow signals, performed during overnight sleep. In this study, a fully automatic apnea detection algorithm is developed and an early warning system is proposed to predict OSA episodes by extracting time-series features of OSA periods and regular respiration using nasal airflow signal. Extracted features are then reduced to improve the performance of the prediction. Support vector machines (SVM), one of the commonly used classification algorithms in medical applications, is implemented for learning and prediction of the OSA episodes. The results show that OSA episodes are predicted with 87.6% of accuracy and 91.3% of sensitivity, 30 seconds before patient faces apnea. By this approach, apnea related health risks can be minimized by foreknowledge

Plasma‐Assisted Surface Modification and Heparin Immobilization: Dual‐Functionalized Blood‐Contacting Biomaterials with Improved Hemocompatibility and Antibacterial Features

The inferior hemocompatibility or antibacterial properties of blood-contacting materials and devices are restraining factors that hinder their successful clinical utilization. To highlight these, a plasma-enhanced modification strategy is favored for surface tailoring of an extensively used biomaterial, polypropylene (PP). The surface activation of the PPs is achieved by oxygen plasma etching and subsequent surface functionalization through amine-rich precursor mediated coating by plasma glow discharge. After optimum plasma processing parameters are decided, heparin (anticoagulant and antithrombic drug) is either attached or covalently conjugated on the PPs’ surfaces. The aminated films produced at 75 W plasma power with 15 min exposure time are highly hydrophilic (34.72 ± 5.92°) and surface active (65.91 mJ m$^{-2}$), facilitating high capacity heparin immobilization (≈440 µg cm$^{-2}$) by covalent linkage. The kinetic-blood coagulation rate and protein adhesion amount on the plasma-mediated heparinized PPs are decreased about tenfold and 15-fold, and platelet adhesion is markedly lowered. In addition, heparinized-PP surfaces comprise superior antibacterial activity against gram-positive/-negative bacteria conveyed particularly by contact-killing (99%). The heparin-coating did not cause cytotoxicity on fibroblast cells, instead enhanced their proliferation, as shown by the (3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-Diphenyltetrazolium Bromide) assay. Overall, this simple methodology is highly proficient in becoming a universal strategy for developing dual-functionalized blood-contacting materials

Block Cave Mine Ventilation: Research Findings

The primary objective of this research is to provide practical mine ventilation engineering tools (i.e., cave resistances and pollutant emission rates) to model and predict adequate airflows and pressure drops across the cave with respect to cave propagation in underground block or panel cave mines. We used several research methods to investigate the phenomenon of cave ventilation and pollutant gas emissions in block or panel cave mines. The research methods include computational fluid dynamics (CFD)—continuum and discrete approaches in conjunction with advanced geo-mechanical analysis through numerical modeling, scale model studies, mathematical modeling, field observations, discrete fracture network (DFN), flow through porous media, particle flow code (PFC), Ventsim, MATLAB, and Python programming. The study investigated the several research questions related to block or panel cave mines: immature and mature cave properties, radon and airflow behavior, radon control measures, cave characteristics, ventilation on demand, blasting fumes, prediction of porosity, and permeability of different cave zones, the effect of undercut ventilation, forcing, exhaust and the push-pull system, the effect of airgap, and broken rock porosity and permeability on the cave ventilation system. The findings from this study provide useful information for optimizing the block or panel cave mine ventilation systems

Home literacy as cultural transmission: Parent preferences for shared reading in the United Arab Emirates

© 2016 Elsevier Ltd This paper examines parents\u27 literacy preferences for their young children as a reflection of the greater culture within a Muslim, Arab context. We describe literacy as a social practice and form of cultural transmission. Parent preferences among nationals in the United Arab Emirates (n = 118) are described across the following dimensions: children\u27s book genre and content, and purpose of shared reading. Semi-structured interviews were analyzed based on the constant comparison data reduction method. Parents valued books that were a reflection of their culture and values. Nonfiction texts were favored due to their realistic content, which allowed parents to more easily assess a book\u27s suitability for their child. They preferred life, earth and space science texts that teach facts and morality. Favorite folk stories included The Arabian Nights and Tales of Juha because of their entertainment value and lessons taught. The purpose of shared reading is mainly to teach isolated reading skills and develop factual knowledge, deemphasizing meaning making. Parents allowed boys to self-select reading materials more than girls. Study implications call for literacies that unite and empower rather than spark opposition from the local culture