Understanding meaningful participation and the situated use of technology in community music for active ageing

AbstractAn unfortunate tendency in previous HCI research has been to give the impression that it aims to ‘fix the problem’ of human ageing, suggesting a ‘deficit’ model of ageing or a ‘prosthetic’ model of technology. We conducted diary-aided interviews to investigate how technology use is situated in active, healthy older adults’ meaningful participation in community music. We argue that recognizing community music practices and technology use as situated action provides opportunities to grasp the subtleties of social participation and design for active ageing. We identified technology-mediated music practices, such as music sharing and revisiting, and how they evolved through the reconfiguration of connections between technology, competence, and forward-facing identities. We found that identity development, via routes such as exercising control, role transitions, and social spaces, had psychological significance and implications for active ageing. We explore how HCI leverages the perspective of active ageing and might facilitate older adults’ meaningful participation enhanced by technologies.China Scholarship Counci

Educação em direitos humanos: um trabalho inicial na periferia de Curitiba

Anais do II Seminário Seminário Estadual PIBID do Paraná: tecendo saberes / organizado por Dulcyene Maria Ribeiro e Catarina Costa Fernandes — Foz do Iguaçu: Unioeste; Unila, 2014Mesmo após o processo de democratização dos países latino-americanos, a violação dos Direitos Humanos se mantém até hoje por meio, principalmente, das desigualdades econômicas. Foi questionada a realidade atual dos alunos de periferia de Curitiba, no bairro Uberaba, se havia ou não o conhecimento acerca dos direitos humanos. Nessa linha foi realizado um breve questionário sobre o que eles conheciam sobre os Direitos Humanos, tendo como resultado o total desconhecimento do tema. Posteriormente foi apresentado um vídeo e um cartaz com os 30 Direitos, seguindo dados da ONU, e, posteriormente, deu-se a realização de uma dinâmica com os alunos, em que observaram que muito dos seus direitos eram desrespeitados e desconhecidos. O resultado observado é que há pouco conhecimento sobre os Direitos Humanos e que estes estão muito distantes da realidade dos aluno

Distributed Graph Clustering using Modularity and Map Equation

We study large-scale, distributed graph clustering. Given an undirected graph, our objective is to partition the nodes into disjoint sets called clusters. A cluster should contain many internal edges while being sparsely connected to other clusters. In the context of a social network, a cluster could be a group of friends. Modularity and map equation are established formalizations of this internally-dense-externally-sparse principle. We present two versions of a simple distributed algorithm to optimize both measures. They are based on Thrill, a distributed big data processing framework that implements an extended MapReduce model. The algorithms for the two measures, DSLM-Mod and DSLM-Map, differ only slightly. Adapting them for similar quality measures is straight-forward. We conduct an extensive experimental study on real-world graphs and on synthetic benchmark graphs with up to 68 billion edges. Our algorithms are fast while detecting clusterings similar to those detected by other sequential, parallel and distributed clustering algorithms. Compared to the distributed GossipMap algorithm, DSLM-Map needs less memory, is up to an order of magnitude faster and achieves better quality.Comment: 14 pages, 3 figures; v3: Camera ready for Euro-Par 2018, more details, more results; v2: extended experiments to include comparison with competing algorithms, shortened for submission to Euro-Par 201

Discovery and Validation of a New Class of Small Molecule Toll-Like Receptor 4 (TLR4) Inhibitors

Many inflammatory diseases may be linked to pathologically elevated signaling via the receptor for lipopolysaccharide (LPS), toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4). There has thus been great interest in the discovery of TLR4 inhibitors as potential anti-inflammatory agents. Recently, the structure of TLR4 bound to the inhibitor E5564 was solved, raising the possibility that novel TLR4 inhibitors that target the E5564-binding domain could be designed. We utilized a similarity search algorithm in conjunction with a limited screening approach of small molecule libraries to identify compounds that bind to the E5564 site and inhibit TLR4. Our lead compound, C34, is a 2-acetamidopyranoside (MW 389) with the formula C17H27NO9, which inhibited TLR4 in enterocytes and macrophages in vitro, and reduced systemic inflammation in mouse models of endotoxemia and necrotizing enterocolitis. Molecular docking of C34 to the hydrophobic internal pocket of the TLR4 co-receptor MD-2 demonstrated a tight fit, embedding the pyran ring deep inside the pocket. Strikingly, C34 inhibited LPS signaling ex-vivo in human ileum that was resected from infants with necrotizing enterocolitis. These findings identify C34 and the β-anomeric cyclohexyl analog C35 as novel leads for small molecule TLR4 inhibitors that have potential therapeutic benefit for TLR4-mediated inflammatory diseases. © 2013 Neal et al

The Interaction of Structural Dynamics with the Orbital Mechanics of Solar Power Satellites : Final Report

Space Based Solar Power concepts promise the generation of large amounts of renewable power by launching vast Solar Power Satellites (SPS) into space and beaming the power back to rectennas on Earth. Due to diffraction physics, large scale arrays delivering 2GW of power to the ground will be of the order of a kilometre in length and have masses of between 2,000 and 10,000 tonnes. There is significant and recently renewed interest in pursuing Space Based Solar Power (SBSP) technology, due to the need to decarbonise the energy supply to achieve Net Zero goals and a recent focus on achieving energy security. SBSP offers a number of potential advantages over the majority of terrestrial renewables, including high-capacity, dispatchable power that can be delivered across a large area

COMPONENTES PRINCIPAIS E CLUSTERS DE AUTOAVALIAÇÃO INSTITUCIONAL SOB A ÓTICA DO CORPO DISCENTE

ResumoO presente trabalho tem por objetivo explorar Componentes Principais e Clusters de autoavaliação institucional sob a ótica do corpo discente da Universidade Federal de Viçosa – Campus de Rio Paranaíba. Os dados foram coletados por meio de questionário e escala do tipo Likert (14 varáveis) aplicada à 154 alunos desta instituição. A tabulação e análise dos dados ocorreu com auxílio do software SPSS. A escala utilizada apresentou Confiabilidade Alfa de Cronbach de 0,78. A Análise dos Componentes Principais com rotação varimax e Kaiser Normalization extraiu 3 componentes que explicam 54% da Variância total, a saber: Estrutura física e educacional (autoavaliação: 74%); Docência (autoavaliação: 79%) e Fator extraclasse (autoavaliação: 66%). A Análise de Clusters explorou dois grupos: “Pior Avaliação” (49 alunos – 31,8%) e “Melhor Avaliação” (105 alunos - 68,2%).Palavras-chave: Autoavaliação Institucional; Componentes Principais; Clusters

Atributos sensoriais e características físico-químicas de bebidas de cultivares de café do IAPAR

The genetic characteristics together with environmental conditions determine the quality of coffee beverage,so the selection of new cultivars of coffee requires information from sensory attributes in different environmental conditions. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the physico-chemical and sensory characteristics of the coffee cultivars IPR 97, IPR 98, IPR 99, IPR 100 , IPR 101, IPR 102, IPR 103, IPR 104, IPR 105, IPR 106, IPR 107, IPR 108 and IAPAR 59,Bourbon, Icatu and Tupi grown in the municipalities of Paranavaí and Itaguajé - PR, season 2007-2008. We evaluated the characteristics of the roasting of the beans and beverage. The sensory attributes were evaluated by descriptive sensory analysis of Free Choice Profilling. Significant correlations were observed between the different characteristics of the roasted bean and the beverage. In the Principal Component Analysis (PCA), the variables of roasted bean and beverage grouped the coffees, observing that most cultivars from Itaguajé showed darker coffees with higher acidity and density of roasted bean when compared to Paranavaí. The attributes of color appearance and brightness of coffee, coffee aroma, green aroma, sourand bitter taste, green flavor and body texture were the main attributes responsible for the separation between sites. Bean color and acidity of the beverage were physico-chemical and sensory characteristics important for discriminating coffeecultivars and production sites. This information serves to aid in the deployment of new crops enhancing desirable sensory attributes of each cultivar.As características genéticas juntamente com as condições ambientais determinam a qualidade de bebida do café, de modo que a seleção de novas cultivares de café requer informações de atributos sensoriais em diferentes condições ambientais. Objetivou-se, no presente estudo, avaliar as características físico-químicas e sensoriais das cultivares de café IPR 97, IPR 98, IPR 99, IPR 100, IPR 101, IPR 102, IPR 103, IPR 104, IPR 105, IPR 106, IPR 107, IPR 108 e IAPAR 59, Bourbon, Icatu e Tupi cultivados nos municípios de Paranavaí e Itaguajé – PR, safra de 2007-2008. Avaliaram-se as características da torra dos grãos e da bebida. Os atributos sensoriais foram avaliados através da análise sensorial descritiva de Perfil Livre. Foram observadas correlações significativas entre as diferentes características do grão torrado e da bebida.Na Análise de Componente Principal (ACP), as variáveis de grão torrado e da bebida reuniram os cafés, observando-seque a maioria das cultivares de Itaguajé apresentou cafés de coloração mais escura, de maior acidez e densidade do grão torrado quando comparado à Paranavaí. Os atributos aparência cor de café e brilho, aroma de café, aroma verde, gosto ácido e amargo, sabor verde e textura corpo foram os principais responsáveis pela separação entre locais. Cor do grão e acidez da bebida foram características físico-químicas e sensoriais importantes para discriminar as cultivares de café e locais de produção. Essas informações servem de auxílio na implantação de novas lavouras potencializando atributos sensoriais desejáveis de cada cultivar

Large introns in relation to alternative splicing and gene evolution: a case study of Drosophila bruno-3

Background: Alternative splicing (AS) of maturing mRNA can generate structurally and functionally distinct transcripts from the same gene. Recent bioinformatic analyses of available genome databases inferred a positive correlation between intron length and AS. To study the interplay between intron length and AS empirically and in more detail, we analyzed the diversity of alternatively spliced transcripts (ASTs) in the Drosophila RNA-binding Bruno-3 (Bru-3) gene. This gene was known to encode thirteen exons separated by introns of diverse sizes, ranging from 71 to 41,973 nucleotides in D. melanogaster. Although Bru-3's structure is expected to be conducive to AS, only two ASTs of this gene were previously described. Results: Cloning of RT-PCR products of the entire ORF from four species representing three diverged Drosophila lineages provided an evolutionary perspective, high sensitivity, and long-range contiguity of splice choices currently unattainable by high-throughput methods. Consequently, we identified three new exons, a new exon fragment and thirty-three previously unknown ASTs of Bru-3. All exon-skipping events in the gene were mapped to the exons surrounded by introns of at least 800 nucleotides, whereas exons split by introns of less than 250 nucleotides were always spliced contiguously in mRNA. Cases of exon loss and creation during Bru-3 evolution in Drosophila were also localized within large introns. Notably, we identified a true de novo exon gain: exon 8 was created along the lineage of the obscura group from intronic sequence between cryptic splice sites conserved among all Drosophila species surveyed. Exon 8 was included in mature mRNA by the species representing all the major branches of the obscura group. To our knowledge, the origin of exon 8 is the first documented case of exonization of intronic sequence outside vertebrates. Conclusion: We found that large introns can promote AS via exon-skipping and exon turnover during evolution likely due to frequent errors in their removal from maturing mRNA. Large introns could be a reservoir of genetic diversity, because they have a greater number of mutable sites than short introns. Taken together, gene structure can constrain and/or promote gene evolution

'Linkage' pharmaceutical evergreening in Canada and Australia

'Evergreening' is not a formal concept of patent law. It is best understood as a social idea used to refer to the myriad ways in which pharmaceutical patent owners utilise the law and related regulatory processes to extend their high rent-earning intellectual monopoly privileges, particularly over highly profitable (either in total sales volume or price per unit) 'blockbuster' drugs. Thus, while the courts are an instrument frequently used by pharmaceutical brand name manufacturers to prolong their patent royalties, 'evergreening' is rarely mentioned explicitly by judges in patent protection cases. The term usually refers to threats made to competitors about a brand-name manufacturer's tactical use of pharmaceutical patents (including over uses, delivery systems and even packaging), not to extension of any particular patent over an active product ingredient. This article focuses in particular on the 'evergreening' potential of so-called 'linkage' provisions, imposed on the regulatory (safety, quality and efficacy) approval systems for generic pharmaceuticals of Canada and Australia, by specific articles in trade agreements with the US. These 'linkage' provisions have also recently appeared in the Korea-US Free Trade Agreement (KORUSFTA). They require such drug regulators to facilitate notification of, or even prevent, any potential patent infringement by a generic pharmaceutical manufacturer. This article explores the regulatory lessons to be learnt from Canada's and Australia's shared experience in terms of minimizing potential adverse impacts of such 'linkage evergreening' provisions on drug costs and thereby potentially on citizen's access to affordable, essential medicines

Irreducible uncertainty in near-term climate projections

Model simulations of the next few decades are widely used in assessments of climate change impacts and as guidance for adaptation. Their non-linear nature reveals a level of irreducible uncertainty which it is important to understand and quantify, especially for projections of near-term regional climate. Here we use large idealised initial condition ensembles of the FAMOUS global climate model with a 1 %/year compound increase in CO2 levels to quantify the range of future temperatures in model-based projections. These simulations explore the role of both atmospheric and oceanic initial conditions and are the largest such ensembles to date. Short-term simulated trends in global temperature are diverse, and cooling periods are more likely to be followed by larger warming rates. The spatial pattern of near-term temperature change varies considerably, but the proportion of the surface showing a warming is more consistent. In addition, ensemble spread in inter-annual temperature declines as the climate warms, especially in the North Atlantic. Over Europe, atmospheric initial condition uncertainty can, for certain ocean initial conditions, lead to 20 year trends in winter and summer in which every location can exhibit either strong cooling or rapid warming. However, the details of the distribution are highly sensitive to the ocean initial condition chosen and particularly the state of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation. On longer timescales, the warming signal becomes more clear and consistent amongst different initial condition ensembles. An ensemble using a range of different oceanic initial conditions produces a larger spread in temperature trends than ensembles using a single ocean initial condition for all lead times. This highlights the potential benefits from initialising climate predictions from ocean states informed by observations. These results suggest that climate projections need to be performed with many more ensemble members than at present, using a range of ocean initial conditions, if the uncertainty in near-term regional climate is to be adequately quantified