Distinguishing between factual information and insulting or abusive messages bearing words or phrases in news articles

This thesis report is submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and Engineering, 2006.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis report.Includes bibliographical references (page 75).Since Internet has become the leading source of information for the users, flames or abusive messages have also become the prominent factors of time wasting for retrieving information. Moreover, a text can contain factual information as well as abusive or insulting contents. This paper describes a new approach for an automated system to distinguish between information and personal attack containing insulting or abusive messages in a given document. In NLP, flames or abusive messages are considered as extreme subjective language, which refers to detect personal opinions or emotions in a news article. Insulting or abusive messages are viewed as extreme subset of the subjective language because of its extreme nature. We defined some rules to extract the semantic information of a given sentence from the general semantic structure of that sentence.Altaf MahmudKazi Zubair AhmedB. Computer Science and Engineerin

Kaizen in Improving the Productivity of Garment Sewing

One of the most crucial strategies for managing continuous improvement is kaizen. Because lowering cycle times and manufacturing costs is our goal. One of the first steps in that direction is the elimination of bottlenecks in the production line. In order to go toward our goal, a meeting was first scheduled with the production and IE teams to explore potential areas for improvement. Then, using a time study and a capacity graph, we determined the workable area. By videotaping the bottleneck process, analyzing the arrangement of the workstations, and managing the machines, we were able to assess the micro-movements. Then, in order to improve the procedure, we shared the motion economy and point kaizen concepts with the relevant department and scheduled a training session for the staff. We implemented the improved method on the selected workstations. At last, the follow-up responsibility was handed over to the responsible authority

Kaizen in Improving the Productivity of Garment Sewing

One of the most crucial strategies for managing continuous improvement is kaizen. Because lowering cycle times and manufacturing costs is our goal. One of the first steps in that direction is the elimination of bottlenecks in the production line. In order to go toward our goal, a meeting was first scheduled with the production and IE teams to explore potential areas for improvement. Then, using a time study and a capacity graph, we determined the workable area. By videotaping the bottleneck process, analyzing the arrangement of the workstations, and managing the machines, we were able to assess the micro-movements. Then, in order to improve the procedure, we shared the motion economy and point kaizen concepts with the relevant department and scheduled a training session for the staff. We implemented the improved method on the selected workstations. At last, the follow-up responsibility was handed over to the responsible authority

Status of HIV and hepatitis C virus infections among prisoners in the Middle East and North Africa: review and synthesis.

INTRODUCTION: The status of HIV and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections among incarcerated populations in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and the links between prisons and the HIV epidemic are poorly understood. This review synthesized available HIV and HCV data in prisons in MENA and highlighted opportunities for action. METHODS: The review was based on data generated through the systematic searches of the MENA HIV/AIDS Epidemiology Synthesis Project (2003 to December 15, 2015) and the MENA HCV Epidemiology Synthesis Project (2011 to December 15, 2015). Sources of data included peer-reviewed publications and country-level reports and databases. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: We estimated a population of 496,000 prisoners in MENA, with drug-related offences being a major cause for incarceration. Twenty countries had data on HIV among incarcerated populations with a median prevalence of 0.6% in Afghanistan, 6.1% in Djibouti, 0.01% in Egypt, 2.5% in Iran, 0% in Iraq, 0.1% in Jordan, 0.05% in Kuwait, 0.7% in Lebanon, 18.0% in Libya, 0.7% in Morocco, 0.3% in Oman, 1.1% in Pakistan, 0% in Palestine, 1.2% in Saudi Arabia, 0% in Somalia, 5.3% in Sudan and South Sudan, 0.04% in Syria, 0.05% in Tunisia, and 3.5% in Yemen. Seven countries had data on HCV, with a median prevalence of 1.7% in Afghanistan, 23.6% in Egypt, 28.1% in Lebanon, 15.6% in Pakistan, and 37.8% in Iran. Syria and Libya had only one HCV prevalence measure each at 1.5% and 23.7%, respectively. There was strong evidence for injecting drug use and the use of non-sterile injecting-equipment in prisons. Incarceration and injecting drugs, use of non-sterile injecting-equipment, and tattooing in prisons were found to be independent risk factors for HIV or HCV infections. High levels of sexual risk behaviour, tattooing and use of non-sterile razors among prisoners were documented. CONCLUSIONS: Prisons play an important role in HIV and HCV dynamics in MENA and have facilitated the emergence of large HIV epidemics in at least two countries, Iran and Pakistan. There is evidence for substantial but variable HIV and HCV prevalence, as well as risk behaviour including injecting drug use and unprotected sex among prisoners across countries. These findings highlight the need for comprehensive harm-reduction strategies in prisons

Pharmaceutical Formulation of Garlic and Turmeric Dried Crude Extract and Their Synergistic Antifungal Activity and Safety: Pharmaceutical formulation of garlic and turmeric dried crude extract

Candidiasis is a fungal infection caused by Candida albicans. Allium sativum (garlic) and Curcuma longa (turmeric) have been used as antifungal agents. The main aim of this study was to identify the effectiveness of these natural products towards C. albicans and on their pharmacological and toxicity aspects. Thus, agar disc diffusion method was used to study the antifungal activity of the ethanolic extracts. Fluconazole served as the positive control while solvent (ethanol) served as the negative control. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the plant extracts were tested by using two fold agar dilution method at concentrations ranging from 0.390g/L to 100g/L. As delivery agents, cream and gel formulations demonstrated good stability test results. Furthermore, both plants showed synergistic effects. Active compound of garlic and turmeric which is allicin and curcumin were observed through Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC). Moreover, all the formulation resulted in optimum MIC at pH 5.5 and temperature 25.5ºC. Toxicity test using Brine Shrimp Lethality Test (BSLT) showed that ethanolic extracts of both plants displayed LC50 values at 77.93μg/mL and 31.97μg/mL. Whereas, LC50 value of synergistic experiments of extract was 10.77μg/mL. Besides, synergistic cream formulation was most potent against brine shrimp larvae compared to others with LC50 value of 5.35μg/mL. Synergistic experiment using gel formulation also showed potency against brine shrimp larvae with LC50 value of 3.58μg/mL. As a conclusion, both plant extracts and preparations showed significant effectiveness against C. albicans and potency on shrimps

Seroprevalence of bovine viral diarrhea virus in crossbred dairy cattle in Bangladesh

Aim: The study was conducted to determine the seroprevalence of bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) and hematological features in crossbred dairy cattle in Chittagong, Bangladesh. Materials and Methods: The antibody against BVDV in crossbred dairy cattle serum was detected by indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The association of different categorical variables in the prevalence of BVDV has been studied. Blood samples were collected and analyzed to know the hematological variations in the study population. Results: The overall seroprevalence of BVDV in the study area was 51.1% (95% confidence interval [CI], 40.5-61.5). Among different physiological stages of animals, the highest 57.1% (95% CI, 42.2-71.2) prevalence was in case of non-pregnant animals. Aborted cows were found to be significantly (p<0.05) more seropositive 77.8% (95% CI, 52.4-93.6) than the non-aborted cows (77.8%, 95% CI, 52.4-93.6, compared to 44.7%, 95% CI, 33.3-56.6, respectively). Cows having the history of retained placenta were found more positive than without the history of retained placenta (63.2%, 95% CI, 38.4-83.7, compared to 54.7%, 95% CI, 40.4-68.4, respectively). Among the animals of different age groups, BVDV seroprevalence was higher 61.3% (95% CI, 42.2-78.2) in animals of more than 3 years up to 5 years, whereas 32% was in case of 0-1-year-old. Significant variation found in different geographical areas of the study area. Hematological analyses have shown variation between the BVDV positive and negative animals. Conclusion: Seroprevalence of BVDV found to be high in the study area is also economically important and cause significant damage to the production industry. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct effective control measures to reduce the burden of BVDV

The Power of Arts-Based Film Interventions to Encourage Black Blood Donors

Background: Blood services must consider innovative ways to encourage more Black people to donate to enhance the efficacy of treatments. We evaluate how two innovative arts-based approaches (co-designed and locally produced films and a large-scale Marvel Studios’/NHSBT collaboration) can achieve this by generalising to a wider audience from their target audiences.Study design and methods: Four co-designed short community films were produced in the UK: Comedy, Reciprocity, Donor-Recipient, and Sliding Doors. In Study 1 (N=44: Black people), these films were evaluated in the target community in which they were produced. In Study 2 (N=1,237: Black = 599, White = 638), the community and Marvel Black-Panther/NHSBT films were evaluated in a non-target general population sample. Evaluations were in terms of campaign behavioural efficacy (e.g., willingness to donate, encourage others to donate) and affect. These analyses were segmented by donor status, age, and gender. Results: Study 1 shows that the community groups rated the films very positively, with over 90% stating that they would be convinced to donate blood. Study 2 shows the results from the community films generalise to the general population, with the Black Panther film also rated positively in the general population. Three community films and the Black Panther film were rated equally positively. There were notable differences across generations and by donor status. Discussion: The results highlight the power of arts-based approaches (both locally co-produced community films and franchise collaborations) in encouraging donors within their target audiences and, importantly, on the broader population