The Linguistics of Sentiment Analysis

Computational linguistics is a field that was founded by linguists, but more recently is the domain of more computer scientists than linguists. Use of data driven and machine learning methods for computational linguistics applications is now more common than handwritten linguistic rules. In order for a linguist to enter the field, it is essential that he or she be familiar with methods and techniques from computer science. The purpose of this paper is twofold. The first is to serve as a linguist\u27s introduction to concepts from outside of linguistics that are used in computational linguistics. The second purpose is to illustrate the use of linguistic features for a specific task known as sentiment analysis. This task involves determining the sentiment of a piece of text. By way of examining linguistics within sentiment analysis, this paper will begin to gesture at the potential role for linguists in the modern field of computational linguistics as a whole. The goal is to encourage and enable linguists to reengage with computational linguistics by providing a suitable introductory work

From spaces of sexual violence to sites of networked resistance: Re-imagining mobile and social media technologies

To date, much of the work on mobile and social media in the context of sexual violence has focused on its threats and harmful effects, particularly in relation to cyber-bullying and other forms of online harassment. But what if we think of such technologies as technologies of non-violence? In this article we make a case for exploring this work in rural South Africa, where, in spite of some challenges of access, the availability of technology is increasing the number of possible ways of addressing sexual violence. Building on what we offer as a primer of technologies currently available, we consider the implications of this work for researchers (especially those in education), interested in how technology can help to address sexual violence

Her Mind’s Eye: Women’s Visions of Urban Life Explored in a Place-Based Social Mobile Photography Community Online and On the Ground

This study employs community action research and arts-based research to explore collaborative development of the women’s mobile photography community, Her Mind's Eye. Her Mind’s Eye is an exploratory, creative and contemporary women’s mobile photography community that exists both physically (through in-person meetings) and digitally (in online social media spaces). The group was designed to support women in learning and inquiring into mobile photography and new technologies within an encouraging, flexible, and supportive art creation community. At the same time, it looks at the women’s uses of the social/mobile photographic medium itself, finding that it was used for: personal memory keeping, communication, jumpstarting relational connectedness, experiencing an increased sense of awareness of one's environment, and of others’ ways of seeing and being in cities. Through this community, we expanded the possibilities of collaborative and informal education, meeting in-person and on the social media platforms Facebook and Instagram. We found that these social media applications can be utilized to create “real life” connections between diverse individuals with like interests, in order to form city-based, digital/physical composite networks of people interested in creative photographic development. Simultaneously, we investigate how experiences of physical places (the cities of Montreal and Vancouver) can be shared in the digital world. In addition to developing new networks and opportunities for creative growth, the group has a goal of exhibiting and promoting each woman’s artwork, and exploring women’s views and experiences of living in urban environments. Her Mind’s Eye held one exhibition during the time of this study, and several more afterwards. Lastly, it was found that the presence of group traits and structural supports similar to those within feminist pedagogy, such as an ethics of care, and sense of community, were fundamental to the successful operation of Her Mind’s Eye. Finally, having emerged from research origins, Her Mind’s Eye developed the unique form of a micro-SMP community, containing several clearly delineated boundaries, those of: group size, committed participation, and a defined focus. This made for a very successful community of inquiry and creativity, which however, poses questions for long-term group sustainability

Life as they know it : teaching photography to teens for cross-cultural understanding and identity development within community art education

This thesis provides an account of my action research project, teaching photography to teens within an upstart, Montreal-based, cross-cultural community art education program. Narrative is employed to illuminate emergent findings through my telling of key events. Within this project, my role includes organizing the new media art component, while I also maintain a responsibility for mentoring and teaching the photography focus group--wherein my primary research focus lies. In the dual role of mentor and teacher, I collaborate with the participants to co-create a series of ever-adapting weekly sessions following a modified action-research model. Together, the youth of Crossing Cultures and I discuss the meaning of culture. The youth are then encouraged to create artwork responding to these discussions or representing stories from cross-cultural interviews. The teens are free to choose whether to follow the suggested outline or to pursue their own ideas in this focused, but non-restrictive environment. The resulting images, dialogue, and actions raise questions about where teens' artistic interests lie, and what sort of culture first and second generation Canadian teens (and recent immigrants) identify with, and why. Photography provides the teens with a place to capture their experience, but are they willing to use it to investigate their family heritage and the cultures of others? The analysis includes: "Culture. What does it mean, and to whom?" "Art education for identity formation," "Teaching meaningful photography," "Collaborative teaching and learning: a community-classroom mentorship model," and "Organization, partnerships, and relationships in crossing cultures and community art education.

From spaces of sexual violence to sites of networked resistance: Re-imagining mobile and social media technologies

To date, much of the work on mobile and social media in the context of sexual violence has focused on its threats and harmful effects, particularly in relation to cyber-bullying and other forms of online harassment. But what if we think of such technologies as technologies of non-violence? In this article we make a case for exploring this work in rural South Africa, where, in spite of some challenges of access, the availability of technology is increasing the number of possible ways of addressing sexual violence. Building on what we offer as a primer of technologies currently available, we consider the implications of this work for researchers (especially those in education), interested in how technology can help to address sexual violence

Assessing Barriers to Utilization of Adult Day Care Centers in a Rural County

Introduction: Adult Day Care programs provide cognitively or functionally impaired adults with medical, social, and therapeutic services as well as offer valuable respite and education to family caregivers. The Visiting Nurse Association’s Adult Day program manages three centers that offer these services and are located in Colchester, Williston, and South Burlington. We have explored the underutilization of these centers by comparing variables such as demographics, services provided, referrals, transportation constraints, and satisfaction surveys between centers and to national success guidelines for adult day services.https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/comphp_gallery/1043/thumbnail.jp

The Journal of Microelectronic Research 2005

https://scholarworks.rit.edu/meec_archive/1014/thumbnail.jp

Budesonide Oral Suspension Improves Symptomatic, Endoscopic, and Histologic Parameters Compared With Placebo in Patients With Eosinophilic Esophagitis

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Pharmacologic treatment of eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is limited to off-label use of corticosteroids not optimized for esophageal delivery. We performed a randomized, controlled phase 2 trial to assess the ability of budesonide oral suspension (BOS), a novel muco-adherent topical steroid formulation, to reduce symptoms and esophageal eosinophilia in adolescents and adults with EoE. METHODS: In this multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group trial, 93 EoE patients between the ages of 11 and 40 years with dysphagia and active esophageal eosinophilia were randomized to receive either BOS 2 mg or placebo twice daily for 12 weeks. Co-primary outcomes were change in Dysphagia Symptom Questionnaire (DSQ) score from baseline, and proportion of patients with a histologic response (≤6 eosinophils/high-power field) after treatment. Endoscopic severity scores and safety parameters were assessed. RESULTS: At baseline, mean DSQ scores were 29.3 and 29.0, and mean peak eosinophil counts were 156 and 130 per hpf in the BOS and placebo groups, respectively. After treatment, DSQ scores were 15.0 and 21.5, and mean peak eosinophil counts were 39 and 113 per high-power field, respectively (P < .05 for all). For BOS vs placebo, change in DSQ score was -14.3 vs -7.5 (P = .0096), histologic response rates were 39% vs 3% (P < .0001), and change in endoscopic severity score was -3.8 vs 0.4 (P < .0001). Adverse events were similar between groups. CONCLUSIONS: Treatment with BOS was well tolerated in adolescent and young adult patients with EoE and resulted in improvement in symptomatic, endoscopic, and histologic parameters using validated outcome instruments. ClinicalTrials.gov ID NCT01642212

Filamin-A Regulates Neutrophil Uropod Retraction through RhoA during Chemotaxis

Filamin-A (FLNa) has been shown to be a key cross-linker of actin filaments in the leading edge of a motile melanoma cell line, however its role in neutrophils undergoing chemotaxis is unknown. Using a murine transgenic model in which FLNa is selectively deleted in granulocytes, we report that, while neutrophils lacking FLNa show normal polarization and pseudopod extension, they exhibit obvious defects in uropod retraction. This uropod retraction defect was found to be a direct result of reduced FLNa mediated activation of the small GTPase RhoA and myosin mediated actin contraction in the FLNa null cells. This results in a neutrophil recruitment defect in FLNa null mice. The compensatory increase in FLNb levels that was observed in the FLNa null neutrophils may be sufficient to compensate for the lack of FLNa at the leading edge allowing for normal polarization, however this compensation is unable to regulate RhoA activated tail retraction at the rear of the cell

Effects of ecosystem protection on scallop populations within a community-led temperate marine reserve

This study investigated the effects of a newly established, fully protected marine reserve on benthic habitats and two commercially valuable species of scallop in Lamlash Bay, Isle of Arran, United Kingdom. Annual dive surveys from 2010 to 2013 showed the abundance of juvenile scallops to be significantly greater within the marine reserve than outside. Generalised linear models revealed this trend to be significantly related to the greater presence of macroalgae and hydroids growing within the boundaries of the reserve. These results suggest that structurally complex habitats growing within the reserve have substantially increased spat settlement and/or survival. The density of adult king scallops declined threefold with increasing distance from the boundaries of the reserve, indicating possible evidence of spillover or reduced fishing effort directly outside and around the marine reserve. However, there was no difference in the mean density of adult scallops between the reserve and outside. Finally, the mean age, size, and reproductive and exploitable biomass of king scallops were all significantly greater within the reserve. In contrast to king scallops, the population dynamics of queen scallops (Aequipecten opercularis) fluctuated randomly over the survey period and showed little difference between the reserve and outside. Overall, this study is consistent with the hypothesis that marine reserves can encourage the recovery of seafloor habitats, which, in turn, can benefit populations of commercially exploited species, emphasising the importance of marine reserves in the ecosystem-based management of fisheries