App from VEMI Lab group will help people with visual impairments, seniors enjoy ride-sharing with self-driving cars

Self-driving cars will offer access to r ide-sharing and ride-hailing with their suite of modern conveniences. However, many people with visual impairments who use these services rely on a human driver to safely locate their vehicle. A research group led by the Virtual Environments and Multimodal Interaction Laboratory (VEMI Lab) at the University of Maine is developing a smart phone app that provides the navigational assistance needed for people with disabilities and seniors to enjoy ride-sharing and ride-hailing, collectively termed mobility-as-a-service, with the latest in automotive technology. The app, known as the Autonomous Vehicle Assistant (AVA), can also be used for standard vehicles operated by human drivers and enjoyed by everyone

Translation in the South African popular media: A case study of YOU and Huisgenoot

Student Number : 0210516V - MA research report - School of Literature and Language Studies - Faculty of HumanitiesThis study represents a case study of translation in the popular media, with reference to two South African magazines, You and Huisgenoot. The aim is to investigate the translation processes and policies in the growing area of translation in the popular media in South Africa. As such it aims to examine: What is translated? Why it is translated? How is it translated? and Who translates it?, as well as whether the two readerships have common interests. The study contextualises the research in terms of the history of Huisgenoot and You and examines the translation practices in relation to theoretical issues associated with the popular media and translation. It was concluded that only material that is culturally relevant to the readerships of both magazines is translated in order for the subject matter of each magazine to be of interest to their respective audiences; translation is informed by instinct rather than formal translator training or theory; currently the bulk of translation is handled by Huisgenoot as the majority source of material is generated in English and the majority of translated material has South African-based content. The research report concludes with a discussion of how the translator’s ethical persuasions affect the translation process

Outbreaks of Salmonella enterica Linked to Animal Contact: Demographic and Outbreak Characteristics and Comparison to Food Outbreaks — United States, 2009–2014

Introduction: Each year in the United States, Salmonella enterica infections cause an estimated 1.2 million illnesses that result in 19,000 hospitalizations and 390 deaths. Illnesses occur sporadically throughout the year, but might also occur as part of an outbreak. Outbreaks are most commonly linked to a food source, but contact with live animals can also result in human outbreaks of illness. Methods: Outbreaks of Salmonella reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention through National Outbreak Reporting System (NORS) from 2009–2014 with a primary mode of transmission listed as animal contact or food were analyzed to characterize the demographics of zoonotic outbreaks and examine how they differ from foodborne outbreaks. Missing data for age or sex categories were recoded as age or sex unknown. Chi-square tests were conducted to compare proportions of categorical variables. Logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratios for age, sex, health outcomes and multistate exposure. Wilcoxon rank-sum tests were used to compare medians for outbreak size and duration. Analyses were conducted using SAS 9.3. Results: During 2009–2014, a total of 484 outbreaks were reported through NORS; of these, 99 (20.5%) resulted from Salmonella transmission through animal contact and 385 (79.5%) resulted from foodborne transmission. These outbreaks resulted in 3,604 (19.8%) and 13,568 (80.2%) illnesses, respectively. A higher proportion of outbreak-associated illnesses among children aged(15.2% vs. 1.4%, p Conclusions: Outbreaks of Salmonella resulting from animal contact frequently have characteristics that are distinct from food outbreaks. Findings are consistent with reports in the literature where young children are disproportionately affected by animal contact outbreaks. Animal contact outbreaks might have a higher proportion of hospitalizations, emergency room visits, and healthcare provider visits. Animal contact outbreaks might also be longer in duration and are more likely to be multistate. Future investigations of multistate Salmonella outbreaks that are consistent with these differences should collect epidemiologic information regarding animal exposures to determine if contact with animals resulted in the transmission of the outbreak

The application of green chemistry and engineering to novel sustainable solvents and processes

The implementation of sustainable solvents and processes is critical to new developments in reducing environmental impact, improving net efficiency, and securing economic profitability in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries. In order to address the challenge of sustainability, researchers have used switchable solvents for both reaction and separation by utilizing a built-in switch to undergo a step change in chemical and physical properties. This allows us to facilitate reactions in the solvent then activate the switch to enable separation and facile product recovery. Subsequently, we can recover the solvent for reuse and avoid energy- or waste-intensive separation processes; thus we are developing and using these switchable solvents as sustainable and environmentally benign alternatives to traditional processes. In this research, we enable the sustainable scale-up of a switchable solvent - piperylene sulfone - a "volatile" and recyclable DMSO replacement. In the development of this process, we improved the reaction performances and developed a green purification method. Furthermore, we enable and demonstrate the implementation of a Meerwein-Ponndorf-Verley (MPV) reduction, a pharmaceutically relevant reaction, into a continuous flow platform. The innovation of continuous flow processes can replace traditional batch reaction technology, and is indeed a key research area that has been acknowledged by the pharmaceutical industry. Additionally, we utilize the switchable sulfone solvents, piperylene and butadiene sulfone, for reaction and separation of HMF produced from monosaccharides as an alternative to a process which has been limited by an inefficient separation step.PhDCommittee Chair: Eckert, Charles; Committee Co-Chair: Liotta, Charles; Committee Member: Fernandez, Facundo; Committee Member: Meredith, Carson; Committee Member: Teja, Amy

Challenges Faced by Development Partners in Supporting the Growth and Development of Commercial Enterprises in Lira District, Northern Uganda

Entrepreneurship is defined as the process where an individual discovers, evaluates and exploit opportunities independently. Most countries have embraced entrepreneurship development as ways of creating employment and economic growth and development. The objective of the study was to examine the challenges faced by commercial enterprises in Lira District Northern Uganda. Using both simple random sampling procedures, a sample of 274 participants were selected for the survey. The data were analyzed using SPSS statistical package. The study recommended that development partners operating in the district should consider supporting commercial enterprises (CEs) in accessing financial support, training upcoming managers in management skills and creating a favouarable environment which supports creativity and innovations. Keywords: Access to Finance, Human resource capabilities, Operational environment

Cloud Cover: a favourable forecast for open access in agriculture

The cloud is no longer an overhyped IT buzzword or even just a trend to conside

To Examine the Interventions by Development Partners in Supporting the Growth and Development of Commercial Enterprises in Lira District, Northern Uganda

The development of entrepreneurship has motivated majority of Ugandans to start commercial enterprises (CEs) as a source of employment and economic growth. The objective of the study was to examine the various intervention employed by development partners in supporting the growth and development of commercial enterprises in Lira District, Northern Uganda. Using purposive and simple random sampling procedure, a sample of 274 participants was selected for the survey. A self administered questionnaire was structured. The data were analyzed using SPSS statistical package. The study recommended that development partners operating in the district should consider supporting commercial enterprise (CE) in advocating for policy reforms, providing financial support, creation business information center where entrepreneurs could access business information at affordable rates and supporting technological development to support creativity and innovations. Keywords: Policy reforms, Financial support, Business Information and Technological support

PENGARUH PENGEMBANGAN KARIR, IKLIM ORGANISASI, DAN KEPUASAN KERJA TERHADAP PROFESIONALITAS KARYAWAN UNIVERSITAS NEGERI

Abstract: The staff’s professionalism is assumed to be affected by the variation their career Development, organizational climate and their job satisfaction. The aim of the experimental study reported here was to test the hypothesis. The causal study was conducted in Makassar State University, from June to October 2009, involving a sample of 120, which had been selected from the overall 566 staff members of the university, by using the simple random sampling technique. Data of each variabel were collected through a survey and analysed descriptively and inferentially through the path analysis. Results show direct and positive effects of career development and organisational climate, respectively, on their job satisfaction. Result alto show indirect effects of the staff’s career development on the professionalism through job satisfaction, and of organizational climate on the staff’s career development, job satisfaction, and their perception of the organizational climate in the strategis Plan of Makassar State University to improve profesional human resource.       Abstrak: Keprofesioanalan staf diasumsikan dapat dipengaruhi oleh variasi pengembangan karier mereka, iklim organisasi, dan kepuasan kerja merak. Tujuan dari penelitian eksperimen ini adalah untuk menguji hipotesis. Penelitian ini dilaksanakan di Universitas Negeri Makassar, dari bulan Juni hingga Oktober 2009, yang melibatkan 120 sampel, yang dipilih dari 566 anggota staf Universitas, dengan menggunakan teknik simple random sampling. Data dari masing-masing variabel dikumpulkan melalyi survey dan analisis secara deskriptif dan inferensial melalui path analysis.  Hasil menunjukkan secara langsung dan positif pengaruh dari pengembangan karier dan iklim organisasi pada pengembangan karier staf, kepuasan kerja, dan persepsi mereka terhadap iklim organisasi dalam rencana strategis dai Universutitas Negeri Makassar untuk meningkatkan sumber manusia yang profesional. &nbsp