2,114 research outputs found
Role of ICT Innovation in Perpetuating the Myth of Techno-Solutionism
Innovation in Information and Communication Technology has become one of the
key economic drivers of our technology dependent world. In popular notion, the
tech industry or how ICT is often known has become synonymous to all
technologies that drive modernity. Digital technologies have become so
pervasive that it is hard to imagine new technology developments that are not
totally or partially influenced by ICT innovations. Furthermore, the pace of
innovation in ICT sector over the last few decades has been unprecedented in
human history. In this paper we argue that, not only ICT had a tremendous
impact on the way we communicate and produce but this innovation paradigm has
crucially shaped collective expectations and imagination about what technology
more broadly can actually deliver. These expectations have often crystalised
into a widespread acceptance, among general public and policy makers, of
technosolutionism. This is a belief that technology not restricted to ICT alone
can solve all problems humanity is facing from poverty and inequality to
ecosystem loss and climate change. In this paper we show the many impacts of
relentless ICT innovation. The spectacular advances in this sector, coupled
with corporate power that benefits from them have facilitated the uptake by
governments and industries of an uncritical narrative of techno-optimist that
neglects the complexity of the wicked problems that affect the present and
future of humanity
Analysis of 16S rRNA environmental sequences using MEGAN
10.1186/1471-2164-12-S3-S1710th Int. Conference on Bioinformatics - 1st ISCB Asia Joint Conference 2011, InCoB 2011/ISCB-Asia 2011: Computational Biology - Proceedings from Asia Pacific Bioinformatics Network (APBioNet)12SUPPL. 3S1
Case Studies in Cost-Optimized Paneling of Architectural Freeform Surfaces
Paneling an architectural freeform surface refers to an approximation of the de- sign surface by a set of panels that can be manufactured using a selected technology at a reasonable cost, while respecting the design intent and achieving the desired aesthetic quality of panel layout and surface smoothness. Eigensatz and co-workers have recently introduced a computational solution to the paneling problem that allows handling large-scale freeform surfaces involving complex arrangements of thousands of panels. We extend this paneling algorithm to facilitate effective design exploration, in particular for local control of tolerance margins and the handling of sharp crease lines. We focus on the practical aspects relevant for the realization of large-scale freeform designs and evaluate the performance of the paneling algorithm with a number of case studies
Constraining the contribution of active galactic nuclei to reionization
Recent results have suggested that active galactic nuclei (AGN) could provide
enough photons to reionise the Universe. We assess the viability of this
scenario using a semi-numerical framework for modeling reionisation, to which
we add a quasar contribution by constructing a Quasar Halo Occupation
Distribution (QHOD) based on Giallongo et al. observations. Assuming a constant
QHOD, we find that an AGN-only model cannot simultaneously match observations
of the optical depth , neutral fraction, and ionising emissivity. Such
a model predicts too low by relative to Planck
constraints, and reionises the Universe at . Arbitrarily
increasing the AGN emissivity to match these results yields a strong mismatch
with the observed ionising emissivity at . If we instead assume a
redshift-independent AGN luminosity function yielding an emissivity evolution
like that assumed in Madau & Haardt model, then we can match albeit
with late reionisation, however such evolution is inconsistent with
observations at and poorly motivated physically. These results
arise because AGN are more biased towards massive halos than typical reionising
galaxies, resulting in stronger clustering and later formation times.
AGN-dominated models produce larger ionising bubbles that are reflected in
more 21cm power on all scales. A model with equal parts galaxies
and AGN contribution is still (barely) consistent with observations, but could
be distinguished using next-generation 21cm experiments HERA and SKA-low. We
conclude that, even with recent claims of more faint AGN than previously
thought, AGN are highly unlikely to dominate the ionising photon budget for
reionisation.Comment: 16 pages, 9 figures, matches the accepted version for publication in
MNRAS, 201
Epoch of reionization 21 cm forecasting from MCMC-constrained semi-numerical models
The recent low value of Planck (2016) integrated optical depth to Thomson
scattering suggests that the reionization occurred fairly suddenly, disfavoring
extended reionization scenarios. This will have a significant impact on the
21cm power spectrum. Using a semi-numerical framework, we improve our model
from Hassan et al. (2016) to include time-integrated ionisation and
recombination effects, and find that this leads to more sudden reionisation. It
also yields larger HII bubbles which leads to an order of magnitude more 21cm
power on large scales, while suppressing the small scale ionization power.
Local fluctuations in the neutral hydrogen density play the dominant role in
boosting the 21cm power spectrum on large scales, while recombinations are
subdominant. We use a Monte Carlo Markov Chain approach to constrain our model
to observations of the star formation rate functions at z = 6,7,8 from Bouwens
et al. (2015), the Planck (2016) optical depth measurements, and the Becker &
Bolton (2013) ionising emissivity data at z~5. We then use this constrained
model to perform 21cm forecasting for LOFAR, HERA, and SKA in order to
determine how well such data can characterise the sources driving reionisation.
We find that the 21cm power spectrum alone can somewhat constrain the halo mass
dependence of ionising sources, the photon escape fraction and ionising
amplitude, but combining the 21cm data with other current observations enables
us to separately constrain all these parameters. Our framework illustrates how
21cm data can play a key role in understanding the sources and topology of
reionisation as observations improve.Comment: 20 pages, 16 figues, matches the accepted version for publication in
MNRA
IMPLEMENTASI GERAKAN MASYARAKAT SADAR STUNTING DI KELURAHAN KUDAMATI AMBON
This community service program discusses the implementation of the Stunting Awareness Community Movement in Kudamati Village, Ambon, which is carried out through the Real Work Lecture (KKN) Program by Pattimura University students. The main focus is the prevention of stunting, a child health problem in Indonesia that has not yet reached the 2024 RPJMN target. Stunting can have short- and long-term impacts, including developmental barriers, reduced immune function, and risk of chronic disease. The stunting rate in Indonesia is still high, including in Maluku. The UNPATTI KKN team conducted observations in Kudamati Village and found several barriers such as a lack of education about blood supplement tablets and the habit of giving formula milk instead of exclusive breastfeeding. The KKN program focused on education and service to the community to raise awareness of stunting. Priority programs include Implementation of Clean and Healthy Living Behavior in the Elementary School Environment, Stunting Awareness Movement Education for Mothers and Families, and Stunting Awareness Movement Education for Adolescent Girls. Education and service methods were applied through socialization, leaflet distribution, health checks, and distribution of blood supplement tablets.The results included an increase in community awareness, particularly in the school and posyandu environments. The program reached its target audience and made a positive contribution to stunting prevention efforts. It was concluded that the program had a positive impact on the community, building awareness and increasing understanding of stunting prevention
Applications of Real-Time Simulation Technologies in Power and Energy Systems
Real-time (RT) simulation is a highly reliable simulation method that is mostly based on electromagnetic transient simulation of complex systems comprising many domains. It is increasingly used in power and energy systems for both academic research and industrial applications. Due to the evolution of the computing power of RT simulators in recent years, new classes of applications and expanded fields of practice could now be addressed with RT simulation. This increase in computation power implies that models can be built more accurately and the whole simulation system gets closer to reality. This Task Force paper summarizes various applications of digital RT simulation technologies in the design, analysis, and testing of power and energy systems
Expression of chemokine receptor CXCR4 in esophageal squamous cell and adenocarcinoma
BACKGROUND: Prognosis of esophageal cancer is poor despite curative surgery. The chemokine receptor CXCR4 has been proposed to distinctly contribute to tumor growth, dissemination and local immune escape in a limited number of malignancies. The aim of our study was to evaluate the role of CXCR4 in tumor spread of esophageal cancer with a differentiated view of the two predominant histologic types – squamous cell and adenocarcinoma. METHODS: Esophageal cancer tissue samples were obtained from 102 consecutive patients undergoing esophageal resection for cancer with curative intent. The LSAB+ System was used to detect the protein CXCR4. Tumor samples were classified into two groups based on the homogeneous staining intensity. A cut-off between CXCR4w (= weak expression) and CXCR4s (= strong expression) was set at 1.5 (grouped 0 – 1.5 versus 2.0 – 3). Long-term survival rates were calculated using life tables and the Kaplan-Meier method. Using the Cox's proportional hazards analysis, a model of survival prediction was established. RESULTS: The overall expression rate for CXCR4 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma was 94.1%. Subdividing these samples, CXCR4w was found in 54.9% and CXCR4s in 45.1%. In adenocarcinoma, an overall expression rate of 89.1% was detected with a weak intensitiy in 71.7% compared to strong staining in 29.3% (p = 0.066 squamous cell versus adenocarcinoma). The Cox's proportional hazards analysis identified the pM-category with a hazard ratio (HR) of 1.860 (95% CI: 1.014–3.414) (p = 0.045), the histologic tumor type (HR: 0.334; 95% CI: 0.180–0.618) (p = 0.0001) and the operative approach (transthoracic > transhiatal esophageal resection) (HR: 0.546; 95% CI: 0.324–0.920) (p = 0.023) as independent factors with a possible influence on the long-term prognosis in patients with esophageal carcinoma, whereas CXCR4 expression was statistically not significant (>0.05). CONCLUSION: Expression of the chemokine receptor CXCR4 in esophageal cancer is of major relevance in both histologic entities – squamous cell and adenocarcinoma. Though with lack of statistical significance, strong CXCR4 expression revealed a poorer long-term prognosis following curative esophagectomy in both histologic subtypes. Thus, the exact biological functions of CXCR4 in terms of tumor dissemination of esophageal cancer is yet undetermined. Inhibition of esophageal cancer progression by CXCR4 antagonists might be a promising therapeutic option in the future
Speech Communication
Contains table of contents for Part IV, table of contents for Section 1 and reports on five research projects.Apple Computer, Inc.C.J. Lebel FellowshipNational Institutes of Health (Grant T32-NS07040)National Institutes of Health (Grant R01-NS04332)National Institutes of Health (Grant R01-NS21183)National Institutes of Health (Grant P01-NS23734)U.S. Navy / Naval Electronic Systems Command (Contract N00039-85-C-0254)U.S. Navy - Office of Naval Research (Contract N00014-82-K-0727
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