Sentiment Lexicon Construction Using SentiWordNet 3.0

Opinion mining and sentiment analysis have become popular in linguistic resource rich languages. Opinions for such analysis are drawn from many forms of freely available online/electronic sources, such as websites, blogs, news re-ports and product reviews. But attention received by less resourced languages is significantly less. This is because the success of any opinion mining algorithm depends on the availability of resources, such as special lexicon and WordNet type tools. In this research, we implemented a less complicated but an effective approach that could be used to classify comments in less resourced languages. We experimented the approach for use with Sinhala Language where no such opinion mining or sentiment analysis has been carried out until this day. Our algorithm gives significantly promising results for analyzing sentiments in Sinhala for the first time

A Comparative Analysis of Opinion Mining and Sentiment Classification in Non-english Languages

In the past decade many opinion mining and sentiment classification studies have been carried out for opinions in English. However, the amount of work done for non-English text opinions is very limited.In this review, we investigate opinion mining and sentiment classification studies in three non-English languages to find the classification methods and the efficiency of each algorithm used in these methods. It is found that most of the research conducted for non-English has followed the methods used in the English language with onlylimited usage of language specific properties, such as morphological variations. The application domains seem to be restricted to particular fields and significantly less research has been conducted in cross domains. Keywords—Natural Language processing, Text mining, Machine Learning

Competing through e-skills: Luxembourg and its second level digital divide

There is growing awareness amongst policy makers, scholars and practitioners that the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector plays an important role in a country's economy and welfare. The ICT sector relies on highly performing technical infrastructures but also needs skilled people who are able to understand its complexities and are fully capable of making the best use of its potential. In this article we present and discuss this tension for the case of Luxembourg, one of the smallest countries in the world whose economy is open and largely service driven. Although a lot of improvements have been made in recent years regarding its ICT infrastructure, Luxembourg performs poorly in international league tables with regards to e-skills or digital competences showing a tendency to a “second level digital divide” in terms of its ICT professionals. Drawing on a prior study which mapped Luxembourg's ICT ecosystem, we conducted qualitative interviews with human resources managers that allowed us to identify the need for relevant ICT professional skills. By applying an e-competences framework, we have identified six different families of ICT jobs that are most demanded in Luxembourg as well as their underlying competences. We then present several policy initiatives that could address the challenges faced by Luxembourg. By doing so we provide a contribution in order to better understand the issues related to e-skills and digital competences in a small country. To the best of our knowledge this is the first study of this kind looking specifically into the e-skills situation in Luxembour

Initial Effects of Deforestation on Herbaceous Species Composition in Grassy Woodlands of the Northern Tablelands, NSW Australia

Limited information on the initial effects of clearing and thinning on herbaceous vegetation of grassy temperate eucalyptus forests exists. The aim of this investigation is to study the initial changes in species composition following clearing and thinning. A deforestation experiment was established where clearing, thinning of 50% of canopy cover and control treatments were established. In the open-forests, patterns in herbaceous species composition were strongly influenced by the presence of trees, with weeping wheat grass (Microlaena stipoides) dominant, whereas wiregrass (Aristida ramosa) dominated interspaces and canopy gaps. Immediately following clearing, significant changes in the herbaceous species composition were observed, with 26 new species recorded. The original vegetation pattern was lost, being replaced by Cyperaceae and Juncaceae, and a large number of invasive ruderal species. A state and transition model that describes the changes in composition is presented

The Effect of Forest Management Options on Forest Resilience to Pathogens

Invasive pathogens threaten the ability of forests globally to produce a range of valuable ecosystem services over time. However, the ability to detect such pathogen invasions—and thus to produce appropriate and timely management responses—is relatively low. We argue that a promising approach is to plan and manage forests in a way that increases their resilience to invasive pathogens not yet present or ubiquitous in the forest. This paper is based on a systematic search and critical review of empirical evidence of the effect of a wide range of forest management options on the primary and secondary infection rates of forest pathogens, and on subsequent forest recovery. Our goals are to inform forest management decision making to increase forest resilience, and to identify the most important evidence gaps for future research. The management options for which there is the strongest evidence that they increase forest resilience to pathogens are: reduced forest connectivity, removal or treatment of inoculum sources such as cut stumps, reduced tree density, removal of diseased trees and increased tree species diversity. In all cases the effect of these options on infection dynamics differs greatly amongst tree and pathogen species and between forest environments. However, the lack of consistent effects of silvicultural systems or of thinning, pruning or coppicing treatments is notable. There is also a lack of evidence of how the effects of treatments are influenced by the scale at which they are applied, e.g., the mixture of tree species. An overall conclusion is that forest managers often need to trade-off increased resilience to tree pathogens against other benefits obtained from forests

Layer-by-Layer Nanoparticle Assembly for Biomedicine: Mechanisms, Technologies, and Advancement via Acoustofluidics

\ua9 2024 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.The deposition of thin films plays a crucial role in surface engineering, tailoring structural modifications, and functionalization across diverse applications. Layer-by-layer self-assembly, a prominent thin-film deposition method, has witnessed substantial growth since its mid-20th-century inception, driven by the discovery of eligible materials and innovative assembly technologies. Of these materials, micro- and nanoscopic substrates have received far less interest than their macroscopic counterparts; however, this is changing. The catalogue of eligible materials, including nanoparticles, quantum dots, polymers, proteins, cells and liposomes, along with some well-established layer-by-layer technologies, have combined to unlock impactful applications in biomedicine, as well as other areas like food fortification, and water remediation. To access these fields, several well-established technologies have been used, including tangential flow filtration, fluidized bed, atomization, electrophoretic assembly, and dielectrophoresis. Despite the invention of these technologies, the field of particle layer-by-layer still requires further technological development to achieve a high-yield, automatable, and industrially ready process, a requirement for the diverse, reactionary field of biomedicine and high-throughput pharmaceutical industry. This review provides a background on layer-by-layer, focusing on how its constituent building blocks and bonding mechanisms enable unmatched versatility. The discussion then extends to established and recent technologies employed for coating micro- and nanoscopic matter, evaluating their drawbacks and advantages, and highlighting promising areas in microfluidic approaches, where one distinctly auspicious technology emerges, acoustofluidics. The review also explores the potential and demonstrated application of acoustofluidics in layer-by-layer technology, as well as analyzing existing acoustofluidic technologies beyond LbL coating in areas such as cell trapping, cell sorting, and multidimensional particle manipulation. Finally, the review concludes with future perspectives on layer-by-layer nanoparticle coating and the potential impact of integrating acoustofluidic methods

Characterisation and improvement of j(O¹D) filter radiometers

Atmospheric O3 → O(1D) photolysis frequencies j(O1D) are crucial parameters for atmospheric photochemistry because of their importance for primary OH formation. Filter radiometers have been used for many years for in situ field measurements of j(O1D). Typically the relationship between the output of the instruments and j(O1D) is non-linear because of changes in the shape of the solar spectrum dependent on solar zenith angles and total ozone columns. These non-linearities can be compensated for by a correction method based on laboratory measurements of the spectral sensitivity of the filter radiometer and simulated solar actinic flux density spectra. Although this correction is routinely applied, the results of a previous field comparison study of several filter radiometers revealed that some corrections were inadequate. In this work the spectral characterisations of seven instruments were revised, and the correction procedures were updated and harmonised considering recent recommendations of absorption cross sections and quantum yields of the photolysis process O3 → O(1D). Previous inconsistencies were largely removed using these procedures. In addition, optical interference filters were replaced to improve the spectral properties of the instruments. Successive determinations of spectral sensitivities and field comparisons of the modified instruments with a spectroradiometer reference confirmed the improved performance. Overall, filter radiometers remain a low-maintenance alternative of spectroradiometers for accurate measurements of j(O1D) provided their spectral properties are known and potential drifts in sensitivities are monitored by regular calibrations with standard lamps or reference instruments

Conduction mechanisms in anisotropic conducting adhesive assembly

This paper explores both experimentally and through analytical and computational models, the mechanisms of conduction in flip-chip interconnections made using anisotropic conducting adhesives. A large number of assemblies have been constructed with geometries in the range of 200–500 m, and wide variations in their joint resistance were observed to occur both within the same assembly and between assemblies under the same experimental conditions. In order to attempt to explain the origin of these unsatisfactory connections, a series of experiments to measure the linearity of the contact resistance of both high and low resistance joints was made. The results from these measurements show that the large number of low resistance joints are ohmic, while most of the joints of relatively high resistance show resistive heating. In addition to the linearity measurements, computational models of metallic conduction in solid and polymer cored particles have been constructed to help understand the mechanism of conduction. These models, which are based on the finite element (FE) method, represent typical conductor particles trapped between appropriate substrate and component metallization. The results from the models show that the contact area required to explain the high resistances is small and that the likelihood of obtaining a high resistance through such a small area of metal-to-metal contact is small, thus, giving a strong indication of the presence of high resistivity films at the contact surfaces of the joints

Investigating experiences of the family connections programme for supporters of individuals with a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder

We interviewed relatives and carers following their participation in a novel Family Connection (FC) programme, designed for supporters of individuals with a diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder. A mixed methods approach was utilised to quantitatively measure depression, ‘burden’, grief and mastery, pre and post-group, whilst qualitative analysis identified four themes: ‘Positive Experience’, ‘Not Alone’, ‘Management of Emotions and Behaviours’ and ‘Recommendations’. Quantitative measures suggest that FC could be helpful in alleviating depression and ‘burden’ and increasing mastery, although it could increase the experience of grief. Implications for future research and the possible impact of FC amongst this group are discussed

What a difference a stochastic process makes: epidemiological-based real options models of optimal treatment of disease

The real options approach has been used within environmental economics to investigate the impact of uncertainty on the optimal timing of control measures to minimise the impacts of invasive species, including pests and diseases. Previous studies typically model the growth in infected area using geometric Brownian motion (GBM). The advantage of this simple approach is that it allows for closed form solutions. However, such a process does not capture the mechanisms underlying the spread of infection. In particular the GBM assumption does not respect the natural upper boundary of the system, which is determined by the maximum size of the host species, nor the deceleration in the rate of infection as this boundary is approached. We show how the stochastic process describing the growth in infected area can be derived from the characteristics of the spread of infection. If the model used does not appropriately capture uncertainty in infection dynamics, then the excessive delay before treatment implies that the full value of the option to treat is not realised. Indeed, when uncertainty is high or the disease is fast spreading, ignoring the mechanisms of infection spread can lead to control never being deployed. Thus the results presented here have important implications for the way in which the real options approach is applied to determine optimal timing of disease control given uncertainty in future disease progression