A sentiment based approach to pattern discovery and classification in social media

Social media allows people to participate, express opinions, mediate their own content and interact with other users. As such, sentiment information has become an integral part of social media. This thesis presents a sentiment-based approach to analyse content and social relationships in social media.First, this thesis aims to construct building blocks for sentiment analysis in social media, using sentiment in the form of mood. To that end, the problem of supervised mood classification is investigated. This line of work provides insights into what features in a generic document classification problem can be transferred to a mood classification problem in social media. As data in social media is normally large scale, novel scalable feature sets are introduced for this task. In particular, a novel set of psycholinguistic features is proposed and validated, which does not require a supervised feature selection phase and can therefore be applied for mood analysis at a large scale. Next, under an unsupervised setting, this thesis explores the new problem of pattern discovery in social media using sentiment information. The result is the discovery of intrinsic patterns of moods, each of which can be considered as a group of moods similar to a basic emotion studied in psychology, and therefore providing valuable empirical evidence about the structure of human emotion in the social media domain in a data-driven approach.The second major contribution of this thesis explores the use of sentiment information conveyed in on-line social diaries for detection of real-world events in a large scale setting. In particular, this thesis introduces the novel concept of 'sentiment burst' and employs a stochastic model for detection, and subsequent extraction, of events in social media. The resultant model is a powerful bursty detection algorithm suitable for on-line deployment on ever-growing datasets such as social media. An additional contribution in this line of work is an effective method for evaluating and ranking events using Google Timeline. This offers an objective measure by which to evaluate event detection a topic that is largely under explored in the current literature due to a general lack of human groundtruth.Next, under an egocentric analysis, sentiment information is used to study the impact of the demographics and personalities of users on the messages they create. In particular, we examine how the age and social connectivity of on-line users correlate with the affective, topical and psycholinguistic features of the texts they author. Using a large, ground-truthed dataset of millions of users and on-line diaries, we investigate various important questions posed in social media analysis, psychology and sociology. For example, is there a difference with regard to topic, psycholinguistic features and mood in the messages written by old versus young users? What features are predictive of a user's personality? Of extraversion and introversion? Are there features that are predictive of influence? The results obtained by our sentiment-based approach are encouraging, do not require an expensive feature selection phase and thus suggest a new and promising approach for egocentric analysis in the social media domain.Finally, the sentiment information conveyed in media content is investigated with respect to the networking and interaction aspects of a social media system. Sentiment information is studied in parallel with two other common aspects of social media content: topics and linguistic styles. Sentiment information is proved in this thesis to provide additional insights into the process of community formation. It is also shown to be a powerful predictor of community membership for a message or a user at a lighter computational cost

Nurse-Led intervention on knowledge, attitude and beliefs of Acute Coronary Syndrome

Background Coronary heart disease has emerged as a number one killer in Malaysia and globally. Much of the morbidity and mortality in acute coronary syndrome patients is because of patients not recognizing their symptoms which contributes to delay in seeking early treatment. Aim The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a nurse-led health education programme on knowledge, attitude and beliefs of coronary patients towards the responses to acute coronary syndrome and the association with patients' characteristics. Methods A single-group quasi-experimental design took place in a tertiary hospital. A total of 60 coronary patients were recruited to this study. The knowledge, attitude and beliefs towards acute coronary syndrome (ACS) were evaluated at baseline and after 1 month of giving education intervention. Results Knowledge, attitude and beliefs about ACS increased significantly from baseline to 1 month after intervention. Level of attitude was associated with gender, educational level and employment status. Conclusions The findings of this study suggest that an education program conducted by a nurse improved patients' level of knowledge, attitudes and beliefs in response to ACS symptoms at 1 month compared to baseline, but whether they are sustained for a longer period is unclear. Improving the responses towards ACS might reduce decision delay in symptom interpretation and seeking early treatment. Relevance to clinical practice Nurse-led interventions have imparted positive outcomes in response to ACS symptoms among coronary patients. Therefore, nurses should take the initiative in educating patients to minimize delay in symptom interpretation and seeking early treatment

Measuring urban social sustainability:Scale development and validation

Despite the significant role of social sustainability in the sustainable development agenda, there is a lack of research to clearly define and fully operationalise the concept of urban social sustainability. The aim of this study is to contribute to the existing literature by developing a comprehensive measurement scale to assess urban social sustainability at the neighbourhood level. We argue that urban social sustainability is a multidimensional concept that incorporates six main dimensions of social interaction, sense of place, social participation, safety, social equity and neighbourhood satisfaction. Failure to consider each of these dimensions may lead to an incomplete picture of social sustainability. Validity, reliability and dimensionality of the urban social sustainability scale are examined using factor analysis. We also illustrate the application of the urban social sustainability scale by investigating the influence of quality of design, as one of the least studied factors of urban form, on different dimensions of social sustainability. The paper uses data collected from the household questionnaire survey in a sample of 251 respondents from five case study neighbourhoods of Dunedin city, New Zealand. This study provides new evidence on the significance of improving neighbourhood quality of design and its positive and significant relationship with different dimensions of social sustainability and the overall social sustainability

Dispatching Vehicles in a Mega Container Terminal

Port Authority of Singapore partialResearch was supported in part by the Port of Singapore Authority (PSA).</p

Potential of Magnetic Hyperthermia to Stimulate Localized Immune Activation

Magnetic hyperthermia (MH) harnesses the heat-releasing properties of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) and has potential to stimulate immune activation in the tumor microenvironment whilst sparing surrounding normal tissues. To assess feasibility of localized MH in vivo, SPIONs are injected intratumorally and their fate tracked by Zirconium-89-positron emission tomography, histological analysis, and electron microscopy. Experiments show that an average of 49% (21-87%, n = 9) of SPIONs are retained within the tumor or immediately surrounding tissue. In situ heating is subsequently generated by exposure to an externally applied alternating magnetic field and monitored by thermal imaging. Tissue response to hyperthermia, measured by immunohistochemical image analysis, reveals specific and localized heat-shock protein expression following treatment. Tumor growth inhibition is also observed. To evaluate the potential effects of MH on the immune landscape, flow cytometry is used to characterize immune cells from excised tumors and draining lymph nodes. Results show an influx of activated cytotoxic T cells, alongside an increase in proliferating regulatory T cells, following treatment. Complementary changes are found in draining lymph nodes. In conclusion, results indicate that biologically reactive MH is achievable in vivo and can generate localized changes consistent with an anti-tumor immune response

Chronic kidney disease in public renal practices in Queensland, Australia, 2011–2018

Aim: To describe adults with (non-dialysis) chronic kidney disease (CKD) in nine public renal practice sites in the Australian state of Queensland. Methods: 7,060 persons were recruited to a CKD Registry in May 2011 and until start of kidney replacement therapy (KRT), death without KRT or June 2018, for a median period of 3.4 years. Results: The cohort comprised 7,060 persons, 52% males, with a median age of 68 yr; 85% had CKD stages 3A to 5, 45.4% were diabetic, 24.6% had diabetic nephropathy, and 51.7% were obese. Younger persons mostly had glomerulonephritis or genetic renal disease, while older persons mostly had diabetic nephropathy, renovascular disease and multiple diagnoses. Proportions of specific renal diagnoses varied >2-fold across sites. Over the first year, eGFR fell in 24% but was stable or improved in 76%. Over follow up, 10% started KRT, at a median age of 62 yr, most with CKD stages 4 and 5 at consent, while 18.8% died without KRT, at a median age of 80 yr. Indigenous people were younger at consent and more often had diabetes and diabetic kidney disease and had higher incidence rates of KRT. Conclusion: The spectrum of characteristics in CKD patients in renal practices is much broader than represented by the minority who ultimately start KRT. Variation in CKD by causes, age, site and Indigenous status, the prevalence of obesity, relative stability of kidney function in many persons over the short term, and differences between those who KRT and die without KRT are all important to explore

Quantum and Classical Ballistic Transport in Constricted Two-Dimensional Electron Gases

Wetensch. publicatieFaculteit der Wiskunde en Natuurwetenschappe

Somatic activating mutations in Pik3ca cause sporadic venous malformations in mice and humans.

Venous malformations (VMs) are painful and deforming vascular lesions composed of dilated vascular channels, which are present from birth. Mutations in the TEK gene, encoding the tyrosine kinase receptor TIE2, are found in about half of sporadic (nonfamilial) VMs, and the causes of the remaining cases are unknown. Sclerotherapy, widely accepted as first-line treatment, is not fully efficient, and targeted therapy for this disease remains underexplored. We have generated a mouse model that faithfully mirrors human VM through mosaic expression of Pik3ca(H1047R), a constitutively active mutant of the p110α isoform of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K), in the embryonic mesoderm. Endothelial expression of Pik3ca(H1047R)resulted in endothelial cell (EC) hyperproliferation, reduction in pericyte coverage of blood vessels, and decreased expression of arteriovenous specification markers. PI3K pathway inhibition with rapamycin normalized EC hyperproliferation and pericyte coverage in postnatal retinas and stimulated VM regression in vivo. In line with the mouse data, we also report the presence of activating PIK3CA mutations in human VMs, mutually exclusive with TEK mutations. Our data demonstrate a causal relationship between activating Pik3ca mutations and the genesis of VMs, provide a genetic model that faithfully mirrors the normal etiology and development of this human disease, and establish the basis for the use of PI3K-targeted therapies in VMs.Postdoctoral fellowships were from EMBO (A LTF 165-2013) to S.D.C, EU Marie Curie (MEIF-CT-2005-010264) to E.T. and EU Marie Curie (PIIF-GA-2009-252846) to I.M.B. M.Z.-T. is supported by the EPSRC Early Career Fellowship of T.L.K. (EP/L006472/1). D.J.S. is a BHF Intermediate Basic Science Research Fellow (FS/15/33/31608). A.L.D is supported by the UK NIHR Joint UCL/University College London Hospitals Biomedical Research Centre. V.E.R.P. was supported by the Wellcome Trust (097721/Z/11/Z). R.K.S. is supported by the Wellcome Trust (WT098498), the Medical Research Council (M RC_MC_UU_12012/5). R.G.K. is supported by the NIHR Rare Diseases Translational Research Collaboration. V.W. is supported by the European FPVI Integrated Project ‘Eurostemcell’. M.F.L. and A.B. are supported by the King’s College London and UCL Comprehensive Cancer Imaging Centre CR-UK and EPSRC, in association with the MRC and DoH (England). W.A.P. is supported by funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) of Australia. Work in the laboratory of M.G. is supported by research grants SAF2013-46542-P and SAF2014-59950-P from MICINN (Spain), 2014-SGR-725 from the Catalan Government, the People Programme (Marie Curie Actions) from the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme FP7/2007-2013/ (REA grant agreement 317250), the Institute of Health Carlos III (ISC III) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) under the integrated Project of Excellence no. PIE13/00022 (ONCOPROFILE). Work in the laboratory of B.V. is supported by Cancer Research UK (C23338/A15965) and the UK NIHR University College London Hospitals Biomedical Research Centre.This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from the American Association for the Advancement of Science via http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/scitranslmed.aad998