Development of a dialogue-orientated character with voice control for mobile devices

Diese Bachelorarbeit erläutert das Vorgehen bei der Erstellung einer Applikation für mobile Endgeräte, die einen dialogorientierten 3D-Charakter darstellt, der auf die Eingaben des Benutzers reagiert. Erläutert wird hierbei auch die historische Entwicklung der Mensch-Maschinen-Kommunikation. Darauf folgt ein Überblick über die, im Bereich der mobilen Endgeräte verfügbare, Hard- und Software sowie deren Architektur. Weitere Teile befassen sich mit den in der Applikation genutzten, selbst erstellten Methoden zur Textanalyse und Antwortgenerierung, sowie der Kombination aller Komponenten zu einem Endprodukt.The bachelor thesis at hand illustrates the procedure of generating an application for mobile devices. This application is of a dialogue-orientated 3D-character and reacts to the input of the users. In addition, the historical development of humans machinecommunication is illustrated. After that a survey of hard- and software available for the mobile devices as well as their architecture is given. Further parts of the thesis deal with the self-generated methods of text analysis and answer-generation as well as the combination of these components to create an end product

Citizenship Islands: The Ongoing Emergency in the Mediterranean Sea

I present the concept of “citizenship islands” to analyze the ongoing emergency in the Mediterranean Sea. Citizenship islands are based on the idea of “nonplaces” for noncitizens who are both constantly present and invisible. Citizenship islands are a test of what is to come, as noncitizens such as migrants and refugees continue to arrive, even as countries refuse their right of entry and of seeking asylum. Based on research in Lampedusa, I argue that as understandings of citizenship change, the ongoing emergency in the Mediterranean Sea forces a focus on noncitizens. What is happening around discourses of citizenship, mobility, and migration requires new language to describe and analyze what is already happening, and to theorize new research tools for the future. Nonplaces invite a paradox between visibility and invisibility, between in-dependence and inter-dependence, highlighting the importance of language in characterizing the experience of migrants and refugees and how that language shapes relationships between newcomers/noncitizens and already established residents/citizens

The Cinematic Turn in Public Discussions of Science

The specialized vocabularies and complex methodologies of scientific practice complicate efforts both to communicate scientific information to lay publics and to enable those publics to sort out competing scientific claims when public policy decisions hang in the balance. Consequently, technical experts strive to invent rhetorical practices and argumentative strategies that appeal to non-scientific audiences. One such strategy involves the use of popular fictional films to support technical arguments that bear on public policy questions.Film references are not simply clever labels or cursory illustrative examples, but important communicative acts that serve a unique rhetorical function in public argument on scientific matters. Scientists, science journalists, and science educators use films as metaphors, narratives, or heuristics to help galvanize public attention or teach scientific and technological principles to non-scientific publics. However, this rhetorical exercise invites debate over the appropriateness and efficacy of using fictional films to educate publics about factual science. The citation of film as evidence in public argument expands the rhetorical landscape to include texts that transcend traditional modes of address within the scientific community.This dissertation draws from rhetorical theory and film studies theory to investigate how science interlocutors reference films in public discussions of science. It examines three public discussions of science and the film references highlighted in such discussions: The China Syndrome and the Three Mile Island accident, GATTACA and policy debates over genetic science controls, and The Day After Tomorrow and climate stewardship policies. Each case study reveals how advocates articulate and maintain the boundaries of acceptable scientific arguments. By attending to how the use of films as resources for the invention of arguments, this research suggests avenues for engaging scientific controversies that are not predicated on intimate knowledge of a particular scientific practice

Understanding Mediation Support

Recent decades have witnessed increasing institutionalization of mediation support through the establishment of mediation support structures (MSS) within foreign ministries and secretariats of multilateral organizations. This study sheds light on this trend and aims to better understand the emergence, design and development of different MSS. This study analyzes six MSS, namely those established in the United Nations (UN), the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the European Union (EU), the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, (IGAD), Switzerland and Germany. It provides five main findings. First, the emergence of dedicated MSS is the result of an interplay of three factors. These refer to the political interests of states that have made mediation a priority of their foreign policies; a normative evolution emphasizing that effective peace mediation requires technical knowledge and resources provided by specialized units; and the operational needs of mediators confronted with the growing complexity of peace processes. Second, looking at their design, MSS in highly different institutional contexts nonetheless exhibit a striking similarity. All of them provide a mixture of training, knowledge management and operational support, ranging from political advice to logistical help. This similarity can be understood by the influence of professional networks of mediation support practitioners that have proven to be influential when new structures are set up. Third, despite the similarity, there are differences between MSS in terms of the balance between different lines of activity, topics they specialize in, whether or not they support external mediation operations, and the degree to which they involve civil society actors. These differences are due to mandates, political environment and organizational culture, which are specific to each organization. Fourth, as for development over time, some MSS examined in this report, i.e. the UN and Switzerland, are fully embedded and deeply involved in mediation processes pursued by their respective institutions. Other MSS, in particular IGAD and Germany, are in the early stages of development with still limited direct involvement in mediation processes. The EU and the OSCE cover the middle ground of this spectrum. The study finds that institutional entrenchment is fostered by demands for support by envoys, a conducive political environment, availability of human and financial resources, and, for multilateral organizations, the strength of secretariats vis-à-vis member states. Fifth, the study showed that the prevalent model of mediation support puts a premium on technical knowledge and generalist expertise that is transferable from one context to the next. Given that today there are fewer comprehensive peace processes and more decentralized dialogue engagements focusing on one issue or one actor in a particular context for a limited period of time, there is a need for existing MSS to adapt, and for practitioners and policymakers to consider a broad range of mediation support approaches

Veterinary- and medical students’ knowledge and values regarding commercial slaughter and slaughter methods – a survey

I Sverige idag är normen att man ska äta kött. Om man blir bortbjuden och är vegetarian, vegan eller något annat som innebär att man inte äter alla sorters djur, förutsätts det vanligen att man som gäst meddelar denna specialkost i förväg på samma sätt som man förväntas informera om eventuella allergier. Många vet inte hur den mat som vi äter blir till, trots att det enligt skolans läroplan ingår vissa grundläggande kunskaper om kost. Man ska veta hur bröd bakas, principen för hur växter planteras och skördas och hur en fläskkotlett ska stekas. Men inte någonstans i grundskolans undervisning, varken på hemkunskapen, naturkunskapen eller i något annat ämne får man veta hur kött blir till. Det är oklart varför det som anses vara normen tillåts passera i princip helt okommenterat under hela skolgången. Dagens köttproduktion är enormt omfattande med individer av olika djurslag som växer upp, lever och transporteras under olika förutsättningar, men alla har de en sak gemensamt. Alla måste de slaktas för att vi ska kunna äta dem. Just själva slakten kan vara en jobbig tanke, vilket gör att man gärna undviker den. Men om man började fundera över detta, vare sig man är köttkonsument eller ej, hur många skulle då faktiskt kunna berätta om hur en slakt går till? De avgörande momenten i en slaktprocess, sett ur det levande djurets perspektiv, är bedövning och avblodning. Bedövningen görs med olika tekniker beroende på vilket djurslag det handlar om, medan principen för avblodningen är likartad för alla djurslag på ett slakteri. Denna studie omfattade endast kyckling, nötkreatur och gris. I denna studie undersöktes vad veterinärstudenter och läkarstudenter kan om slaktmetoder i början av sin utbildning, samt vad de har för åsikter om dessa. Detta gjordes med hjälp av en enkät bestående av grundläggande slaktfrågor som delades ut klassvis till Uppsala universitets läkarstudenter termin 1-4 samt Sveriges lantbruksuniversitets veterinärstudenter årskurs 1-2. Samtliga frågealternativ omvandlades till poäng som sedan jämfördes mellan de två utbildningarna. Studien visar att kunskapen om slakt och slaktmetoder för kycklingar, nötkreatur och grisar är större hos svenska veterinärstudenter än svenska läkarstudenter med medelvärden på 0,53, respektive 0,21 poäng (poängskala 0-1), och att veterinärstudenter har större intresse för grundläggande kunskaper om slakt än läkarstudenter med medelvärden på 5,04 respektive 3,90 poäng (poängskala 1-6). Läkarstudenter anser i högre grad än veterinärstudenter att kycklingar, nötkreatur och grisar känner smärta och ångest i samband med avlivningen med medelvärden på 0,28 respektive 0,16 poäng (poängskala 0-1). En större andel läkarstudenter (62,4 %) än veterinärstudenter (50,3 %) accepterar att djur slaktas för humankonsumtion, medan en större andel veterinärstudenter (95,2 %) är mer negativa till att djur slaktas utan föregående bedövning än läkarstudenter (72,6 %). Ingen signifikant skillnad mellan de två utbildningarna kunde påvisas vad gäller åsikterna huruvida kycklingar, nötkreatur och grisar känner smärta och ångest i samband med bedövningen. Kunskapen om slakt var genomgående låg i de klasser som deltog i undersökningen (och som inte hade fått slaktundervisning), trots att en klar majoritet av studenterna var köttätare.In Sweden today it is customary to eat meat. If invited to a dinner party when you’re a vegetarian, vegan or anything else that excludes any kind of animal, then you’re expected to inform the host in advance in the same manner as if you have any kind of allergy. Many people today do not know how their food is produced, even though the compulsory school’s educational plan states that the pupils should know fundamental principles of nutrition. You should know how bread is baked, the principle of how plants grow and are harvested, and how to roast pork chops. But nowhere during the education, neither in the home economics nor in science class or in any other subject will you learn about how meat comes into being. This information is for some reason not considered important enough to be a part of the curriculum. You might wonder why something that is considered to be a standard is allowed to pass almost without any comments throughout school. Today’s meat production is extremely comprehensive, including individuals of different species which are born, bred and transported during varying circumstances, but with one thing in common. All these animals must be slaughtered so that we can eat them. The very idea of the killing might be uncomfortable, which makes many people avoid it. But if we begin to think about it, whether meat consumers or not, how many of us can actually describe how slaughter is performed? The decisive moments in a slaughter process seen from the perspective of the living animal is stunning and bleeding. The stunning is performed by various techniques depending on species, while the bleeding procedure is similar in Swedish slaughterhouses. This study deals only with poultry (broilers), cattle and pigs. In this study the level of knowledge and thoughts in Swedish veterinary and medical students about slaughter methods were investigated. This was done by means of a questionnaire consisting of basic questions about slaughter, medical students (term 1-4) at Uppsala University and veterinary students (year 1-2) at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences in Uppsala. All of the options in the questionnaire was converted to a numeric value (points), which were compared between the two different university programmes. The result of the study shows that the level of knowledge about slaughter and slaughter methods in broilers, cattle and pigs is higher among veterinary students than medical students with a mean of 0.53, respective 0.21 points (scale 0-1). Veterinary students has a greater interest in having basic knowledge about slaughter than medical students with a mean of 5.04, respective 3.9 points (scale 1-6). Medical students believe more than veterinary students that broilers, cattle and pigs feel pain and distress at the time of bleeding with a mean of 0.28 respective 0.16 points (scale 0-1). Medical students accept the slaughter of animals for human consumption more than veterinary students do (62.4 % compared to 50.3 %), while veterinary students are more negative than medical students to animals being slaughtered without stunning (95.2 % compared to 72.2 %). No significant difference between the two university programmes could be detected regarding whether broilers, cattle and pigs feel pain and distress at the time of stunning. The knowledge about slaughter was consistently low in all the participating classes (that had not received any education in the subject), even though the majority of the students were meat eaters

BSE

Bovin spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) är en sjukdom som drabbar nötkreatur, och vars smittämne är det ofullständigt utforskade prionproteinet. Detta protein finns i vår egen kropp, men då veckat till strukturen av en alfahelix istället för ett betaflak. När vi får i oss ett felveckat protein verkar det som att en domino-effekt sker och alla normala proteiner av denna sort veckar sig fel och ansamlas i centrala nervsystemet (CNS). Människor som äter smittat kött kan drabbas av den humana formen, variant Creutzfeldt-Jakobs sjukdom (vCJD), som är en neurodegenerativ sjukdom med lång inkubationstid och som oavkortat leder till döden. I denna litteraturstudie görs ett försök att belysa dessa sjukdomar och problematiken runt omkring, med betoning på BSE. Tanken är att ge en uppfattning om vad BSE är och varför det är en sådan fruktad smitta. Här presenteras kliniska symptom, genetik och histopatologi samt vad som görs för att förhindra att smittan återigen kommer ut i samhället