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Understanding the Impact of Network Structure on Propagation Dynamics based on Mobile Big Data
No full textUnderstanding the propagation dynamics of information and epidemic on complex networks is very important for discovering and controlling a terrorist attack, and even for predicting a disease outbreak. How to track, recognize and model such dynamics is a big challenge. Along with the popularity of smart devices and the rapid development of Internet of Things (IoT), massive mobile data is automatically collected. In this article, as a typical use case, we investigate the impact of network structure on epidemic propagation dynamics by analyzing the mobile data collected from smart devices carried by the volunteers of Ebola outbreak areas. From this investigation, we obtain two observations. Based on these observations and the analytical ability of Apache Spark on Streaming Data and Graph, we propose a simple model to recognize the dynamic structure of a network. Moreover, we introduce and discuss open issues and future work for developing the proposed recognition model
Functional microstructural surface manufacturing and assessment
No full textReduction of energy consumption is one of key issues for the sustainable development. Recent technological development in manufacturing technology has enabled engineers to create surfaces with defined geometrical structures. This paper presents a review of the currently available literature surrounding the research of functional structural surfaces in relation to the beneficial properties, such as frictional reduction and drag reduction. A particular focus is put on rolling and grinding which provides a new way for fast structural functional surface creation. It was found that some particular structures on functional surfaces possess beneficial functions that could reduce energy consumption. Some recent investigations in LJMU are presented to demonstrate the benefits could be acquired from microstructural surfaces
Anabolic steroids detected in bodybuilding dietary supplements - a significant risk to public health
No full textTwenty-four products suspected of containing anabolic steroids and sold in fitness equipment shops in the United Kingdom (UK) were analyzed for their qualitative and semi-quantitative content using full scan gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), accurate mass liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS), high pressure liquid chromatography with diode array detection (HPLC-DAD), UV-Vis, and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. In addition, X-ray crystallography enabled the identification of one of the compounds, where reference standard was not available. Of the 24 products tested, 23 contained steroids including known anabolic agents; 16 of these contained steroids that were different to those indicated on the packaging and one product contained no steroid at all. Overall, 13 different steroids were identified; 12 of these are controlled in the UK under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. Several of the products contained steroids that may be considered to have considerable pharmacological activity, based on their chemical structures and the amounts present. This could unwittingly expose users to a significant risk to their health, which is of particular concern for naïve users
An ISA-TAB-Nano based data collection framework to support data-driven modelling of nanotoxicology
No full textAnalysis of trends in nanotoxicology data and the development of data driven models for nanotoxicity is facilitated by the reporting of data using a standardised electronic format. ISA-TAB-Nano has been proposed as such a format. However, in order to build useful datasets according to this format, a variety of issues has to be addressed. These issues include questions regarding exactly which (meta)data to report and how to report them. The current article discusses some of the challenges associated with the use of ISA-TAB-Nano and presents a set of resources designed to facilitate the manual creation of ISA-TAB-Nano datasets from the nanotoxicology literature. These resources were developed within the context of the NanoPUZZLES EU project and include data collection templates, corresponding business rules that extend the generic ISA-TAB-Nano specification as well as Python code to facilitate parsing and integration of these datasets within other nanoinformatics resources. The use of these resources is illustrated by a “Toy Dataset” presented in the Supporting Information. The strengths and weaknesses of the resources are discussed along with possible future developments
The cultural antiquity of rainforests: Human-plant associations during the mid-late Holocene in the interior highlands of Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo
Get PDF© 2015 Elsevier Ltd and INQUA. Rainforests are often described as the world's last virgin landscapes; however hunter-gatherers may have been modifying these environments for over 50,000 years. Despite this, the antiquity of early tropical forest exploitation by hunter-gathers and the transition to farming are still poorly understood. Today globalization drives deforestation of rainforests at an unprecedented rate. The forest, the lives of its present-day inhabitants, and the archaeological evidence for their history are unlikely to survive for much longer in their present form. The 'Cultured Rainforest Project', an interdisciplinary project involving anthropologists, archaeologists and palaeoecologists, was set up in 2007 to investigate the long-term and present-day interactions between people and the rainforest in the Kelabit Highlands of central Borneo, so as to better understand past and present agricultural and hunter-gatherer lifestyles and landscapes. This paper examines the environmental evidence used to investigate initial signs of plant exploitation and the transition to agriculture, as well as to understand the wider significance of past plants in a changing cultural landscape. Results have shown that two pronounced cultural waves of human-plant interactions took place in the Kelabit Highlands during the late Holocene; although tentative marks may be present on the landscape ca.7000-6000 years ago. The first pronounced wave of human-plant interaction begins from at least 3000 cal BP. It seems to correspond with the appearance of stone mounds and open-air sites recorded in the archaeological record. The sago palm Eugeissona plays an important role during this period. A second wave of cultural activity, particularly in the last 450 years, is recorded in the southern Kelabit Highlands and is marked by rice becoming important. This may be linked to the construction of a wide range of different megaliths and earthworks, due to its inferred association with wealth and status in prehistoric and historic periods. It is perhaps also linked to a rise in trade between the coastal regions and highlands
Moving beyond the other: A critique of the reductionist drugs discourse.
No full textThis paper uses the UK as a vehicle through which to argue that a dominant reductionist drugs discourse exists which simplifies understandings of drug use and drug users leading to socio-cultural misrepresentations of harm, risk and dangerousness. It contends that at the centre of this discourse lies the process of othering - the identification of specific substances and substance users as a threat to UK society. Interestingly, within the wider context of global drug policy reform this othering process appears to be expanding to target a wider variety of factors and actors - those policies, research findings and individuals which contest normative notions, resulting in the marginalisation of ‘alternative voices’ which question the entrenched assumptions associated with drug prohibition. The paper concludes that there is a need for collective action by critical scholars to move beyond the other, calling for academics to be innovative in their research agendas, creative in their dissemination of knowledge and resolute despite the threat of being othered themselves
Completeness of maternal smoking status recording during pregnancy in United Kingdom primary care data.
No full textBACKGROUND: Given the health impacts of smoking during pregnancy and the opportunity for primary healthcare teams to encourage pregnant smokers to quit, our primary aim was to assess the completeness of gestational smoking status recording in primary care data and investigate whether completeness varied with women's characteristics. As a secondary aim we assessed whether completeness of recording varied before and after the introduction of the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF). METHODS: In The Health Improvement Network (THIN) database we calculated the proportion of pregnancies ending in live births or stillbirths where there was a recording of maternal smoking status for each year from 2000 to 2009. Logistic regression was used to assess variation in the completeness of maternal smoking recording by maternal characteristics, before and after the introduction of QOF. RESULTS: Women had a record of smoking status during the gestational period in 28% of the 277,552 pregnancies identified. In 2000, smoking status was recorded in 9% of pregnancies, rising to 43% in 2009. Pregnant women from the most deprived group were 17% more likely to have their smoking status recorded than pregnant women from the least deprived group before QOF implementation (OR 1.17, 95% CI 1.10-1.25) and 42% more likely afterwards (OR 1.42, 95% CI 1.37-1.47). A diagnosis of asthma was related to recording of smoking status during pregnancy in both the pre-QOF (OR 1.63, 95% CI 1.53-1.74) and post-QOF periods (OR 2.08, 95% CI 2.02-2.15). There was no association between having a diagnosis of diabetes and recording of smoking status during pregnancy pre-QOF however, post-QOF diagnosis of diabetes was associated with a 12% increase in recording of smoking status (OR 1.12, 95% CI 1.05-1.19). CONCLUSION: Recording of smoking status during pregnancy in primary care data is incomplete though has improved over time, especially after the implementation of the QOF, and varies by maternal characteristics and QOF-incentivised morbidities
Secure property right as a determinant of SME’s access to formal credit in Ghana: Dynamics between Micro Finance Institutions and Universal Banks
No full textDoes registered land title help to improve tenure security and enhance one’s chances of securing a loan from formal financial institutions? This question continues to sharply divide opinions among academics, policy-makers and international development partners. The long running debate on the subject of ‘Property in the Commons’, which serves as the ideological origin of what has become known as ‘Washington Consensus’ in contemporary times claims that there is positive correlation between the possession of registered land title and access to credit. However, this has often received considerable rebuttals. Even if the ‘Washington Consensus’ is accepted, the argument is still laced with some fundamental difficulty because it inherently assumes and treats financial institutions as a homogenous class of business. Yet financial institutions exhibit greater diversity in their operations and decision-making process. This paper attempts to contribute towards developing improved understanding between the ‘secure land title and access to credit relationship’ by disaggregating financial institutions into Micro-finance and Universal Banks (UBs) and examining what role secure land title play in granting credit from the perspectives of these two categories of financial institutions. To achieve this, field level investigations were conducted amongst officials of both Micro-finance Institutions (MFIs) and UBs in Ghana using structured questionnaires. A total of 200 questionnaires – 100 each to MFI and Universal Banks were administered of which a response rate of 51 and 57 was, respectively, achieved. The data were analysed using various non-parametric statistics. The study amongst other things established that UBs and MFIs differ in their opinions on how important secure titles are in the lending process and the nature of the influence they can exert on the final lending decision. It was established that both categories of lenders do regard secure titles as important but whether or not it will influence their decision to accept a given landed property as collateral varies across lender types
Impact of retrograde shear rate on brachial and superficial femoral artery flow-mediated dilation in older subjects
No full textAn inverse, dose-dependent relationship between retrograde shear rate and brachial artery endothelial function exists in young subjects. This relationship has not been investigated in older adults, who have been related to lower endothelial function, higher resting retrograde shear rate and higher risk of cardiovascular disease. Aim To investigate the impact of a step-wise increase in retrograde shear stress on flow-mediated dilation in older males in the upper and lower limbs. Methods Fifteen older (68±9 years) men reported to the laboratory 3 times. We examined brachial artery flow-mediated dilation before and after 30-minutes exposure to cuff inflation around the forearm at 0, 30 and 60 mmHg, to manipulate retrograde shear rate. Subsequently, the 30-minute intervention was repeated in the superficial femoral artery. Order of testing (vessel and intervention) was randomised. Results Increases in cuff pressure resulted in dose-dependent increases in retrograde shear in both the brachial and superficial femoral artery in older subjects. In both the brachial and the superficial femoral artery, no change in endothelial function in response to increased retrograde shear was observed in older males (‘time’ P=0.274, ‘cuff*time P=0.791’, ‘cuff*artery*time P=0.774’). Conclusion In contrast with young subjects, we found that acute elevation in retrograde shear rate does not impair endothelial function in older humans. This may suggest that subjects with a priori endothelial dysfunction are less responsive or requires a larger shear rate stimulus to alter endothelial function
Volunteering, paying it forward, and rural community: A study of Bridgetown, Western Australia
Get PDFAcademic studies have highlighted the importance of volunteering for different communities, as a foundation of their cultural life or as an instrument to develop tourism. However, various knowledge gaps are still acknowledged, both from a practical and theoretical perspective. Using the case of Bridgetown, Western Australia, and incorporating the theory of volunteer work, this study seeks to contribute to the extant body of research in these two areas, studying the importance, ways, and management of volunteering. Data were collected among local residents via face-to-face interviews and focus groups. Various elements of the theory, including productive activity, collective action, and the relation between various types of volunteering were confirmed. Importantly, paying it forward, an element instilled in the local community, which refers to giving without any expectations of returns or rewards, emerged as a significant finding. The implications of the findings for community development are discussed, and future research directions suggested
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