777 research outputs found
Traffic monitoring using handheld GSM phones. Part B: Simulation study
No full textRevised version of LVV rapport, VK 2001.004. This report contains the description of a novel map-matching algorithm, and the results of a simulation study into the feasibility of traffic monitoring using handheld mobile phones.Transport & PlanningCivil Engineering and Geoscience
Navigating Digital Borders: Seto Community in the Virtual Territory of the VK Social Network
No full textReceived 30 September 2024. Accepted 5 March 2025. Published online 30 April 2025.The paper examines the digital geography of the virtual Seto community in the VK social network (also known as VKontakte), focusing on how dispersed Seto people in Russia and Estonia use digital spaces to communicate, as well as express, preserve, and promote their cultural identity. By applying a multi-sited ethnographic methodology, the research involves both online explorations and offline semi-structured interviews, with fieldwork conducted in the Pechory District. Using the network and territory approaches to digital ethnography, the study highlights how the VK serves as a digital territory where Setos, divided by distances and physical borders, connect, share cultural practices, and foster a sense of community. Special attention is given to the Seto traditions of leelo polyphonic singing and festive costumes, both of which serve as vital markers of ethnic identity in this digital landscape. Through content analysis of Seto personal profiles and public pages, the research reveals how social networks help maintain connections and how digital geographies are constantly shaped and reshaped by cultural exchanges. This study underscores the adaptability of online spaces in sustaining fragmented ethnic communities across physical distances.This work was supported by the Russian Science Foundation under Grant 23-78-10079, https://rscf.ru/project/23-78-10079/The author is grateful to the assistance of the Museum Reserve Izborsk, Manor Museum of the Seto people in the village of Sigovo, Pechory Museum of History, and the “Flax Province” Museum. The author is also highly appreciative of the valuable consultations and recommendations provided by Elena Variksoo, Tatiana Ogareva, Mare Piho, Malle Bogacheva, and Vera Fest
Foster care and social work services from the perspective of the foster child
No full textIncludes bibliographical references
The impact of oil palm expansion on environmental change: putting conservation research in context
No full textNon
Corrigendum: The longitudinal progression of autonomic dysfunction in Parkinson\u27s disease: a 7-year study (Front. Neurol., (2023), 14, 1155669, 10.3389/fneur.2023.1155669)
No full textCopyright \ua9 2023 Stewart, Ledingham, Foster, Anderson, Sathyanarayana, Galley, Pavese and Pasquini.In the published article, there was an error in the author list as published. The Parkinson\u27s Progression Markers Initiative was erroneously excluded. The author list has now been updated. In addition, an Author\u27s note was missing from the published article. The updated Author\u27s note appears below: Members of Parkinson\u27s Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI) are listed in the Supplementary material. In addition, a Supplementary material file listing the members of The Parkinson\u27s Progression Markers Initiative was erroneously excluded from the publication. The Supplementary material has now been published alongside the original article. In addition there was an error in the Acknowledgments statement as published. The date of data download, the full address of the PPMI database and the RRID number was missing. The updated Acknowledgments statement appears below. Data used in the preparation of this article were obtained on September, 2nd 2022 from the Parkinson\u27s Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI) database (www.ppmi-info.org/access-data-specimens/download-data), RRID:SCR_006431. For up-to-date information on the study, visit www.ppmi-info.org. The authors apologize for these errors and state that this does not change the scientific conclusions of the article in any way. The original article has been updated
Short communication : Menaquinone-4 (vitamin K-2) induces proliferation responses in bovine peripheral blood mononuclear cells
No full textThe effects of vitamin K (VK) on immune cells in ruminants are yet to be fully investigated. The objective of this study was to examine the effects of VK on peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) in Holstein dairy cows. A cell proliferation assay was performed to evaluate the effect of menaquinone-4 (MK-4, the biologically active form of VK) on immune response of PBMC. The proliferation of PBMC stimulated by MK-4 was significantly higher than that of nonstimulated controls. The expression of T cell-related genes in PBMC, stimulated with MK-4, was assessed by quantitative PCR. No significant changes were observed in the mRNA expression levels of both CD4 and CD8 as helper T cell and cytotoxic T cell markers, respectively. The present study demonstrated that MK-4 positively influenced cow PBMC proliferation and suggested the possibility of bovine-specific immune cell activation. The present study lays a foundation for understanding the physiological role of VK in cattle
Finite vs. Infinite Decompositions in Conformal Embeddings
No full text© 2016, Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg. Building on work of the first and last author, we prove that an embedding of simple affine vertex algebras Vk(g0) ⊂ Vk(g) , corresponding to an embedding of a maximal equal rank reductive subalgebra g0 into a simple Lie algebra g, is conformal if and only if the corresponding central charges are equal. We classify the equal rank conformal embeddings. Furthermore we describe, in almost all cases, when Vk(g) decomposes finitely as a Vk(g0) -module
How fine are the emperor’s clothes? – motivating critical and ethical design practices by deconstructing engineering codes and standards
No full textAt the University of Toronto, Engineering Science students are typically introduced to the engineering codes and standards that they are expected to incorporate into framing and responding to engineering design challenges in their first year of study. In our experience, however, students do not always appreciate that these codes and standards may not reflect the interests of key (and potentially under-represented) stakeholders, and thus may not be appropriate for their engineering context. To encourage our students to adopt a more critical perspective when working with codes and standards, we exposed them to case examples of contentious regulations, and highlighted the objectives, people, and processes behind the development of these works. Our examples focus on common products to which first-year students can relate, such as handrails and stairs. By exposing our students to the people and processes by which codes and standards are developed, and to the controversies associated with contentious policy decisions, we expect that students will adopt a rigorous approach to using engineering codes and standards in their design activities.The authors gratefully acknowledge funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research Operating Grants (CIHR MOP 142178)(VK), the AGE-WELL Network of Centres of Excellence in Technology and Aging Graduate Student Scholarships (VK), and Toronto Rehabilitation Institute Graduate Student Scholarships (VK).VK also gratefully acknowledges funding from the Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering at the University of Toronto to present at CEEA 2017
Contrasting reasons for discontinuation of antiretroviral therapy in workplace and public-sector HIV programs in South Africa.
No full textAbstract We investigated reasons for clinical follow-up and treatment discontinuation among HIV-infected individuals receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) in a public-sector clinic and in a workplace clinic in South Africa. Participants in a larger cohort study who had discontinued clinical care by the seventh month of treatment were traced using previously provided locator information. Those located were administered a semistructured questionnaire regarding reasons for discontinuing clinical follow-up. Participants who had discontinued antiretroviral therapy were invited to participate in further in-depth qualitative interviews. Fifty-one of 144 (35.4%) in the workplace cohort had discontinued clinical follow-up by the seventh month of treatment. The median age of those who discontinued follow-up was 46 years and median educational level was five years. By contrast, only 16.5% (44/267) of the public-sector cohort had discontinued follow-up. Among them the median age was 37.5 years and median education was 11 years. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 17 workplace participants and 10 public-sector participants. The main reasons for attrition in the workplace were uncertainty about own HIV status and above the value of ART, poor patient-provider relationships and workplace discrimination. In the public sector, these were moving away and having no money for clinic transport. In the workplace, efforts to minimize the time between testing and treatment initiation should be balanced with the need to provide adequate baseline counseling taking into account existing concepts about HIV and ART. In the public sector, earlier diagnosis and ART initiation may help to reduce early mortality, while links to government grants may reduce attrition
Linking women who test HIV-positive in pregnancy-related services to HIV care and treatment services in Kenya: a mixed methods prospective cohort study.
No full textINTRODUCTION: There has been insufficient attention to long-term care and treatment for pregnant women diagnosed with HIV. OBJECTIVE AND METHODS: This prospective cohort study of 100 HIV-positive women recruited within pregnancy-related services in a district hospital in Kenya employed quantitative methods to assess attrition between women testing HIV-positive in pregnancy-related services and accessing long-term HIV care and treatment services. Qualitative methods were used to explore barriers and facilitators to navigating these services. Structured questionnaires were administered to cohort participants at enrolment and 90+ days later. Participants' medical records were monitored prospectively. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were carried out with a sub-set of 19 participants. FINDINGS: Only 53/100 (53%) women registered at an HIV clinic within 90 days of HIV diagnosis, of whom 27/53 (51%) had a CD4 count result in their file. 11/27 (41%) women were eligible for immediate antiretroviral therapy (ART); only 6/11 (55%) started ART during study follow-up. In multivariable logistic regression analysis, factors associated with registration at the HIV clinic within 90 days of HIV diagnosis were: having cared for someone with HIV (aOR:3.67(95%CI:1.22, 11.09)), not having to pay for transport to the hospital (aOR:2.73(95%CI:1.09, 6.84)), and having received enough information to decide to have an HIV test (aOR:3.61(95%CI:0.83, 15.71)). Qualitative data revealed multiple factors underlying high patient drop-out related to women's social support networks (e.g. partner's attitude to HIV status), interactions with health workers (e.g. being given unclear/incorrect HIV-related information) and health services characteristics (e.g. restricted opening hours, long waiting times). CONCLUSION: HIV testing within pregnancy-related services is an important entry point to HIV care and treatment services, but few women successfully completed the steps needed for assessment of their treatment needs within three months of diagnosis. Programmatic recommendations include simplified pathways to care, better-tailored counselling, integration of ART into antenatal services, and facilitation of social support
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