scholarly journals Impact assessment methodology for connected and automated vehicles

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 104
Author(s):  
Diane Cleij ◽  
Wendy Weijermars ◽  
Rune Elvik
Keyword(s):  
Impact Assessment ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Feedback Loops ◽  
Automated Vehicles ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Societal Level ◽  
Impact Assessment Methodology ◽  
The Many ◽  
Quantitative Impact ◽  
Structured Approach

Connected and automated vehicles have become more common in recent years, increasing the need to assess their societal level impacts. In this paper a methodology is presented to explore and define these impacts as a starting point for quantitative impact assessment. The many interrelations between impacts increases the complexity of obtaining a complete overview. Therefore, a structured approach is used, which shows many similarities with the modelling of causal-loop-diagrams. Feedback loops between impacts are taken into account at an early stage and both literature review and expert interviews are used to produce a holistic overview of impacts. The methodology was developed and applied in the European H2020 project LEVITATE. Results from the qualitative assessments in this project are presented and further steps needed to perform a quantitative evaluation of the impacts are discussed.

The Constitutional Principle of Accountability: A Study of Contemporary South African Case Law

2018 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chuks Okpaluba
Keyword(s):  
Judicial Review ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Public Procurement ◽  
Case Law ◽  
The State ◽  
Constitutional Principle ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
The Law ◽  
Constitutional Right ◽  
The Many

‘Accountability’ is one of the democratic values entrenched in the Constitution of South Africa, 1996. It is a value recognised throughout the Constitution and imposed upon the law-making organs of state, the Executive, the Judiciary and all public functionaries. This constitutional imperative is given pride of place among the other founding values: equality before the law, the rule of law and the supremacy of the Constitution. This study therefore sets out to investigate how the courts have grappled with the interpretation and application of the principle of accountability, the starting point being the relationship between accountability and judicial review. Therefore, in the exercise of its judicial review power, a court may enquire whether the failure of a public functionary to comply with a constitutional duty of accountability renders the decision made illegal, irrational or unreasonable. One of the many facets of the principle of accountability upon which this article dwells is to ascertain how the courts have deployed that expression in making the state and its agencies liable for the delictual wrongs committed against an individual in vindication of a breach of the individual’s constitutional right in the course of performing a public duty. Here, accountability and breach of public duty; the liability of the state for detaining illegal immigrants contrary to the prescripts of the law; the vicarious liability of the state for the criminal acts of the police and other law-enforcement officers (as in police rape cases and misuse of official firearms by police officers), and the liability of the state for delictual conduct in the context of public procurement are discussed. Having carefully analysed the available case law, this article concludes that no public functionary can brush aside the duty of accountability wherever it is imposed without being in breach of a vital constitutional mandate. Further, it is the constitutional duty of the courts, when called upon, to declare such act or conduct an infringement of the Constitution.

scholarly journals Toxicity Induced by Cytokines, Glucose, and Lipids Increase Apoptosis and Hamper Insulin Secretion in the 1.1E7 Beta Cell-Line

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (5) ◽  
pp. 2559
Author(s):  
Antonia Diaz-Ganete ◽  
Aranzazu Quiroga-de-Castro ◽  
Rosa M. Mateos ◽  
Francisco Medina ◽  
Carmen Segundo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Insulin Secretion ◽  
Cell Line ◽  
High Glucose ◽  
Secretory Pathway ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Hybrid Cell ◽  
Basic Research ◽  
Stress Markers ◽  
Beta Cell Line ◽  
Starting Point

Basic research on types 1 and 2 diabetes mellitus require early stage studies using beta cells or cell lines, ideally of human origin and with preserved insulin secretion in response to glucose. The 1.1E7 cells are a hybrid cell line resulting from the electrofusion of dispersed human islets and PANC-1 cells, capable of secreting insulin in response to glucose, but their survival and function under toxic conditions remains untested. This characterization is the purpose of the present study. We treated these cells with a cytokine mix, high glucose, palmitate, and the latter two combined. Under these conditions, we measured cell viability and apoptosis (MTT, Caspase Glo and TUNEL assays, as well as caspase-8 and -9 levels by Western blotting), endoplasmic reticulum stress markers (EIF2AK3, HSPA4, EIF2a, and HSPA5) by real-time PCR, and insulin secretion with a glucose challenge. All of these stimuli (i) induce apoptosis and ER stress markers expression, (ii) reduce mRNA amounts of 2–5 components of genes involved in the insulin secretory pathway, and (iii) abrogate the insulin release capability of 1.1E7 cells in response to glucose. The most pronounced effects were observed with cytokines and with palmitate and high glucose combined. This characterization may well serve as the starting point for those choosing this cell line for future basic research on certain aspects of diabetes.

scholarly journals Somatic diversification in the absence of antigen-driven responses is the hallmark of the IgM+IgD+CD27+ B cell repertoire in infants

2008 ◽  
Vol 205 (6) ◽  
pp. 1331-1342 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandra Weller ◽  
Maria Mamani-Matsuda ◽  
Capucine Picard ◽  
Corinne Cordier ◽  
Damiana Lecoeuche ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
T Cell ◽  
B Cells ◽  
Immune Responses ◽  
Germinal Center ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Cell Repertoire ◽  
Very Young Children ◽  
B Cell Repertoire ◽  
Somatic Diversification ◽  
The Many

T cell–dependent immune responses develop soon after birth, whereas it takes 2 yr for humans to develop T cell–independent responses. We used this dissociation to analyze the repertoire diversification of IgM+IgD+CD27+ B cells (also known as “IgM memory” B cells), comparing these cells with switched B cells in children <2 yr of age, with the aim of determining whether these two subsets are developmentally related. We show that the repertoire of IgM+IgD+CD27+ B cells in the spleen and blood displays no sign of antigen-driven activation and expansion on H-CDR3 spectratyping, despite the many antigenic challenges provided by childhood vaccinations. This repertoire differed markedly from those of switched B cells and splenic germinal center B cells, even at the early stage of differentiation associated with μ heavy chain expression. These data provide evidence for the developmental diversification of IgM+IgD+CD27+ B cells, at least in very young children, outside of T cell–dependent and –independent immune responses.

scholarly journals Analysing IoT Cyber Risk for Estimating IoT Cyber Insurance

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Petar Radanliev ◽  
Rafael Mantilla Montalvo ◽  
Razvan Nicolescu ◽  
Michael Huth ◽  
Stacy Cannady ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Impact Assessment ◽  
Cyber Security ◽  
Industry 4.0 ◽  
Assessment Model ◽  
Theory Approach ◽  
Academic Literature ◽  
Cyber Insurance ◽  
Cyber Risk ◽  
Quantitative Impact ◽  
Grounded Theory Approach

This paper is focused on mapping the current evolution of Internet of Things (IoT) and its associated cyber risks for the Industry 4.0 (I4.0) sector. We report the results of a qualitative empirical study that correlates academic literature with 14 - I4.0 frameworks and initiatives. We apply the grounded theory approach to synthesise the findings from our literature review, to compare the cyber security frameworks and cyber security quantitative impact assessment models, with the world leading I4.0 technological trends. From the findings, we build a new impact assessment model of IoT cyber risk in Industry 4.0. We therefore advance the efforts of integrating standards and governance into Industry 4.0 and offer a better understanding of economics impact assessment models for I4.0.

scholarly journals Direct Viral RNA Detection of SARS-CoV-2 and DENV in Inactivated Samples by Real-Time RT-qPCR: Implications for Diagnosis in Resource Limited Settings with Flavivirus Co-Circulation

Pathogens ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 1558
Author(s):  
Zhan Qiu Mao ◽  
Mizuki Fukuta ◽  
Jean Claude Balingit ◽  
Thi Thanh Ngan Nguyen ◽  
Co Thach Nguyen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Real Time ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Rna Extraction ◽  
Viral Rna ◽  
Clinical Samples ◽  
Heat Inactivation ◽  
Resource Limited Settings ◽  
Rna Detection ◽  
Resource Limited ◽  
Starting Point

The RT-qPCR method remains the gold standard and first-line diagnostic method for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 and flaviviruses, especially in the early stage of viral infection. Rapid and accurate viral detection is a starting point in the containment of the COVID-19 pandemic and flavivirus outbreaks. However, the shortage of diagnostic reagents and supplies, especially in resource-limited countries that experience co-circulation of SARS-CoV-2 and flaviviruses, are limitations that may result in lesser availability of RT-qPCR-based diagnostic tests. In this study, the utility of RNA-free extraction methods was assessed for the direct detection of SARS-CoV-2 and DENV-2 in heat-inactivated or chemical-inactivated samples. The findings demonstrate that direct real-time RT-qPCR is a feasible option in comparison to conventional real-time RT-qPCR based on viral genome extraction-based methods. The utility of heat-inactivation and direct real-time RT-qPCR for SARS-CoV-2, DENV-2 viral RNA detection was demonstrated by using clinical samples of SARS-CoV-2 and DENV-2 and spiked cell culture samples of SARS-CoV-2 and DENV-2. This study provides a simple alternative workflow for flavivirus and SARS-CoV-2 detection that includes heat inactivation and viral RNA extraction-free protocols, with aims to reduce the risk of exposure during processing of SARS-CoV-2 biological specimens and to overcome the supply-chain bottleneck, particularly in resource limited settings with flavivirus co-circulation.

scholarly journals Spontaneous Cross-link of Mutated α1 Subunits during GABAA Receptor Assembly

2006 ◽  
Vol 282 (7) ◽  
pp. 4354-4363 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isabella Sarto-Jackson ◽  
Roman Furtmueller ◽  
Margot Ernst ◽  
Sigismund Huck ◽  
Werner Sieghart
Keyword(s):  
Disulfide Bonds ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Cross Linking ◽  
Cross Link ◽  
Chloride Currents ◽  
Assembly Mechanism ◽  
Acid Type ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Separate Pathway ◽  
Receptor Assembly

γ-Aminobutyric acid, type A (GABAA) receptor α1 subunits containing a cysteine mutation at a position in the channel mouth (H109C) surprisingly formed a spontaneous cross-link with each other in receptors composed of α1H109C, β3, and γ2 subunits. Cross-linking of two α1H109C subunits did not significantly change the affinity of [3H]muscimol or [3H]Ro15-1788 binding in α1H109Cβ3γ2 receptors, but GABA displayed a reduced potency for activating chloride currents. On reduction of the disulfide bond, however, GABA activation as well as diazepam modulation was similar in mutated and wild-type receptors, suggesting that these receptors exhibited the same subunit stoichiometry and arrangement. Disulfide bonds could not be reoxidized by copper phenanthroline after having been reduced in completely assembled receptors, suggesting that cross-linking can only occur at an early stage of assembly. The cross-link of α1H109C subunits and the subsequent transport of the resulting homodimers to the cell surface caused a reduction of the intracellular pool of α1H109C subunits and a reduced formation of completely assembled receptors. The formation of α1H109C homodimers as well as of correctly assembled GABAA receptors containing cross-linked α1H109C subunits could indicate that homodimerization of α1 subunits via contacts located in the channel mouth might be one starting point of GABAA receptor assembly. Alternatively the assembly mechanism might have started with the formation of heterodimers followed by a cross-link of mutated α1 subunits at the heterotrimeric stage. The formation of cross-linked α1H109C homodimers would then have occurred independently in a separate pathway.

Abstract 144: Zebrafish Larvae: A Model System for Early Stage Atherosclerosis?

2015 ◽  
Vol 35 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Manoj K Bandaru ◽  
Petter Ranefall ◽  
Anastasia Emmanouilidou ◽  
Tiffany Klingström ◽  
Lingjie Tao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Early Stage ◽  
Association Studies ◽  
Oxidized Ldl ◽  
Control Diet ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Model System ◽  
Genome Wide Association Studies ◽  
Lipid Deposition ◽  
Zebrafish Larvae ◽  
Starting Point

Objectives: Published results show that overfeeding zebrafish larvae on a high-cholesterol diet (HCD) can result in hypercholesterolemia and sub-endothelial lipid deposition in macrophages and other cell types. However, results are so far based on small samples, and the atherogenic response has been heterogeneous. We aim to use zebrafish larvae for large-scale, CRISPR-Cas9-based genetic screens, using results from genome wide association studies for coronary heart disease as a starting point. Firstly however, we need to ensure the model system is appropriate and robust. Therefore, we examined the effect of a high-energy diet (HED) and HCD on vascular lipid deposition in a larger number of larvae (n=241). Methods: Starting at 5 days post fertilization (dpf), ~30 larvae/tank were fed 2x/day on: 1) 5 mg control diet (CD; n=33); 2) 15 mg control diet (HED; n=90); or 3) 15 mg control diet enriched with 4% cholesterol (HCD; n=94). At 14-17 dpf, larvae were soaked in monodansylpentane cadaverase - a lipid staining dye - for 45 min, before imaging the dorsal aorta and caudal vein with a Leica SP5 confocal microscope. We used a custom written script in Cell Profiler to quantify the surface area of lipid deposits in the vasculature. Results: Manual annotation of vascular lipid deposition in 30 images (10 randomly selected images per dietary condition) allowed us to calculate the sensitivity (36%) and specificity (71%) of the Cell Profiler script. Subsequent analyses showed that HED (p=0.004) and HCD (p=0.001) fed larvae have significantly more vascular lipid deposition than CD fed larvae after adjusting for age, batch and vessel length. There was no difference in vascular lipid deposition between HED and HCD fed larvae (p=0.11). Discussion and conclusion: Our results confirm that zebrafish larvae represent a promising model system for early-stage atherosclerosis. In addition, they show that enriching the diet with cholesterol is not required to prompt atherogenesis. Future directions: In the next few months, we will examine if overfeeding also triggers vascular infiltration by macrophages, neutrophils and oxidized LDL cholesterol, and if atherogenesis can be prevented or reduced by treating larvae with statins and/or ezetimibe, using our new, automated imaging setup.

Corpora as Tools for Self-Driven Learning

2020 ◽  
pp. 166-190
Author(s):  
Reka R. Jablonkai ◽  
Neva Čebron
Keyword(s):  
Early Stage ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
Learning Tools ◽  
Self Directed Learning ◽  
Complex Activity ◽  
Undergraduate Level ◽  
Feedback Questionnaire ◽  
Directed Learning ◽  
Efl Students ◽  
Structured Approach

Can EFL students be profitably introduced to compilation of DIY corpora for various ESP domains even at the undergraduate level? How can they benefit from self-directed exploitation of language corpora at such an early stage? What language skills can a corpus-based ESP course enhance? This chapter discusses the advantages and limitations of a structured approach to pedagogical corpus consultation and corpora as self-directed learning tools as applied in an innovative corpus-based ESP course. A multifaceted enquiry of students' assessment and perception of the course - initial feedback, questionnaire, and focus group – was conducted. Results indicate that although students perceived corpus use as a complex activity, their attitude to the corpus approach was positive and they recognised the benefits of corpora as self-directed tools. Suggestions for further improvements of such practices are also discussed.

Brand-Led Transformation

2019 ◽  
pp. 1022-1051
Author(s):  
Pier M. Massa
Keyword(s):  
Current Theory ◽  
Fundamental Change ◽  
Specific Change ◽  
Business Operations ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Agents Of Change ◽  
Service Businesses ◽  
Structured Approach ◽  
Insight Into

Brand-led transformation is about leveraging the power of a corporate brand to drive fundamental change within organisations. Focused on complex service businesses, the brand serves as the starting point for a systematic process of transformation that drives change down to the level of business operations. This ensures that the principles of the promise are experienced in every interaction that the company has with its customers. Organizations typically struggle with translating brand-led customer-centric strategies into tangible and specific change outcomes at the front line. This chapter melds a practitioner's view with current theory and offers pragmatic and proven approaches to translating these strategies into a framework and a methodology that drives direct customer and company benefits with successful enterprise-wide outcomes that impact the full business. In addition, this structured approach is complemented with insight into a deeper review of the role of agents of change and their impact on implementation across the organization.

Privatized Bodies in Public Locations

2020 ◽  
pp. 195-213
Author(s):  
Penny Griffin
Keyword(s):  
Moral Status ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Free Market ◽  
Value Systems ◽  
Women's Bodies ◽  
Day Care Centers ◽  
Neoliberal Governmentality ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
The Many ◽  
Small Things

Understanding motherhood as practices of mothering not necessarily limited to women’s bodies, this chapter sets out to examine some of the many and various ways in which neoliberalized public spaces enable, encourage, and reproduce motherhood. It asks, specifically, how, where, and why human, mothering bodies are subjected to the neoliberal “gaze,” how this gaze on motherhood privileges certain forms of identity and practice over others, and how this influences, overtly and indirectly, the moral status of “mothers” in neoliberal societies. Neoliberal governmentality has been vastly effective in enacting its own self-reproduction across divergent societies, masking the totalitarianism of its core focus on centralizing the “free” market in social life through clever reconstructions of conflicting social value systems and practices. This can be seen, this chapter argues, in the normalization of highly invasive medical procedures on mothering bodies, in the proliferation of professionalized parenting “experts,” and in the individualization and social segregation of “mothers” themselves. In particular, the author examines how everyday moments in and practices of motherhood have become highly effective normative technologies of neoliberal governmentality. The author takes as a starting point those “small” things about life as a mother (or as someone who mothers) in a neoliberal society in terms of how they represent two interwoven social elements: the impacts of the prejudiced gaze of neoliberal authorities, including hospitals, supermarkets, cafés, trains, and day care centers; and the apparent achievement of limitless neoliberal tolerance and acceptability.

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