scholarly journals Nanotoxicology for Safe and Sustainable Nanotechnology

2007 ◽  
Vol 58 (4) ◽  
pp. 471-478 ◽  
Author(s):  
Damjana Drobne
Keyword(s):  
Data Storage ◽  
One Dimension ◽  
Key Factors ◽  
Science And Engineering ◽  
Electrical And Optical Properties ◽  
Physical Chemical ◽  
Targeted Screening ◽  
Sustainable Nanotechnology ◽  
Near Future ◽  
Improved Methods

Nanotoxicology for Safe and Sustainable NanotechnologyNanotechnology is the term given to those areas of science and engineering where the phenomena take place at nanoscale dimensions. Nanoparticles are particles with <100 nm in one dimension. They have different physical, chemical, electrical and optical properties than those that occur in bulk samples of the same material. Understanding these nanoscale properties and finding ways to engineer new nanomaterials will have a revolutionary impact, from more efficient energy generation and data storage to improved methods for diagnosing and treating diseases. Nanotechnology is poised to become a major factor in the world's economy and part of our everyday lives in the near future. Hundreds of tonnes of nanoparticles already enter the environment annually, but still very little is known of their interactions with biological systems. Recent studies indicate that some nanoparticles are not completely benign to biological and environmental targets. The challenge for toxicologists is to identify key factors that can be used to predict toxicity, permit targeted screening, and allow material scientists to generate new, safer nanoparticles with this structure-toxicity information in mind. The aim of this paper is to summarize some known facts about nanomaterials and discuss future perspectives, regulatory issues and tasks of the emerging branch of toxicology, that is, nanotoxicology.

Surely You Must Be Joking, Mr. Twain!: Reengaging Science Students through Visual Aesthetics

Leonardo ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 53 (3) ◽  
pp. 311-315
Author(s):  
Katherine Goodman ◽  
Jean Hertzberg ◽  
Noah Finkelstein
Keyword(s):  
Student Perception ◽  
Higher Learning ◽  
Personal Meaning ◽  
Science Students ◽  
Science And Engineering ◽  
Content Mastery ◽  
Visual Aesthetics ◽  
Institutions Of Higher Learning ◽  
Undergraduate Science ◽  
Improved Methods

Researchers have established improved methods for undergraduate science and engineering education, yet these efforts often overlook the personal meaning students find in their work. Institutions of higher learning should support the creation of personal meaning along with content mastery, aspects that are both included in arts education. The authors argue that STEM educators must work to overcome student perception that content mastery and personal meaning sit at odds. The authors provide an example of a technical course that achieves these goals as well as evidence that it is possible to foster connection while developing content mastery.

scholarly journals Immigration Into the United Kingdom

2015 ◽  
Vol 63 (3) ◽  
pp. 957-967
Author(s):  
Lukáš Nevěděl ◽  
Michaela Novotná
Keyword(s):  
United Kingdom ◽  
Immigration Policy ◽  
Statistical Data ◽  
Colonial History ◽  
Key Factors ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Identity Cards ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Near Future ◽  
Strong System

Migration is a process which results in an increase or a decrease of population. When analysing the immigration policy of the United Kingdom, it is important to be aware of two key factors which influenced it: the country’s location and its colonial history. As an island, the UK has developed a very strong system of border control while at the same time there is limited control within its borders which can be demonstrated e.g. by the absence of identity cards. The aim of this article is to evaluate immigration into the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland based on available statistical data between 2004 and 2012. The data will be also used for a forecast of development of the numbers of immigrants from different countries and for illustrating possible immigration trends in the future. The article will mainly focus on a question whether in the near future the UK will experience an increase or a decrease in immigration or whether the number of immigrants will stay constant. Convergence analysis will be used to evaluate the data for individual administrative regions at the NUTS II level. The article will also detail numbers of immigrants per 1,000 inhabitants and it will answer a question whether there is convergence or divergence in the number of immigrants among different regions.

scholarly journals THE EFFECTS OF SEAWATER ON THE DURABILITY OF HYDROTECHNICAL (CONCRETE) STRUCTURES IN THE PORT OF KLAIPEDA / JŪROS VANDENS POVEIKIS KLAIPĖDOS UOSTO HIDROTECHNINIŲ STATINIŲ (BETONO) ILGAAMŽIŠKUMUI

2013 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 111-118
Author(s):  
Ramunė Lebedeva ◽  
Gintautas Skripkiūnas ◽  
Larisa Vasiljeva
Keyword(s):  
Sea Level ◽  
Environmental Effects ◽  
Concrete Structures ◽  
Reinforced Concrete Structures ◽  
Key Factors ◽  
External Effects ◽  
Chemical Effects ◽  
Physical Chemical ◽  
Durability Index ◽  
The Impact

Seawater has a significant impact on hydrotechnical concrete structures in the Port of Klaipeda. This factor must be properly examined and evaluated designing reinforced concrete structures exploited in seawater. The basic aim of research is to assess the effects of seawater on concrete and to form an algorithm for studying the durability of hydrotechnical structures affected by seawater. The conducted investigation showed the impact of seawater on hydraulic engineering (concrete) structures. Serious defects are caused by corrosion in hydrotechnical concrete. The key factors indicating the durability index of hydrotechnical concrete include damage to the concrete due to environmental, mechanical and physical-chemical effects. Physical-chemical environmental effects occur due to changes in temperature, the speed of the wind and fluctuations in the sea-level. Multiple environmental impacts can simultaneously affect hydrotechnical concrete. Mechanical external effects occur due to constant stevedoring works and vessels moored at the Port of Klaipeda. Santrauka Klaipėdos uosto hidrotechniniams statiniams jūros vanduo daro didelį poveikį. Šis veiksnys turi būti ištirtas ir vertinamas projektuojant gelžbetonines konstrukcijas, eksploatuojamas jūros vandenyje. Darbo tikslas –įvertinti jūros vandens poveikį betonui bei sudaryti paveiktų jūros vandens hidrotechninių konstrukcijų ilgaamžiškumo tyrimų algoritmą. Tyrimų metu atlikta jūros vandens poveikio hidrotechniniams (betono) statiniams analizė. Klaipėdos uosto krantines veikia agresyvioji aplinka. Didelius defektus sukelia hidrotechninio betono korozijos. Hidrotechninio betono pažeidimai nuo aplinkos ir mechaninių, fizikinių ir cheminių poveikių yra pagrindinis veiksnys, darantis įtaką hidrotechninio betono ilgaamžiškumo rodikliui. Fizikiniai ir cheminiai aplinkos poveikiai atsiranda dėl temperatūrų kaitos, vėjo greičio, jūros vandens lygio svyravimų. Hidrotechninį betoną vienu metu gali veikti keli aplinkos poveikiai. Mechaniniai išoriniai poveikiai atsiranda dėl nuolat Klaipėdos uoste vykstančių krovos darbų, prišvartuotų laivų.

Three-Dimensional Microfabrication System for Scaffolds in Tissue Engineering

2006 ◽  
Vol 326-328 ◽  
pp. 723-726 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seung Jae Lee ◽  
Byung Kim ◽  
Jin Sang Lee ◽  
Sung Won Kim ◽  
Min Soo Kim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Complex Environments ◽  
Key Factors ◽  
3D Scaffolds ◽  
Fundamental Limitations ◽  
Adhesion Behavior ◽  
Basic Biology ◽  
Geometrical Factors ◽  
Human Nasal Septum ◽  
Near Future

Understanding chondrocyte behavior inside complex, three-dimensional environments with controlled patterning of geometrical factors would provide significant insights into the basic biology of tissue regenerations. One of the fundamental limitations in studying such behavior has been the inability to fabricate controlled 3D structures. To overcome this problem, we have developed a three-dimensional microfabrication system. This system allows fabrication of predesigned internal architectures and pore size by stacking up the photopolymerized materials. Photopolymer SL5180 was used as the 3D microfabricated scaffolds. The results demonstrate that controllable and reproducible inner-architecture can be fabricated. Chondrocytes from human nasal septum were cultured in 3D scaffolds for cell adhesion behavior. Such 3D scaffolds might provide effective key factors to study cell behavior in complex environments and could eventually lead to optimum design of scaffolds in various tissue regenerations such as cartilage, bone, etc. in a near future.

scholarly journals Beneficial AI: the next battlefield

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 6-17
Author(s):  
Eugénio Oliveira
Keyword(s):  
Artificial Intelligence ◽  
New Technology ◽  
Decisive Role ◽  
Science And Engineering ◽  
Human In The Loop ◽  
Giant Leap ◽  
The Media ◽  
Cautious Interpretation ◽  
Near Future ◽  
First World

When planting our human print in a new technology-driven world we should ask, remembering Neil Armstrong in 1969, “after many small steps for AI researchers, will it result in a giant leap in the unknown for mankind?” An “Artificial Intelligence-first” world is being preached all over the media by many responsible players in economic and scientific communities.This letter states our belief in AI potentialities, including its major and decisive role in computer science and engineering, while warning against the current hyping of its near future. Although quite excited by several recent interesting revelations about the future of AI, we here argue in favor of a more cautious interpretation of the current and future AI-based systems potential outreach.We also include some personal perspectives on simple remedies to preventing recognized possible dangers. We advocate a set of practices and principles that may prevent the development of AI-based systems prone to be misused.Accountable “Data curators”, appropriate Software Engineering specification methods, the inclusion, when needed, of the “human in the loop”, software agents with emotion-like states might be important factors leading to more secure AI-based systems.Moreover, to inseminate ART in Artificial Intelligence, ART standing for Accountability, Responsibility and Transparency, becomes also mandatory for trustworthy AI-based systems.This letter is an abbreviation of a more substantial article to be published in IJCA journal.

scholarly journals Models of Data Storage Tables Connection Processes by MapReduce/Spark Technology

2019 ◽  
pp. 79-94
Author(s):  
V.А. Proletarskaya ◽  
Yu.A. Grigoriev
Keyword(s):  
Data Storage ◽  
Prediction Error ◽  
Bloom Filter ◽  
One Dimension

A model has been developed and an estimate of the amount of data transmitted over the network has been obtained with duplicating the table across nodes and using the Bloom filter in the MapReduce/Spark environment. Models have been developed for fulfilling queries for joining database tables in the cascading Bloom filter in the same environment. Two cases of joining tables are considered: 1) several bushes with one dimension in each of them; 2) one bush with several dimensions --- star-type storage. We obtained an estimate of the Bloom filter volume transmitted over the network when the tables are joined. Using the example of the Q3 request from the TPC-H test, we analyzed the adequacy of the estimated gain in the amount of data transmitted over the network using the cascading Bloom filter. The prediction error was 2 %.

scholarly journals DREAMTools: a Python package for scoring collaborative challenges

F1000Research ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. 1030 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Cokelaer ◽  
Mukesh Bansal ◽  
Christopher Bare ◽  
Erhan Bilal ◽  
Brian M. Bot ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Computational Methods ◽  
Training Data ◽  
Model Parameters ◽  
Automated Scoring ◽  
Statistical Machine Learning ◽  
Science And Engineering ◽  
New Methods ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Improved Methods ◽  
Python Package

DREAM challenges are community competitions designed to advance computational methods and address fundamental questions in system biology and translational medicine. Each challenge asks participants to develop and apply computational methods to either predict unobserved outcomes or to identify unknown model parameters given a set of training data. Computational methods are evaluated using an automated scoring metric, scores are posted to a public leaderboard, and methods are published to facilitate community discussions on how to build improved methods. By engaging participants from a wide range of science and engineering backgrounds, DREAM challenges can comparatively evaluate a wide range of statistical, machine learning, and biophysical methods. Here, we describe DREAMTools, a Python package for evaluating DREAM challenge scoring metrics. DREAMTools provides a command line interface that enables researchers to test new methods on past challenges, as well as a framework for scoring new challenges. As of September 2015, DREAMTools includes more than 80% of completed DREAM challenges. DREAMTools complements the data, metadata, and software tools available at the DREAM website http://dreamchallenges.org and on the Synapse platform https://www.synapse.org.Availability: DREAMTools is a Python package. Releases and documentation are available at http://pypi.python.org/pypi/dreamtools. The source code is available at http://github.com/dreamtools.

scholarly journals DREAMTools: a Python package for scoring collaborative challenges

F1000Research ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. 1030 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Cokelaer ◽  
Mukesh Bansal ◽  
Christopher Bare ◽  
Erhan Bilal ◽  
Brian M. Bot ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Computational Methods ◽  
Training Data ◽  
Model Parameters ◽  
Automated Scoring ◽  
Statistical Machine Learning ◽  
Science And Engineering ◽  
Link Type ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Improved Methods ◽  
Python Package

DREAM challenges are community competitions designed to advance computational methods and address fundamental questions in system biology and translational medicine. Each challenge asks participants to develop and apply computational methods to either predict unobserved outcomes or to identify unknown model parameters given a set of training data. Computational methods are evaluated using an automated scoring metric, scores are posted to a public leaderboard, and methods are published to facilitate community discussions on how to build improved methods. By engaging participants from a wide range of science and engineering backgrounds, DREAM challenges can comparatively evaluate a wide range of statistical, machine learning, and biophysical methods. Here, we describe DREAMTools, a Python package for evaluating DREAM challenge scoring metrics. DREAMTools provides a command line interface that enables researchers to test new methods on past challenges, as well as a framework for scoring new challenges. As of March 2016, DREAMTools includes more than 80% of completed DREAM challenges. DREAMTools complements the data, metadata, and software tools available at the DREAM website http://dreamchallenges.org and on the Synapse platform at https://www.synapse.org.Availability: DREAMTools is a Python package. Releases and documentation are available at http://pypi.python.org/pypi/dreamtools. The source code is available at http://github.com/dreamtools/dreamtools.

scholarly journals Pump it up: making single-pit emptying safer in rural Bangladesh

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 456-464 ◽  
Author(s):  
Soumya Balasubramanya ◽  
Barbara Evans ◽  
Rizwan Ahmed ◽  
Ahasan Habib ◽  
N. S. M. Asad ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
High Moisture Content ◽  
Treatment Needs ◽  
High Moisture ◽  
Rural Bangladesh ◽  
Physical Chemical ◽  
Fecal Sludge ◽  
Microbial Analysis ◽  
The Government ◽  
Near Future

Safe emptying and disposal of fecal sludge from pit latrines in rural areas has become a priority for the Government of Bangladesh. In this paper, we calculate the volume and characterize the hazards of managing sludge to identify technologies for safely emptying rural single pits. In Bhaluka subdistrict, an estimated 15,000 m3 of sludge is produced annually. Physical, chemical, and microbial analysis of samples of sludge taken from pit latrines indicate that the sludge has a high moisture content of around 90%, a C:N ration of 10:1, and a helminth presence of 41 eggs/g. In a field test of alternative emptying technologies, simple pumps such as the gulper emerged as feasible for use in rural areas, due to the liquid nature of the sludge, narrow roads, and limited incomes of rural households. The results suggest that current practices of emptying liquid sludge manually without any protective equipment poses risks to those who handle sludge, and the process needs to be semi-mechanized with immediate effect. These results are being used by the Bangladesh government to design policy for sludge management. In the near future, an organized service that safely empties single pits and transports sludge for treatment needs to be urgently designed.

The COVID-19 Pandemic: Key Factors in Canada’s Social Policy Development

2021 ◽  
pp. 73
Author(s):  
Maria Solyanova
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Policy Development ◽  
Social Protection ◽  
Vulnerable Groups ◽  
Social Dimensions ◽  
Key Factors ◽  
Skilled Workers ◽  
Low Income Families ◽  
The Government ◽  
Near Future

Many studies focus on the COVID-19 pandemic, response mechanisms and response design. At the same time, it becomes more and more obvious that not only the study of economic policy and decisions made by the government in connection with the pandemic is acquiring relevance. As the spread of the disease continues, social problems and difficulties that political elites will have to deal with are exposed in Canadian society. Despite the fact that the government has taken unprecedented measures to expand assistance and social protection to the most vulnerable groups – low-income families, women, senior citizens, young people and children, low-skilled workers, self-employed, people with disabilities, etc. – the pandemic, however, has had a profound impact on society. The government will be forced to adapt its policies in the field of social protection and labor relations, in the field of health and education. This article seeks to explore the key social dimensions of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as factors that can influence the political decisions of the Canadian elite in the near future.

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