cometadata/datacite-rtg-text-other-reclassification-records huggingface dataset:
Video Games: Attitudes and Habits of Adults Age 50-Plus: An AARP Study
Creators: name: American Association Of Retired Persons (AARP)
Publisher: name: Roper Center for Public Opinion Research
Year: 2022

description: Older adults and video games (10); attitudes and behaviors (2); playing with or against opponents (7); hours per week spent playing video games (1); reasons for playing games (1); playing games with another person (6); smartphones (2); portable digital music player (1); video game consoles (5); Nintendo (6); iPad (3); Samsung Galaxy (2); tablets (1); Kindle Fire (2); Nook Color (1); Computers (10); Laptops (10); video game systems (15); gamers (20); non-gamers (20); online gameplay (10); play video games (10); Xbox (2); Playstation (3); how learn about new games (5); gaming hardware (2); gaming web sites/blogs (9); smart watch (1); child-oriented systems (1); Apple TV (1); electronic devices (1); gaming technology (8); non-video games (2); offline games (2); card games (3); board games (1); Virtual Reality (VR) gaming devices (1); learn new skills or ideas (1); improve brain health (1); gaming to stay healthy (1); exercise-focused games (1); wearable fitness device (1); playing games online with other people (2).
DESEMPENHO PRODUTIVO DE CAPRINOS NATIVOS DA RAÇA CANINDÉ DENTRO DE UM SISTEMA MISTO DE PRODUÇÃO
Creators: name: José ANDRÉ JÚNIOR
name: Aurino Alves SIMPLÍCIO
name: Carla Fonseca Alves CAMPOS
name: Flávia Luzia Rodrigues FONSECA
name: Luciana Freitas GUEDES
name: José Geraldo Medeiro da SILVA
name: Caroliny Costa ARAÚJO
name: Adriano Henrique do Nascimento RANGEL
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: Reprodução
Fertilidade
Crias
Matriz
Parto

description: RESUMO

Objetivou-se avaliar o desempenho produtivo de caprinos nativos da raça Canindé, mantidos em regime de manejo semi-intensivo sob sistema de exploração misto. Foram usados 84 animais, sendo 81 matrizes e três reprodutores. Os pesos médios das crias foram de 2,11 kg e 1,92 kg e 6,74 kg e 6,84 kg, para as crias machos e fêmeas, ao nascer e ao desmame, nessa ordem. Os pesos médios das crias PN, P28, P56, P63, na primeira estação de parto, foram 2,11 ± 0,46 kg; 3,63 ± 1,04 kg; 5,96 ± 1,58 kg; 6,74 ± 1,79 kg. Houve diferença significativa (P<0,05) apenas no peso ao nascer das crias filhas do reprodutor de placa número 153. As porcentagens de fertilidade ao parto, para primeira e segunda estação de monta (EM) foram de 87,65 e 62,96 respectivamente, apresentando diferença significativa (P<0,05). A prolificidade para primeira EM foi de 1,58 enquanto que para segunda foi 1,47. As porcentagens de sobrevivência de crias do nascimento aos 63 dias de idade, para primeira e segunda EM foram de 92,86 e 80,00, respectivamente. Na primeira EM a taxa de reprodução foi de 1,28 enquanto na segunda de 0,74. A duração da lactação foi de 104 dias na primeira estação de parto (EP) e 38 dias na segunda. Conclui-se que as épocas de EM e de EP influenciam o ganho de peso das crias (P<0,05) e afetam o desempenho produtivo do sistema de produção.
Sex in the City: Breeding Behavior of Urban Peregrine Falcons in the Midwestern US
Creators: name: Caballero, Isabel C
name: Bates, John M
name: Hennen, Mary
name: Ashley, Mary
Publisher: name: University of Illinois at Chicago
Year: 2022
Subjects: Uncategorized

description: Peregrine falcons (Falco peregrinus) were extirpated from most of the continental United States by widespread use of the pesticide DDT in the 1960s. Populations have rebounded with banning of the pesticide and successful implementation of captive breeding and hacking programs. An essentially new population of Midwestern peregrines now exists that is comprised almost entirely of urban-nesting birds. The new population is considered to be of mixed ancestry, occurs at relatively high densities, and has nest sites in close proximity, factors that could influence breeding behaviors including mate fidelity, nest-site fidelity, extra-pair paternity, and natal dispersal. We investigated these behaviors using a combination of field observations and DNA microsatellite genotyping. Data for eleven microsatellite DNA markers, including eight newly developed for the species, were analyzed from a total of 350 birds from nine Midwestern cities, representing 149 broods collected at 20 nest sites. To document breeding behavior, parentage was inferred by likelihood techniques when both parents were sampled and by parental genotype reconstruction when only one parent was sampled. In cases where neither parent was sampled, a sibship reconstruction approach was used. We found high mate fidelity and nest-site fidelity in urban peregrines; in 122 nesting attempts made by long-term breeders, only 12 (9.8%) mate changes and six (4.9%) nest-site changes occurred. Only one brood (of 35 tested) revealed extra-pair paternity and involved a male tending two offspring of a recently acquired mate. Natal dispersal patterns indicated that female peregrines dispersed on average 226 km, almost twice the distance of males (average 124 km). Despite the novel environment of cities, our results suggest that monogamous breeding, nest fidelity, and female natal dispersal are high in urban peregrines, not unlike other raptors living in non-urban habitats.
DESEMPENHO PRODUTIVO DE CAPRINOS NATIVOS DA RAÇA CANINDÉ DENTRO DE UM SISTEMA MISTO DE PRODUÇÃO
Creators: name: José ANDRÉ JÚNIOR
name: Aurino Alves SIMPLÍCIO
name: Carla Fonseca Alves CAMPOS
name: Flávia Luíza Rodrigues FONSECA
name: Luciana Freitas GUEDES
name: José Geraldo Medeiro da SILVA
name: Caroliny Costa ARAÚJO
name: Adriano Henrique do Nascimento RANGEL
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: Reprodução
Fertilidade
Crias
Matriz
Parto

description: RESUMO

Objetivou-se avaliar o desempenho produtivo de caprinos nativos da raça Canindé, mantidos em regime de manejo semi-intensivo sob sistema de exploração misto. Foram usados 84 animais, sendo 81 matrizes e três reprodutores. Os pesos médios das crias foram de 2,11 kg e 1,92 kg e 6,74 kg e 6,84 kg, para as crias machos e fêmeas, ao nascer e ao desmame, nessa ordem. Os pesos médios das crias PN, P28, P56, P63, na primeira estação de parto, foram 2,11 ± 0,46 kg; 3,63 ± 1,04 kg; 5,96 ± 1,58 kg; 6,74 ± 1,79 kg. Houve diferença significativa (P<0,05) apenas no peso ao nascer das crias filhas do reprodutor de placa número 153. As porcentagens de fertilidade ao parto, para primeira e segunda estação de monta (EM) foram de 87,65 e 62,96 respectivamente, apresentando diferença significativa (P<0,05). A prolificidade para primeira EM foi de 1,58 enquanto que para segunda foi 1,47. As porcentagens de sobrevivência de crias do nascimento aos 63 dias de idade, para primeira e segunda EM foram de 92,86 e 80,00, respectivamente. Na primeira EM a taxa de reprodução foi de 1,28 enquanto na segunda de 0,74. A duração da lactação foi de 104 dias na primeira estação de parto (EP) e 38 dias na segunda. Conclui-se que as épocas de EM e de EP influenciam o ganho de peso das crias (P<0,05) e afetam o desempenho produtivo do sistema de produção.
Alkali metal solutions in low-polarity solvents
Creators: name: Riedel, Rene
Publisher: name: Imperial College London
Year: 2018

description: Alkali metal solutions comprising alkali metal anions, the ‘alkalides’, and complexed alkali cations side by side provide a large untapped potential with respect to future applications. This is due to their unique properties such as a strongly reducing nature and a high polarizability. The use of organic complexing agents such as crown ethers and cryptands allows for the stabilization of high concentrations of charge carriers in a weakly polar medium. Nevertheless, the currently available knowledge about those solutions is very limited and their characterization is mostly centered around alkali metal NMR techniques. A significant upfield shift and exceptionally narrow width of the alkalide NMR signal were ascribed to the high shielding and high symmetry of an effectively unperturbed ‘gas-like’ anion in solution with little to no interaction with its local environment. Our investigations extend this traditional picture of the alkalide in solution and unveil the underlying effect of coulomb interactions on the properties of alkalides in low-polarity solvents by a comprehensive combination of spectroscopic methods. Concentration dependent measurement of both conductivity and permittivity of alkalide solutions revealed that ion pairing is a key factor in determining the kinetic properties and the stability of alkali metal solutions. Furthermore, the effect of dissolved metal on the mesoscopic structure of solutions of macrocyclic complexants was probed by small angle neutron scattering. Ultimately, we present a rationale for the rather obscure and unexpected temperature- and concentration-dependence of alkali metal dissolution in organic media and provide a multi-facetted understanding of the remarkable preparatory and spectroscopic characteristics of alkalide solutions. Finally, the synthesis of sterically congested amides and their unique fragmentation under dissolving metal reduction conditions are presented. Synthetic access to amide substrates was achieved by the use of highly electrophilic nitrimine precursors in the formation of imine intermediates.
Hybrid biomaterials with tuneable mechanical property gradients
Creators: name: Young, Gloria
Publisher: name: Imperial College London
Year: 2019

description: Sol-gel hybrid materials are made up of covalently bonded and interpenetrating networks of organic and inorganic components and produce a synergy of the properties of those components above the nanoscale. By altering the ratio of inorganic to organic content, the mechanical properties can be tuned. Here, a silica-poly(tetrahydrofuran) hybrid system was developed with the aim to form a graded stiffness structure that could imitate the radial variation in stiffness of the intervertebral disc and address the unmet clinical need of intervertebral disc replacement. Hybrids were formed with a range of silica contents between 4 and 45 wt.%, varying from an elastomeric to a glassy material, with compressive stiffness between 2 and 200 MPa. High compressive strains are recoverable and mechanical properties were maintained on soaking up to 1.5 years and to 10000 cycles in compression. The hybrid surface was shown to support cell attachment and extract solutions containing the hybrid were non-cytotoxic. A novel synthesis method was developed to join hybrid sols during their gelation, forming a single specimen with a variation in silica content along its length, producing a corresponding variation in stiffness. Samples joined in this way were at least as strong as single phase samples in tension and compression. This exploits the gradual gelation process of the hybrid sol, which can also be used to create a successful ink for 3D extrusion printing: porous scaffolds were formed in this way with 27.7 wt.% SiO2. Meniscus and intervertebral disc replacement prototypes were formed and tested under cyclic loading at rates for comparison with human disc data.
EcoBase : A Repository Solution to Gather and Communicate Information from EwE Models
Creators: name: Colléter, Mathieu
name: Valls, Audrey Emilie
name: Guitton, Jérôme
name: Morissette, Lyne
name: Arreguín-Sánchez, Francisco Francisco
name: Christensen, Villy
name: Gascuel, D. (Didier)
name: Pauly, D. (Daniel)
Publisher: name: University of British Columbia. Fisheries Centre
Year: 2017

description: It is now clear that research addressed at a large scale can allow for new insights on complex phenomena taking place in the global ocean. Ecological studies are more and more based on data-driven methodologies that rely on pre-existing datasets. However, open-access, digital and cross-disciplinary datasets are still uncommon for ecology. In the face of the global overexploitation of marine resources and rapid degradation of ecosystem integrity, new research tools are required to tackle these issues and enable new powerful, interdisciplinary research capabilities. We have, in fisheries research generally, and at the Fisheries Centre in particular, broad experience with fisheries data collection, and analysis of food web aspects of ecosystem dynamics. The main goals of EcoBase are to (i) gather published EwE models; (ii) communicate on EwE modeling research; (iii) facilitate meta-analyses based on EwE models. EcoBase is meant to be a comprehensive, open-access, digital repository where EwE models are made discoverable, accessible and reusable by the scientific community. The structure, capabilities and current state of the EcoBase models repository are described in further details in this report.
RSV sequence variation and within-host minority variant dynamics
Creators: name: Nauwelaers, Inne
Publisher: name: Imperial College London
Year: 2019

description: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection is a common disease that causes the most severe disease in the extremes of age. Parts of the RSV genome are extremely variable, however, origination of genomic variation of RSV is not studied very well. Epidemiology studies have shown rapidly changing RSV strains and grouped these in genotypes based on a part of the RSV genome that consists of the (partial) G gene. In this thesis, the genotyping system was inspected and it showed that the part of the G gene previously used for genotyping did not contain enough information to reliably determine which genotype a strain belonged to. Phylogenetic analysis was performed to determine the necessary and sufficient part of the genome to determine the genotype reliably, which was full G. Other proteins were investigated for variability as well and both F and L carried plenty of variation as well. The amount of variation within a patient has been understudied. Therefore, a new method was optimised to detect the prevalence of minority variations in clinical samples. The prevalence of minority variants was examined in a community cohort and hospital cohort from season 2015-2016 of which all samples were spatiotemporally and age-matched. The detected genotypes were GA2 and ON1. Most clinical samples in this study did carry minority variants, however, there was no difference in the amount of variation between community and hospital samples. The gene that displayed the most variations per nucleotide, and most non-synonymous variations was G. This research also demonstrates that these variations can be transmitted or develop during acute infection. Consecutive samples from volunteers inoculated with a known RSV strain showed that both synonymous and non-synonymous variations can occur and their frequency can increase, decrease or remain stable over time. The F gene rarely developed non-synonymous variations in this study.
On-demand computerised decision support in paediatric emergency medication administration
Creators: name: Appelbaum, Nicholas
Publisher: name: Imperial College London
Year: 2019

description: Medication errors are common and contribute significantly to avoidable morbidity and mortality. These errors are more common in paediatrics than in adult medicine and yet more common in emergencies than in non-urgent scenarios. Emergency medication use in paediatrics is a complex process, often performed by a multidisciplinary team. This practise spans paediatric emergency weight estimation, medication ordering and the preparation, labelling and finally administration of drugs to critically ill children. Discrepancies during any one of these stages may be the cause of a medication error. This thesis describes the feasibility testing and iterative development of On-Demand Computerised Decision Support (ODCDSS), a digital medication safety system designed to support emergency doctors and nurses at all stages of medication use during paediatric resuscitation. This thesis decouples paediatric weight estimation and medication administration, with each being examined separately. First, opportunities to incorporate digitally-supported weight estimation methods into a comprehensive decision support system are explored. This includes efforts to improve well-established but inaccurate methods such as age-based weight estimation, and an exploration into whether emerging technologies such as three- dimensional imaging could bring greater accuracy than current methods. To validate the design rationale behind ODCDSS, simulated resuscitations are examined using a human factors approach. Human Reliability Analysis (HRA) is 2 used to show both that the incidence of medication error is dangerously high and that many errors are clinically significant, as well to identify the individual process steps that contribute to these errors. This thesis is the first to describe the design and development of ODCDSS. The effectiveness of this experimental prototype was tested in a simulated crossover study which determined that using ODCDSS significantly reduced the odds of a clinically significant medication error occurring. The use of ODCDSS, however, was not error free, and HRA was re-applied to determine precisely where the prototype system required design refinement.
A gaze-contingent framework for perceptually-enabled applications in healthcare
Creators: name: Kogkas, Alexandros
Publisher: name: Imperial College London
Year: 2019

description: Patient safety and quality of care remain the focus of the smart operating room of the future. Some of the most influential factors with a detrimental effect are related to suboptimal communication among the staff, poor flow of information, staff workload and fatigue, ergonomics and sterility in the operating room. While technological developments constantly transform the operating room layout and the interaction between surgical staff and machinery, a vast array of opportunities arise for the design of systems and approaches, that can enhance patient safety and improve workflow and efficiency. The aim of this research is to develop a real-time gaze-contingent framework towards a "smart" operating suite, that will enhance operator's ergonomics by allowing perceptually-enabled, touchless and natural interaction with the environment. The main feature of the proposed framework is the ability to acquire and utilise the plethora of information provided by the human visual system to allow touchless interaction with medical devices in the operating room. In this thesis, a gaze-guided robotic scrub nurse, a gaze-controlled robotised flexible endoscope and a gaze-guided assistive robotic system are proposed. Firstly, the gaze-guided robotic scrub nurse is presented; surgical teams performed a simulated surgical task with the assistance of a robot scrub nurse, which complements the human scrub nurse in delivery of surgical instruments, following gaze selection by the surgeon. Then, the gaze-controlled robotised flexible endoscope is introduced; experienced endoscopists and novice users performed a simulated examination of the upper gastrointestinal tract using predominately their natural gaze. Finally, a gaze-guided assistive robotic system is presented, which aims to facilitate activities of daily living. The results of this work provide valuable insights into the feasibility of integrating the developed gaze-contingent framework into clinical practice without significant workflow disruptions.
Variability of scores and consistency in sport
Creators: name: Clarke, Stephen
Publisher: name: Swinburne
Year: 2024

description: This paper discusses the concept of consistency in sport, and its relationship with the variability of the outcomes. Using examples from golf, cricket and field events, it is demonstrated that highly variable results will produce more wins, and in some cases better average scores than 'consistent' results. It is also shown that consistent behaviour can produce highly variable oucomes. This implies that if coaches or sports followers use subjective feelings about the actual scores of players or teams to judge consistency, they are likely to be severely misled. Given the importance of variability to the outcome of sporting events, the evaluation and publication of suitable measures such as variance is suggested.
Aerosol processing of halide perovskites
Creators: name: Ratnasingham, Sinclair Ryley
Publisher: name: Imperial College London
Year: 2019

description: Organo-metal halide perovskites (OMHPs) research has progressed rapidly, with photovoltaic (PV) devices reaching over 20% efficiency. However, scalable production of these devices is an ongoing challenge. This study demonstrated the ability to grow halide perovskite films via aerosol assisted chemical vapour deposition (AACVD). AACVD is a scalable deposition process and one advantage of this method compared to conventional CVD is the fact that the precursors do not need to be vapourised. This allows for lower operating temperature, less complex equipment, and therefore lower overall cost. In this thesis, Methylammonium lead-triiodide (MAPI) films were deposited by sequentially passing aerosolized precursor solvent solutions into a reactor containing a heated substrate. In this study two different precursor systems were utilized, one based on lead iodide and the other on lead acetate. The first produced thick films, which were characterized extensively using X-ray diffraction, UV-visible spectroscopy, Kelvin probe measurements, ambient photoemission spectroscopy, time of flight measurements and Hall effect measurements. The second system allowed for the deposition of thinner films, more suitable for photovoltaic applications. These films were again extensively characterised but also allowed for the fabrication of the first working OMHP device utilising AACVD. Furthermore, this study demonstrated an ability to use aerosols as a scalable post-deposition treatment on existing films, modulating the morphology and boosting the performance of conventionally spin-coated films to over 20% PCE. Treatment of films was accomplished by exposing spin-coated films to aerosolised solvents. Using these treatments, it is shown that the morphology of the films can be drastically and controllably improved. This study also reveals improvements in charge carrier lifetimes and a general improvement in most (PV) parameters. This has further led to experimentation with HTL-free devices and thick OMHP layers, with both showing significant improvements after the aerosol treatment.
From dhows to trawlers : a recent history of fisheries in the Gulf countries, 1950 to 2010
Creators: name: Al-Abdulrazzak, Dalal
name: Pauly, D. (Daniel)
Publisher: name: University of British Columbia. Fisheries Centre
Year: 2017

description: Fisheries have grown in importance in recent decades, not only because people cannot eat oil, but also because income from oil is used to propel the demand for fish in the region. In fact, the time has come for the countries around the Gulf to come together and do something about their largely unregulated or ill-regulated fisheries, or they will lose what has now become an important element of their food security. The ‘catch reconstructions’ presented in this report should be useful to the seven countries of the Gulf, because they attempt to document all their fisheries, and not solely those that are covered by the national monitoring systems presently in place.
Life cycle optimization of sustainable energy systems within planetary boundaries
Creators: name: Algunaibet, Ibrahim Majed I
Publisher: name: Imperial College London
Year: 2020

description: Curbing carbon emissions in the power sector has become a priority to mitigate climate change, yet the sustainability implications of power generation decarbonization remain unclear. To shed light on whether current plans to decarbonize the electricity system would be enough to deliver sustainable energy, modeling frameworks able to achieve multi-criteria environmental analysis need to be developed. Firstly, this thesis combines multi-objective optimization, life cycle impact assessment and multivariate regression based on elasticities to quantify the occurrence and severity of burden-shifting in energy systems due to carbon policies. Secondly, it integrates thousands of life cycle inventories into the optimization of energy systems using monetization. Thirdly, it downscales and integrates planetary boundaries into the optimization of energy systems. Finally, it evaluates and optimizes the planetary boundaries performance of the global power sector in 2100 using data obtained from Integrated Assessment Models (IAMs). Results classify life cycle indicators into three categories: no burden-shifting, total burden-shifting and partial burden-shifting. Depending on the severity of the carbon target, burden-shifting to some life cycle indicators could take place. While meeting the Paris Agreement could generate indirect environmental savings, concurrently optimizing the direct and indirect costs of electricity generation would yield the highest environmental benefits. Few pathways developed via IAMs would operate within the planetary boundaries that all anthropogenic activities should share jointly in 2100, while all of them would exceed the share of budget allocated to the global power sector. Energy mixes in line with some carbon policies could transgress critical planetary boundaries, including those on climate change. Deploying bio-energy with carbon capture and storage hand-in-hand with renewables and nuclear plants is critical to minimizing the transgression of planetary boundaries while maintaining the grid’s reliability. This thesis, therefore, highlights the need to depart from carbon policies to multi-criteria environmental policies to power our development sustainably.
Manipulating Drivers' Mental Workload: Neuroergonomic Evaluation of the Speed Regulation N-Back Task Using NASA-TLX and Auditory P3a
Creators: name: Figalová, Nikol
name: Pichen, Jürgen
name: Chandrayan, Vanchha
name: Pollatos, Olga
name: Chuang, Lewis
name: Baumann, Martin
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2024
Subjects: subject: Human-Computer Interaction (cs.HC)
subject: FOS: Computer and information sciences

description: Manipulating MW in driving simulator studies without the need to introduce a non-driving-related task remains challenging. This study aims to empirically evaluate the modified speed regulation n-back task, a tool to manipulate drivers' MW. Our experiment involved 23 participants who experienced a 0-back and 2-back driving condition, with task-irrelevant novel environmental sounds used to elicit P3a event-related potentials. Results indicate that the 2-back condition was perceived as more demanding, evidenced by higher NASA-TLX scores (overall score, mental and temporal demand, effort, frustration). The mean P3a amplitude was diminished during the 2-back condition compared to the 0-back condition, suggesting that drivers experienced higher MW and had fewer resources available to process the novel environmental sounds. This study provides empirical evidence indicating that the speed regulation n-back task could be a valid, effective, and reproducible method to manipulate MW in driving research.
Estimating the impact of interventions on viral epidemics using epidemiological and evolutionary models
Creators: name: Geidelberg, Lily
Publisher: name: Imperial College London
Year: 2021

description: Mathematical modelling is useful for understanding infectious disease epidemics, and for estimating the impact of interventions to control them. However, the appropriateness of different modelling approaches depends on the local context and availability of data. In this thesis I use two approaches, epidemiological and evolutionary modelling, to estimate the impact of interventions for controlling HIV and COVID-19. After developing a dynamic transmission model fitted to local demographic, HIV prevalence and antiretroviral therapy (ART) coverage data, I estimated the impact of a 2-year real-world demonstration study of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and ART treatment-as-prevention (TasP) among female sex workers (FSW) in Cotonou, Benin. I further estimated the impact of long-term scale-up scenarios of PrEP and TasP among FSW in Cotonou. Next, based on data collected during the 2020 COVID-19 epidemic in Benin, I simulated scenarios of COVID-related disruptions to HIV services and sexual behaviour, using the same dynamic transmission model. I estimated the impact of these disruptions on HIV epidemiology in Cotonou. Many non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs), including travel restrictions and lockdowns, were implemented globally to control COVID-19. Using model-based phylodynamic methods fitted to twenty SARS-CoV-2 genomes, I estimated the impact of NPIs in Weifang, China, one of the first COVID-19 epidemics outside of Wuhan. Finally, I performed several non-parametric phylodynamic analyses on the COVID-19 epidemic in England, fitted to thousands of SARS-CoV-2 genomes. I evaluated the association of stringency of NPIs and mobility with viral transmission at different periods between spring 2020 and winter 2020-2021. I further investigated the relative growth rates between different viral lineages, including the B.1.1.7 (’alpha’) variant. The results from this thesis are useful principally to policymakers for designing effective local control measures for HIV and COVID-19. While modelling can be used to estimate the impact of interventions, model choice must be tailored to the local epidemiological context.
What are the Project Management Practices in the Digital Games Industry? A Survey Study
Creators: name: Campello da Pieva, Lucas
name: Bernardino, Maicon
name: Mainardi Pillat, Raquel
name: Mossmann, Joao
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: Survey
Indústria de Jogos Digitais
Gerenciamento de Projetos

description: Conteúdo complementar referente a execução do Survey contendo os seguintes itens:

Questionário.zip  Telas da ferramenta Livesurvey contendo todo o questionário, apresentando o termo de concentimento do participante, as questões e suas dicas de preenchimento e definição do tipo e obrigatoriedade de resposta.Dados - Participante.zip   Contêm um conjunto de imagens com o formulário para ser respondido por cada participante, além disto um arquivo em formato Microsoft Excel contendo as tabelas organizadas dos dados obtidos dos participantes que concluíram com exito sua participação no Survey. Além disto contém uma parta com arquivos em formato PDF dos dados de cada resposta textual da questão 15 referente a QP02.Dados - Piloto.zip: 

 Contêm um conjunto de imagens com o formulário para ser respondido por cada piloto do Survey, além disto um arquivo em formato Microsoft Excel contendo as tabelas organizadas dos dados obtidos dos participantes que concluíram com exito sua participação no piloto.Análise Qualitativa (QANubis).zip

  Telas da ferramenta QANubis em melhor resolução para conferência à importação das respostas, definição dos codes, organização de sua hierarquia e marcação nas respostas.
Stochastic Homogenization of Fast-Slow Systems Driven by Fractional Noise
Creators: name: Gehringer, Johann Rudolf
Publisher: name: Imperial College London
Year: 2021

description: This thesis is concerned with studying homogenization properties of fast-slow sys- tems driven by fractional noise. We consider various fast-slow systems of the form dx εt = α(ε)f (x εt , y t ε )dt, x ε 0 = x 0 , where α(ε) is our scaling, and the fast process y t ε injects the noise. Due to the fractional nature of our noise, usual methods for Markov processes or martingales are not available, whence we rely on the continuity theorem for rough differential equations in order to reduce our problem to establishing limit theorems in rough path spaces. This follows the recipe of first proving convergence in finite-dimensional distributions and then tightness via suitable Kolmogorov-like L p bounds on increments. We focus our investigation on fast processes given by multiple stochastic in- tegrals, which allows us to make use of the well-known fourth moment theorem as well as L 2 kernel convergence. Depending on the regime, we obtain Wiener processes, fractional Brownian motions or Hermite processes as limits. To obtain the tightness estimates, we primarily rely on Gaussian methods such as the dia- gram formula and hypercontractivity, which allow us, assuming a fast decay of the coefficients in the relevant Wiener chaos expansion, to resort to L 2 bounds. • In case y t ε is a rescaled fractional Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process and f is of product form, i.e. f (x, y) = g(x)h(y), we obtain a multi-scale homogeniza- tion result stating that x εt converges weakly in Hölder spaces towards the solution of a stochastic differential equation driven by Wiener and/or Her- mite processes. • In case y t ε is a moving average of a kernel integrated against a Wiener process, we obtain weak convergence in the supnorm topology of x εt to an Itô diffusion. • In case y t ε is a moving average of a suitable kernel integrated against a Hermite process and f is of product form, we obtain convergence of x εt to a stochastic differential equation either driven by a Wiener or a Hermite process.
Network analysis of the cellular circuits of memory
Creators: name: Gava, Giuseppe Pietro
Publisher: name: Imperial College London
Year: 2021

description: Intuitively, memory is conceived as a collection of static images that we accumulate as we experience the world. But actually, memories are constantly changing through our life, shaped by our ongoing experiences. Assimilating new knowledge without corrupting pre-existing memories is then a critical brain function. However, learning and memory interact: prior knowledge can proactively influence learning, and new information can retroactively modify memories of past events. The hippocampus is a brain region essential for learning and memory, but the network-level operations that underlie the continuous integration of new experiences into memory, segregating them as discrete traces while enabling their interaction, are unknown. Here I show a network mechanism by which two distinct memories interact. Hippocampal CA1 neuron ensembles were monitored in mice as they explored a familiar environment before and after forming a new place-reward memory in a different environment. By employing a network science representation of the co-firing relationships among principal cells, I first found that new associative learning modifies the topology of the cells’ co-firing patterns representing the unrelated familiar environment. I fur- ther observed that these neuronal co-firing graphs evolved along three functional axes: the first segregated novelty; the second distinguished individual novel be- havioural experiences; while the third revealed cross-memory interaction. Finally, I found that during this process, high activity principal cells rapidly formed the core representation of each memory; whereas low activity principal cells gradually joined co-activation motifs throughout individual experiences, enabling cross-memory in- teractions. These findings reveal an organizational principle of brain networks where high and low activity cells are differentially recruited into coactivity motifs as build- ing blocks for the flexible integration and interaction of memories. Finally, I employ a set of manifold learning and related approaches to explore and characterise the complex neural population dynamics within CA1 that underlie sim- ple exploration.
Infrastructure for the Circular Economy: The Role of Policy in System Change
Creators: name: Kirkman, Richard
Publisher: name: Imperial College London
Year: 2021

description: The concept of a Circular Economy has gained policy traction as a mainstream solution for preserving and renewing. This work sought to understand which policy instruments have been successful, might still be necessary, and are most likely in the future to deliver a high penetration Circular Economy for materials, wastes and associated energy. Waste related policy decisions in England over the past 20 years were reviewed, exploring the regulatory means that had achieved the current 44% diversion of municipal wastes from landfill. The hypothesis is that to achieve a far-reaching Circular Economy, at a greater scale, across different sectors and for a wider product range, suitable physical infrastructure (waste treatment assets) must be available to circulate those materials in the economy. Furthermore, the study set out to value financially and in terms of social and economic benefits that could be derived from a circular approach across the whole economy. We found the financial value to be significant at circa 1.5% of English GDP or 32bn and 72,000-175,000 jobs. It was demonstrated by calculation that DEFRA analysis (for England) underestimated the capacity gap for infrastructure by 11.3 million tonnes per annum in 2014. The policy findings were that the early implementation of blunt instruments such as a landfill tax and separate collection of recyclables did allow for diversion performance of approximately 45-50% recycling and composting, the remaining 50% of which was progressively treated by energy from waste rather than landfill. It is apparent that policies that drive system changes are effective in bringing about ecological transformations of how societies, economies, and governments operate at all levels. This ecological transformation is undoubtedly difficult to achieve since it will require consumers, manufacturers, regulators, policymakers, media, and business all to move differently and together, but nevertheless it is critical at a global scale.
ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT RESEARCH DATA MANAGEMENT AND OPEN ACCESS PUBLISHING Part1_20200528
Creators: name: , Kurapati
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2020

description: Part 1 of the 5 cycle series of seminars on RDM and open access between 28 May and 23 June 2020 “ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT RESEARCH DATA MANAGEMENT AND OPEN ACCESS PUBLISHING” A cycle of 5 seminars for PhD students Open Science is increasingly referred to as the “Science for the Future” and the “Future of Science”. By making science more accessible - via Open Access publishing and proper Research Data Management - Open Science makes the scientific process more inclusive and the outputs of science more readily available and relevant for society. Consequently, more and more funding bodies, governments, research institutions and other agencies have emphasized the value and importance of open science practices and introduced policies on open access publications and data management and sharing. Open Access (OA) aims at providing free of charge and unhindered access to research and its publications without copyright restrictions. Research Data Management (RDM) is a term that describes the organization, storage, preservation, and sharing of data collected and used in a research project. It involves the everyday management of research data during the lifetime of a research project. It also involves decisions about how data will be preserved and shared once the project is completed, for example depositing the data in a repository for long-term archiving and access. Good RDM and OA are crucial for reproducible and robust scientific research. Completing this cycle of seminars will allow you, as a PhD candidate, to learn about The importance of RDM in the general context as well as for your own work How to write data management plans (DMP) for grant proposals as well as for your own research Managing privacy, consent, confidentiality and IP issues with respect to to data management RDM compliance requirements and how to increase funding chances for grant proposals such as H2020 The application of Open Access principles to scholarly publishing; understanding copyright and licenses in relation to publishing agreements; using POLITO tools that support Open Access publishing; how to find suitable OA journals/platforms and how to bypass predatory journals Assessment Final evaluation will be carried through the assessment of the DMP plan as well as short assignments with feedback and multiple choice quiz at the end of the course.
Efficient internet traffic delivery over wireless networks
Creators: name: Mukhtar, Rami G.
name: Hanly, Stephen V.
name: Andrew, Lachlan L. H.
Publisher: name: Swinburne
Year: 2024

description: The high demand for wireless Internet connectivity has driven the development of highly efficient radio link technologies. However, their performance can be compromised by inadvertent interactions with the higher-layer TCP flow control protocol. Maximizing the performance of wireless links requires that mechanisms operating at every layer of the protocol stack interact efficiently. This article provides a brief tutorial of some of these radio link enhancements. It then outlines how higher-layer flow control protocols should behave, and provides techniques for taming the behavior of TCP, to ensure that the performance of lower-layer enhancements is not compromised.
Assessing the Land Use and Land Cover Data Representation on Weather Forecast Quality: A Case Study in central Mexico
Creators: name: López-Espinoza, E.D.
name: Zavala-Hidalgo, J.
name: Mahmodd, R.
name: Gómez-Ramos, O.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2020
Subjects: operational weather forecasting; WRF model; land cover change

description: Supplementary Material
Ultraviolet disinfection of schistosome cercariae in water
Creators: name: Hazell, Lucinda
Publisher: name: Imperial College London
Year: 2021

description: Schistosomiasis is a tropical disease that is contracted by skin contact with water containing cercariae, larvae of the Schistosoma parasite. Providing safe water for contact activities (e.g. laundry, bathing) can help reduce transmission. UV disinfection is a widely used form of water treatment and its application in low-income settings is now becoming a reality through solar-powered units. This thesis examines the effectiveness of UV LED disinfection against schistosome cercariae for use in endemic regions. A systematic review revealed that low UV fluences (5–14mJ/cm2 at 253.7nm) were required to achieve a 1-log10 reduction in worm burden in animal hosts, but the direct effect on cercariae had not been quantified. There were insufficient published data to produce UV disinfection guidelines, therefore experiments were carried out to determine the fluence-response of Schistosoma mansoni cercariae at four peak wavelengths in the germicidal range (253.7nm, 255nm, 265nm, and 285nm). The morphology and motility of cercariae were studied under the microscope to determine if they were alive or dead. At the most effective wavelength (265nm) 247mJ/cm2 was required to achieve a 1-log10 reduction in alive cercariae but this reduced to 127mJ/cm2 and 99mJ/cm2 if samples were stored for 1–3 hours post-exposure, respectively. Fluences were much higher than those required to achieve the same reduction in worm burden in previous studies and further research was needed to investigate the potential disinfection mechanisms. Using an immunological assay to detect dimer formation it was found that DNA was damaged at lower fluences (10–50mJ/cm2, depending on wavelength), but this damage would not be expressed until cercariae penetrate the skin and transform into schistosomula. Further research is required to confirm if cercariae are non-viable at these fluences, until then a conservative approach based on the death of cercariae is appropriate. Due to the high fluences required to kill cercariae, UV disinfection alone is unlikely to be an energy- or cost-efficient water treatment method for combatting schistosomiasis, however improvements in efficiency combined with cheaper production costs may make UV LED technology more competitive in the near future.
Reuse and Sustainability of Flood Defences
Creators: name: Guo, Benjamin Wei Li
Publisher: name: Imperial College London
Year: 2021

description: Rainfall has always been an important quantity to measure throughout history due to its importance in predicting floods and droughts. In the present day, such predictions on the severity of flooding events are critical so that appropriate flood defences may be constructed in anticipation of these events to limit any damages. With the increasing concerns of human influenced (anthropogenic) climate change will affect rainfall, there is a growing need to quantify and incorporate these events into the design of flood defences, such as earthfill embankments. As geotechnical modelling techniques are being developed to assist in the design and upgrading of earth embankments, various failure mechanisms and the behaviour of the soil within an embankment are better understood. However, one concern which arises is that there is an uncertainty on how climate change would affect the performance of these embankments. Therefore, the main purpose of this research is to identify the key failure mechanisms that may occur throughout the embankment’s life cycle, taking into account climate change effects, and to develop solutions to these issues. A site on the Thames estuary was chosen as the setting for this research. Taking into consideration a changing climate, sub-daily rainfall was produced for this site using a combination of stochastic rainfall generators and projected climate variables at the location. Following calibration and validation analyses for the foundation and embankment soils, a complete lifecycle analysis framework was established, using the previously generated rainfall as inputs to the soil-atmosphere boundary. The lifecycle framework was able to inform on both the general long-term performance of the embankment in a changing climate, and the resilience of the embankment to future extreme events. With the detailed lifecycle analysis, various strategies in reusing the embankment by raising it was also explored, to improve the embankment’s adaptability to future climate.
Системный подход к развитию розничных торговых сетей
Creators: name: Алтухов Павел Леонидович
name: Алтухова Наталия Валентиновна
Publisher: name: Вестник Саратовского государственного социально-экономического университета
Year: 2017
Subjects: РАЗВИТИЕ
РОЗНИЧНЫЕ ТОРГОВЫЕ СЕТИ
СИСТЕМНЫЙ ПОДХОД
УСТОЙЧИВОСТЬ
СИСТЕМА
ВНЕШНЯЯ СРЕДА
АДАПТИВНОСТЬ

description: Целью статьи является разработка теоретических положений, направленных на применение системного подхода к развитию розничных торговых сетей. В статье проведен анализ научных подходов к определению розничной торговой сети, приводится авторское ее определение. Предложено использовать системные принципы к развитию розничных торговых сетей. Доказывается, что эффективность работы сети определяется не только эффектом действия каждого элемента, но и общим синергетическим эффектом их взаимодействия, а его оптимизацию и управление всеми элементами осуществляет высшее руководство сети, реализующее разработку стратегии развития, размещение магазинов по территории, оптимизацию логистических связей, финансовых потоков, политику взаимоотношения с поставщиками, покупателями, страховыми и финансовыми учреждениями, политику ценообразования, конкурентной борьбы, социального партнерства и другие функции. Применение предложенного в статье системного подхода в деятельности розничных торговых сетей позволит им устойчиво развиваться в соответствии с поставленной управляющей подсистемой целью.