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Spoken communication between humans generate information in two channels; the primary channel, linked to the syntactic-semantic part of the speech (what a person is litteraly saying); the secondary channel conveys paralinguistic information (tone, emotional state and gestures). This study examines the paralinguistic part of the speech, more specific the tone and emotional state. The study examines if there is a correlation between human speech and the opinion of a participant to a language café based conversation. The language café conversations is moderated by the social robot platform Furhat created by Furhat Robotics. The report is written from two perspectives. A data scientific view where identified emotions in audio files are analysed with machine learning algorithms and mathematical models. Vokaturi, an emotion recognition software, analyses the audio files and quantifies the emotional attributes. The classification model is based upon these attributes and the answers from the language café survey. Speech emotion recognition is also evaluated as a method for gathering customer opinions in a customer feedback loop. The results show an accuracy of 61% and indicates that some sort of prediction is possible. However there is no clear correlation between the recorded human voice and the participants opinion of the conversation. In the discussion part the difficulties of creating a high accuracy model with current data is analysed. It also contains a hypothetic analysis of the model as a gathering method for customer data. / En person som talar sprider information genom en primär samt en sekundär kanal. Den primära kanalen är kopplat till den syntaktiska semantiken av talet (vad personen bokstavligen säger), medan den sekundära kanalen är kopplat till den paralingvistiska delen (ton, känslotillstånd och gester). Denna studie undersöker den paralingvistiska delen av talet, mer specifikt en människas tonläge och känsla. Studien undersöker om det finns någon korrelation mellan mänskligt tal och vad personen tycker om ett parkcafé-samtal. Parkcafé samtalen i denna studie har genomförts tillsammans med den sociala roboten Furhat skapad av Furhat Robotics. Rapporten är skriven ur två perspektiv. Ett datatekniskt perspektiv där känsloyttringar i ljudfiler analyseras med hjälp av maskininlärning och matematiska modeller. Med hjälp av Vokaturi, som tillhandahåller mjukvara för känsloigenkänning av ljud, analyseras inspelade konversationer och attribut för olika känslor kvantifieras. Klassificeringsmodellen skapas sedan av dessa attribut, svar på enkätundersökningar (del ett) samt av författarna egen-annoterade ljudfiler (del två). Dessutom analyseras känsloigenkänning som metod för insamling av användaråsikter ur ett företagsekonomiskt perspektiv. Resultaten påvisar en träffsäkerhet på ca 62% och 61% för del ett respektive två och pekar på att någon form av prediktion är möjlig. Ett tydligt samband mellan deltagarens röst och dess åsikt om samtalet är dock svårt att finna med dessa resultat. I analysen och slutsatsen diskuteras svårigheterna med att ta fram en funktionell modell med tillgänglig data samt en hypotetisk diskussion kring modellen som del av en customer feedback loop.

Cotutelle - Mélanie Dieudé / L’ischémie-reperfusion inhérente à toute transplantation d’organe solide induit l’apoptose des cellules endothéliales. Les cellules endothéliales apoptotiques sécrètent des vésicules extracellulaires apoptotiques de type exosome (ApoExo). L’internalisation des ApoExo par les cellules endothéliales (CE) adjacentes conduit à des changements fonctionnels importants dont le dysfonctionnement endothélial. Cependant, les mécanismes d’internalisation des ApoExo par les CE sont méconnus. Des marqueurs fluorescents spécifiques aux protéines et à l’ARN ont été utilisés afin de marquer spécifiquement les ApoExo et étudier leur internalisation par microscopie confocale et cytométrie de flux. Les ApoExo ont été internalisés par les CE en fonction du temps et de la concentration. L’inhibition des voies classiques d’endocytose à l’aide d’inhibiteurs pharmacologiques et d’interférence par ARN n’a pas réduit les niveaux d’internalisation des ApoExo. Le blocage de la phosphatidylsérine des ApoExo avec l’annexine-V a réduit leur internalisation. L’analyse ultrastructurelle par microscopie électronique des CE a révélé la présence de structures lamellipodes importantes pour la macropinocytose dont l’inhibition a diminué le transfert d’ARN et de protéines dans les CE. L’analyse par RT-qPCR a révélé que l’ARNm PCSK5, le plus enrichi dans les ApoExo, est augmenté dans les CE traitées aux ApoExo. Cette augmentation est abolie avec ApoExo exempts d’ARNm PCSK5. Ces résultats démontrent que les ApoExo sont activement internalisés par macropinocytose dépendante de la phosphatidylsérine, favorisant leur internalisation en augmentant l’activité macropinocytique des CE. Les ApoExo transfèrent ainsi des ARN fonctionnels capables de moduler le protéome des CE. Ces résultats ouvrent de nouvelles portes pour la prévention de l’internalisation des ApoExo, et donc de la dysfonction endothéliale. / Ischemia-reperfusion injury inherent to solid organ transplantation induces endothelial apoptosis, releasing apoptotic exosome-like vesicles (ApoExo) which in turn induce endothelial dysfunction. We showed that ApoExo modulates gene expression, functions, and morphology of endothelial cells (EC) towards endothelial dysfunction. However, the mechanism by which EC internalize ApoExo remains unclear. Fluorescent probes specifically targeting proteins and RNA were used to track ApoExo uptake in EC by flow cytometry and confocal microscopy. Pharmacological inhibitors and gene silencing were used to probe uptake mechanisms. RNA and protein expression were quantified using Taqman RT-qPCR and immunoblot, respectively. Uptake of ApoExo by EC was observed in a time- and concentration-dependent manner. Inhibition of clathrin- and caveolae-dependent endocytosis did not decrease ApoExo internalization by EC. Blocking phosphatidylserine on ApoExo surface with annexin-V decreased ApoExo uptake. Ultrastructural analysis of serum-starved EC via electron microscopy revealed lamellipodia-like structures, hallmark of macropinocytosis, whose number increased following ApoExo exposure. Inhibition of macropinocytosis abrogated both RNA and protein transfers from ApoExo to EC. The most enriched mRNA in ApoExo, coding for PCSK5, showed enhanced levels in ApoExo-treated EC along with increased PCSK5 protein levels. This was abrogated by both macropinocytosis inhibition and depletion of PCSK5 mRNA in ApoExo. These results demonstrate that EC actively internalize ApoExo through phosphatidylserine-dependent macropinocytosis, and moreover, that ApoExo further increase macropinocytosis. These findings also show that functional RNAs can be delivered to EC through ApoExo. These results open new avenues for preventing ApoExo internalization and counteracting the development of endothelial dysfunction.

No description available.

The professional development of a career counselling intern on a satellite campus at a distance education institution was facilitated with the use of a heutagogic learning strategy. The heutagogic learning process was recorded by reflective writing based on Kolb's experiential learning model. This research is a disquisition of the reflective dataset. The research is an autoethnographic case study in the constructionist paradigm with a creative analysis process. During the research process features about the benefits of heutagogic learning in the professional development of the career counselling intern were critically constructed. The findings of the research are captured in memescapes showing mindset changes and mental transformations on patterns which describe the theory-praxis gap, diversity, wellness, the macro-ethic. The recommendations include the hope that these findings will feed through to inform future career counselling internships in the IOP field. / Industrial & Organisational Psychology / MCom (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

The professional development of a career counselling intern on a satellite campus at a distance education institution was facilitated with the use of a heutagogic learning strategy. The heutagogic learning process was recorded by reflective writing based on Kolb's experiential learning model. This research is a disquisition of the reflective dataset. The research is an autoethnographic case study in the constructionist paradigm with a creative analysis process. During the research process features about the benefits of heutagogic learning in the professional development of the career counselling intern were critically constructed. The findings of the research are captured in memescapes showing mindset changes and mental transformations on patterns which describe the theory-praxis gap, diversity, wellness, the macro-ethic. The recommendations include the hope that these findings will feed through to inform future career counselling internships in the IOP field. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M. Com. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

Recent episodes of financial instability have motivated researchers as well as policy makers to intensify research on financial stability. This thesis contributes to current research and policy discussion by elaborating and empirically testing methodologies, which can be used to measure financial sector vulnerabilities and identify potential risks for financial stability. It further focuses on the link between real and the financial sector as well as possible implications of household financial distress on the aggregate economy. Together with the proposed framework we provide the survey of the current literature on these topics as well as the empirical results. We argue in favour of stress testing methodologies covering the key risks on banks' balance sheets. These frameworks can also be used for emerging markets where data availability is typically limited. It is shown that due to high volatility of credit growth in emerging economies, the static approach assuming constant balance sheet items is not very appropriate. Furthermore, the feedback effect between the financial sector and the real economy might play an important role under certain assumptions, and therefore it should be taken into account by policy makers. This effect can also emerge in the real sector itself as potential instability can...

This thesis is concerned with the phenomenon of passivity in literature, particularly with how it manifests itself through actions, stagnation and means of existence of chosen literary characters and subjects. It concentrates on such figures that are inactive or apathetic, whose actions lack the clearly articulated meaning and purpose and it often seems that they vegetate rather than live an active life. The main theme is the relationship between passivity and activity and turning the passivity into a creative principle. The thesis applies the performative theory on the literary text and sees passivity of the literary characters or subjects as a means of their art performance which offers new interpretations of examining texts and the passivity in general. Methodologically the thesis is based especially on the performative theory of Erika Fischer-Lichte, but also on the anthropological research of transition rituals, theoretical concepts of mediality, John Austin's speech-act theory or on selected philosophical thesis of Maurice Merleau-Ponty and post-structuralist philosophy of Gilles Deleuze and Jacques Derrida. As primary texts for the analysis serve the short story The Overcoat (Шинель, 1842) by Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol, the novella Bartleby, the Scrivener (1853) by Herman Melville, The Book...

Apoptosis-induced proliferation (AiP) is a compensatory mechanism to maintain tissue size and morphology following unexpected cell loss during normal development, and may also be a contributing factor to cancer growth and drug resistance. In apoptotic cells, caspase-initiated signaling cascades lead to the downstream production of mitogenic factors and the proliferation of neighboring surviving cells. In epithelial Drosophila tissues, the Caspase-9 homolog Dronc drives AiP via activation of Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK); however, the specific mechanisms of JNK activation remain unknown. Using a model of sustained AiP that produces a hyperplastic phenotype in Drosophila eye and head tissue, I have found that caspase-induced activation of JNK during AiP depends on extracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated by the NADPH oxidase Duox. I found these ROS are produced early in the death-regeneration process by undifferentiated epithelial cells that have initiated the apoptotic cascade. I also found that reduction of these ROS by mis-expression of extracellular catalases was sufficient to reduce the frequency of overgrowth associated with our model of AiP. I further observed that extracellular ROS attract and activate Drosophila macrophages (hemocytes), which may in turn trigger JNK activity in epithelial cells by signaling through the TNF receptor Grindelwald. We propose that signaling back and forth between epithelial cells and hemocytes by extracellular ROS and Grindelwald drives compensatory proliferation within the epithelium, and that in cases of persistent signaling, such as in our sustained model of AiP, hemocytes play a tumor promoting role, driving overgrowth.

Die elektrische Signalverarbeitung in Nervenzellen basiert auf deren erregbarer Zellmembran. Üblicherweise wird angenommen, dass die in der Membran eingebetteten leitfähigen Ionenkanäle nicht auf direkte Art gekoppelt sind und dass die Kapazität des von der Membran gebildeten Kondensators konstant ist. Allerdings scheinen diese Annahmen nicht für alle Nervenzellen zu gelten. Im Gegenteil, verschiedene Ionenkanäle “kooperieren” und auch die Vorstellung von einer konstanten spezifischen Membrankapazität wurde kürzlich in Frage gestellt. Die Auswirkungen dieser Abweichungen auf die elektrischen Eigenschaften von Nervenzellen ist das Thema der folgenden kumulativen Dissertationsschrift. Im ersten Projekt wird gezeigt, auf welche Weise stark kooperative spannungsabhängige Ionenkanäle eine Form von zellulärem Kurzzeitspeicher für elektrische Aktivität bilden könnten. Solche kooperativen Kanäle treten in der Membran häufig in kleinen räumlich getrennte Clustern auf. Basierend auf einem mathematischen Modell wird nachgewiesen, dass solche Kanalcluster als eine bistabile Leitfähigkeit agieren. Die dadurch entstehende große Speicherkapazität eines Ensembles dieser Kanalcluster könnte von Nervenzellen für stufenloses persistentes Feuern genutzt werden -- ein Feuerverhalten von Nutzen für das Kurzzeichgedächtnis. Im zweiten Projekt wird ein neues Dynamic Clamp Protokoll entwickelt, der Capacitance Clamp, das erlaubt, Änderungen der Membrankapazität in biologischen Nervenzellen zu emulieren. Eine solche experimentelle Möglichkeit, um systematisch die Rolle der Kapazität zu untersuchen, gab es bisher nicht. Nach einer Reihe von Tests in Simulationen und Experimenten wurde die Technik mit Körnerzellen des *Gyrus dentatus* genutzt, um den Einfluss von Kapazität auf deren Feuerverhalten zu studieren. Die Kombination beider Projekte zeigt die Relevanz dieser oft vernachlässigten Facetten von neuronalen Membranen für die Signalverarbeitung in Nervenzellen. / Electrical signaling in neurons is shaped by their specialized excitable cell membranes. Commonly, it is assumed that the ion channels embedded in the membrane gate independently and that the electrical capacitance of neurons is constant. However, not all excitable membranes appear to adhere to these assumptions. On the contrary, ion channels are observed to gate cooperatively in several circumstances and also the notion of one fixed value for the specific membrane capacitance (per unit area) across neuronal membranes has been challenged recently. How these deviations from the original form of conductance-based neuron models affect their electrical properties has not been extensively explored and is the focus of this cumulative thesis. In the first project, strongly cooperative voltage-gated ion channels are proposed to provide a membrane potential-based mechanism for cellular short-term memory. Based on a mathematical model of cooperative gating, it is shown that coupled channels assembled into small clusters act as an ensemble of bistable conductances. The correspondingly large memory capacity of such an ensemble yields an alternative explanation for graded forms of cell-autonomous persistent firing – an observed firing mode implicated in working memory. In the second project, a novel dynamic clamp protocol -- the capacitance clamp -- is developed to artificially modify capacitance in biological neurons. Experimental means to systematically investigate capacitance, a basic parameter shared by all excitable cells, had previously been missing. The technique, thoroughly tested in simulations and experiments, is used to monitor how capacitance affects temporal integration and energetic costs of spiking in dentate gyrus granule cells. Combined, the projects identify computationally relevant consequences of these often neglected facets of neuronal membranes and extend the modeling and experimental techniques to further study them.