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Publication Nanoparticles as a Tool for Broadening Antifungal Activities.Renzi, Daniele Fernanda; de Almeida Campos, Laís; Miranda, Eduardo Hösel; Mainardes, Rubiana Mara; Abraham, Wolf-Rainer; Grigoletto, Diana Fortkamp; Khalil, Najeh MaissarFungal infections are diseases that are considered neglected although their infection rates have increased worldwide in the last decades. Thus, since the antifungal arsenal is restricted and many strains have shown resistance, new therapeutic alternatives are necessary. Nanoparticles are considered important alternatives to promote drug delivery. In this sense, the objective of the present study was to evaluate the contributions of newly developed nanoparticles to the treatment of fungal infections. Studies have shown that nanoparticles generally improve the biopharmaceutical and pharmacokinetic characteristics of antifungals, which is reflected in a greater pharmacodynamic potential and lower toxicity, as well as the possibility of prolonged action. It also offers the proposition of new routes of administration. Nanotechnology is known to contribute to a new drug delivery system, not only for the control of infectious diseases but for various other diseases as well. In recent years, several studies have emphasized its application in infectious diseases, presenting better alternatives for the treatment of fungal infections.Publication From Visual Semantic Parameterization to Graphic Visualization(IEEE, 2013-06-28) Zeng, XinVisualizing natural language description is a difficult and complex task. When dealing with the process of generating images from natural language descriptions, we firstly should consider the real world and find out what key visual information can be extracted from the sentences which represents the most fundament concepts in both virtual and real environments. In this paper, we present the result of a prototype system called 3DSV (3D Story Visualiser) that generates a virtual scene by using simplified story-based descriptions. In particular, we describe the methodology used to parameterize the visual and describable words into XML formatted data structure. Then we discuss how to interpret the parameterized data and create an interactive real-time 3D virtual environment.Publication South Sudan Emergency Response in Maban County, Upper Nile State: Mid-Term Review Summary(Oxfam GB, 2013-04-04)Since becoming independent on 9 July 2011, South Sudan has faced many challenges. Poor harvests have led to severe food shortages, and there have been continuous conflicts across the border with Sudan. In September 2011, intense fighting broke out in the Blue Nile State of Sudan between the Sudan Armed Forces and the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (North). Thousands of people fled the fighting, and over 30,000 refugees arrived in the camps in Jamam, a village in the remote Upper Nile State of South Sudan. Since November 2011, Oxfam and other humanitarian agencies have been responding to emergency needs of refugees displaced from Blue Nile. Drawing on an independent review, this summary report reviews the speed and quality of Oxfam’s intervention in the first seven and a half months of 2012, and responds to questions raised by other humanitarian actors including UNHCR and MSF about its performance. The aim of this summary is to contribute to organisational learning on the implementation of humanitarian interventions. It acknowledges Oxfam’s achievements, but also addresses challenges about the nature of its response. The summary draws together key points to aid understanding of the context of this programme, and critically examines what Oxfam and others could do differently to deliver rapid, good-quality emergency WASH programmes in the future. It summarises findings from an independent review, and makes recommendations for policy and practice that could have enhanced the Maban response, and will help to improve the quality of further programmes by Oxfam and other agencies working in complex, fragile environments.Publication Our Economy: Towards a new prosperity(Oxfam GB, 2013-06-20) Trebeck, Katherine; Francis, StuartFor too many Scots, the existing economic model is failing. Far from improving their lives, it traps them in a cycle of economic hardship. Yet it is possible to overcome poverty, both in Scotland and across the UK - many of the solutions already exist, hidden within the very communities hit hardest by an economic model that worships at the altar of ‘economic growth’. The extraordinary work of our partners in Scotland has helped frame this report, where we hope to show how allocating resources in a more effective and sustainable way can deliver lasting change. In this paper we argue that the Scottish economy must pursue policies which deliver for the people, and policy-makers must play a central and driving role as underwriters of community solutions. Some of our recommendations include: - Build on the National Performance Framework and the Oxfam Humankind Index to create a better way of measuring our collective prosperity. - Create a Poverty Commissioner to ensure spending decisions are poverty proofed and to support communities to challenge Government policies and private sector actions that do not contribute to socio-economic equality. - Employers in the public and private sectors should pay a living wage. - Tax havens, offshore earnings and loopholes which allow avoidance, should be pursued and closed. Business support, corporate social responsibility awards and government plaudits should be contingent on companies meeting their tax obligations. - A Sustainable Livelihoods Approach (SLA) to social protection should be pursued. This would recognise complex barriers to work, gender differences and caring responsibilities as well as rewarding individuals’ range of skills and contributions (including activities that deliver social benefit but are currently insufficiently valued by the market). - Funding is required to make it easier for deprived communities to own assets for local benefit. As part of a socio-economic duty, council staff should support deprived communities prepare for ownership, with upfront grants enabling communities to assess the merits of an opportunity.Publication DSpace 7 Lightning Tutorial: GDPR and Data Privacy(2020-10-08) Luyten, BramIntroduction to DSpace 7 data privacy features: - Cookie consent - End User Agreement - Deleting EPeople to comply with the right to be forgotten