Assessing the impact of real-time machine translation on multilingual meetings in global software projects

Communication in global software development is hindered by language differences in countries with a lack of English speaking professionals. Machine translation is a technology that uses software to translate from one natural language to another. The progress of machine translation systems has been steady in the last decade. As for now, machine translation technology is particularly appealing because it might be used, in the form of cross-language chat services, in countries that are entering into global software projects. However, despite the recent progress of the technology, we still lack a thorough understanding of how real-time machine translation affects communication. In this paper, we present a set of empirical studies with the goal of assessing to what extent real-time machine translation can be used in distributed, multilingual requirements meetings instead of English. Results suggest that, despite far from 100 % accurate, real-time machine translation is not disruptive of the conversation flow and, therefore, is accepted with favor by participants. However, stronger effects can be expected to emerge when language barriers are more critical. Our findings add to the evidence about the recent advances of machine translation technology and provide some guidance to global software engineering practitioners in regarding the losses and gains of using English as a lingua franca in multilingual group communication, as in the case of computer-mediated requirements meetings.     

Specific smartphone uses and how they relate to anxiety and depression in university students: a cross-cultural perspective

ABSTRACT

People around the world spend hours of their daily lives using smartphones; therefore, it is important to conduct cross-cultural research on the effects of smartphone use on health and well-being as culture influences values, motivations and communication patterns. The purpose of this study was to explore 5 popular uses of the smartphone – messaging, browsing the Internet, posting social content, reading social content, and playing games – how they relate to anxiety and depression scores, and how they vary depending on the country of the participants: Spain, the United States, and Colombia. In all three countries the ranking of most popular uses was the same: (1) Messaging, (2) Reading social content, and (3) Browsing the Internet. In the USA, game playing contributed to anxiety scores whereas reading social content was a protective factor; regarding depression scores, text messaging was a contributing factor. In Spain, browsing the Internet contributed to anxiety scores; regarding depression scores, messaging was a contributing factor and posting social content was a protective factor. In Colombia, no specific use influenced anxiety scores; regarding depression scores, only game playing was a protective factor. Our results showed that in all the countries, problematic smartphone use contributed to anxiety scores.     

Photodynamic Efficiency: From Molecular Photochemistry to Cell Death

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a clinical modality used to treat cancer and infectious diseases. The main agent is the photosensitizer (PS), which is excited by light and converted to a triplet excited state. This latter species leads to the formation of singlet oxygen and radicals that oxidize biomolecules. The main motivation for this review is to suggest alternatives for achieving high-efficiency PDT protocols, by taking advantage of knowledge on the chemical and biological processes taking place during and after photosensitization. We defend that in order to obtain specific mechanisms of cell death and maximize PDT efficiency, PSes should oxidize specific molecular targets. We consider the role of subcellular localization, how PS photochemistry and photophysics can change according to its nanoenvironment, and how can all these trigger specific cell death mechanisms. We propose that in order to develop PSes that will cause a breakthrough enhancement in the efficiency of PDT, researchers should first consider tissue and intracellular localization, instead of trying to maximize singlet oxygen quantum yields in in vitro tests. In addition to this, we also indicate many open questions and challenges remaining in this field, hoping to encourage future research.     

A framework for evaluating and improving requirements specifications based on the developers and testers perspective

Requirements Engineering - Requirements specifications are essential to properly communicate requirements among the software development team members. However, each role in the team has different...     

Chronic Hyperglycaemia Inhibits Tricarboxylic Acid Cycle in Rat Cardiomyoblasts Overexpressing Glucose Transporter Type 4

An oversupply of nutrients with a loss of metabolic flexibility and subsequent cardiac dysfunction are hallmarks of diabetic cardiomyopathy. Even if excess substrate is offered, the heart suffers energy depletion as metabolic fluxes are diminished. To study the effects of a high glucose supply, a stably glucose transporter type 4 (GLUT4)-overexpressing cell line presenting an onset of diabetic cardiomyopathy-like phenotype was established. Long-term hyperglycaemia effects were analysed. Rat cardiomyoblasts overexpressing GLUT4 (H9C2KE2) were cultured under normo- and hyperglycaemic conditions for long-term. Expression profiles of several proteins were compared to non-transfected H9C2 cells (H9C2) using RT-qPCR, proteomics-based analysis, or Western blotting. GLUT4 surface analysis, glucose uptake, and cell morphology changes as well as apoptosis/necrosis measurements were performed using flow cytometry. Additionally, brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels, reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation, glucose consumption, and lactate production were quantified. Long-term hyperglycaemia in H9C2KE2 cells induced increased GLUT4 presence on the cell surface and was associated with exaggerated glucose influx and lactate production. On the metabolic level, hyperglycaemia affected the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle with accumulation of fumarate. This was associated with increased BNP-levels, oxidative stress, and lower antioxidant response, resulting in pronounced apoptosis and necrosis. Chronic glucose overload in cardiomyoblasts induced by GLUT4 overexpression and hyperglycaemia resulted in metabolically stimulated proteome profile changes and metabolic alterations on the TCA level.