Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Redefining Filter Bubbles as (Escapable) Socio-Technical Recursion

Personalisation of media content is not a new phenomenon. Now, however, by configuring our search results and data feeds, algorithms that ‘learn’ from our digital footprint are determining what we see and hear. Pariser calls this the ‘Filter Bubble Effect’. Yet, despite concerns that this effect is a threat to deliberative democracy, we are told there is relatively little evidence to substantiate its existence. This article draws on a case study to argue that this is because the existing research looks for technical effects while neglecting our social lives. If we follow Foucault’s reasoning that systems of thought are also technologies, then we can see that material technologies (or what Foucault called ‘technologies of production’) and immaterial technologies (ideas formed in discourse) can co-constitute filter bubbles. Borrowing language from computing and science and technology studies, this leads to a redefinition of filter bubbles as socio-technical recursion. This case study illustrates just one potential combination of such material and immaterial technologies (namely, search engines and ideas that are encountered and formed during an individual’s social life within their culture and class) that can create socio-technical recursion. The article concludes by arguing the advantage of conceptualising filter bubbles in this way is that it offers us a theoretical foundation for breaking out of this recursion by simultaneously challenging the mediums and messages that sustain them.
Arousal, Processing, and Risk Taking: Consequences of Intergroup Anger

Intergroup emotions theory (IET) posits that when social categorization is salient, individuals feel the same emotions as others who share their group membership. Extensive research supporting this proposition has relied heavily on self-reports of group-based emotions. In three experiments, the authors provide converging evidence that group-based anger has subtle and less explicitly controlled consequences for information processing, using measures that do not rely on self-reported emotional experience. Specifically, the authors show that intergroup anger involves arousal (Experiment 1), reduces systematic processing of persuasive messages (Experiment 2), is moderated by group identification (Experiment 2, posttest), and compared to intergroup fear, increases risk taking (Experiment 3). These findings provide converging evidence that consistent with IET, emotions triggered by social categorization have psychologically consequential effects and are not evident solely in self-reports.
Planimetry of aortic valve area using multiplane transoesophageal echocardiography is not a reliable method for assessing severity of aortic stenosis.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the reliability of aortic valve area planimetry by multiplane transoesophageal echocardiography (TOE) in aortic stenosis. DESIGN: Study of the diagnostic value of aortic valve area planimetry using multiplane TOE, compared with catheterisation and the continuity equation, both being considered as criterion standards. SETTING: University hospital. PATIENTS: 49 consecutive patients (29 male, 20 female, aged 44 to 82 years, average 66.6 (SD 8.5)), referred for haemodynamic evaluation of an aortic stenosis, were enrolled in a prospective study. From this sample, 37 patients were eligible for the final analysis. METHODS: Transthoracic and multiplane transoesophageal echocardiograms were performed within 24 hours before catheterisation. At transthoracic echo, aortic valve area was calculated by the continuity equation. At TOE, the image of the aortic valve opening was obtained with a 30-65 degrees rotation of the transducer. Numerical dynamic images were stored on optical discs for off-line analysis and were reviewed by two blinded observers. Catheterisation was performed in all cases and aortic valve area was calculated by the Gorlin formula. RESULTS: Feasibility of the method was 92% (48/52). The agreement between aortic valve area measured at TOE (mean 0.88 (SD 0.35) cm2) and at catheterisation (0.79 (0.24) cm2) was very poor. The same discrepancies were found between TOE and the continuity equation (0.72 (0.26) cm2). TOE planimetry overestimated aortic valve area determined by the two other methods. Predictive positive and negative values of planimetry to detect aortic valve area < 0.75 cm2 were 62% (10/16) and 43% (9/21) respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Planimetry of aortic valve area by TOE is difficult and less accurate than the continuity equation for assessing the severity of aortic stenosis.
Attentional Push: Augmenting Salience with Shared Attention Modeling

We present a novel visual attention tracking technique based on Shared Attention modeling. Our proposed method models the viewer as a participant in the activity occurring in the scene. We go beyond image salience and instead of only computing the power of an image region to pull attention to it, we also consider the strength with which other regions of the image push attention to the region in question. We use the term Attentional Push to refer to the power of image regions to direct and manipulate the attention allocation of the viewer. An attention model is presented that incorporates the Attentional Push cues with standard image salience-based attention modeling algorithms to improve the ability to predict where viewers will fixate. Experimental evaluation validates significant improvements in predicting viewers' fixations using the proposed methodology in both static and dynamic imagery.
Impacts of media on sexual behaviour and relationships among youth in foster care

Youth in foster care (YFC) are at high risk of negative reproductive and other health outcomes and may be especially vulnerable to negative impacts of media due to early adversity and a lack of stable caregiver relationships. The aim of this project was to explore how access and exposure to media impacts YFC in order to inform future research in this realm and promote resilience in this understudied population. We conducted semistructured interviews with YFC ages 15–21 (n = 22) and focus groups with foster caregivers (n = 86). We used thematic analysis to analyse data for themes related to media. Youth and caregivers described four main themes: (a) impacts of media on youth norms and attitudes, (b) impacts of media on youth behaviour, (c) impacts of youth exposure to pornography, and (d) caregiver monitoring and mediation of media. Data from this study indicate that media has unique, important effects on YFC norms and behaviours, including sexual behaviours. Foster caregivers encounter multiple barriers to monitoring and mediating media use for YFC. Further research is needed to explore differential effects of media on YFC versus non-YFC in order to develop effective interventions and mitigate potential negative effects of media.
A comparison of computer aided learning and traditional didactic lectures for teaching clinical decision making skills to optometry undergraduates

This study was designed to compare computer aided learning (CAL), in the form of a Virtual Patient (VP), and traditional didactic lectures as methods of teaching clinical decision making (CDM) skills to second year Optometry undergraduates. Comparisons were based on performance in multiple-choice examinations testing CDM skills (actual mastery), student feedback relating to confidence in CDM skills (perceived mastery or self-efficacy) and student satisfaction. The influence of sex, learning style and academic ability was also investigated. This is the first time that these aspects of teaching pedagogy have been studied together. Current literature informed development of didactic lectures and an online VP. Both teaching methods were designed to ensure that the same clinical content was included. This content was aimed at training students to perform problem-orientated eye examinations. A cohort of 102 students was taught using the traditional didactic lectures in academic year 2010-11 and 93 students using the online VP in academic year 2011-12. An established Index of Learning Styles instrument was used to classify students according to their preference in four learning style dimensions. Both teaching methods were designed to cater for both poles of each learning style dimension. Most students had no strong learning preferences but those that did had a tendency towards the active-sensing-visual-sequential profile. Actual and perceived mastery were scored for five key learning objectives; question selection, critical symptom recognition, test selection, critical sign recognition and referral urgency selection. The influence of academic ability and teaching method differed for each learning objective; didactic lectures favouring some, the VP others. Learning style and sex had no influence, indicating that both teaching methods catered equally for males and females with all learning styles. Comparisons between perceived and actual mastery revealed poor self-assessment accuracy. Student satisfaction, rated on a five point Likert scale, was equally high for both teaching methods. Sex was the only influential variable, with males favouring one aspect of VP training. Overall, the findings suggest that CAL should be used to supplement traditional teaching rather than replace it in order to ensure that all students benefit equally. Future research may wish to focus on self-assessment accuracy as a means of improving academic performance.
Monte Carlo studies of the Ising square lattice with competing interactions

We use improved Monte-Carlo algorithms to study the antiferromagnetic 2D-Ising model with competing interactions J1 on nearest neighbour and J2 on next-nearest neighbour bonds. The finite-temperature phase diagram is divided by a critical point at J2 = J1/2 where the groundstate is highly degenerate. To analyse the phase boundaries we look at the speciflc heat and the energy distribution for various ratios of J2/1. We find a first order transition for small J2 > J1/2 and the transition temperature suppressed to TC = 0 at the critical point.
Self-Organization of Modules and Their Hierarchy in Robot Learning Problems: A Dynamical Systems App

This paper describes how the internal representation of the world can be selforganized in modular and hierarchical ways in a neural network architecture for sensory-motor systems. We develop an on-line learning scheme { the so-called mixture of recurrent neural net (RNN) experts { in which a set of RNN modules becomes self-organized as experts in multiple levels in order to account for the di erent categories of sensory-motor ow which the robot experiences. The proposed scheme was examined through simulation experiments involving the navigation learning problem, in which a robot equipped with range sensors traveled around rooms of di erent shape. It was shown that representative building blocks or \concepts" corresponding to turning right and left at corners, going straight along corridors and encountering junctions are self-organized in their respective modules in the lower level network. In the higher level network, the \concepts" corresponding to traveling in di erent rooms are self-organized by combining the \concepts" obtained in the lower level into sequences. The robot succeeded in learning to perceive the world as articulated at multiple levels through its recursive interactions. During stay at Sony CSL
Enumeration of Bent Boolean Functions by Reconfigurable Computer

We show that there is significant benefit to using a reconfigurable computer to enumerate bent Boolean functions for cryptographic applications. Bent functions are rare, and the only known way to generate all bent functions is by a sieve technique in which many prospective functions are tested. The speed-up achieved depends on the number of variables n; for n = 8, we show that the reconfigurable computer achieves better than a 60,000x speed-up over a conventional computer. Further, we introduce the transeunt triangle as a means to reduce the number of functions that must be considered. For n=6, this reduction is better than 500,000,000 to 1. Previously, the transeunt triangle had been used only in the design of exclusive OR logic circuits; it converts a truth table to the algebraic normal form. However, this fact has never been proven rigorously, and that shortcoming is removed in this paper. Our proof provides a practical benefit; it yields a new realization of the transeunt triangle that has less complexity and delay. Finally, we show computational results from a reconfigurable computer.
Sharp Optimality in Density Deconvolution with Dominating Bias. II

We consider estimation of the common probability density f of independent identically distributed random variables $X_i$ that are observed with an additive independent identically distributed noise. We assume that the unknown density f belongs to a class ${\cal A}$ of densities whose characteristic function is described by the exponent $\exp(-\alpha |u|^r)$ as $|u|\to\infty$, where $\alpha>0$, $r>0$. The noise density is assumed known and such that its characteristic function decays as $\exp (-\beta|u|^s)$, as $|u|\to\infty$, where $\beta>0$, $s>0$. Assuming that $r<s$, we suggest a kernel-type estimator, whose variance turns out to be asymptotically negligible with respect to its squared bias under both pointwise and ${\mathbb L}_2$ risks. For $r < s/2$ we construct a sharp adaptive estimator of f.
Toolpath Feedrate Optimization: A Case Study

The goal of this research is to improve the productivity of Numerically Controlled (NC) machine tools by optimization of feedrate settings. In this paper we compare the maximum cutting forces and cutting times using traditional methods with those achieved using the optimization methods developed in our research. Results indicate that significant productivity gains can be realized using the feedrate optimization techniques. Benefits include shorter cutting times, significantly reduced maximum cutting forces, and reduced uncertainty in the preparation of NC machining programs.
Nonlinear Evolution of Genus in a Primordial Random Gaussian Density Field

The genus statistics is studied using large $N$-body simulations for several cosmological models. We consider the effects of nonlinear gravitational evolution, smoothing the particle data in fully nonlinear regime, and the redshift-space distortion on the genus curve. Detailed comparison between the theoretical prediction in weakly nonlinear theory and the appropriate simulation results shows that the analytic formula describes the behavior of genus in weakly nonlinear regime fairly accurately. We also find that the redshift-space distortion on genus statistics is small in linear and weakly nonlinear regimes. We conclude that if weakly nonlinear theory and direct numerical simulations are combined, the normalized genus curve $G(\nu)/G(0)$ is a powerful tool to directly check the random-Gaussian paradigm of the origin of the large-scale structure in the universe.
Rates of convergence for adaptive regression estimates with multiple hidden layer feedforward neural networks

We present a general bound on the expected L2 error of adaptive least squares estimates. By applying it to multiple hidden layer feedforward neural network regression function estimates we are able to obtain optimal (up to log factor) rates of convergence for Lipschitz classes and fast rates of convergence for some classes of regression functions such as additive functions
The analysis of 2-amino-2-thiazoline-4-carboxylic acid in the plasma of smokers and non-smokers

ATCA (2-amino-2-thiazoline-4-carboxylic acid) is a promising marker to assess cyanide exposure because of several advantages of ATCA analysis over direct determination of cyanide and alternative cyanide biomarkers (i.e. stability in biological matrices, consistent recovery, and relatively small endogenous concentrations). Concentrations of ATCA in the plasma of smoking and non-smoking human volunteers were analyzed using gas-chromatography mass-spectrometry to establish the feasibility of using ATCA as a marker for cyanide exposure. The levels of ATCA in plasma of smoking volunteers, 17.2 ng/ml, were found to be significantly (p < 0.001) higher than that of non-smoking volunteers, 11.8 ng/ml. Comparison of ATCA concentrations of smokers relative to non-smokers in both urine and plasma yielded relatively similar results. The concentration ratio of ATCA for smokers versus non-smokers in plasma and urine was compared to similar literature studies of cyanide and thiocyanate, and correlations are discussed. This study supports previous evidence that ATCA can be used to determine past cyanide exposure and indicates that further studies should be pursued to validate the use of ATCA as a marker of cyanide exposure.
Neurosilence: Profound Suppression of Neural Activity following Intracerebral Administration of the Protein Synthesis Inhibitor Anisomycin

Early in their formation, memories are thought to be labile, requiring a process called consolidation to give them near-permanent stability. Evidence for consolidation as an active and biologically separate mnemonic process has been established through posttraining manipulations of the brain that promote or disrupt subsequent retrieval. Consolidation is thought to be ultimately mediated via protein synthesis since translational inhibitors such as anisomycin disrupt subsequent memory when administered in a critical time window just following initial learning. However, when applied intracerebrally, they may induce additional neural disturbances. Here, we report that intrahippocampal microinfusions of anisomycin in urethane-anesthetized rats at dosages previously used in memory consolidation studies strongly suppressed (and in some cases abolished) spontaneous and evoked local field potentials (and associated extracellular current flow) as well as multiunit activity. These effects were not coupled to the production of pathological electrographic activity nor were they due to cell death. However, the amount of suppression was correlated with the degree of protein synthesis inhibition as measured by autoradiography and was also observed with cycloheximide, another translational inhibitor. Our results suggest that (1) the amnestic effects of protein synthesis inhibitors are confounded by neural silencing and that (2) intact protein synthesis is crucial for neural signaling itself.
Building a Treebank for French

Very few gold standard annotated corpora are currently available for French. We present an ongoing project to build a reference treebank for French starting with a tagged newspaper corpus of 1 Million words (Abeillé et al., 1998), (Abeillé and Clément, 1999). Similarly to the Penn TreeBank (Marcus et al., 1993), we distinguish an automatic parsing phase followed by a second phase of systematic manual validation and correction. Similarly to the Prague treebank (Hajicova et al., 1998), we rely on several types of morphosyntactic and syntactic annotations for which we deﬁne extensive guidelines. Our goal is to provide a theory neutral, surface oriented, error free treebank for French. Similarly to the Negra project (Brants et al., 1999), we annotate both constituents and functional relations.
Invasive genotypes are opportunistic specialists not general purpose genotypes

It is not clear which forms of plasticity in fitness‐related traits are associated with invasive species. On one hand, it may be better to have a robust performance across environments. On the other, it may be beneficial to take advantage of limited favorable conditions. We chose to study a worldwide invasive species, Potamopyrgus antipodarum, and compare the plasticity of life‐history traits of a sample of invasive genotypes to a sample of ancestral‐range genotypes. We examined the responses to salinity in this freshwater snail because it varies spatially and temporally in the introduced range and contributes to variation in fitness in our system. We used a recently developed statistical method that quantifies aspects of differences in the shape among reaction norms. We found that the invasive lineages survived and reproduced with an increased probability at the higher salinities, and were superior to ancestral‐range lineages in only two traits related to reproduction. Moreover, we found that in terms of traits related to growth, the invasive lineages have a performance optimum that is shifted to higher salinities than the ancestral‐range lineages as well as having a narrower niche breadth. Contrary to the prediction of the general purpose genotype hypothesis, we found that invasive lineages tended to be opportunistic specialists.
From Oxford to Hawaii Ecophysiological Barriers Limit Human Progression in Ten Sport Monuments

In order to understand the determinants and trends of human performance evolution, we analyzed ten outdoor events among the oldest and most popular in sports history. Best performances of the Oxford-Cambridge boat race (since 1836), the channel crossing in swimming (1875), the hour cycling record (1893), the Elfstedentocht speed skating race (1909), the cross country ski Vasaloppet (1922), the speed ski record (1930), the Streif down-hill in Kitzbühel (1947), the eastward and westward sailing transatlantic records (1960) and the triathlon Hawaii ironman (1978) all follow a similar evolutive pattern, best described through a piecewise exponential decaying model (r 2 = 0.95±0.07). The oldest events present highest progression curvature during their early phase. Performance asymptotic limits predicted from the model may be achieved in fourty years (2049±32 y). Prolonged progression may be anticipated in disciplines which further rely on technology such as sailing and cycling. Human progression in outdoor sports tends to asymptotic limits depending on physiological and environmental parameters and may temporarily benefit from further technological progresses.
Perturbative and Non-Perturbative Issues in Heavy Quark Fragmentation

We review the state-of-the-art of our understanding of heavy quark fragmentation. Recent e^+e^- data for B mesons are compared to the most up-to-date theoretical predictions, and the need for inclusion of a non-perturbative component is discussed. Experimental analyses in moments space are suggested, and it is pointed out how perturbative and non-perturbative contributions are to be properly matched. Failure to do so can result in large phenomenological discrepancies. An example is given for B^+ hadroproduction at the Tevatron.