Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Model-based 3D tracking of an articulated hand

This paper presents a practical technique for model-based 3D hand tracking. An anatomically accurate hand model is built from truncated quadrics. This allows for the generation of 2D profiles of the model using elegant tools from projective geometry, and for an efficient method to handle self-occlusion. The pose of the hand model is estimated with an Unscented Kalman filter (UKF), which minimizes the geometric error between the profiles and edges extracted from the images. The use of the UKF permits higher frame rates than more sophisticated estimation methods such as particle filtering, whilst providing higher accuracy than the extended Kalman filter The system is easily scalable from single to multiple views, and from rigid to articulated models. First experiments on real data using one and two cameras demonstrate the quality of the proposed method for tracking a 7 DOF hand model.
Erasmus student work placement mobility: a UK perspective

International student mobility has become an increasingly important and prominent part of the global higher education landscape over the past two decades (Verbik and Lasanowski, 2007). Despite a long history within Europe, student mobility has increased significantly over recent years partly due to the support and encouragement provided by the Erasmus programme. Since its introduction in 1987, the Erasmus programme has traditionally facilitated student mobility for studies within Europe; however, in 2007 the programme expanded and now also supports student mobility for work placements. There is a growing body of literature on student mobility for the purpose of studies, but student work placement mobility has largely been overlooked in existing research. This thesis makes an original contribution to knowledge and offers a new perspective on student mobility by exploring the drivers, experiences and effects of Erasmus work placement mobility. The UK has performed well in terms of Erasmus work placement mobility compared to its previous performance for Erasmus study abroad and therefore provides an interesting case study for this research. The findings presented in this thesis offer new insights into the motivations, experiences and perceptions of UK students who go abroad in Europe during their undergraduate studies to complete a work placement. Overall, this thesis stresses the importance of assessing subtypes of student mobility and highlights that work placement mobility is very different to study abroad in numerous ways.
Some Methodological and Epistemological Issues Raised by Doing Feminist Research on Non-Feminist Women

Feminism is a powerful conceptual tool for critiquing traditional sociological research, but notions of conducting ‘feminist research’ may contain some unchallenged assumptions about who should be researched and which methodologies are used. Two key concepts within feminist research - empowerment of women and the equality of the research relationship - are interrogated in the light of research conducted on a population of women unsympathetic to feminism and constructions of gender. This research suggests that whilst there is a need to conduct gender-sensitive work, too orthodox a definition of feminist research may inhibit rather than facilitate research which could lead to helpful insights for women. A better strategy might be to site the conflict in epistemology, rather than methodology, and to define feminist research in terms of values which it might uphold rather than techniques it might use. Doing feminist research on unsympathetic populations can lead to conflicts between the researcher and participant's construction of the meaning of gendered experience. Researchers can justify their accounts with reference to feminist ‘successor sciences’ which have been postulated as an alternative to traditional positivistic rationalism. In the context of this study both feminist standpoint theory and feminist postmodernism are considered as useful justifications for the decisions taken in the research.
Políticas culturais no Brasil: tristes tradições

This paper seeks to unveil the traditions molded by the trajectory of cultural policies implemented by the Brazilian government from the emergence of the national cultural policies in the 1930s to the present time. To bring to light these sorry traditions, the study carries out a comprehensive review of the existing literature scattered through innumerable fields of knowledge. Based on this historical and multidisciplinary itinerary, it is possible not only to identify the major challenges to be overcome so that Brazil’s cultural policies can become effective today, but also to assess how these challenges have been faced in the Lula/Gil administration.
From clients to stakeholders: A philosophical shift for fish and wildlife management

Abstract Fish and wildlife management in North America has been experiencing a fundamental philosophical shift among professional managers and policy makers about who are the beneficiaries of management. This has been reflected in broadening notions of who should be considered in decision making; not just traditional clients who pay for and receive services of managers, but all stakeholders in fish and wildlife management. The term “stakeholder”; has emerged to represent any citizen potentially affected by or having a vested interest (a stake) in an issue, program, action or decision leading to an action. The stakeholder approach in management decision making recognizes a larger set of beneficiaries of management (including, in concept, future generations) than the traditional concepts of constituencies and clients, or customers, a term currently popular among fish and wildlife agencies. The stakeholder approach requires: (1) identification of important stakeholders, (2) flexibility in selection of method.
Conceptual knowledge increases infants' memory capacity

Adults can expand their limited working memory capacity by using stored conceptual knowledge to chunk items into interrelated units. For example, adults are better at remembering the letter string PBSBBCCNN after parsing it into three smaller units: the television acronyms PBS, BBC, and CNN. Is this chunking a learned strategy acquired through instruction? We explored the origins of this ability by asking whether untrained infants can use conceptual knowledge to increase memory. In the absence of any grouping cues, 14-month-old infants can track only three hidden objects at once, demonstrating the standard limit of working memory. In four experiments we show that infants can surpass this limit when given perceptual, conceptual, linguistic, or spatial cues to parse larger arrays into smaller units that are more efficiently stored in memory. This work offers evidence of memory expansion based on conceptual knowledge in untrained, preverbal subjects. Our findings demonstrate that without instruction, and in the absence of robust language, a fundamental memory computation is available throughout the lifespan, years before the development of explicit metamemorial strategies.
Physical Education and Value Diversity: A Response to Andrew Reid

In a series of recent papers in the European Physical Education Review Andrew Reid has argued that contemporary discussion of the educational value of physical education has been seriously impeded by a tangle of educational philosophical mistakes - concerning the nature of physical activities and education in general — central to which has been conflation of distinctions between the theoretical and the practical and the educational and the non-educational. Drawing upon a remarkable range of recent work in analytical philosophy, he has argued in an interesting and original way for a 'value-pluralist' account of the educational significance of physical activities which might aspire to by-pass some of these difficulties. However, to whatever extent Reid may have succeeded in exposing some of the inadequacies of post-war conceptual analyses of physical education, I argue here that his own account is equally if not more problematic not least insofar as it inclines to an equally fatal blurring of the indispensable distinction between what is and what is not of educational value.
Synergistic Effects of Hepatocyte Growth Factor on Human Cord Blood CD34+ Progenitor Cells are the Result of c‐met Receptor Expression

Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is a pleiotropic growth factor which, in addition to its mitogenic potency for primary hepatocytes, also has a role in the regulation of cell motility, cell growth and morphogenesis. In the present study, we show that c‐met, the high‐affinity receptor for HGF, is expressed on human cord blood (CB) CD34+ progenitor cells and CD34+Thy‐1+ Lin− (lin−) cells. We have investigated the capacity of HGF to synergize with other growth factors to induce colony formation by CB CD34+ progenitor cells. CD34+ cells were cultured in semisolid medium containing serum with increasing concentrations of GM‐CSF, G‐CSF, macrophage colony‐stimulating factor (M‐CSF), stem cell factor (SCF), interleukin 3 (IL‐3) and IL‐11 alone or in combination with HGF. HGF acted as a potent synergist and enhanced, up to fourfold, colony formation induced by GM‐CSF, G‐CSF or M‐CSF. HGF in combination with SCF, IL‐3 or IL‐11 did not induce proliferation of colony forming units‐granulocyte macrophage (CFU‐GM) above control levels. In serum‐deprived cultures, HGF was only detectably synergistic with IL‐11, and all other culture combinations showed no proliferation. To determine whether the stimulatory effect of IL‐11 and the synergistic effect of HGF in the absence of serum could be attributed to the effect of these two cytokines on stem cells, IL‐11‐stimulated and unstimulated lin− cells were analyzed for expression of c‐met. CD34+Thy‐1+Lin− cells were positive for c‐met, both in the presence and absence of IL‐11 stimulation, and Northern analysis indicated that c‐met RNA expression was upregulated in response to IL‐11 compared to unstimulated controls. These results provide strong evidence for upregulation of the HGF receptor on primitive hematopoietic cells by IL‐11, and for the synergistic role of HGF in colony formation by hematopoietic stem cells.
Blacks at Middle and Late Life: Resources and Coping

An analysis of national data collected in 1957 and 1976 reveals that older black Americans' use of their informal support networks and prayer in times of distress is distinct from that of older white Americans. Black-white disparities in income, education, and widowhood were large and appeared to widen from middle to late life. Blacks, in coping with distress, drew from a more varied pool of informal helpers than whites, both in middle and late life, and were more versatile in substituting these helpers one for another as they approached old age. Whites, in contrast, were more likely to limit help seeking to spouses in middle life and to replace spouses with a single family member as they approached old age. Blacks were much more likely than whites to respond to worries with prayer, but prayer, as a coping reaction among blacks, declined between 1957 and 1976. The role of the special help-seeking model of older blacks in their adaptation to old age is discussed.
Predicting turnover intentions: The interactive effects of organizational commitment and perceived organizational support

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between organizational commitment, perceived organizational support (POS) and turnover intentions. The objective is to identify practical as well as theoretical implications of the relationships.Design/methodology/approach – This research was undertaken via a questionnaire in a large Australian public sector organization.Findings – The interaction between POS and organizational commitment was a significant predictor of turnover intention. Employees with low levels of commitment, but high levels of support from the organization, are less likely to leave the organization.Research limitations/implications – This is a cross‐sectional study, using self‐reports for independent and dependent variables.Practical implications – As POS was found to influence turnover, this provides an avenue of approach for managers struggling to retain valuable employees whose commitment alone may not be enough to prevent them from leaving.Originality/value – The p.
DEPENDENCE AND INDEPENDENCE

The authors argue that women's dependence on men plays a key role in muting challenges to gender inequality, and they explore that argument through an analysis of gender-related attitudes in five countries. Women's dependence at both the societal and the individual levels is associated with less egalitarian gender attitudes; such dependence especially affects women's attitudes, drawing them toward men's less egalitarian views. Societal-level dependence also strengthens the impact of individual-level dependence on egalitarianism. The authors conclude that women's dependence discourages egalitarian gender attitudes, thus suppressing challenges to the gendered status quo and legitimating gender inequality.
Aerobic capacity and skeletal muscle function in children with asthma

Background Peripheral muscle strength and endurance are decreased in patients with chronic pulmonary diseases and seem to contribute to patients' exercise intolerance. However, the authors are not aware of any studies evaluating peripheral muscle function in children with asthma. It seems to be implied that children with asthma have lower aerobic fitness, but there are limited studies comparing the aerobic capacity of children with and without asthma. The present study aimed to evaluate muscle strength and endurance in children with persistent asthma and their association with aerobic capacity and inhaled corticosteroid consumption. Methods Forty children with mild persistent asthma (MPA) or severe persistent asthma (SPA) (N=20 each) and 20 children without asthma (control group) were evaluated. Upper (pectoralis and latissimus dorsi) and lower (quadriceps) muscle strength and endurance were assessed, and cardiopulmonary exercise testing was performed. Inhaled corticosteroid consumption during the last 6 and 24 months was also quantified. Results Children with SPA presented a reduction in peak oxygen consumption (VO2) (28.2±8.1 vs 34.7±6.9 ml/kg/min; p<0.01) and quadriceps endurance (43.1±6.7 vs 80.9±11.9 repetitions; p<0.05) compared with the control group, but not the MPA group (31.5±6.1 ml/kg/min and 56.7±47.7 repetitions respectively; p>0.05). Maximal upper and lower muscle strength was preserved in children with both mild and severe asthma (p>0.05). Finally, the authors observed that lower muscle endurance weakness was not associated with reductions in either peak VO2 (r=0.22, p>0.05) or corticosteroid consumption (r=−0.31, p>0.05) in children with asthma. Conclusion The findings suggest that cardiopulmonary exercise and lower limb muscle endurance should be a priority during physical training programs for children with severe asthma.
The Differential Focus of Supervisors and Peers in Evaluations of Managerial Potential

This study proposes that evaluations of managerial potential by supervisors and peers differentially relate to the personality of the job candidate being evaluated. Specifically, we hypothesized that supervisors would focus on more task-based personality traits, such as Conscientiousness and its facet of Self-discipline while peers would instead focus on more contextual personality traits, such as Agreeableness and its facet of Tender-mindedness. We applied a path analysis SEM approach to data collected from a field study of 114 triads of incumbents, supervisors, and peers of retail managers in a Fortune 500 organization. This approach provided support for our overall hypothesized models. A further analysis of significant paths suggested that ratees with high levels of Conscientiousness and Achievement-striving appeal to supervisors when making evaluations of managerial potential. Ratees with high levels of Agreeableness, Altruism, and Tender-mindedness and low levels of Openness to Experience, in contrast, appeal to peers.
Improvement in quality of life in pulmonary tuberculosis patients: a prospective study

A cohort of 50 newly diagnosed patients with pulmonary tuberculosis was prospectively studied and compared with controls to assess and quantify their quality of life using the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Quality of Life (QOL)–BREF score before and after a Directly Observed Therapy Short (DOTS) course. It was concluded that health-related quality of life is impaired by tuberculosis and shows significant improvement with the DOTS treatment.
Use of extracorporeal shock waves in the treatment of pseudarthrosis, tendinopathy and other orthopedic diseases.

PURPOSE The use of shock waves in orthopedic diseases was reviewed with special regard to the clinical applications. MATERIALS AND METHODS Findings in the literature and results from our own studies were analyzed and summarized. RESULTS Extracorporeal shock waves induced osteoneogenesis in animal models with intact and fractured bones. Based on these findings shock waves were used for the treatment of pseudarthrosis in humans. Most patients had at least 1 unsuccessful operation before shock wave therapy. Complete reunion was noted in 62 to 91% of cases and shock waves are recommended by some as the first choice of treatment for hypertrophic pseudarthrosis. After failed nonoperative therapy shock waves were used for the treatment of patients with various diseases as secondary treatment. The success rate for treatment of tendinopathies, such as tennis elbow, periarthritis humeroscapularis or calcaneal spur, was approximately 80%. For calcific tendinitis shock wave therapy seems to be superior to all other minimal or noninvasive techniques without compromising a potential later operation. CONCLUSIONS Shock waves have changed medical therapy substantially. Accounting for the epidemiology of the treated diseases, this new change may equal or even surpass the impact of extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy.
The role of the anterior thalamic nuclei for properties of episodic memory: what, when, where

Amnesia impairs episodic memory in humans, and can occur following damage to the medial diencephalon. This thesis examines the importance of the anterior thalamic nuclei, a diencephalic structure, for different elements (what, when, where) of episodic memory (or episodic-like memory) in rats. The overall goal was to understand why this region is so critical for normal memory in humans. An initial series of experiments investigated the ability of rats with anterior thalamic lesions to recognise objects and odours with a variety of delays. These experiments found that anterior thalamic lesions spare item recognition (what). This same ability was further explored with the use of the immediate early gene zif268, and the results again indicated that this thalamic nucleus does not have a direct role in recognition. A related series of studies explored the effects of anterior thalamic lesions on temporal order judgments (when) for objects. Two different discrimination procedures were tested, between-block recency and within-block recency. Lesions to the anterior thalamic nuclei selectively impaired performance on within-block recency but spared between-block recency. The ability of rats with anterior thalamic damage to discriminate between two locations (where) in both complex and simple environments was also tested. Anterior thalamic lesions significantly impaired place learning compared with control animals, despite the finding that rats with anterior thalamic lesions could sometimes discriminate between the two locations (i.e., could perform significantly above chance). In addition, the effects of anterior thalamic damage on biconditional learning (what-where conjunction) were examined. The rats were trained on both item-place and item-context associations. Lesions to the anterior thalamic nuclei disrupted acquisition of the former, but not the latter. The results suggest that the contributions of the rodent anterior thalamic nuclei to episodic memory, as part of the extended-hippocampal system, primarily reflect the involvement of these nuclei in allocentric spatial learning.
Treatment of Dentine Hypersensitivity by Diode Laser: A Clinical Study

Introduction. Dentine hypersensitivity (DH) is characterized by pain after stimuli that usually provoke no symptoms. This study compared the effectiveness of GaAlAs diode laser alone and with topical sodium fluoride gel (NaF). Materials and Methods. The study was conducted on 10 patients (8 F/2 M, age 25–60) and 115 teeth with DH assessed by air and tactile stimuli measured by Numeric Rating Scale (NRS). Teeth were randomly divided into G1 (34 teeth) treated by 1.25% NaF; G2 (33 teeth) lased at 0.5 W PW (T on 100 m and T off 100 ms), fluence 62.2 J/cm2 in defocused mode with a 320 μ fiber. Each tooth received three 1′ applications; G3 (48 teeth) received NaF gel plus laser at same G2 parameters. NRS was checked at each control. Results. Significant pain reduction was showed. The NRS reduction percentages were calculated, and there was a concrete decrease of DH above all in G3 than G2 and G1. Conclusion. Diode laser is a useful device for DH treatment if used alone and mainly if used with NaF gel.
Informational constraints on pre-lexical priming

Abstract A popular explanation of automatic semantic priming attributes those effects to the spreading of activation across a meaning-based network in lexical memory. A number of conflicting claims have been advanced regarding the kinds of information captured in that pre-lexical network. Lexical decision and naming experiments are reported which indicate (1) that automatic priming is supported equally well by a very broad range of relations, (2) that the quality of relation for individual prime-target pairs, as reflected in such measures as traditional associative strength, has no impact on the amount of priming produced, (3) that asymmetries between lexical decision and naming in the amount of priming they generate under stringent conditions of automaticity require the postulation of an extra-lexical source of automatic priming, and (4) the residual priming left for the putative lexical network to explain is at most a few milliseconds. Taken together, these findings suggest that explanations of automati.
Engaging Phenomenological Analysis

Phenomenologists seeking to explicate “lived experience” need above all to do justice to the phenomenon under study; research methods need to be responsive to the phenomenon, towards capturing something of its “is-ness. ” This article aims to clarify some processes involved in doing phenomenological analysis, whatever the variant of phenomenology. A phenomenological sensibility is suggested rather than offering cookbook guidelines. Four key processes are identified: seeing afresh, dwelling, explicating, and languaging. Specific examples of research and writing are provided, with special attention to the principal phenomenological sources used in psychology: the “descriptive phenomenology” of Giorgi and Wertz, van Manen’s “hermeneutic phenomenology,” and Smith et al.’s “Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. ” The article ends with my personal top ten tips for novice researchers.