Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Human Action Attribute Learning From Video Data Using Low-Rank Representations

Representation of human actions as a sequence of human body movements or action attributes enables the development of models for human activity recognition and summarization. We present an extension of the low-rank representation (LRR) model, termed the clustering-aware structure-constrained low-rank representation (CS-LRR) model, for unsupervised learning of human action attributes from video data. Our model is based on the union-of-subspaces (UoS) framework, and integrates spectral clustering into the LRR optimization problem for better subspace clustering results. We lay out an efficient linear alternating direction method to solve the CS-LRR optimization problem. We also introduce a hierarchical subspace clustering approach, termed hierarchical CS-LRR, to learn the attributes without the need for a priori specification of their number. By visualizing and labeling these action attributes, the hierarchical model can be used to semantically summarize long video sequences of human actions at multiple resolutions. A human action or activity can also be uniquely represented as a sequence of transitions from one action attribute to another, which can then be used for human action recognition. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed model for semantic summarization and action recognition through comprehensive experiments on five real-world human action datasets.
The Wind Beneath My Wings

Using character strengths at work has been associated with desirable feelings, attitudes, and functioning. However, factors promoting strengths use at work have rarely been studied. In the present study, we focused on social support, a key contributor to employees’ functioning and well-being, and examined the effects of supervisor and colleague support on employees’ strengths use. Participants (N = 120) completed daily measures of their supervisors’ and colleagues’ support, and their use of strengths at work, over 10 workdays. Results indicated that supervisor support (but not colleague support) on a given day predicted increased strengths use on the following day. These results point to the potentially unique role of supervisors (and not colleagues) in promoting employees’ fulfillment of their potential at work and call for examination of strengths use as a mechanism underlying desirable effects of supervisor support on employees’ attitudes and behaviors.
Irish English in the context of previous research

The current chapter is intended as an overview of the main focus of research on Irish English to date. This variety has been well served by scholars in recent decades with a flourishing of interest stemming from various approaches to analysing English in Ireland. For the purpose of presentation, this chapter is divided into various sections each of which concerns itself with a particular subarea. After these introductory paragraphs, there is a section on the early history of the variety of Irish English (Section 2.). This is followed by a consideration of the main linguistic event in the history of Ireland, the shift from Irish to English for the great majority of the population (Section 3.). In keeping with new trends in Irish English scholarship (Hickey 1999a), shared features across the country as a whole are then reviewed (Section 4.). Following on from this, there is a section on the interpretation of features, considering in particular their possible sources (Section 5.). Such reflections are relevant to the question of whether language contact or retention of dialect input are the source for features of Irish English (Harris 1991; Hickey 1995, 2006). The last section looks at recent changes in Dublin English (Section 6.) which, because of the status of the capital in the Republic of Ireland, are having a profound influence on the course of non-local varieties of English in the south of the country (Hickey 1999b).
Improving Auditors’ Consideration of Evidence Contradicting Management's Estimate Assumptions

Auditors must assess the reasonableness of management’s estimates and have difficulty evaluating the assumptions underlying these estimates. One source of these problems is that auditors appear to dismiss evidence that contradicts management’s assumptions, due to their initial preference to support management’s accounting. We experimentally examine whether focusing auditors on documenting evidence inconsistent with their preferred conclusion reduces their dismissiveness of evidence that contradicts management’s assumptions. We find that preference-inconsistent auditors prepare documentation that is overall less dismissive of key evidence that contradicts management’s biased estimate and that they document more inferences that contradict, rather than support, management’s assumptions. Importantly, preference-inconsistent auditors do not increase their documentation of contradicting facts, indicating that a preference-inconsistent documentation focus affects how auditors interpret contradicting evidence rather than merely increasing their attention to this evidence. These documentation effects persist to improve auditors’ evaluations of the biased estimate. Thus, focusing auditors on documenting evidence inconsistent with their preferred conclusion improves audit quality in an important and difficult area.
Episodic effects on picture identification: implications for theories of concept learning and theories of memory.

The effects of differences in study processing on free recall of picture names and on generalization in picture identification were investigated. Experience with degraded pictures produced poorer subsequent free recall of picture names than did naming intact pictures. For the test of picture identification, pictures that were identical to a studied picture, pictures that shared a name with a studied picture (same name), and new test pictures were presented, and the amount of clarification required to identify a picture was measured. Experience with degraded pictures produced better subsequent identification of identical test pictures but poorer later identification of same-name test pictures than did naming intact pictures. The importance of these episodic effects for theories of concept learning and theories of memory is discussed. It is argued that distinctions between memory systems (e.g., episodic-semantic) must be couched in terms of a theory of concept learning and that the data are inconsistent with a simple distinction.
Systolic Compression of a Myocardial Bridged Coronary Artery and its Morphologic Characteristics: A Combination Study of Computed Tomography Angiography and Invasive Angiography

Background Myocardial bridging (MB) is a congenital anomaly in which a segment of a major epicardial coronary artery courses through the myocardium. This anomaly can lead to myocardial ischemia, arrhythmia, and even death. The effectiveness of coronary computed tomographic angiography (CCTA) in the detection of MB and its morphological features, and the accuracy of invasive coronary angiography (ICA) in the evaluation of systolic compression have been shown in some prior studies. Objectives The present study aimed to evaluate the correlation between the depth and the length of MB as determined using CCTA, and the degree of luminal narrowing of the involved tunneled segment as calculated using the ICA. Patients and Methods For this study, 109 consecutive patients diagnosed with myocardial bridging using CCTA, and who had already undergone ICA, were studied. The depth and length of the MB was determined in the CCTA, while the degree of systolic compression was calculated in the ICA. The correlation between the depth and length of the MB and the systolic compression were then evaluated. Results The degree of systolic compression was found to be correlated with the depth of the MB. However, there was no correlation between the length of the MB and the degree of systolic compression. Conclusion The systolic compression of the MB was influenced by the depth of the tunneled segment, not by its length.
How Expert Advice Influences Decision Making

People often use expert advice when making decisions in our society, but how we are influenced by this advice has yet to be understood. To address this, using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we provided expert and novice advice to participants during an estimation task. Participants reported that they valued expert advice more than novice advice, and activity in the ventral striatum correlated with this valuation, even before decisions with the advice were made. When using advice, participants compared their initial opinion to their advisor’s opinion. This comparison, termed the “opinion difference”, influenced advice utilization and was represented in reward-sensitive brain regions. Finally, the left lateral orbitofrontal cortex integrated both the size of the opinion difference and the advisor’s level of expertise, and average activity in this area correlated with mean advice utilization across participants. Taken together, these findings provide neural evidence for how advice engenders behavioral change during the decision-making process.
Adolescents’ experiences with democracy and collective decision-making in everyday life

Formal schooling, family and associational life are expected to enable adolescents to develop democratic attitudes. However, much remains unknown about how young people perceive these settings for developing such attitudes, and whether this perception differs for students in different educational tracks. This interview study of Dutch adolescents aims to gain insights into adolescents’ perspectives towards experiences of democratic decision-making. The results show that the opportunities for young people to be involved in collective decision-making and to gain democratic experiences are rather limited in schools and in associational life. This holds for students from both higher and lower educational tracks.
Scaling invariance in finance II: Path-dependent contingent claims

This article is the second one in a series on the use of scaling invariance in finance. In the first article [HN99a], we introduced a new formalism for the pricing of derivative securities, which focusses on tradable objects only, and which completely avoids the use of martingale techniques. In this article we show the use of the formalism in the context of path-dependent options. We derive compact and intuitive formulae for the prices of a whole range of well known options such as arithmetic and geometric average options, barriers, rebates and lookback options. Some of these have not appeared in the literature before. For example, we find rather elegant formulae for double barrier options with moving barriers, continuous dividends and all possible configurations of the barriers. The strength of the formalism reveals itself in the ease with which these prices can be derived. This allowed us to pinpoint some mistakes regarding geometric mean options, which frequently appear in the literature. Furthermore, symmetries such as put-call transformations appear in a natural way within the framework.
On the Power of Las Vegas for One-way Communication Complexity, Finite Automata, and Polynomial-time Computations

The study of the computational power of randomized computations is one of the central tasks of complexity theory. The main goal of this paper is the comparison of the power of Las Vegas computation and deterministic respectively nondeterministic computation. We investigate the power of Las Vegas computation for the complexity measures of one-way communication, nite automata and polynomial-time relativized Turing machine computation. (i) For the one-way communication complexity of two-party protocols we show that Las Vegas communication can save at most one half of the deterministic one-way communication complexity. We also present a language for which this gap is tight. (ii) For the size (i.e., the number of states) of nite automata we show that the size of Las Vegas nite automata recognizing a language L is at least the root of the size of the minimal deterministic nite automaton recognizing L. Using a speci c language we verify the optimality of this lower bound. Note, that this result establishes for the rst time an at most polynomial gap between Las Vegas and determinism for a uniform computing model. (iii) For relativized polynomial computations we show that Las Vegas can be even more powerful than nondeterminism with a polynomial restriction on the number of nondeterministic guesses. On the other hand superlogarithmic many advice bits in nondeterministic computations can be more powerful than Las Vegas (even Monte Carlo) computations in a relativized word.
The Effect of Path and Beginning Time of Ascending on Incidence of Acute Mountain Sickness around Mount Damavand in Iran (5671 m)

Background. This study was designed to evaluate the incidence of acute mountain sickness (AMS) occurring on different climbing routes on Mount Damavand and the effect of beginning time of ascent in Iranian trekkers. Methods. This study was a descriptive cohort investigation, performed in summer 2007. All trekkers who ascended Mount Damavand from northern, western, eastern, and southern paths and passed 4200 m altitude were included in the study. Two questionnaires were completed for each trekker (personal information and Lake Louise score questionnaire). Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to explore the independent predicting variables for AMS. Results. Overall incidence rate of AMS was 53.6%. This rate was the highest in south route (61.5%) (P < 0.001). There was no difference in the incidence of AMS on other paths. AMS history, AMS history on Damavand, the beginning time of climbing, sleeping at 4200 m altitude, and home altitude had significant effect on AMS incidence, but by multiple logistic regression analysis south route and AMS history on Mount Damavand had positive effect on incidence of AMS (P = 0.019 and P < 0.001). Conclusion. The path and the beginning time of ascent can affect incidence of AMS. The risk of occurrence of AMS was 1.9 times as large for trekkers who ascended from southern route.
Quantum transport in a multiwalled carbon nanotube.

We report on electrical resistance measurements of an individual carbon nanotube down to a temperature T = 20 mK. The conductance exhibits a lnT dependence and saturates at low temperature. A magnetic field applied perpendicular to the tube axis increases the conductance and produces aperiodic fluctuations. The data find a global and coherent interpretation in terms of two-dimensional weak localization and universal conductance fluctuations in mesoscopic conductors. The dimensionality of the electronic system is discussed in terms of the peculiar structure of carbon nanotubes.
Tracing pathways to higher education for refugees: the role of virtual support networks and mobile phones for women in refugee camps

ABSTRACT In this paper, we explore the role of online social networks in the cultivation of pathways to higher education for refugees, particularly for women. We compare supports garnered in local and offline settings to those accrued through online social networks and examine the differences between women and men. The paper draws on complementary original data sources, including an online survey of the Somali Diaspora (n = 248) and in-depth interviews (n = 21) with Somali refugees who do or have lived in the Dadaab refugee camps of Kenya. We find an important interplay of local and global interactions, mediated by mobile technology, that participants identify as critical to their access to higher education. Our analysis relates these interactions to shifting social norms and possibilities for refugee women’s education. Our findings directly address the use of information and communication technology in expanding opportunities for higher education for women in refugee camps.
Leader-member exchange and attitudes:a theoretical and empirical integration

The central proposition of this thesis is that there are key benefits to examining leadership perceptions as an attitude towards the leader. In particular, it is argued that doing so can provide an enhanced understanding of leadership perceptions and therefore advance theory in this area. To provide empirical support for this theoretcial integration, the current research focused on one of the most popular leadership theories, leader-member exchange (LMX), and demonstrated how the concept of attitude strength could advance understanding of how and when LMX influenced employee job performance. Although the measurement of LMX requires employees to provide a cognitive evaluation of their relationship with their leader, previous research has, to date, not considered this evaluation to be an attitude. This thesis provides a justification for doing so and develops two novel constructs: LMX importance and LMX ambivalence. Both of these variables are argued to represent previously unconsidered facets of the LMX relationship, which, according to attitude theory, provide a more multifaceted understanding of leadership perceptions than previously envisaged. Such an understanding can provide a more detailed understanding of how such perceptions influence outcomes. Two studies provided an empirical test of the above reasoning. Study 1, a longitudinal field study, demonstrated initial support for many of the hypotheses. LMX amivalence was shown to lead to poorer task performance and organisational citizenship behaviour, mediated by the experience of negative affect. Evidence was also found for the moderating effect of LMX importance, although felt obligations was not found to mediate this moderated effect. While Study 1 used project groups as its participants, Study 2 provided a first test of the construct in an organisational setting; with three companies proving data. Again, strong support was found for the negative effects of LMX ambivalence on employee outcomes, with evidence also found for the role of perceived organisational support in mitigating these negative effects. Support was also found for the moderated mediation hypothesis related to LMX importance, although this was only found in the largest organisation sample. Some of the main theoretical and methodological implications of viewing leadership perceptions as attitudes to the wider leadership area were discussed. The cross-fertilisation of research from the attitudes literature to understanding leadership perceptions provides new insights into leadership processes and potential avenues for further research.
Genome-Wide Genetic Diversity and Differentially Selected Regions among Suffolk, Rambouillet, Columbia, Polypay, and Targhee Sheep

Sheep are among the major economically important livestock species worldwide because the animals produce milk, wool, skin, and meat. In the present study, the Illumina OvineSNP50 BeadChip was used to investigate genetic diversity and genome selection among Suffolk, Rambouillet, Columbia, Polypay, and Targhee sheep breeds from the United States. After quality-control filtering of SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms), we used 48,026 SNPs, including 46,850 SNPs on autosomes that were in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium and 1,176 SNPs on chromosome × for analysis. Phylogenetic analysis based on all 46,850 SNPs clearly separated Suffolk from Rambouillet, Columbia, Polypay, and Targhee, which was not surprising as Rambouillet contributed to the synthesis of the later three breeds. Based on pair-wise estimates of F ST, significant genetic differentiation appeared between Suffolk and Rambouillet (F ST = 0.1621), while Rambouillet and Targhee had the closest relationship (F ST = 0.0681). A scan of the genome revealed 45 and 41 differentially selected regions (DSRs) between Suffolk and Rambouillet and among Rambouillet-related breed populations, respectively. Our data indicated that regions 13 and 24 between Suffolk and Rambouillet might be good candidates for evaluating breed differences. Furthermore, ovine genome v3.1 assembly was used as reference to link functionally known homologous genes to economically important traits covered by these differentially selected regions. In brief, our present study provides a comprehensive genome-wide view on within- and between-breed genetic differentiation, biodiversity, and evolution among Suffolk, Rambouillet, Columbia, Polypay, and Targhee sheep breeds. These results may provide new guidance for the synthesis of new breeds with different breeding objectives.
Enteral nutrition discontinuation and outcomes in general critically ill patients

OBJECTIVE: To determine the relationship between enteral nutrition discontinuation and outcome in general critically ill patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: All patients admitted to a mixed intensive care unit in a tertiary care hospital from May-August 2009 were screened for an indication for enteral nutrition. Patients were followed up until leaving the intensive care unit or a maximum of 28 days. The gastrointestinal failure score was calculated daily by adding values of 0 if the enteral nutrition received was identical to the nutrition prescribed, 1 if the enteral nutrition received was at least 75% of that prescribed, 2 if the enteral nutrition received was between 50-75% of that prescribed, 3 if the enteral nutrition received was between 50-25% of that prescribed, and 4 if the enteral nutrition received was less than 25% of that prescribed. RESULTS: The mean, worst, and categorical gastrointestinal failure scores were associated with lower survival in these patients. Age, categorical gastrointestinal failure score, type of admission, need for mechanical ventilation, sequential organ failure assessment, and Acute Physiologic and Chronic Health Evaluation II scores were selected for analysis with binary regression. In both models, the categorical gastrointestinal failure score was related to mortality. CONCLUSION: The determination of the difference between prescribed and received enteral nutrition seemed to be a useful prognostic marker and is feasible to be incorporated into a gastrointestinal failure score.
Post- secondary academic self-limitation of rural high school students in northeast Georgia

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe the phenomenon of academic postsecondary self-limitation of rural high school students in northeast Georgia. The theory guiding this study was based upon self-determination theory, as described by Deci and Ryan (2008). Most high school students must make a decision as to whether or not they continue their education into the post-secondary years. This transcendental phenomenological study examined post-secondary academic self-limitation of high school students in rural, northeast Georgia. This type of phenomenology suggests that the whole of human experience is descriptive and leads to absolute knowledge (Moustakas, 1994). This approach was appropriate because the researcher sought to describe how the identified phenomenon manifested itself in the lives of the subjects. The participants were purposefully selected to ensure that all research participants experience the phenomenon (see Appendix A). Therefore, the participants were students who had chosen not to pursue post-secondary education even though they may have had the academic and financial ability to do so. The participants were surveyed, individually interviewed, and interviewed in a focus group setting in an attempt to determine the essence of the phenomenon. The data were analyzed using methods such as phenomenological reduction, systemic coding, horizonalization, and thick descriptions, all considered appropriate for this qualitative study. The results supported major elements of self-determination theory, and suggested a strong link between the effects of parental values and support, and a student's values and motivational growth. The results of this study may be used to develop programs that will assist in decreasing the incidence of academic self-limitation among this population.