Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
About Me: A narrative analysis of self-presentation in women's online dating profiles

ABOUT ME: A NARRATIVE ANALYSIS OF SELF-PRESENTATION IN WOMEN’S ONLINE DATING PROFILES Emma Katherine Turner Advisor: University of Guelph, 2012 Professor L. M. Ashbourne This thesis investigated women’s self-presentation when seeking a romantic partner on an online dating site. Fifteen online dating profiles written by women, ages 25 to 29, seeking a male partner were collected and analyzed. Narrative analysis was used to study the profiles’ thematic content and structural form. From the thematic analysis, two stories emerged: the Single Woman Story and the Relationship Story. Within the Single Woman Story, there were four themes: Poetic and Philosophical, Idealistic, Independent, and Active. Within the Relationship Story, there were two main themes: Adventures of a New Life Stage, and Sharing a Life with Someone. From the structural analysis, a continuum was evident: at one end, women focused primarily on themselves (Who I Am) and at the other end, women primarily focused on a potential partner (Who You Are). The strengths and limitations of the study, along with implications of the results are discussed.
Relat ive Orientation from Extended Sequences of Sparse Point and Line Correspondences Using the Affine Trifocal Tensor

Abst rac t . This paper addresses the problem of computing three-dimensional structure and motion from an unknown rigid configuration of point and lines viewed by an affine projection model. An algebraic structure, analogous to the trilinear tensor for three perspective cameras, is defined for configurations of three centered affine cameras. This centered affine trifocal tensor contains 12 non-zero coefficients and involves linear relations between point correspondences and trilinear relations between line correspondences. It is shown how the affine trifocal tensor relates to the perspective trilinear tensor, and how three-dimensional motion can be computed from this tensor in a straightforward manner. A factorization approach is also developed to handle point features and line features simultaneously in image sequences. This theory is applied to a specific problem in human-computer interaction of capturing three-dimensional rotations from gestures of a human hand. Besides the obvious application, this test problem illustrates the usefulness of the affine trifocal tensor in a situation where sufficient information is not available to compute the perspective trilinear tensor, while the geometry requires point correspondences as well as line correspondences over at least three views.
Linguistic theory and second language acquisition: the Spanish nonnative grammar of English speakers

The use of linguistic theory as either a research paradigm or an explanatory framework for interlanguage research has been hot for the last several years. In this book we find a justification for this research, a review of linguistic theory as it relates to the author's investigation, hypotheses about markedness and interlanguage (nonnative grammars), and the presentation of research on relative clause use/acquisition by English speakers learning Spanish in a formal setting. Of interest to the reader is that the author might be considered a linguist first and a second language specialist second: "This book aims to contribute to linguistic theory [italics added] by investigating to what extent the theory of markedness as presented within the framework of the Extended Standard Theory plays a role in the projection of the Spanish nonnative grammar" (p. 3). In keeping with this spirit, the work is biased toward theory (the framework is developed in the first 100 pages), whereas empirical research is secondary (the next 74 pages), and the pedagogical implications are kept to three paragraphs (p. 166).
Grammar for English Language Teachers

Grammar for English Language Teachers provides invaluable support to teachers in training and those with more experience. As well as clearly explaining and illustrating the grammar, it examines difficulties learners often encounter, and provides help and advice in planning lessons. It explores the complexity of grammatical choices in an accessible way, and raises awareness of how these differ from the 'rules of thumb' often presented to learners. This edition contains new material which reflects the latest developments in linguistics and language teaching, including a chapter on 'Combining words', informed by lexico-grammar. It also includes insights and examples of language use from the Cambridge International Corpus. Increased cross-referencing and an extended index mean that the book can be easily used as a quick reference tool, as well as to explore major topics in depth. Winner of the Duke of Edinburgh English Language Award 2000 (first edition).
Digital outcrop mapping of a reservoir-scale incised valley fill, Sego Sandstone, Book Cliffs, Utah

Digital Outcrop Mapping of a Reservoir-scale Incised Valley Fill, Sego Sandstone, Book Cliffs, Utah. (August 2006) Matthew F. Fey, B.S., State University of New York at New Paltz Chair of Advisory Committee: Dr. Brian Willis Outcrop analog studies have long been used to define subsurface correlation strategies and improve predictions of reservoir heterogeneities that can complicate production behavior. Recent advancements in geographic information software, 3D geologic modeling techniques, and survey equipment have the potential to revolutionize outcrop analog studies. A workflow is developed to create digital outcrop models using a reflectorless total station, a digital camera, Erdas Photogrammetry ModuleTM, and GocadTM to document complex stratal variations across kilometers-long outcrops. Combining outcrop digital elevation models with orthorectified photographs and detailed sedimentologic logs provides a framework for static 3D reservoir analog models. Developed methodologies are demonstrated by mapping rock variations and stratal geometries within several kilometers-long, sub-parallel exposures of the Lower Sego Sandstone in San Arroyo Canyon, Book Cliffs, Utah. The digital outcrop model of the Lower Sego Sandstone documents complex bedding geometry and facies distribution within two sharp-based sandstone layers. A mapping of allostratigraphic surfaces through the digital outcrop model provided a framework in which to analyze facies variations. These surfaces included: 1) Basal erosion surfaces of
Learning Deep Visual Representations

Recent advancements in the areas of deep learning and visual information processing have presented an opportunity to unite both fields. These complementary fields combine to tackle the problem of classifying images into their semantic categories. Deep learning brings learning and representational capabilities to a visual processing model that is adapted for image classification. This thesis addresses problems that lead to the proposal of learning deep visual representations for image classification. The problem of deep learning is tackled on two fronts. The first aspect is the problem of unsupervised learning of latent representations from input data. The main focus is the integration of prior knowledge into the learning of restricted Boltzmann machines (RBM) through regularization. Regularizers are proposed to induce sparsity, selectivity and topographic organization in the coding to improve discrimination and invariance. The second direction introduces the notion of gradually transiting from unsupervised layer-wise learning to supervised deep learning. This is done through the integration of bottom-up information with top-down signals. Two novel implementations supporting this notion are explored. The first method uses top-down regularization to train a deep network of RBMs. The second method combines predictive and reconstructive loss functions to optimize a stack of encoder-decoder networks. The proposed deep learning techniques are applied to tackle the image classification problem. The bag-of-words model is adopted due to its strengths in image modeling through the use of local image descriptors and spatial pooling schemes. Deep learning with spatial aggregation is used to learn a hierarchical visual dictionary for encoding the image descriptors into mid-level representations. This method achieves leading image classification performances for object and scene images. The learned dictionaries are diverse and non-redundant. The speed of inference is also high. From this, a further optimization is performed for the subsequent pooling step. This is done by introducing a differentiable pooling parameterization and applying the error backpropagation algorithm. This thesis represents one of the first attempts to synthesize deep learning and the bag-of-words model. This union results in many challenging research problems, leaving much room for further study in this area.
Towards a cross-linguistic assessment of speech production

The contributions to this volume by H.W. Dechert, A.K. Fathman, F. Grosjean, D.C. O'Connell, M. Raupach, K. Sajavaara/J. Lehtonen, H.W. Seliger and R. Wiese all deal with speech data from native speakers of different languages, or native speakers and language learners of the same language, or speakers in their native and their second languages. They are the results of various methodological attempts to assess speech using a cross-linguistic approach and represent an area of research which may be called Contrastive Psycholinguistics.
Impact of clicker technology in a mathematics course

This article reports on the implementation of clickers to improve the success rate of first-year mathematics students. There were 105 students registered in this course, in a university of technology in South Africa. In order to do this, an orientation test in the form of a paper-based assessment was first conducted to determine what students already knew. About 21.9% of the students did not take the test and 20% did not pass it. These results raised concerned. Thereafter students were taught. After four weeks they were evaluated on their understanding of the concept taught in class. Results did not improve much, as 48.6% of the students did not pass the test. Therefore, a technology-engagement teaching strategy (TETS) using clicker technology was developed and implemented in order to improve the pass rate. Weekly continuous assessments or diagnostic tests were conducted in order to establish the changes in students’ academic performance. A survey questionnaire was administered after the teaching and learning of incorporating clickers. This questionnaire also examined students’ perspective on the usefulness of clickers in teaching and learning. The results showed that the effective implementation of clickers with the integration of a TETS improved students’ success rate. https://doi.org/10.34105/j.kmel. 2012.04. 023
Meaningful Games: Exploring Language with Game Theory

In Meaningful Games, Robin Clark explains in an accessible manner the usefulness of game theory in thinking about a wide range of issues in linguistics. Clark argues that we use grammar strategically to signal our intended meanings: our choices as speaker are conditioned by what choices the hearer will make interpreting what we say. Game theory -- according to which the outcome of a decision depends on the choices of others -- provides a formal system that allows us to develop theories about the kind of decision making that is crucial to understanding linguistic behavior. Clark argues the only way to understand meaning is to grapple with its social nature -- that it is the social that gives content to our mental lives. Game theory gives us a framework for working out these ideas. The resulting theory of use will allow us to account for many aspects of linguistic meaning, and the grammar itself can be simplified. The results are nevertheless precise and subject to empirical testing. Meaningful Games offers an engaging and accessible introduction to game theory and the study of linguistic meaning. No knowledge of mathematics beyond simple algebra is required; formal definitions appear in special boxes outside the main text. The book includes an extended argument in favor of the social basis of meaning; a brief introduction to game theory, with a focus on coordination games and cooperation; discussions of common knowledge and games of partial information; models of games for pronouns and politeness; and the development of a system of social coordination of reference.
Musical expectation modelling from audio : a causal mid-level approach to predictive representation and learning of spectro-temporal events

We develop in this thesis a computational model of music expectation, which may be one of the most important aspects in music listening. Many phenomenons related to music listening such as preference, surprise or emo- tions are linked to the anticipatory behaviour of listeners. In this thesis, we concentrate on a statistical account to music expectation, by modelling the processes of learning and predicting spectro-temporal regularities in a causal fashion.The principle of statistical modelling of expectation can be applied to several music representations, from symbolic notation to audio signals. We first show that computational learning architectures can be used and evaluated to account behavioral data concerning auditory perception and learning. We then propose a what/when representation of musical events which enables to sequentially describe and learn the structure of acoustic units in musical audio signals.The proposed representation is applied to describe and anticipate timbre features and musical rhythms. We suggest ways to exploit the properties of the expectation model in music analysis tasks such as structural segmentation. We finally explore the implications of our model for interactive music applications in the context of real-time transcription, concatenative synthesis, and visualization.
INFLUENCE OF LEARNING PREFERENCE ON SELF-EFFICACY AND PERFORMANCE IN MIXED-MODALITY FIRST-YEAR ENGINEERING DESIGN

All students have preferences for the way they receive and distribute information when the objective is learning. These preferences can be shown to have an effect on self-efficacy and on performance. The relationships between learning preference, self-efficacy and performance were studied using survey and grade data obtained from a first-year Engineering Design and Graphics course. The students were placed in one of three groups according to the modality (type) of design project they were given; a Simulation-Based project (SIM) using a software simulation tool, a Prototyping project (PRT) using a 3D printer, or a Simulation and Prototyping project (SAP) where they had to complete a design using both tools. Participants were given a custom survey that assessed self-efficacy and the VARK learning styles inventory which assesses learners on Visual, Aural, Read / Write and Kinesthetic learning preferences. 97 students were surveyed representing a response rate of 22.6%. Student performance was assessed by examining scores on a subset of questions related to design visualization on the final examination for the course. Data analysis involved examining the correlation between learning style and self-efficacy, and scores on final examination for each of the three course modality groups. Findings from this study include higher performance for Kinesthetic learners assigned a simulation-based project and low performance for Read/Write learners with a prototyping project. This study supports the hypothesis that student performance may depend on learning preferences coupled with design project modality.
A Spiking Neural Model of Episodic Memory Encoding and Replay in Hippocampus

As we experience life, we are constantly creating new memories, and the hippocampus plays an important role in the formation and recall of these episodic memories. This thesis begins by describing the neural mechanisms that make the hippocampus ideally suited for memory formation, consolidation and recall. We then describe a biologically plausible spiking-neuron model of the hippocampus’ role in episodic memory. The model includes a mechanism for generating temporal indexing vectors, for associating these indices with experience vectors to form episodes, and for replaying the original experience vectors in sequence when prompted. The model also associates these episodes with context vectors using synaptic plasticity, such that it is able to retrieve an episodic memory associated with a given context and replay it, even after long periods of time. We demonstrate the model’s ability to experience sequences of sensory information in the form of semantic pointer vectors and replay the same sequences later, comparing the results to experimental data. In particular, the model runs a T-maze experiment in which a simulated rat is forced to choose between left or right at a decision point, during which the neural firing patterns of the model’s place cells closely match those found in real rats performing the same task. We demonstrate that the model is robust to both spatial and non-spatial data, since the vector representation of the input data remains the same in either case. To our knowledge, this is the first spiking neural hippocampal model that can encode and recall sequences of both spatial and non-spatial data, while exhibiting temporal and spatial selectivity at a neural level.
Vowels and Consonants

This popular introduction to phonetics describes how languages use a variety of different sounds, many of them quite unlike any that occur in well-known languages. Peter Ladefoged rightly earned his reputation as one of the world’s leading linguists, and students benefitted from his accessible writing and skill in communicating ideas. The third edition of his engaging introduction to phonetics has now been fully updated to reflect the latest trends in the field. It retains Peter Ladefoged’s expert writing and knowledge, and combines them with Sandra Ferrari Disner’s essential updates on topics including speech technology.
Working Paper 09 / 05 Time to Build Capital : Revisiting Investment-Cashflow Sensitivities

Is cash flow important in explaining investment dynamics? A large body of empirical work argues that it is. This finding is further taken as evidence of capital market imperfections. We argue that time-to-build for capital projects creates an investment cash flow sensitivity as found in empirical studies that may not be indicative of capital market frictions. We demonstrate this using a perfect capital markets model with firms that make investment decisions in capital projects indexed by the length of the time-to-build. We show that the typical (empirical) investment regression with q and cash flow is ridden with specification error under time-to-build investment. This error is due to an omitted right hand side state variable (current expenditure on existing capital projects) that fully describes optimal investment along with marginal q and is strongly correlated with cash flow. In addition, time aggregation error can give rise to cash flow effects independently of the time-to-build effect. Importantly, both errors arise independently of potential measurement error in q. JEL classification: D21; E22; E32; G31.
Namkee Park skills deficit hypothesis Mobile voice communication and loneliness : Cell phone use and the social

This study developed a research model of mobile voice communication on the basis of the social skills deficit hypothesis. In the model, poor social skills were related to less face-to-face and mobile voice communication, which was linked to greater loneliness. Structural equation modeling analyses of survey responses from 374 adults supported the social skills deficit hypothesis in that poor social skills were related to less involvement in face-to-face communication and greater loneliness. Also, as expected, more face-to-face interactions were associated with lower levels of loneliness; however, more cell phone calling was associated with greater loneliness. Additional regression analyses revealed that the positive relationship between mobile voice communication and loneliness was more pronounced for those who have more friends than those who have fewer friends.
VLSI Design for Video Coding: H.264/AVC Encoding from Standard Specification to Chip

High definition video requires substantial compression in order to be transmitted or stored economically. Advances in video coding standards from MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4 to H.264/AVC have provided ever increasing coding efficiency, at the expense of great computational complexity which can only be delivered through massively parallel processing. This book will present VLSI architectural design and chip implementation for high definition H.264/AVC video encoding, using a state-of-the-art video application, with complete VLSI prototype, via FPGA/ASIC. It will serve as an invaluable reference for anyone interested in VLSI design and high-level (EDA) synthesis for video.
Potential Guidelines for Conducting and Reporting Environmental Education Research: Qualitative methods of inquiry

This article presents guidelines for conducting and reporting qualitative EE research developed during a 10-hour (1-day) workshop sponsored by the North American Commission on Environmental Education Research during the 1997 annual meeting of the North American Association for Environmental Education. They represent the efforts of 30 EE practitioners, researchers, and scholars, and are offered in the spirit of academic and intellectual collaboration and cooperation. It is hoped that by sharing the efforts of the workshop participants with the much broader EE research community unable to participate in the workshop, opportunities for comment and, if necessary, revision of the guidelines will be maximized.
Crisis, Institutional Quality and Economic Growth

Even though there is an agreement on the relationship between institutional quality and economic growth, the re-designing of institutions due to balance of payments and debt crises in some countries in the last 30 years has brought about a discussion of effects of crises on economic growth through changes in institutional quality. This study investigates whether economic crises have an effect on economic growth through changes in institutional quality by employing the Mankiw, Romer and Weil model. Employing panel data methodologies for Argentina, Mexico, Brazil, Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia, South Korea and Turkey, this study finds that changes due to economic crisis in bureaucratic quality, socioeconomic conditions, investment profile, religious tensions and democratic accountability amount to significant variables and, except for religious tensions, they have positive effects on economic growth. Thus, economic crises do change the level of institutional quality and this change, in turn, positively affects economic growth.
Task-based Language Learning and Teaching

This book explores the relationship between research, teaching, and tasks, and seeks to clarify the issues raised by recent work in this field. The book shows how research and task-based teaching can mutually inform each other and illuminate the areas of task-based course design, methodology, and assessment. The author brings an accessible style and broad scope to an area of contemporary importance to both SLA and language pedagogy.
PREFERENCE FOR DOMESTIC GOODS: A STUDY OF CONSUMER ETHNOCENTRISM IN THE REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA

International trade has a significant role in the world economy. That is why it is a challenging task to understand the consumers’ minds, particularly when the consumption of imported products is regarded. This article attempts to explore Moldovan consumer ethnocentric tendencies. For attaining this goal, a self-administered questionnaire was delivered, using CETSCALE. There were obtained 113 complete and usable responses. The data from the study point out that the Moldovan consumers tend to be moderately ethnocentric. This tendency is distributed uniformly amongst socio-demographic groups selected for this research.