Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Learning to attend : visually detecting objects using primitive properties

Our perception is finite limited by both sensory capacity and the ability to interpret stimulation. Therefore, in order that an environment may be best understood there is a need to be selective in how resources, both computational and sensory, are deployed; this selective mechanism is often termed attention. In this thesis a model of visual attention is described which may be specialised to detect targets of interest. Specifically, we explore how a target's signal may be differentiated from other stimulation in a visual input through developing knowledge of its expected appearance with respect to a basic set of features. A key question which we address is: how the separate sources of information provided by the processing of each feature type may be best be combined to provide a map of target saliency across a scene. This saliency index is then used to guide the deployment of attention. Results show an improvement in targeting efficiency of nearly 50% when compared to a similar model of attention which does not exploit target specific information. Further, we also report favourable results when comparing the performance of our approach to other detection strategies reported within the computer vision literature.
Gifted Culturally Linguistically Diverse Learners: A School-Based Exploration

The purpose of this case study was to explore educators’ perceptions of characteristics, needs, and practices relating to gifted culturally linguistically diverse learners. The research questions guiding the study included the following: What are educators’ perceptions of the characteristics, needs, and practices related to gifted culturally linguistically diverse learners? How do educators describe gifted culturally linguistically diverse learners? How do educators describe their understanding of culturally responsive teaching as it relates to diverse gifted learners? What are schoolbased practices for gifted culturally linguistically diverse learners that support or hinder learning? This study focused on an elementary school within Colorado. Seventeen educators (administrators and teachers) voluntarily participated in the study. One 30 minute semi-structured interview as well as one 60 minute classroom observation was conducted at the research site. The classroom observation tool was developed using culturally responsive pedagogical tenets (Gay, 2014) as well as gifted multicultural competencies (Ford and Trotman, 2001). Artifacts were also collected. Using the frameworks of Critical Race Theory and Constructivism as a guide, data was analyzed and coded to determine emerging themes. Results showed educators had positive perceptions of gifted culturally linguistically diverse learners; however, the practices related to gifted culturally iii linguistically diverse learners were inconsistent and showed differences between espoused theory and actual practice (Fullan, 2006; Argyris, 2000). The author proposes a new theoretical framework, GiftedCritTM to examine gifted education. Lastly, a conceptual model is proposed highlighting the intersection of culturally responsive pedagogy and multicultural gifted competencies through which to view gifted
Performance analysis of a particle swarm optimization algorithm to solve multiobjective optimization problems

The interest in multiobjective optimization algorithms has grown in recent years due to its applicability in problems from several areas, especially those from engineering. In general, the objectives considered in these problems are conﬂicting and a Pareto Front curve composed by the non-dominated solutions is searched as the expected solution. In the context of evolutionary computation there are many of algorithms applied to this type of problem, such as genetic algorithms, differential evolution, and particle swarm. In addition, multiobjective problems may present constraints turning them more complex, and requiring effective strategies that can direct the search for solutions that are in the feasible search space. This paper aims to evaluate the ability of a multiobjective optimization algorithm, called Multiobjective Craziness based Particle Swarm Optimization (MOCRPSO) in a set of unconstrained and constrained benchmark functions. An Adaptive Penalty Method (APM), which has been successfully applied to solving mono and multiobjective optimization problems, is used to handle the constraints. The results found by MOCRPSO illustrate the efﬁciency of the algorithm when compared to the results found in the literature.
Analisis Muatan Nilai-Nilai Karakter pada Buku Siswa Kelas IV Sekolah Dasar Tema Indahnya Kebersamaan

Abstrak: Penelitian ini untuk menganalisis nilai karakter dalam buku siswa tema indahnya kebersamaan kelas IV SD yang di dalamnya mencakup (1) religius, (2) jujur, (3) disiplin, (4) santun, (5) percaya diri, (6) peduli, dan (7) tanggung jawab. Penelitian ini menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif dengan instrumen berupa lembar perekam data. Sumber data penelitian ini berupa buku tema “Indahnya Kebersamaan di Kelas V SD”. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa pengembangan nilai karakter religius, percaya diri dan peduli sudah dilakukan dengan cukup baik. Sementara itu, nilai karakter jujur, disiplin, santun, dan tanggung jawab masih perlu dikembangkan. Disarankan bagi peneliti selanjutnya untuk menganalisis muatan nilai-nilai karakter pada tema-tema yang lain sehingga nilai-nilai karakter yang dikembangkan dapat teridentifikasi secara dengan jelas sesuai dengan nilai-nilai karakter yang dikembangkan. Kata kunci: nilai-nilai karakter, buku siswa SD, dan tematik terpadu.
The Effects of Person-Job Fit on Employee Engagement Among Lecturers in Higher Education Institutions: Is There a Difference Between Lecturers in Public and Private Higher Education Institutions?

The suitability between task/job characteristics and individual ability to perform tasks will strengthen the human resource engagement to their work. At higher education institutions, the person-job fit plays an important role. This study aims to examine the effects of person-job fit on employee engagement among lectures at higher education institutions and to find out whether there are significant differences regarding person-job fit and employee engagement between public higher education lecturers and private higher education lecturers. The populations in this study were all lecturers of higher education institutions in the Province of West Kalimantan, Indonesia, amounting to 2,686 people. The number of research samples was 160, with the composition of 80 public higher education lecturers and 80 private higher education lecturers. The hypothesis test used was linear regression and t-test. Based on the results of regression test, it can be concluded that there is an effect of person-job fit on employee engagement. From the result of T test, it can be concluded that there are significant differences in person-job fit and employee engagement between public higher education lecturers and private higher education lecturers.
The Psychopath's Worldview: How Psychopathy Affects Attitudes Towards Others

Psychopathy has been related to overall negative perceptions of others in past research, but the reason for these negative attitudes is unclear. The current study investigated the relationship between psychopathy and attitudes toward others and attempted to explain these negative attitudes by testing empathy and early maladaptive schemas as mediators and social dominance orientation as a moderator for this relationship. There were 191 participants in the current study; participants first read a short story and took a scale assessing attitudes toward the characters; then, they completed the Interpersonal Reactivity Index, the SDO7, the Young Schema Questionnaire-SF, and the Levenson Self-Report Psychopathy Scale, in that order. Psychopathy was significantly negatively related to empathy and attitudes toward the characters and significantly positively related to social dominance orientation and early maladaptive schemas. Both empathy and early maladaptive schemas partially mediated the relationship between psychopathy and attitudes toward others. These results help to clarify some of the questions surrounding the interpersonal functioning of individuals high in psychopathy and could potentially be used to help create interventions to address these interpersonal deficiencies.
Assessing the Impact of Unilateral Trade Policies Eba and Agoa on African Beneficiaries' Exports Using Matching Econometrics

The existing literature studying the impact of non&#8208;reciprocal preferential trade agreements (NRPTAs) assumes implicitly NRPTAs are non&#8208;randomly assigned without showing the evidence of that. Using a matching methodology, this paper investigates whether the &#8220;African Growth and Opportunity Act&#8221; (AGOA) and the &#8220;Everything But Arms&#8221; (EBA) unilateral trade concessions have had an impact, and in what magnitude, on the exports of African beneficiary countries in the light of the evidence of the non&#8208;random nature (endogeneity) of NRPTAs. Methodologically, previous studies using the matching procedure focused on bi or multilateral trade agreements. Our work focuses on NRPTAs that depend only on donors' conditions. Accordingly, we show that for NRPTAs, gravity covariates cannot be used for the matching procedure. We propose to use political variables as determinants for obtaining non&#8208;reciprocal trade preferences in order to address the endogenous nature of NRPTA assignment. Our main results confirm that a country becomes eligible for a NRPTA only when it meets certain conditions, defined by their donors, such as political stability and economic regulation (for AGOA), and freedom of expression and human development (for EBA). Results also show that both AGOA and EBA policies have had a positive impact on African beneficiary countries' exports to NRPTA's providers, even if the magnitude impact of EBA is significantly lower than that of AGOA.
A high-precision and highly accurate sub-pixel motion estimator for high compression efficiency HDTV video coding in MPEG4/H.264 for next generation multimedia and wireless applications

Despite increased complexity sub-pixel motion estimation and compensation significantly outperforms integer motion estimation and compensation in MPEG4/H.264 Video Codec’s, since moving objects do not necessarily move by integer pixel locations between successive video frames. Typically, fractional pixel accuracy is obtained by means of bilinear interpolation producing a spatially blurred predicted signal. The motion estimation and compensation is improved in this paper by means of the filtering effect using a very effective spatial digital low pass FIR filter, which allows the motion vectors to be determined with higher levels of precision and accuracy than existing algorithmic implementations. The fractional pixel accuracy was achieved using a total of 112 8-tap digital FIR filter for one-eighth pixel precision, which includes half and quarter pixel accuracy. The design has been implemented on a 28 nm TSMC process, with a speed of 1.101 GHz and it has achieved 2262 GOPS at this speed, outputting data at the rate of 1.8 Tera bits per second, for one-eighth pixel accuracy. Computational complexity, Memory & I/O Bandwidth has been reduced by inputting the Mean Square Error Map of the pixels to the Fractional Pixel Estimator and then searching in the sub-pixel grid.
Model free subspace based H∞ control

Plant knowledge is essential to the development of feedback control laws for dynamic systems. In cases where the plant is difficult or expensive to model from first principles, experimental data are often used to obtain plant knowledge. There are two major approaches for incorporating experimental data in control design: model identification/model based control design and model free (direct) control design. This work addresses the direct control design problem. In particular, this paper exploits subspace prediction methods to develop a novel 7-1, direct control design technique. A single integrated algorithm computes the central Z,-optimal controller and provides an estimate of the closed loop performance. The 7-1, design technique is experimentally demonstrated on a flexible mechanical system. The model free technique performs well when compared against an ideal simulation. The technique dramatically outperforms a model based 7-1, controller.
Feminist gender wars : the reception of the concept of gender in Brazil (1980s-1990s) and the global dynamics of production and circulation of knowledge

Nowadays, the word "gender" is easily understood and recognized in the fields of Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH). “Gender Studies” is frequently seen as a legitimate area of studies, and it is recognized for its specific objects and approach. But the process through which Gender became a largely spread and accepted concept (and, more than that, the dominant way of analyzing a specific dimension of social life) happened by the end of the 20 century. This thesis intends to contribute to a sociological approach to such phenomenon, articulating it with other social processes which interacted to produce it, in the intersection (or, rather, interstice) of the scientific and political fields. The goal is to contribute to a broader understanding of knowledge production and circulation, through the specific case of the concept of Gender, in the specific context of its reception in Brazil, during the specific time of the 1980s and 1990s. The Brazilian case forces us to look at the space of knowledge production as complex global system where power isn’t either equally, steadily or permanently distributed, once we’re dealing with a country in a non-dominant position in such system. The Bourdieusian concept of field has guided the research, for providing a non-deterministic and sufficiently complex approach while highlighting the systemic (relational and positional) aspect of the object. The core methodology used was the prosopographical approach of a group of 35 researchers identified as key agents in the reception of the concept of Gender in Brazil. The sources consisted mainly in already published books, papers and documents.
A comparative study on domestic and foreign equity funds in Indonesia

The aim of this study is to analyze and compare the performance between domestic and foreign equity funds in Indonesia seen from the Treynor index, market timing, and stock selection ability. The population of this study is all equity funds registered in OJK (Financial Services Authority) in Indonesia, with a sample of 38 domestic equity funds and 25 foreign equity funds during the 2016-2018 period. The samples were collected by using a nonprobability sampling method with a purposive sampling technique. Data were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U test. The results of this study show that the performance of foreign equity funds is better than the domestic equity funds seen from the Treynor index. The market timing ability of foreign equity funds is better than domestic equity funds. The stock selection ability of domestic equity funds is better than foreign equity funds. The practical implication of this study for investors and capital market players is to provide empirical evidence that there is a significant difference between the domestic and foreign equity funds performance in Indonesia, that can be considered in investment strategies. For investment companies that manage equity funds can be a reference to performance improvement, especially for negative performance.
Italian validation of the Jarel Spiritual Well-Being Scale

ABSTRACT Spiritual well-being is a multidimensional construct that includes both existential and religious dimensions. It is associated with several indicators of well-being, as self-esteem and assertiveness. The study presents the adaptation of the Jarel Spiritual Well-Being Scale to the Italian context. The participants are 531 Italian adults. The survey includes: Hope State Scale, Adult Hope Scale, General Self-Efficacy Scale, Vision about Future Scale, and Satisfaction with Life Scale. The measures selected aim to verify the external validity of the Jarel Spiritual Well-Being Scale. Data analysis shows good psychometric properties of the Jarel Spiritual Well-Being Scale: the good external validity is confirmed by the significant correlations with the other measures, while the confirmatory factor analysis highlights some differences in the structure of the scale respect to the original version, probably due to cultural differences among US and Italian samples, that required a new factorial solution for the Italian version of the scale.
The messy history of OB&D: how three strands came to be seen as one rope

The George Washington University organizational behavior students have been privileged to learn from professors who were students of three different founders of the field. The three strands discussed here are Roethlisberger and the Harvard Business School, Kurt Lewin and NTL, and Herzberg. This learning experience is very different from introductory textbooks, which give the impression that the field has made consistent, linear progress from the early days until today. The enriched experience includes a sense of the false starts, values conflicts, egos, lack of cross‐communication, and other dimensions of the human condition that played a role in the founding of OB&D. This article reviews the development of these strands and points out that, although there are similarities, they were working on different problems, using different data sources, with different units of analysis. The article concludes with a glimpse at how these three founders would view the field of OB&D today.
Integrating venturesomeness and consumption needs: effects on destination choice along the TALC

ABSTRACT This research studies destination choice based on Plog’s venturesomeness concept, incorporating the effects of four consumption needs from the theory of market choice behavior. An empirical test in the context of destinations in two stages of Butler’s tourism area life cycle (TALC) showed that venturesomeness does not predict behavioral intentions as postulated by Plog. However, results demonstrated that epistemic and emotional (functional and social) needs are predictors of preference for novel (mature) destinations, supporting the original conceptualization of Plog’s psychographic framework. The findings shed light on a long-time debated model in the tourism literature.
Just in time: Political policy cycles of land reform

While the political budget cycle literature focuses on the manipulation of existing policies, an analysis of the impact of the passage of redistributive policies themselves remains absent. I contend that policy passage is a strategically timed signal to voters used before elections to benefit the incumbent. Using aggregate data on land reforms in India from 1957 to 1992, I find that reforms are indeed timed before elections. Second, using historical survey data, I show that land issues remain a strong signal to Indian voters over time, even in states that have already enacted reforms. These findings provide evidence for political policy cycles.
Second Language Writing Instruction: Teaching Writing to English Language Learners

This article discusses the academic writing challenges and needs of English as second language (ESL) students. Specifically, it aims at in-depth understanding of the needs of ESL students in academic environments with regards to academic writing across the disciplines. It also elaborates on the role of genre study (theory) in helping ESL students overcome their challenges and meet the requirements of their academic disciplines. This article calls for the importance of understanding ESL student’ needs and challenges which can help in developing better instruction, dictate the curriculum, and provide a systematic support for these students to succeed and complete their degrees.
Coprolites from Rock Shelters: Hunter-Gatherers “Herding” Barbary Sheep in the Early Holocene Sahara

Archaeological deposits in rock shelters have enormous informative potential, particularly in arid environments where organic materials are well preserved. In these areas, sub-fossilized coprolites and dung remains have been identified as valuable proxies for inferences about past environments, subsistence economies and cultural trajectories. Here we present a multidisciplinary analysis of bovid (ovicaprine) coprolites collected from the Early Holocene hunter-gatherer occupation at Takarkori rock shelter (SW Libya, central Sahara). Our results show that Barbary sheep (Ammotragus lervia) were managed as early as ~9500 years cal BP, mostly with the rearing of juveniles. Palynological analysis of individual pellets suggests a seasonal confinement of the animals and the selection of fodder. GIS analysis of coprolite distribution also indicates sophisticated strategies of Barbary sheep “herding” and spatial differentiation of specialized areas within the rock shelter, including the construction and use of a stone-based enclosure for corralling animals. These highly structured and organized forms of control over wild animals are interpreted as a potential co-evolutionary trigger for the subsequent rapid adoption and integration of the incoming pastoral Neolithic economy.
Who is on LinkedIn? Self-selection into professional online networks

ABSTRACT We analyze a large data set of fully employed individuals gathered through incentive-compatible surveys to study who joins professional social network sites (SNS) such as LinkedIn. We test the conflicting predictions that a) individuals who are unsatisfied with their career status adversely select into professional SNS in order to reap marginal online network benefits vs. b) high status individuals positively select into these networks because they are more likely to receive invitations to join. Our tests support b) and reject a). Similar estimations for private SNS (e.g., Facebook) reveal that the observed effects are specific to professional SNS and hence not driven by unobserved differences in social capital or the affinity to use social media. We also detect that environments conducive of professional social interactions increase the likelihood to use professional SNS. Controlling for sample selection bias does not qualitatively change the results.