Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Social orienting in gaze-based interactions: Consequences of joint gaze

Abstract Jointly attending to a shared referent with other people is a social attention behaviour that occurs often and has many developmental and ongoing social impacts. This thesis focused on examining the online, as well as later emerging, impacts of being the gaze leader of joint attention, which has until recently been under-researched. A novel social orienting response that occurs after viewing averted gaze is reported, showing that a gaze leader will rapidly orient their attention towards a face that follows their gaze: the gaze leading effect. In developing the paradigm necessary for this illustration a number of boundary conditions were also outlined, which suggest the social context of the interaction is paramount to the observability of the gaze leading effect. For example, it appears that the gaze leading effect works in direct opposition to other social orienting phenomenon (e.g. gaze cueing), may be specific to eye-gaze stimuli, and is associated with self-reported autism-like traits. This orienting response is suggested as evidence that humans may have an attention mechanism that promotes the more elaborate social attention state of shared attention. This thesis also assessed the longer term impacts of prior joint gaze interactions, finding that gaze perception can be influenced by prior interactions with gaze leaders, but not with followers, and further there is evidence presented that suggests a gaze leader’s attention will respond differently, later, to those whom have or have not previously followed their gaze. Again, this latter finding is associated with autism-like traits. Thus, the current work opens up a number of interesting research avenues concerning how attention orienting during gaze leading may facilitate social learning and how this response may be disrupted in atypically developing populations.
Content-based video retrieval system research

based on the review and summarization of the video retrieval background and related work, this paper studies the key technologies of video retrieval. On this basis, according to the overall system design requirements, it designs a content-based video retrieval system and briefly describes the functions each module achieved. The system is divided into video pre-processing and video query subsystems, to achieve better video analysis and retrieval capabilities.
Semantically meaningful data exchange in loosely coupled environments

When the Internet is used as a global infrastructure for data exchange between autonomous participants, the question of what a data object really means becomes crucial. Unfortunately, many of the underlying assumptions about the meaning of a given data object are given only implicitly. Thus, for a semantically meaningful data exchange, we need to make these assumptions explicit by providing semantic metadata. To be of any use this metadata has to be based on commonly agreed upon vocabularies. In this paper we present a framework for a meaningful data exchange between previously unknown participants, and the integration of data from different providers. It is based on the use of shared vocabularies, or ontologies, as a common interpretation basis for data and metadata. We present a fairly simple representation for these vocabularies which uses Java as a description language.
Automated microaneurysms detection in fundus images using image segmentation

Diabetic retinopathy is one of the complicated diseases which occurs in diabetic patients when the affects damage the retina. The eyes vision can lead to be lost in case of late treatment. Microaneurysms are the earliest detectable abnormalities of diabetic retinopathy, so the automated detection of the lesions is essential and useful task. This paper proposed a simple method to detect microaneurysms based on its characteristics in fundus images using some techniques in image segmentation. First, we preprocessed to reduce image noise and improve the contrast. Then we segmented them using Canny edges detection and maximum entropy thresholding. The characteristics of microaneurysms which appear as small red dots and circular shape are the specific points to discriminate them from the other lesions as well as the anatomical structures of the fundus image by applying area and eccentricity methods. Finally, the morphological operation was applied to mark out these symptoms. The results were analysis by ophthalmologist in order to define system accuracy and preciseness. According to results of comparison, we found that the accuracy is 90 % and the average processing time is 9.53 seconds per image.
LACE+ index: extension of a validated index to predict early death or urgent readmission after hospital discharge using administrative data

Background Death or urgent readmission after hospital discharge is a common adverse event that can be used to compare outcomes of care between institutions. To accurately adjust for risk and to allow for interhospital comparisons of readmission rates, we used administrative data to derive and internally validate an extension of the LACE index, a previously validated index for 30-day death or urgent readmission. Methods We randomly selected 500 000 medical and surgical patients discharged to the community from any Ontario hospital between 1 April 2003 and 31 March 2009. We derived a logistic regression model on 250 000 randomly selected patients from this group and modified the final model into an index scoring system, the LACE+ index. We internally validated the LACE+ index using data from the remaining 250 000 patients and compared its performance with that of the original LACE index. Results Within 30 days of discharge to the community, 33 825 (6.8%) of the patients had died or had been urgently readmitted. In addition to the variables included in the LACE index (length of stay in hospital [L], acuity of admission [A], comorbidity [C] and emergency department utilization in the 6 months before admission [E]), the LACE+ index incorporated patient age and sex, teaching status of the discharge hospital, acute diagnoses and procedures performed during the index admission, number of days on alternative level of care during the index admission, and number of elective and urgent admissions to hospital in the year before the index admission. The LACE+ index was highly discriminative (C statistic 0.771, 95% confidence interval 0.767–0.775), was well calibrated across most of its range of scores and had a model performance that exceeded that of the LACE index. Interpretation The LACE+ index can be used to predict the risk of postdischarge death or urgent readmission on the basis of administrative data for the Ontario population. Its performance exceeds that of the LACE index, and it allows analysts to accurately estimate the risk of important postdischarge outcomes.
Essays on the term structure of interest rates and exchange rates

by Julieta Yung This dissertation explores the determination of asset prices in the world through a low-dimensional set of risk factors. The economic intuition driving this work comes from the idea that investors form their future expectations on the economy based on observable risk patterns that determine the price of assets today. Given that those risk factors are summarized in current prices, studying the dynamics of interest rates at different horizons provides information on the market’s expectations of future macroeconomic fundamentals. I provide a summary of the literature that investigates asset pricing dynamics through term structure models. After analyzing the empirical applications of the yield curve and extracting the underlying factors that drive different assets and macroeconomic fundamentals, I pose the question: Can interest rate factors explain exchange rate fluctuations? In other words, is the information summarized in the yield curve enough to account for movements in the exchange rates? To answer this question, I expand a canonical no-arbitrage factor model of the term structure, in which the yields for the domestic and the foreign countries are determined by their own interest rate factors, and the ratio of their stochastic discount factors determines the (log) exchange rate changes, as predicted by the theory. My results suggest that yield curves do contain important information
Tracking and Recognition of Multiple Human Targets Moving in a Wireless Pyroelectric Infrared Sensor Network

With characteristics of low-cost and easy deployment, the distributed wireless pyroelectric infrared sensor network has attracted extensive interest, which aims to make it an alternate infrared video sensor in thermal biometric applications for tracking and identifying human targets. In these applications, effectively processing signals collected from sensors and extracting the features of different human targets has become crucial. This paper proposes the application of empirical mode decomposition and the Hilbert-Huang transform to extract features of moving human targets both in the time domain and the frequency domain. Moreover, the support vector machine is selected as the classifier. The experimental results demonstrate that by using this method the identification rates of multiple moving human targets are around 90%.
When Children Teach a Robot to Write: An Autonomous Teachable Humanoid Which Uses Simulated Handwriting

This article presents a novel robotic partner which children can teach handwriting. The system relies on the learning by teaching paradigm to build an interaction, so as to stimulate meta-cognition, empathy and increased self-esteem in the child user. We hypothesise that use of a humanoid robot in such a system could not just engage an unmotivated student, but could also present the opportunity for children to experience physically-induced benefits encountered during human-led handwriting interventions, such as motor mimicry.By leveraging simulated handwriting on a synchronised tablet display, a NAo humanoid robot with limited fine motor capabilities has been configured as a suitably embodied handwriting partner. Statistical shape models derived from principal component analysis of a dataset of adult-written letter trajectories allow the robot to draw purposefully deformed letters. By incorporating feedback from user demonstrations, the system is then able to learn the optimal parameters for the appropriate shape models.Preliminary in situ studies have been conducted with primary school classes to obtain insight into children’s use of the novel system. Children aged 6–8 successfully engaged with the robot and improved its writing to a level which they were satisfied with. The validation of the interaction represents a significant step towards an innovative use for robotics which addresses a widespread and socially meaningful challenge in education.
An Investigation of the Heath-Jarrow-Morton Term Structure Framework and its Application to the Pricing of South African Interest Rate Derivatives

Growth in the derivatives markets has brought with it an ever-increasing volume and range of interest rate dependent derivative products. To allow profitable, efficient trading in these products, accurate and mathematically sound valuation techniques are required to make pricing, hedging and risk management of the resulting positions possible. The pricing of interest rate contingent claims has two parts. Firstly, a finite number of pertinent economic fundamentals are used to price all zero-coupon (default-free) bonds of varying maturities. Secondly, taking these zero-coupon bond prices as given, all interest rate derivatives may be priced. As with asset prices, the movement of interest rates is assumed to be determined by a finite number of random shocks, which feed into the model through stochastic processes. Assuming continuous time and hence also continuous interest rates, these sources of randomness are modelled by Brownian motions (Wiener processes). First, I give a brief review of the development of the theory of interest rate modelling. I outline the equilibrium pricing models and the no-arbitrage models developed. Heath, Jarrow and Morton [1] (HJM) developed a unifying framework for no-arbitrage pricing models. I examine it in detail and then explore the Brace, Gaterek and Musiela [2] (BGM) model which takes a slightly different view of interest rates, but satisfies the HJM framework.
ISSN 0832-7203 A Transaction Cost Model of IT Outsourcing

This research tests an explanatory model of IT outsourcing behaviour. It relies on transactions cost theory. A survey was conducted to test the hypotheses. As anticipated, the results suggest that uncertainty and the origin of the investments required to conduct a transaction have a significant influence on the outsourcing decision. However, asset specificity shows an inconsistent effect on outsourcing. This suggests that asset specificity might not be a key driver when evaluating IT outsourcing.
Mapping the Dynamic Network Interactions Underpinning Cognition: A cTBS-fMRI Study of the Flexible Adaptive Neural System for Semantics

Higher cognitive function reflects the interaction of a network of multiple brain regions. Previous investigations have plotted out these networks using functional or structural connectivity approaches. While these map the topography of the regions involved, they do not explore the key aspect of this neuroscience principle—namely that the regions interact in a dynamic fashion. Here, we achieved this aim with respect to semantic memory. Although converging evidence implicates the anterior temporal lobes (ATLs), bilaterally, as a crucial component in semantic representation, the underlying neural interplay between the ATLs remains unclear. By combining continuous theta-burst stimulation (cTBS) with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we perturbed the left ventrolateral ATL (vATL) and investigated acute changes in neural activity and effective connectivity of the semantic system. cTBS resulted in decreased activity at the target region and compensatory, increased activity at the contralateral vATL. In addition, there were task-specific increases in effective connectivity between the vATLs, reflecting an increased facilitatory intrinsic connectivity from the right to left vATL. Our results suggest that semantic representation is founded on a flexible, adaptive bilateral neural system and reveals an adaptive plasticity-based mechanism that might support functional recovery after unilateral damage in neurological patients.
Planning Under Temporal Uncertainty Using Hindsight Optimization

A robot task planner must be able to tolerate uncertainty in the durations of commanded actions and uncertainty in the time of occurrence of exogenous events. Sophisticated temporal reasoning techniques have been proposed to deal with such issues, although few existing planners support them. In this paper, we demonstrate the capabilities of a much simpler technique, hindsight optimization, in which uncertainty is handled by using sampling to generate deterministic planning problems that can be solved quickly. We find that sophisticated temporal reasoning is not required to handle many simple tasks. In comparison with a traditional temporal planner architecture, hindsight optimization is much simpler to implement while staying closely integrated with execution. It serves as a flexible baseline against which more complex methods can be compared.
Extracting Principles for Information Management Adaptability during Crisis Response: A Dynamic Capability View

During crises, relief agency commanders have to make decisions in a complex and uncertain environment, requiring them to continuously adapt to unforeseen environmental changes. In the process of adaptation, the commanders depend on information management systems for information. Yet there are still numerous reports of situations in which commanders had to make decisions based on incomplete, outdated or incorrect information, indicating poor information quality. In many of these situations, poor information quality can be attributed to the information management process incapable of adapting to external (environmental) changes and internal (team) information needs. Using dynamic capability theory and the findings of a case study, this paper presents four principles for information management adaptability: (1) maintain and update team memory, (2) dedicate resources for environmental scanning, (3) maximize the number of alternative information sources and (4) integrate forecasting and back casting methods in the information management process.
What drives m-learning? An empirical investigation of university student perceptions in Pakistan

ABSTRACT M-learning is gaining popularity in formal and informal education, both in developed and developing countries. Specifically it can be an effective tool to overcome digital divide in developing countries. The success of m-learning at tertiary level depends on the perception of students towards this form of learning. A scientific approach was used in this study to explore the critical factors responsible for m-learning adoption among university students. The findings of this study, based on 628 valid survey responses, have both theoretical and practical implications for researchers and policy-makers.
Evolution and Usability of Ubiquitous Virtual Environments

Immersive virtual reality applications have historically been associated with cumbersome technical components that require substantial infrastructure and support. Recent developments have pointed towards a far more accessible and exponentially less expensive generation of immersive virtual reality systems through creative repurposing of the products of the entertainment and mobile communications industry. This paper presents a practical design of such a system; which provides the core interaction affordances of immersive virtual reality, but in a portable, lightweight, untethered configuration. In addition, an immersive virtual experience was developed for the system as an experimental test-bed. User feedback and performance data obtained from a pilot study with this experience is reported that provides insight into the acceptability of the system and experience design under ad-hoc deployment situations.
Public Announcements, Adjustment Delays, and the Business Cycle (November 2002)

I study the effects of a lack of common knowledge on nominal adjustment in a dynamic price-setting game with incomplete information. In particular, I show how the speed of price adjustments following a nominal or real shock depends on the information structure among pricesetters. The provision of public information leads to a reduction of higher-order uncertainty, and hence to more rapid price adjustments, but it potentially comes at the cost of an increased exposure to informational noise. I extend my analysis to allow for other disturbances, showing that higher-order uncertainty may account for the persistence of any kind of shock. Finally, I reconsider the role of monetary policy and discuss how the central bank’s policy actions may act as a focal point for market beliefs and hence affect nominal and real adjustment through its "coordination effect". JEL classification numbers: D82, D84, E31, E32
Enhanced Red-Black-Tree Data Structure for Facilitating the Scheduling of Reservations

This paper details a data structure for managing and scheduling requests for computing resources of clusters and virtualised infrastructure such as private clouds. The data structure uses a red-black tree whose nodes represent the start times and/or completion times of requests. The tree is enhanced by a double-linked list that facilitates the iteration of nodes once the start time of a request is determined by using the tree. We describe the data structure main features, provide an example of use, and discuss experiments that demonstrate that the average complexity of two operations are often below 10% of their respective theoretical worst cases.
Efficient SAR raw data compression in frequency domain

SAR raw data compression is necessary to reduce the huge amount of data for downlink and the required memory on board. In view of interferometric and polarimetric applications for SAR data it becomes more and more important to pay attention to phase errors caused by data compression. Here, a detailed comparison of block adaptive quantization in time domain (BAQ) and in frequency domain (FFT-BAQ) is given. Inclusion of raw data compression in the processing chain allows an efficient use of the FFT-BAQ and makes implementation for on-board data compression feasible. The FFT-BAQ outperforms the BAQ in terms of signal-to-quantization noise ratio and phase error and allows a direct decimation of the oversampled data equivalent to FIR-filtering in time domain. Impacts on interferometric phase and coherency are also given.
Infrastructure and cluster development: A case study of handloom weavers in Ethiopia

Rural non-farm development plays a key role in generating employment in many developing countries. Clustering is an important industrial organization in the rural non-farm sector. Based on primary surveys of both urban and rural handloom weaver clusters in Ethiopia which took place in May/June 2008, one of the most important rural nonfarm sectors, this paper examines the mechanism and performance of clustering. The clustering way of handloom production is observed even in remote rural areas, illustrating its vitality and flexibility in adapting to restricted environments. Despite its resilience in surviving in harsh environments, improvements in infrastructure can significantly increase labor productivity in a cluster. In towns with electricity access, producers work longer hours than those in towns without electricity and more entrepreneurs with limited access to capital are able to participate in handloom production because of finer division of labor. (This abstract was borrowed from another version of this item.)
Software Transactional Memory Should Not Be Obstruction-Free

Much previous work on Software Transactional Memory has gone to great lengths to be “obstruction-free” — meaning that a transaction is guaranteed to make progress when all other transactions are suspended. In this paper we argue that obstruction-freedom is not an important property for software transactional memory, and demonstrate that, if we are prepared to drop the goal of obstruction-freedom, software transactional memory can be made significantly faster.
Administering the Sarcoidosis Health Questionnaire to sarcoidosis patients in Serbia

Objective: The aim of this study was to use a Serbian-language version of the disease-specific, self-report Sarcoidosis Health Questionnaire (SHQ), which was designed and originally validated in the United States, to assess health status in sarcoidosis patients in Serbia, as well as validating the instrument for use in the country. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of 346 patients with biopsy-confirmed sarcoidosis. To evaluate the health status of the patients, we used the SHQ, which was translated into Serbian for the purposes of this study. We compared SHQ scores by patient gender and age, as well as by disease duration and treatment. Lower SHQ scores indicate poorer health status. Results: The SHQ scores demonstrated differences in health status among subgroups of the sarcoidosis patients evaluated. Health status was found to be significantly poorer among female patients and older patients, as well as among those with chronic sarcoidosis or extrapulmonary manifestations of the disease. Monotherapy with methotrexate was found to be associated with better health status than was monotherapy with prednisone or combination therapy with prednisone and methotrexate. Conclusions: The SHQ is a reliable, disease-specific, self-report instrument. Although originally designed for use in the United States, the SHQ could be a useful tool for the assessment of health status in various non-English-speaking populations of sarcoidosis patients.