Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
press Current Directions

In associative models, conductive connections (associations, Hebbian synapses) are strengthened by the repetitive temporal pairing of stimuli. The associations cause the animal to behave more adaptively, but they do not encode information about objectively specifiable properties of the conditioning experience. In information processing (computational) models, the temporal intervals that define the protocol are timed and the results recorded in memory for later use in the computation of the decision variables on which conditioned responding is based. The predictions of these latter models depend on the ratios of remembered and currently experienced temporal intervals; hence, they are time-scale invariant. Two examples of empirical time scale invariance are described: neither the delay of reinforcement nor the ratio of reinforced to unreinforced CS presentations appear to affect rates of acquisition and extinction. Time scale invariance has far reaching implications for models of the processes that underlie conditioning, for example, models of Hebbian synapses.
A Population of Hot, Dusty Ultraluminous Galaxies at z ≈ 2

We report spectroscopic redshifts for 18 μJy radio galaxies at a mean redshift of z = 2.2 that are faint at both submillimeter and optical wavelengths. While the radio fluxes of these galaxies could indicate far-IR luminosities comparable to high-redshift submillimeter-selected galaxies (≳1012 L☉), none are detected in the submillimeter. We propose that this new population of galaxies represents an extension of the high-redshift submillimeter galaxy population but with hotter characteristic dust temperatures that shift the peak of their far-IR emission to shorter wavelengths, reducing the submillimeter flux below the sensitivity of current instruments. Therefore, surveys in the submillimeter waveband may miss up to half of the most luminous, dusty galaxies at z ≈ 2. Mid-infrared observations with the Spitzer Space Telescope will be a powerful tool to test this hypothesis.
An Extension to Fuzzy Cognitive Maps for Classification and Prediction

Fuzzy cognitive maps (FCMs), as an illustrative causative representation of modeling and manipulation of complex systems, can be used to model the dynamic behavior of the investigated systems. However, due to defects in expression and architecture, the traditional FCMs and most of their relevant extensions are not applicable to classification problems. To solve this problem, this paper presents an approach that directly extends the model by translating the reasoning mechanism of traditional FCMs to a set of fuzzy IF-THEN rules. Moreover, the proposed approach fully considers the contribution of the inputs to the activation of the fuzzy rules and quantifies the causalities using mutual subsethood, which works in conjunction with volume defuzziflcation in a gradient descent-learning framework. In this manner, our approach enhances the capability of the conventional FCMs to automatically identify membership functions and quantify causalities. Despite the increase in the number of tunable parameters, experimental results show that the proposed approach efficiently extends the application of the traditional FCMs into classification problems, while keeping the ability for prediction and approximation.
No Money Shot? Commerce, Pornography and New Sex Taste Cultures

This article examines two internet websites — Nerve, a magazine devoted to `smart smut', and SuicideGirls, an `altporn' site where softcore sexual display is a major component of a participatory taste culture. Through a consideration of the ways such sites present their commercial and community elements as part of a shared taste and aesthetic, the article investigates how some new forms of pornography are developing to construct sexual display as a form of recreation, self-presentation and community building.
Combining grapheme-to-phoneme converter outputs for enhanced pronunciation generation in low-resource scenarios

For pronunciation dictionary creation, we propose the combination of grapheme-to-phoneme (G2P) converter outputs where low resources are available to train the single converters. Our experiments with German, English, French, and Spanish show that in most cases the phoneme-level combination approaches validated reference pronunciations more than the single converters. In case of only little training data, the impact of the fusion is high which shows their great importance for under-resourced languages. We detected that the output of G2P converters built with web-derived wordpronunciation pairs can further improve pronunciation quality. With 23.1% relative in terms of phoneme error rate to the reference dictionary, we report the largest improvement for the scenario where only 200 French word-pronunciation pairs and web data are given as training data. In additional automatic speech recognition experiments we show that the resulting dictionaries can lead to performance improvements.
Psychometric properties of the Polish adaptation of the Infant Behavior Questionnaire—Revised (IBQ-R)

This paper presents the psychometric properties of the Polish version of the Infant Behavior Questionnaire—Revised (IBQ-R). A group of 396 pairs of parents was studied, and a 3-factor structure of IBQ-R emerged with differences comparing to the original U.S. sample and a prior replication Russian sample. Analyses demonstrated satisfactory internal consistency and high consistency rating between both parents' scores. Additionally, a comparison of the scores of IBQ-R scales between Polish and previously reported U.S. data was made, showing that Polish infants scored higher on negative affectivity scales and lower on surgency/extraversion and orientation/regulation scales.
Genetic Diversity among Iranian Local and Commercial Apple Rootstocks by Using Simple Sequence Repeat Markers

The objective of this research was to evaluate the genetic diversity among twelve apple rootstocks by using 14 simple sequence repeat primer pairs. Generally, 44 alleles were scored at SSR loci. The number of alleles (na) per locus ranged from two to five alleles with an average of 3.14. The maximum effective number of alleles (ne), expected heterozygosity (He), and observed heterozygosity (Hobs) were 2.3, 0.56 and 0.36, respectively. Results showed that the studied genotypes were not in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium in most of studied loci. The polymorphism information content (PIC) varied from 0.5 to 0.86 which confirmed the effectiveness of SSR markers in determination of molecular polymorphism and characterization of the rootstocks genotypes. Cluster analysis using UPGMA algorithm on the basis of Jaccard’s similarity coefficient classified the studied genotypes into three distinct groups. In this study, three Iranian local rootstocks were located in separate groups.
Coriolanus and I

This essay argues that Shakespeare's Coriolanus theorizes the complex terrain of identity in ways that allow us to read the play as a queer text. In particular, I argue that Coriolanus theorizes the desire that attaches to the category of the fag-hag. This may seem an odd claim to make about a play that not only includes no character whom we might identify as a fag-hag but also predates the emergence of the fag-hag as a category in the twentieth century. Yet the problems of ontology and temporality that my claim touches on are very much theorized by Coriolanus. The play thinks through questions of desire – who does the fag-hag desire, and how does that desire form her identity? – and temporality – does the fag-hag's desire for a gay man cancel out possible prior desires for a straight man? It also engages with current articulations of queer theory in asking whether or not we can describe desire using terms that do not have temporal “legitimacy” – can a current term be used as a heuristic with which to engage a text written over 400 years ago? And finally, can we think of Coriolanus itself, not as an object for queer theory's analysis, but rather, as itself a queer theoretical intervention that thinks through the kind of relationality the fag-hag assumes?
A disembodied developmental robotic agent called Samu Bátfai

The agent program, called Samu, is an experiment to build a disembodied DevRob (Developmental Robotics) chatter bot that can talk in a natural language like humans do. One of the main design feature is that Samu can be interacted with using only a character terminal. This is important not only for practical aspects of Turing test or Loebner prize, but also for the study of basic principles of Developmental Robotics. Our purpose is to create a rapid prototype of Q-learning with neural network approximators for Samu. We sketch out the early stages of the development process of this prototype, where Samu's task is to predict the next sentence of tales or conversations. The basic objective of this paper is to reach the same results using reinforcement learning with general function approximators that can be achieved by using the classical Q lookup table on small input samples. The paper is closed by an experiment that shows a significant improvement in Samu's learning when using LZW tree to narrow the number of possible Q-actions.
A control architecture for multi-modal sensory integration

This paper describes the architecture of an integrated multi-modal sensory (vision and touch) computational system. We propose to use an approach based on robotics control theory that is motivated by biology and developmental psychology, in order to integrate the haptic and visual information processing. We show some results carried out in simulation and discuss the implementation of this system using a platform consisting on an articulated stereo-head and an arm, which is currently under development.
Scalable codec architectures for Internet video-on-demand

The heterogeneous structure of the Internet is a great obstacle for establishing real-time video services. Scalable video codecs, generating bit-streams decodable at different rates, have been proposed to address the heterogeneity problem. In this paper, we review standard-compliant and non-compliant codec architectures for Internet video-on-demand. For compression based on the H.263 standard, we have developed a compatible architecture that allows to switch between pre-encoded bit-streamers of different bitrates. This architecture provides excellent streaming performance for point-to-point communication scenarios that offer a low delay feedback channel. Then we present a non-compliant fully scalable video codec based on a spatiotemporal resolution pyramid. This approach can encode embedded lower bit-rate layers at the same overall hit-rate as needed by H.263 single-layer coding and can also support multicasting. The complexity of both schemes is sufficiently low to allow software-only implementations of Internet video services. This is demonstrated by means of an implemented World Wide Web video server application.
Omnidirectional walk design of humanoid robots using layered learning method based on CMA-ES

In the RoboCup3D simulation environment, the omnidirectional walk of biped robots exerts a crucial impart on the result of the competition. For a Nao humanoid robot possessing 22 degrees of freedom, 12 main walking parameters are involved in its walking model, due to which it is overwhelmingly difficult to reach optimal effectiveness in a hand-coded way. This paper depicts a method to develop an omnidirectional walk based on the Covariance Matrix Adaptation Evolution Strategy (CMA-ES), which is used by Apollo3D humanoid robots. In order to achieve walking motion, a double linear inverted pendulum (D-LIP) model based on the predictive control is built, and then a layered learning based on CMA-ES is designed to optimize the walking parameters. Detailed experiments reveal that this paper proposed an effective method for the realization of the rapid and stable omnidirectional walk of biped robots in a complex and dynamic environment.
Isolation and Alienation in Educational Organizations

Power and friendship networks in academic organizations are exam ined to see what effects selected dimensions of interaction have on the work alienation of educators. Findings suggest that interaction with friends and respected coworkers is more important to professional educa tors than contacts with those in authority. Patrick B. Forsyth is Assistant Professor of Educational Administra tion, Oklahoma State University; Wayne K. Hoy is Professor and Chair- person of the Department of Educational Administration, Rutgers Uni versity.
On the existence of normal Coulomb frames for two-dimensional immersions with higher codimension

Abstract In this paper we consider the existence and regularity problem for Coulomb frames in the normal bundle of two-dimensional surfaces with higher codimension in Euclidean spaces. While the case of two codimensions can be approached directly by potential theory, more sophisticated methods have to be applied for codimensions greater than two. As an application we include an a priori estimate for the corresponding torsion coefficients in arbitrary codimensions.
Echoing school leaders' voices in Cyprus: a study of novice school leaders' perceptions regarding leadership professional development

Leadership development programmes come in plenty internationally and a number of resources, time and money are being spent to this end. The benefits for schools, staff and pupils arising from professional development activities have been well researched into and elaborated on extensively internationally. Currently in Cyprus, leadership development programmes are limited to on‐post in‐service training programmes that are offered to novice school leaders (headteachers and deputy headteachers). As there is a dialogue underway for updating leadership training in Cyprus, this study aimed to capture leadership training participants’ views regarding the current in‐service tradition with a view to supporting localized attempts to improve and develop relevant policies and training programmes. The sample consisted of 257 trainees attending the mandatory in‐service training programmes for novice school leaders. Data were collected through questionnaires and interviews. Findings suggest that the content of leadership development programmes needs to correspond to school leaders’ expected roles and responsibilities, as well as their learning needs. Furthermore, it is generally acknowledged that further professional development opportunities should be offered alongside school leaders’ career progression either on‐post or pre‐post. This study’s findings support the necessity to revise existing policies (or address the lack of guiding training programmes). Data indicate that such policies and training programmes need to be based on solid foundations, such as a coherent leadership development framework and philosophy. The implications of the findings for the design and development of leadership training programmes are also discussed.
Adolescents' Goal Orientations and Academic Achievement: Long-Term relations and gender differences

The purpose of the present article is to study the predictability of eight different types of goal orientations as motives for academic achievement. These goal orientations could be distinguished on the basis of a content analysis of 7391 pupil responses to the open-ended question 'Why do you go to school? ' The findings of the present study suggest that already at the age of 13 pupils pursue a variety of academic and non-academic goals in a short- as well as in a long-term future. The different types of goal orientations in which these goals are involved are differentially related to achievement over time and gender. The study suggests in addition that the pupils who are most successful in school over time are those who take into consideration the perspectives of other people plus those who try to prevent their own feared-for situations becoming reality and pupils who try to pursue multiple goals. These motivation groups are found to comprise more girls than boys.
Adaptation and acclimatization to ocean acidification in marine ectotherms: an in situ transplant experiment with polychaetes at a shallow CO2 vent system

Metabolic rate determines the physiological and life-history performances of ectotherms. Thus, the extent to which such rates are sensitive and plastic to environmental perturbation is central to an organism's ability to function in a changing environment. Little is known of long-term metabolic plasticity and potential for metabolic adaptation in marine ectotherms exposed to elevated pCO2. Consequently, we carried out a series of in situ transplant experiments using a number of tolerant and sensitive polychaete species living around a natural CO2 vent system. Here, we show that a marine metazoan (i.e. Platynereis dumerilii) was able to adapt to chronic and elevated levels of pCO2. The vent population of P. dumerilii was physiologically and genetically different from nearby populations that experience low pCO2, as well as smaller in body size. By contrast, different populations of Amphiglena mediterranea showed marked physiological plasticity indicating that adaptation or acclimatization are both viable strategies for the successful colonization of elevated pCO2 environments. In addition, sensitive species showed either a reduced or increased metabolism when exposed acutely to elevated pCO2. Our findings may help explain, from a metabolic perspective, the occurrence of past mass extinction, as well as shed light on alternative pathways of resilience in species facing ongoing ocean acidification.
Blind separation of signals with mixed kurtosis signs using threshold activation functions

A parameterized activation function in the form of an adaptive threshold for a single-layer neural network, which separates a mixture of signals with any distribution (except for Gaussian), is introduced. This activation function is particularly simple to implement, since it neither uses hyperbolic nor polynomial functions, unlike most other nonlinear functions used for blind separation. For some specific distributions, the stable region of the threshold parameter is derived, and optimal values for best separation performance are given. If the threshold parameter is made adaptive during the separation process, the successful separation of signals whose distribution is unknown is demonstrated and compared against other known methods.
At the intersection of sports and MMORPGs: A new model of active video games

The challenge of designing an active video game that is an effective means by which to promote physical activity while at the same time is an engaging video game has been met with varied success. The key to overcoming this challenge is to approach design from the perspective that active video games are a unique combination of traditional video games and sports. By combining models of engagement - or flow - in both video games and sports a novel model of active video games is proposed. The proposed model highlights the element of institutionalization as absent from existing models of active games while it is ubiquitous in sports. From the proposed model stems the hypothesis that a successful active video game will support styles of play that vary along dimensions of physicality, competition, and institutionalization.
SLAM Using Single Laser Range Finder

Presented method in this paper aims to develop an accurate motion model and SLAM algorithm, which is only based on the Laser Range Finder (LRF) data. Proposed method tries to overcome some practical problems in traditional motion models and SLAM approaches, such as robot slippage, and inaccuracy in parameters related to robot's hardware. Novel insights specific to process and measurement model, and making use of them in the IEKF framework, give rise to the real time method with drift-free performance in restricted environments. Furthermore, uncertainty measures, calculated through the method, are valuable information for fusion purposes and also an accurate motion model, derived in this method, can be used as a robust and an accurate localization procedure in different structured environments. These issues are validated through experimental implementations; experiments verify method's efficiency both in pure localization and in SLAM scenarios in the restricted environments, involving loop closures. Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) has received immense attention of many researchers in the last 20 years. SLAM has been formulated in different frameworks; however, crossing over into practical systems confronts with substantial issues. Focus of the work presented here is on developing a theory, which can overcome some problems, come into view in practical implementations. The problems, considered here, stem from unmodeled dynamics of the system, such as robot slippage, surface type changing, and imprecision in the parameters of robot's hardware. In other words, method aims to circumvent traditional encoder-base dynamic modeling and propose a robust process model with respect to mentioned problems. The key contributions given in this paper include accurate covariance calculation for robot displacement derived from feature based laser scan matching, and the use of this information to establish a robust motion model. This is accomplished based on extracted features' individual covariances. Exploiting calculated covariance and features' individual covariances, the Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) framework, is established to estimate robot's and features' states, only based on the laser range finder information. Together, these add up to an efficient and robust algorithm achieves real time implementation with single LRF hardware. To fuse the LRF data with the other sensors, it is necessary to calculate reliability of obtained information. This information could be in feature measurement layer or in pose displacement layer. Our method calculates covariances as reliability measures in the both of these, which can be used as valuable