Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
On the duty of not taking offence

People take offence too easily and are encouraged to do so by, e.g., institutional harassment policies. 'Offensive' is sometimes equated with 'anything that offends someone', sometimes with a definitive list of specific behaviours. When is it justifiable to take offence? Distinctions need to be drawn: between offensive to the senses and to the mind; between meaning to offend, actually giving offence, and behaving in a manner likely to cause offence; between feeling upset and taking some formal action; between what is offensive to some, to all, and in itself. Comments are made on objectivity in moral judgements. Currently there is a failure to distinguish between what offends and what is objectively offensive. Practical consequences occur in terms of censorship and freedom of speech. Generalisations and jokes about identifiable groups or stereotypes are not inherently offensive. A distinction is drawn between being upset and being a victim. Taking offence is a supremely self-serving act. Current concern with offence trivialises morality and runs counter to basic principles of toleration, freedom and fairness.
Least Squares Vertex Baking

We investigate the representation of signals defined on triangle meshes using linearly interpolated vertex attributes. Compared to texture mapping, storing data only at vertices yields significantly lower memory overhead and less expensive runtime reconstruction. However, standard approaches to determine vertex values such as point sampling or averaging triangle samples lead to suboptimal approximations. We discuss how an optimal solution can be efficiently calculated using continuous least‐squares. In addition, we propose a regularization term that allows us to minimize gradient discontinuities and mach banding artifacts while staying close to the optimum. Our method has been integrated in a game production lighting tool and we present examples of representing signals such as ambient occlusion and precomputed radiance transfer in real game scenes, where vertex baking was used to free up resources for other game components.
A novel learning for image retrieval based on both keyword feature and instance feedback

To bridge the semantic gap between low-level visual features and high-level semantic concepts, this paper puts forward a novel feedback mechanism which is based on both instance and keyword features. In offline part, keyword space model is first constructed and updated using manifold ranking annotation; in online image retrieval and feedback part, the keywords which is return to user for labeling are obtained by Bayes algorithm; then by use of labeled keywords and images, the visual features are reweighted by mining the relationship between keyword and visual features; and finally the top n images are returned after learning image labels and then combining them by our ranking function. Our ranking function is flexible and can be adjusted easily. Experimental results on COREL 1000 images show our method improves image retrieval performance from all aspects.
Weight Change and Associated Factors in Long-Term Breast Cancer Survivors

Purpose Weight gain often occurs after breast cancer diagnosis and significantly impacts the general health of cancer survivors. While the number of breast cancer survivors is increasing, few studies have reported data on weight change beyond 5 years post-diagnosis. We investigated weight change and associated factors in long-term survivors of breast cancer. Patients and Methods Medical records were reviewed on 1363 breast cancer patients and a total of 822 women who had survived beyond 5 years since diagnosis were included in the final analysis. The association between demographic, anthropometric, lifestyle, cancer related factors (including time since diagnosis, treatment modality, pathologic stage, and hormone receptor status), and weight-change over 5 years were examined. Results During an average 8.2 years of follow-up time, mean weight gain was 0.32kg (p = 0.017). 175 (21.3%) patients had gained more than 5% of their weight at diagnosis and their average gain was 5.55kg. Body mass index (BMI) at diagnosis, age at diagnosis, aromatase inhibitor (AI) use, heavy drinking, and type of surgery were associated with relative weight gain (≥5%) in univariate analysis (all p-values<0.05). Patients who were non-obese at diagnosis showed weight gain, while those who were obese at diagnosis lost weight (0.78kg,−1.11kg, respectively, p<0.001). In multivariate analysis, the non-obese group showed odds ratio of 2.7 (p = 0.001) relative to the obese group. Younger age group (age 18–54 years) showed odds ratio of 1.9 (p = 0.021) relative to the older age group (age 55–75 years), and patients who did not use AI showed odds ratio of 2.2 (p = 0.006) relative to women who did. Conclusion Long-term breast cancer survivors who were non-obese at diagnosis are more likely to gain weight than obese survivors. Younger survivors and survivors who have never used AI are also likely to gain weight.
Family, Law and Sexuality: Feminist Engagements

The author explores feminist frameworks within which questions of family, law and sexuality can best be explored, drawing on recent efforts to (re)establish materialist feminist theory. She suggests that in order to make the important link between questions of gender, sexuality, difference, desire, identity and subjectivity on the one hand, and problems of production and exploitation on the other, a materialist feminist theory must incorporate the strengths of Marxist feminism with those of postmodernist feminism. As a way of exploring the politics of current struggles for legal recognition of lesbian and gay relationships as ‘spousal’, she engages with the debate between Nancy Fraser and Judith Butler on the ‘recognition/redistribution’ dichotomy. She argues that neither theorist takes seriously enough the role of the family in the privatisation of the costs of social reproduction within capitalism. She concludes that the important lesbian/gay struggles for legal recognition of ‘spousal’ relationships, such as in the M v H lesbian spousal support case in Canada, should not be seen as sufficient to achieve social equality. Such legal struggles must be accompanied by trenchant critiques of the limits of such recognition in redistributing wealth and well-being.
Navigating the ethical maze in disability research: ethical contestations in an African context

Despite changes in how disability is viewed, ethical requirements for disability research have hardly changed. Some ethical clearance procedures, processes and practices still consider persons with disabilities as not able, creating unease among researchers and research participants with disabilities themselves. This paper considers five ethical contestations arising from research in the area of disability in an African context: positionality, vulnerability, signed consent, anonymity, and research committee composition. We argue that ethical requirements in practice are still largely based on a medical model of disability and propose that culturally sensitive social and human rights models should influence disability research ethics.
BGP/MPLS VPNs

This document describes a method by which a Service Provider with an IP backbone may provide VPNs (Virtual Private Networks) for its customers. MPLS (Multiprotocol Label Switching) is used for forwarding packets over the backbone, and BGP (Border Gateway Protocol) is used for distributing routes over the backbone. The primary goal of this method is to support the outsourcing of IP backbone services for enterprise networks. It does so in a manner which is simple for the enterprise, while still scalable and flexible for the Service Provider, and while allowing the Service Provider to add value. These techniques can also be used to provide a VPN which itself provides IP service to customers.
Choosing the Avenger: Some Aspects of the Bloodfeud in Medieval Iceland and England

The late King Hamlet's ghost and þorgerð have similar problems. Both want to oblige someone to take action on behalf of a corpse. And both enlist the aid of part of that corpse or its facsimile in their efforts. Old Hamlet's ghost must busy himself about this matter because he was murdered, and in such a fashion that his body showed no sign of foul play. Clearly, before he can charge someone to avenge him he must announce that there is something to avenge.
The Party Whip Organizations in the United States House of Representatives

In the literature on political parties in the United States Congress two points are usually stressed. First, it is said that the political party label lacks a precise programmatic content because “party government” in the British sense is absent in the American Congress. Second, however, it is contended that the party label is the single most important and reliable attribute in predicting the voting behavior of a Senator or Representative. Between these two contentions lies a sizeable area of unexplored territory. If party is the best predictive device in analyzing voting behavior in Congress then, despite the lack of “party government,” the party machinery in both houses must have effects that deserve study. Professor Huitt has suggested the necessity and importance of this kind of study: “… the preoccupation with reform has obscured the fact that we have no really adequate model of party leadership as it exists in Congress, and that none can be constructed because we lack simple descriptions of many of the basic working parts of the present system. ” Huitt himself and a few others have filled some of these gaps.
A 10-kV Monolithic Darlington Transistor With $\beta_{ \rm forced}$ of 336 in 4H-SiC

4H-SiC bipolar Darlington transistors with a record-high current gain have been demonstrated. The dc forced current gain was measured up to 336 at 200 W/cm<sup>2</sup> ( <i>J</i> <sub>C</sub> = 35 A/cm<sup>2</sup> at <i>V</i> <sub>CE</sub> = 5.7 V) at room temperature. The current gain exhibits a negative temperature coefficient and remains as high as 135 at 200degC. The specific on-resistance is 140 mOmegamiddotcm<sup>2</sup> at room temperature and increases at elevated temperatures. An open-emitter breakdown voltage (<i>BV</i> <sub>CBO</sub>) of 10 kV was achieved at a leakage current density of < 1 mA/cm<sup>2</sup>. The device exhibits an open-base breakdown voltage (<i>BV</i> <sub>CEO</sub>) of 9.5 kV. The high current gain of SiC Darlington transistors can significantly reduce the gate-drive power consumption with the same forward-voltage drop as that of 10-kV SiC bipolar junction transistors, thus making the device attractive for high-power high-temperature applications.
Multiple-Weight Recurrent Neural Networks

Recurrent neural networks (RNNs) have enjoyed great success in speech recognition, natural language processing, etc. Many variants of RNNs have been proposed, including vanilla RNNs, LSTMs, and GRUs. However, current architectures are not particularly adept at dealing with tasks involving multi-faceted contents, i.e., data with a bimodal or multimodal distribution. In this work, we solve this problem by proposing Multiple-Weight RNNs and LSTMs, which rely on multiple weight matrices to better mimic the human ability of switching between contexts. We present a framework for adapting RNN-based models and analyze the properties of this approach. Our detailed experimental results show that our model outperforms previous work across a range of different tasks and datasets.
Théorie positive de la comptabilité

A partir de la fin des annees 1960, dans le but d'evaluer les travaux normatifs, la recherche comptable, en quete d'assises scientifiques, a progressivement evolue vers une approche empirique. A l'image des sciences economiques, l'introduction d'une demarche positive a necessite le recours a de nouveaux instruments dont les premieres experimentations ont porte sur la validation de l'hypothese d'utilite decisionnelle de l'information comptable. Paradoxalement, les tests empiriques ont mis en evidence l'anticipation par le marche du contenu informationnel des etats financiers. Le probleme de l'utilite des nombres comptables etait pose et, plus generalement, celui du role institutionnel de la comptabilite comme systeme de production d'information financiere. En reaction, un paradigme fonde sur l'utilite contractuelle des nombres comptables a emerge vers la fin des annees 1970. Le " programme de recherche " associe se proposait d'expliquer les pratiques observees et de predire les choix comptables effectues, tant par les dirigeants que par les organismes de normalisation. Le contenu de ce programme -- intitule Positive Accounting Theory -- a ete formule par Watts et Zimmerman. Il a donne naissance a l'Ecole de Rochester. La theorie positive de la comptabilite occupe, depuis lors, un role central dans le processus de construction de la recherche comptable. Ayant pose le probleme au plan epistemologique et emprunte a des champs connexes -- comme la theorie economique, la theorie financiere ou la theorie des organisations --, ce courant a permis a la recherche comptable d'acquerir un statut et une reconnaissance scientifique.
On the nature and standing of psychoanalytic psychotherapy

In this paper, I offer some reflections on the standing of psychoanalytic psychotherapy in the National Health Service (NHS), with special reference to contemporary forms of evidence-based thinking. I consider what may follow when a narrow view of science or psychotherapeutic practice becomes conventional wisdom and assumes dominance. I place stress on the potential loss to NHS psychology and psychiatry if psychoanalytic psychotherapy becomes increasingly marginalized on the one hand, or overly standardized on the other.
Adaptive Control of Saccades via Internal Feedback

Ballistic movements like saccades require the brain to generate motor commands without the benefit of sensory feedback. Despite this, saccades are remarkably accurate. Theory suggests that this accuracy arises because the brain relies on an internal forward model that monitors the motor commands, predicts their sensory consequences, and corrects eye trajectory midflight. If control of saccades relies on a forward model, then the forward model should adapt whenever its predictions fail to match sensory feedback at the end of the movement. Using optimal feedback control theory, we predicted how this adaptation should alter saccade trajectories. We trained subjects on a paradigm in which the horizontal target jumped vertically during the saccade. With training, the final position of the saccade moved toward the second target. However, saccades became increasingly curved, i.e., suboptimal, as oculomotor commands were corrected on-line to steer the eye toward the second target. The adaptive response had two components: (1) the motor commands that initiated the saccades changed slowly, aiming the saccade closer to the jumped target. The adaptation of these earliest motor commands displayed little forgetting during the rest periods. (2) Late in saccade trajectory, another adaptive response steered it still closer to the jumped target, producing curvature. Adaptation of these late motor commands showed near-complete forgetting during the rest periods. The two components adapted at different timescales, with the late-acting component displaying much faster rates. It appears that in controlling saccades, the brain relies on an internal feedback that has the characteristics of a fast-adapting forward model.
Affect Bartender — Affective cues and their application in a conversational agent

This paper presents methods for the detection of textual expressions of users' affective states and explores an application of these affective cues in a conversational system — Affect Bartender. We also describe the architecture of the system, core system components and a range of developed communication interfaces. The application of the described methods is illustrated with examples of dialogs conducted with experiment participants in a Virtual Reality setting.
Enhancing the Collective Efficacy of a Soccer Team through Motivational General-Mastery Imagery

The purpose of this study was to implement a motivational general-mastery imagery intervention in order to increase a soccer team's collective efficacy. The participants were 14 female members of a competitive traveling soccer club (M = 11.47 years, SD = .74). All athletes were placed into one of three groups based on playing position: forwards, midfielders, or defense/goal keeper. A staggered multiple baseline design across groups was employed to evaluate the imagery intervention. Collective efficacy data for training and competition were collected once a week for 13 weeks. The imagery intervention began at weeks 4, 7, and 10 for the forwards, midfielders and defense/goal keeper, respectively. Results from visual inspection as well as Binomial tests revealed athletes' collective efficacy increased with the implementation of the motivational general-mastery imagery intervention for both training and competition for two of the three groups. In order to investigate the athlete's individualized imagery use, an imagery assessment questionnaire was administered. The results showed that the athletes used imagery on almost a daily basis. As well, the athletes had a very positive reaction to the imagery training.
Selective downregulation of the angiotensin II AT1-receptor subtype in failing human ventricular myocardium.

BACKGROUND The regulation of angiotensin II receptors and the two major subtypes (AT1 and AT2) in chronically failing human ventricular myocardium has not been previously examined. METHODS AND RESULTS Angiotensin II receptors were measured by saturation binding of 125I-[Sar1,Ile8]angiotensin II in crude membranes from nonfailing (n = 19) and failing human left ventricles with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (IDC; n = 31) or ischemic cardiomyopathy (ISC; n = 21) and membranes from a limited number of right ventricles in each category. The AT1 and AT2 fractions were determined by use of an AT1-selective antagonist, losartan. beta-Adrenergic receptors were also measured by binding of 125I-iodocyanopindolol with the beta 1 and beta 2 fractions determined by use of a beta 1-selective antagonist, CGP20712A, AT1 but not AT2 density was significantly decreased in the combined (IDC + ISC) failing left ventricles (nonfailing: AT1 4.66 +/- 0.48, AT2 2.73 +/- 0.39; failing: AT1 3.20 +/- 0.29, AT2 2.70 +/- 0.33 fmol/mg protein; mean +/- SE). The decrease in AT1 density was greater in the IDC than in the ISC left ventricles (IDC: 2.73 +/- 0.40, P < .01; ISC: 3.89 +/- 0.39 fmol/mg protein, P = NS versus nonfailing). beta 1 but not beta 2 density was decreased in the failing left ventricles. AT1 density was correlated with beta 1 density in all left ventricles (r = .43). AT1 density was also decreased in IDC right ventricles. In situ reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction in sections of nonfailing and failing ventricles indicated that AT1 mRNA was present in both myocytes and nonmyocytes. CONCLUSIONS AT1 receptors are selectively downregulated in failing human ventricles, similar to the selective downregulation of beta 1 receptors. The relative lack of AT1 downregulation in ISC hearts may be related to differences in the degree of ventricular dysfunction.
Towards Discovering the Sentiment Holder in Arabic Text

ABSTRACT Sentiment analysis is consider with extracting specific subjective information from reliable amounts of text. Sentiment analysis holder recognition is approach that has not been considered yet in Arabic Language. This approach essentially requires deep understanding of sentences structures. This paper presents survey for the sentiment analysis operations, classifications and summarization. And proposed sentiment holder Algorithm for extract the holder in Arabic sentences. Keywords FSentiment analysis, Holder, Opinion mining, Arabic. paragraphs, sentences. It exactly looks for the specific 1. INTRODUCTION Sentiment Analysis is considered with determining and extracting the stance of a subject. Sentiment Analysis is based on document, where the sentiment inside the document is summarized as positive, negative or objective, as well as sentence based, where Particular sentences. extracted sentiments in the text are classified. Sentiment Analysis can be identified as the analysis of opinions: an opinion is an specific statement by "holder" on specific "topic" that is expressed with available sentiment. [4] It is also includes several sub operations, such as subjectivity detection, polarity classification, review summarization, humor detection, emotion classification, and sentiment transfer. [7] In a lot of recent Sentiment Analysis systems such as Opinion The term sentiment analysis is frequently used, but in researches both sentiment analysis and opinion mining are usually engaged. They mostly represent the same field of study but the concepts are not equivalent. The paper distinguish and show the difference between them later. Sentiment analysis and opinion mining mainly focuses on opinions which express or involve positive or negative sentiments. [7]
Effect of aging on aortic expression of the vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 and atherosclerosis in murine models of atherosclerosis.

Although age is a strong risk factor for atherosclerosis, it is unclear whether age may directly influence the process of atherogenesis. We, therefore, performed several studies in young (2-4 months old), mature (10-14 months old), and old (20-22 months old) mice to determine if the rate of aortic lesion formation increases with age, and whether this is related to increases in oxidative stress or vascular cell adhesion molecule (VCAM-1) expression in the aortic wall. In chow-fed low-density lipoprotein receptor-deficient (LDLR-/-) mice, plasma total cholesterol levels increased with age (250 +/- 52 mg/dl in young, 276 +/- 58 in mature, and 314 +/- 101 mg/dl in old mice). In contrast, the extent of atherosclerosis rose more rapidly, increasing from 3.6 +/- 2.7% of the aortic surface in mature mice to 18.2 +/- 8% in old mice. Plasma and tissue levels of antioxidant enzymes and molecules, as well as plasma thiobarbituric acid reactive substances and low-density lipoprotein susceptibility to oxidation, did not change with age. In a second study, VCAM-1 expression in the aortic arch and the extent of atherosclerosis in the aortic origin were significantly greater in old LDLR-/- mice than in young LDLR-/- mice. Additionally, after 1 month of a high-fat diet, which induced equally elevated plasma cholesterol levels in both young and old LDLR-/- mice, VCAM-1 expression and aortic lesion formation were still greater in old mice. The extent of atherosclerosis correlated well (r = .65,p <.01) with the expression of VCAM-1 in the aortic origin. In a final study, we measured VCAM-1 expression and atherosclerosis in young, mature, and old C57BL/6 mice, which have low plasma cholesterol levels (< or =100 mg/dl) when fed a standard chow diet. Although plasma cholesterol levels did not increase with age, old C57BL/6 mice had significantly more VCAM-1 expression in the aortic arch than did young mice. However, no lesions were observed in the aortic origin in either group. These data demonstrate that plasma cholesterol levels and VCAM-1 expression increase with age and suggest that this may contribute to the increased rate of atherosclerotic lesion formation in LDLR-/- mice. Importantly, the age-dependent increase in VCAM-1 expression does not appear to be related to plasma cholesterol levels. This study also suggests that in the absence of elevated plasma cholesterol, an increased expression of VCAM-1 alone is not sufficient for lesion formation.