Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
BGP face recognition method based on heuristic information

Binary gradient pattern (BGP) is a concise and efficient descriptor for face recognition which is robust to light, expression and occlusion. It has achieved remarkable results in face recognition applications. However, BGP descriptor is a universal operator, which does not reflect the particularity of human face in the process of face recognition. This paper draws on the experience of human face recognition based mainly on facial features(including eyes, nose and mouth), and proposes a method of face recognition based on heuristic information. This method firstly determines the general location of the above facial features according to human experience. Secondly, BGP operator is used to extract the features of the face, and we divide faces into several sub-blocks to obtain the histogram features of each sub-block. Finally, the features corresponding to the positions of the features are weighted. The method is fully validated in Yale and ORL libraries. Compared with the original BGP method, the recognition accuracy and robustness are significantly improved.
Speculating with human rights: two South Asian women writers and utopian mobilities

ABSTRACT Utopian and dystopian fiction are classifiable under the umbrella term speculative fiction, which speculates with or takes risks with the reality it creates in the fiction. My paper investigates speculative writing which is also utopian by South Asian feminist and activist women, comparing creative texts by Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain, from the first half of the 20th century, and Vandana Singh, from contemporary times. A selection of their published short fiction are focused on, in particular Hossain’s ‘Sultana’s Dream’ (1905) and Padmarag and the short story ‘Delhi’ by Singh. The article pulls together analysis of different kinds of mobility to argue that both writers, in their imagination of mobile utopia, also further creative speculations round human rights, with special reference to gender and the city. The article analyses how South Asian metropolises, notably Calcutta and Delhi, get reimagined in their writing. Both Hossain and Singh were/are educators in real life. How do their educative and speculative voices come together (or not) in their mobile utopia reimagining human rights? My answer is that the speculative reality-bending mode offers an articulation of the educative in a very different key to the conventionally pedagogic.
RESEARCH OF RAILWAY TRACK PARAMETERS IN THE PLAN BASED ON THE DIFFERENT METHODS OF SURVEY

Purpose. The main purpose of this paper is to analyze the existing methods for surveying curves in a plan, to study the influence of the errors in measuring plan parameters on the permitted speeds of motion, to develop re-commendations for reducing road disturbances by bringing the parameters of curves to the standards that operate in Ukraine in the directions of accelerated and high-speed train traffic. The problem of restructuring the curves was not so acute until there was a need to increase the speed of motion and technical condition monitoring of the track plan. Unreliable determination of the curves parameters leads to unjustified restrictions in the speed of motion or to large volumes of straightening operations. Methodology . The methodology used in the paper provides for a comprehensive and detailed study of different ways of railway curves survey, aimed at developing and obtaining the optimal solutions for the railway track plan. To date, there are different methods of survey the actual geometry of the railway track. To carry out research in various sections of complexity and for a long time of the railway track operation, the most convenient, first of all, considering the regularity of arrivals, there is a tape of the track-measuring car. However, this method is used to assess the state of the railway track, and not to determine the exact geometric position. Thus, when trying to determine the actual outline of the track unevenness using a track-measuring tape, a number of difficulties arise. When forming a mathematical model of the existing plan, the assumption is used: it is considered that three adjacent points on the curve are located along the circumference. The work of track renewal trains is based on this principle. As a result of track renewal operations with the aim of reducing the volume of flattening, the curve does not correspond to the initial passport data. Findings . The results of the work come out of the analysis of different approaches and methods of surveying the plan of the line, the parameters influence of the curves on establishing the permissible speed of motion. The recommendations received in the work will help to increase the efficiency of design decisions and the quality of railway track reconstruction as a whole. Originality. Scientific approaches to assessing the state of curves, studying the influence of their parameters on the permissible speed of trains, have been further developed. The system of criteria for assessing the state of curves that affect the accumulation of track disturbances in the plan is supplemented. Practical value. The results obtained will be useful for carrying out measures to improve speed, improve the smoothness of train traffic and the level of travel comfort on curved track sections, especially in the areas of accelerated and high-speed train traffic.
An Animal-Assisted Intervention Study in the Nursing Home:: Lessons Learned

AAI studies in the nursing home pose a specific set of challenges. In this article the practical and ethical issues encountered during a Dutch psychogeriatric nursing home AAI study are addressed with the aim of sharing our experiences for future researchers as well as AAI practitioners in general. In our study we compared three groups of clients with dementia who participated in group sessions of either visiting dog teams, visiting FurReal Friend robot animals, or visiting students (control group) and monitored the effect on social interaction and neuropsychiatric symptoms through video analysis and questionnaires. We encountered the following four categories of challenges during our study. Participant-related challenges include the legal implications of working with vulnerable patients, the practical implications of a progressive neurodegenerative disease with accompanying memory loss and behavioral problems, and the ethical implications of the use of robot animals for people with diminished cognitive functions. A very important challenge involves the selection of the participating dogs and ensuring animal welfare during the study. We partnered with a local university of applied sciences to help us successfully address these issues. The nursing home setting poses several practical challenges due to its inherent organizational structure, the high workload of nursing home staff, and an often suboptimal environment for a controlled randomized trial, especially when comparing nonpharmacological interventions. Balancing the desire for scientifically sound procedures with the practical limitations of a nursing home setting is often difficult and requires specific considerations.
Patient-centered Design Grounded in User and Clinical Realities: Towards Valid Digital Health

Valid design of patient-centered digital health or health information technology (IT) systems is based on a thorough and accurate understanding of both “user reality” and “clinical reality. ” Type 1 Design Error (User-Reality Error) occurs when designers do not accommodate user characteristics, tasks, context of use, needs, or preferences. Type 2 Design Error (Clinical-Reality Error) occurs when designers do not accommodate the clinical reality, including biomedical knowledge, clinical workflows, and organizational requirements. Both types of errors can invalidate the design, leading to products being rejected by patient end-users or their healthcare delivery systems, product non-use or inappropriate use, and risk of harm. This paper describes our attempts to achieve valid health IT design and avoid the two design errors. We performed iterative, patient-centered design to prototype a mobile application, Power to the Patient (P2P), supporting heart failure self-care management. Our multidisciplinary team of human factors, cardiology, and design experts developed and iteratively refined requirements based on data collection, review, and testing with patient research participants, a patient advisory board, a clinical advisory board, and experts on the team. We describe our process and reflect on working with multiple stakeholders toward the goal of valid health IT design.
Cognitive Usability Evaluation of Electronic Health Record Systems (CUE-E)

This project’s purpose was to develop cognitively-focused usability evaluation methods for electronic health records (EHRs). This research involved developing a conceptual framework for evaluating EHR usability in terms of clinical cognition and operationalizing the framework in the form of two novel EHR usability evaluation methods. The two evaluation methods - one observational and one lab-based - are described in a suite of protocol materials and recommendations for EHR evaluation and design. This resulting body of work is referred to as CUE-E: Cognitive Usability Evaluation - EHR. This paper describes the process behind the development of the CUE-E evaluation methods, summarizes the use of both, and discusses directions for future work. The two CUE-E evaluation methods are currently ready for pilot applications to assess their reliability and validity and identify opportunities for further improvement.
Radically Early College Entrants on Radically Early College Entrance: A Heuristic Inquiry

Although acceleration has been studied thoroughly as an educational practice for the gifted, early entrance to college specifically has been overlooked. Furthermore, a large portion of this research pertained to early college entrance programs, which provide resources that many early college entrants may not have. The lived experiences and perceptions of radically early college entrants (3 or more years advanced) were explored through interviews and heuristic inquiry. The interviews addressed affective aspects of early college foremost, with additional discussion of academic experiences, college choice, and career outcomes. Findings support that radically early college entrants are happy with their choice overall, although more specific findings elaborate on the benefits and limitations of early college, possible regrets, and the social issues this population faces.
The Need for Cognition and Meta-learning Competence among Students of Teacher Education at the University Level

Cognition and meta-learning competencies are important elements in teacher education programs. The research presented was aimed at discovering the link between the need for cognition and meta-learning competence. The research sample comprised 250 students of teacher education in their first-year of study for the degree of licencjat (Bachelor’s equivalent) and magister (Master’s equivalent). Research findings demonstrate the existence of 1) a correlation between the students’ need for cognition and their meta-learning competence, 2) differences between students at the Bachelor’s and Master’s level of education with regard to their expressed need for cognition and meta-learning competence (including subcomponents of the latter) which suggests that these needs and competencies develop over the course of their university education.
Entering the Work of Higher Education: A Study of Novice Practitioners’ Learning

This study examines experiential learning within a higher education master’s program through the experience of 15 higher education master’s students who participate in a structured internship program. Study findings speak to the importance of facilitating connections between students’ prior knowledge, theories of higher education, and on-site internship experiences. Drawing from these findings, the authors offer implications for the integration of these distinct though related contexts of learning within higher education master’s programs.
Elaborating on the Theory of Fraud. New Theoretical Extensions

This paper aims to elaborate on the theory of fraud by enhancing the existing theories behind the factors that force people to commit fraud. The paper reviews the most commonly used and widely accepted models for explaining why people commit fraud - the Fraud Triangle, the Fraud Diamond, the Fraud Scale and the MICE model. The author argues that these models need to be updated to adapt to the current developments in the field and the ever growing fraud incidents, both in frequency and severity, and builds on the theoretical background to create a new model so as to enhance the understanding behind the major factors which lead to the commitment of fraud. The author identifies a major element - Ego - which plays a crucial role in compelling people to commit fraud and concludes in the formation of the S.C. O.R. E. model, which is graphically depicted in the Fraud Pentagon. He goes further by adding the factor collusion in order to better apply in cases of white-collar crimes. The overall contribution of this paper is the development of the S.C. O.R. E. model in order to contribute to the development of fraud theory by identifying the key factors that play a major role in whether fraud will actually occur and acting as a theoretical benchmark for all future reference.
Beating the Odds: Trees to Success in Different Countries.

A recursive partitioning model approach in the form of classification and regression trees (CART) was used with 2012 PISA data for five countries (Canada, Finland, Germany, Singapore-China, and the Unites States). The objective of the study was to determine demographic and educational variables that differentiated between low SES student that were overachieving or not and to explore the differences across countries. A review of the decision trees indicated contextual differences across countries, suggesting that a universal approach to facilitate overachievement for low SES students is not appropriate. Countries should look to efforts specific to their country and culture and the nature of their students when considering policies and programs for low SES students.
A tapestry of playworlds: a study into the reach of Lindqvist’s legacy in testing times

ABSTRACT This paper discusses the tapestry of playworlds found in the literature and examines the contributions made since Gunilla Lindqvist originally researched play and culture in preschools and developed the esthetics of play or creative pedagogy of play – sometimes collectively referenced as playworlds. The goals of this paper are to examine the central concepts that theoretically bind the system of pedagogical practices she developed and to review how her work has been deployed by the next generation of scholars within the contemporary context for greater educational outcomes in some countries and creative and innovative citizenship in other countries. With this backdrop, it is argued that playworlds have advanced over time helping educators to push against schoolification, but also giving support to those seeking new ways to make the learning of concepts in preschools more playful. This paper seeks to make a theoretical contribution to this body of work.
Literacy Instruction for Adolescents with Learning Disabilities: Examining Teacher Practice and Preparation.

This study presents findings from a survey of secondary special education teachers who teach reading to students with learning disabilities (LD). Respondents were 392 special education teachers from a large Midwestern State who completed an online or paper survey. Results indicate predominant foci of secondary special education teachers’ reading instructional practices were teaching vocabulary and comprehension, engaging in ongoing formative assessment, and incorporating technology into instruction. Additionally, the majority of respondents report not feeling adequately prepared to teach reading to secondary students with LD. These findings are discussed in relation to the national discourse on adolescent literacy and special education teacher preparation.
Patrimonial economic voting: a cross-national analysis of asset ownership and the vote

ABSTRACT Our study examines the impact possession of assets (patrimony) has on the vote in 34 countries. We provide the first comprehensive test of patrimony on the vote cross-nationally. Using Module 4 of the Comparative Study of Electoral Systems (CSES) and hierarchical models, we show that asset ownership matters and has a direct effect on the vote in several countries. More assets increase the likelihood of supporting the right. In other nations, its effect is indirect or absent. Accounting for this macro variation, we show that patrimonial voting is stronger in liberal welfare states and in countries where the tax system does not limit incentives to invest. However, we find no evidence that patrimonial voting is conditioned by ideological polarization. Our research highlights that economic voting is multidimensional and that patrimony, especially in some countries, is a potent determinant of the vote.
Talking Politics and Engaging in Activism: The Influence of Publics’ Social Networks on Corporations in the Public Sphere

Scholars have extensively theorized how citizens’ political discussion networks have implications for elected political actors and can affect political and civic participation and knowledge. We shift the focus to another important political actor—corporations—to examine whether political discussion networks affect citizens’ perceptions of a politically involved corporation and their intentions to engage in consumer activism. With social network influence perspective and an egocentric design, we examined the influences of one’s network characteristics, opinion climate, and network heterogeneity. We found that the ethnic diversity of discussion partners and heterogeneity of opinions substantially influenced perceptions and behavioral intentions.
ATTITUDES AND PERCEPTIONS OF PEDAGOGICAL FORMATION PHYSICAL EDUCATION STUDENTS ABOUT WEB 2.0 TOOLS AND FACTORS FOR SUCCESSFUL ADAPTATION OF THESE TOOLS

Today, use of the Web 2.0 technologies and applications (e.g. text messaging, wikis, personal web pages, social networks, blogs) in many different areas of education have been increasing, and this can be seen as an important development. However, teaching candidates from specific subject matters, such as physical education, still appear unaware of the potential benefits of such tools in a teaching and learning environment. The purpose of this study was to assess pre-service teachers’ perceptions about Web 2.0 technologies and to explore the awareness of this technology among students using the Technology Acceptance Modal (TAM). In this context, the descriptive survey method was used and a questionnaire was applied to 79 pre-service students (53 male and 26 female) enrolled in the physical education department in Dokuz Eylul University. The data for this study was collected by the researcher through a questionnaire after 2017-2018 fall semester of the course including weekly web 2.0 activities based on the lesson topic. The results of the study indicate that gender was an important factor that affected the implementation or use of this technology. Accordingly, male students had higher levels of awareness about web 2.0 applications than female students had. The study also showed that usefulness and ease-of-use are two significant factors that affect students’ attitude towards this technology. Article visualizations:
The Role of Indigenous Knowledge Systems in Rural Smallholder Farmers’ Response to Climate Change: Case Study of Nkomazi Local Municipality, Mpumalanga, South Africa

Climate change and variability have direct negative impacts on rural smallholder farmers. These impacts involve extreme climatic events such as excessive temperatures, prolonged droughts and floods which affect people’s livelihoods. This study was conducted in Nkomazi Local Municipality, Mpumalanga, South Africa. The main objective of the study was to investigate indigenous weather and climate indicators used by smallholder farmers and the role of indigenous knowledge in their farming systems. The research used qualitative methods, including focus group discussions and key informant interviews. The findings indicated that farmers observed animal behaviour, plants, atmospheric indicators and human ailments to predict weather.
The Functions Of Olutura Sounds

DOI: 10.21276/sjahss.2018. 6.2. 7 Abstract: The aim of this study was to identify the sounds that occur in Olutura so as to develop a phonetic inventory and to show how these sounds function in this dialect. A purposive sampling technique was used to identify native Olutura speakers and to categorize the data into the required categories for analysis. The study identifies each vowel and consonant sound that occurs in Olutura and discusses their role in its phonology. Examples of words in which these sounds occur are given in order to show their functions in the overall phonology and phonotactics of Olutura. From the data analysis, Olutura has a 5V system and a total of 52 sounds. The discussion reveals that Olutura prenasalizes sounds which do not primarily occur in its phonetic inventory, an occurrence that results in sounds with secondary articulation.
The Influence of "Accessibility Cues" on Student Engagement and Interactions with African American Faculty.

This phenomenological study examined the perceptions and experiences of 22 traditional aged students when their African American faculty used “accessibility cues” in the classroom. Examples of “cues” include; encouraging students to actively participate in class, evaluate an assignment, or share personal experiences related to the class topic. Students perceive this form of active pedagogy as an indicator that the faculty member is willing to engage outside the formal classroom environment (Wilson, Woods, & Gaff, 1974). Results of in depth interviews with the students in this study, reveals that when faculty use these “cues” in the classroom, students felt respected, valued, supported, and safe in the learning environment. Although this study occurred at a singular institution in the northeastern region of the United States, the findings of this study are beneficial to faculty and administrators across the globe. This study illuminates how pedagogy in the class can have a direct influence on student engagement.