Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Group Basis of Partisan Affective Polarization

What explains rising partisan animosity in the United States? We argue that mass partisans’ feelings toward the social group coalitions of the parties are an important cause of rising affective polarization. We first leverage evidence from the American National Election Study (ANES) Time Series to show that partisans’ feelings toward the social groups linked to their in-party (out-party) have grown more positive (negative) over time. We then turn to the 1992–96 and 2000–2004 ANES Panel Surveys to disentangle the interrelationship between partisan polarization and social group evaluations. Individuals with more polarized social group evaluations in 1992 or 2000 report substantially more polarized party thermometer ratings and more extreme, and better sorted, partisan identities four years later. Notably, these variables exerted little reciprocal influence on group evaluations. Our study has important implications for understanding affective polarization and the role of social groups in public opinion.
‘Through the lens of ethnography’: Perceptions, challenges, and experiences of an early career practitioner-researcher in professional football

ABSTRACT The present study critically explores the use of practitioner-researcher ethnography in professional football, and illustrates some of the challenges that the first author experienced as a result of the dual-role occupation. The first author occupied the position of insider sport psychology practitioner-researcher within one professional football club over a 3-year duration. Traditional ethnographic research methods were employed, including; observations, field notes, and reflections. Following thematic analysis, research on the potential for conflict and tension in ethnography, and ethical guidelines from caring professions (e.g. sport psychology, health, and nursing) were used to make sense of the data. A series of reflective extracts highlight moral, ethical, and personal challenges of occupying a dual role, including threats to identity, acceptance of academics in elite sport, and confidentiality. For those individuals whose livelihood is dependent on their successes as a practitioner-researcher an understanding of how to overcome methodological challenges will be beneficial in improving their organisational status. From the results of this study, we suggest that a range of support mechanisms (e.g. ethnographers club, regional support hubs, supervisor/researcher training and education), and the development of a clear sense of self are essential for the ethnographic practitioner-researcher.
Early career registered nurses: How and why do they stay? Exploring their disorienting dilemmas

University of Wollongong Copyright Warning You may print or download ONE copy of this document for the purpose of your own research or study. The University does not authorise you to copy, communicate or otherwise make available electronically to any other person any copyright material contained on this site. You are reminded of the following: This work is copyright. Apart from any use permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part of this work may be reproduced by any process, nor may any other exclusive right be exercised, without the permission of the author. Copyright owners are entitled to take legal action against persons who infringe their copyright. A reproduction of material that is protected by copyright may be a copyright infringement. A court may impose penalties and award damages in relation to offences and infringements relating to copyright material. Higher penalties may apply, and higher damages may be awarded, for offences and infringements involving the conversion of material into digital or electronic form. Unless otherwise indicated, the views expressed in this thesis are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the University of Wollongong.
Construction and Practice of the Optimal Smooth Semi-Supervised Support Vector Machine

Abstract The standard semi-supervised support vector machine (S3VM) is an unconstrained optimization problem of non-convex and non-smooth, so many smooth methods are applied for smoothing S3VM. In this paper, a new smooth semi-supervised support vector machine (SS3VM) model , which is based on the biquadratic spline function, is proposed. And, a hybrid Genetic Algorithm (GA)/ SS3VM approach is presented to optimize the parameters of the model. The numerical experiments are performed to test the efficiency of the model. Experimental results show that generally our optimal SS3VM model outperforms other optimal SS3VM models mentioned in this paper.
Democracy deficit and homophobic divergence in 21st century Europe

Abstract In the present study we focus on the relationship between democracy deficit and homophobic divergence within 21st century European societies. Our main research question is about how social attitudes towards lesbians and gays changed in the examined time period (between 2002 and 2016), and whether there are any signs of convergence regarding these issues in different parts of Europe, characterized by different welfare regimes, a quarter of a century after the political system changes in the countries formerly often referred to as the “Eastern Bloc”. The empirical base of the study is a dataset including all eight rounds of the European Social Survey, focusing especially on a key variable measuring the agreement level with the statement that gay men and lesbians should be free to live their own life as they wish. For data analyses descriptive statistics and explanatory models were constructed by applying multilevel mixed effect linear regression models. Our results show that there are still significant differences between different parts of Europe regarding social attitudes towards gays and lesbians. However, based on our results we would recommend a more refined division than the East–West dichotomy within Europe.
Clustering heterogeneous autism spectrum disorder data.

CLUSTERING HETEROGENEOUS AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER DATA Mariem Boujelbene April 26, 2019 Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disorder that affects communication and behavior. Several studies have been conducted in the past years to develop a better understanding of the disease and therefore a better diagnosis and a better treatment by analyzing diverse data sets consisting of behavioral surveys and tests, phenotype description, and brain imagery. However, data analysis is challenged by the diversity, complexity and heterogeneity of patient cases and by the need for integrating diverse data sets to reach a better understanding of ASD. The aim of our study is to mine homogeneous groups of patients from a heterogeneous set of data consisting of both ADOS and Behavioral datasets and to interpret the discovered clusters within the medical context of the affected brain areas using fMRI data. We developed an unsupervised machine learning pipeline to mine a heterogenous data set consisting of the Standardized Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) scores, which are metrics used to measure the autism severity, phenotypical and behavioral data. This ADOS data is used to identify behavioral problems for autistic patients. We also used functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) which is a technique for measuring and mapping brain activity. Our Big Data pipeline utilizes different clustering algorithms to partition the patients into homogeneous groups: hierarchical clustering, spectral clustering and spectral co-clustering.
Effects of Open Versus Closed Skill Exercise on Cognitive Function: A Systematic Review

Background Exercise modes can be divided into open skill exercise (OSE) and closed skill exercise (CSE). While research has shown that these two exercise modes may have different effects on cognitive function, this possibility has not been systematically reviewed. Objective The purpose of the present review was to objectively evaluate the research literature regarding the effects of OSE versus CSE on cognitive function. Methods Six electronic databases (Web of Science, EMBASE, Google Scholar, PubMed, PsycINFO, and SPORTDiscus) were searched from inception dates to December 2018 for studies examining the associations of OSE and CSE with cognitive function. The literature searches were conducted using the combinations of two groups of relevant search items related to exercise modes (i.e., OSE and CSE) and cognitive function. Articles were limited to human studies in all age groups. Both intervention and observational studies with full text published in English-language peer-reviewed journals were considered eligible. The search process, study selection, data extraction, and study quality assessment were carried out independently by two researchers. Results A total of 1,573 articles were identified. Fourteen observational and five intervention studies met the inclusion criteria. Twelve of the 14 observational studies found that OSE benefits cognitive function, and seven of these 14 observational studies supported superior effects of OSE compared with CSE for enhancing cognitive function. Three of the five intervention studies found that OSE (versus CSE) led to greater improvements in cognitive function in both children and older adults. Conclusion Although the majority of studies in this review were observational cross-sectional designs, the review tends to support that OSE is more effective for improving some aspects of cognitive function compared with CSE. More rigorous randomized control trials with long-term follow-ups are needed in order to confirm these differential cognitive effects of the two exercise modes.
A Short Review of Multimodal Biometric Recognition Systems

Multimodal biometric systems, which combine two unimodal recognition systems into one single method, can be used to overcome the limitations of individual biometrics. This paper will do a short but critical review on recently developed for enhancing multimodal biometric systems. As can be seen from Celik et al. [1] the biometric information can be combined using different types of fusion of biometric data at different levels, i.e., at the feature level, matchingscore level or decision level. The biometric data classification and throughput of the biometric recognition systems can be carried out by analysing these fusion levels.
Generalized method of moments approach for spatial-temporal binary data

Kaufeld, Kimberly A. Generalized Method of Moments Approach for SpatialTemporal Binary Data. Published Doctor of Philosophy dissertation, University of Northern Colorado, 2014. Binary data that are correlated across space and time often occur in health and ecological studies. The centered spatial-temporal autologistic regression model (Wang & Zheng, 2013) accounts for the spatial and temporal dependence that can occur in binary data. Statistical inference for the autologistic model has been based upon pseudolikelihood, Monte Carlo maximum likelihood, Monte Carlo expectation maximization or Bayesian hierarchical models. However, these methods require the full conditional distribution to be defined and with the complexity of spatial and temporal dependence and interactions between observations can cause convergence problems and increase computation time. An alternative approach to likelihood based methods for spatial-temporal data is to use generalized method of moments, a method not currently used for spatial-temporal binary data. Two different generalized method of moments approaches based on a set of moment conditions is constructed with respect to spatial neighborhoods to account for the spatial and temporal dependence of the data. Comparisons of estimation methods using a small simulation and two data sets show that the generalized method of moments approaches perform well in specific data situations.
Understanding Syntactic and Semantic Errors in the Composition Writing of Jordanian EFL Learners

The current study aimed at investigating the salient syntactic and semantic errors made by Jordanian English foreign language learners as writing in English. Writing poses a great challenge for both native and non-native speakers of English, since writing involves employing most language sub-systems such as grammar, vocabulary, spelling and punctuation. A total of 30 Jordanian English foreign language learners participated in the study. The participants were instructed to write a composition of no more than one hundred and fifty words on a selected topic. Essays were collected and analyzed statistically to obtain the needed results. The results of the study displayed that syntactic errors produced by the participants were varied, in that eleven types of syntactic errors were committed as follows; verb-tense, agreement, auxiliary, conjunctions, word order, resumptive pronouns, null-subject, double-subject, superlative, comparative and possessive pronouns. Amongst syntactic errors, verb tense errors were the most frequent with 33%. The results additionally revealed that two types of semantic errors were made; errors at sentence level and errors at word level. Errors at word level outstripped by far errors at sentence level, scoring respectively 82% and 18%. It can be concluded that the syntactic and semantic knowledge of Jordanian learners of English is still insufficient.
Empowering students to take ownership of their learning: Lessons from one piano teacher’s experiences with transformative pedagogy

As the number of adults seeking to learn the piano increases, so too does the need for piano teachers to understand how to better facilitate their learning. Self-direction is an oft-cited requirement of adult learning, but one that is often absent from piano studios. This practitioner-based research investigates the role of the teacher in fostering and supporting self-direction, empowering adult piano students to take ownership of their learning. It offers pedagogical insights into the author’s experiences within her own piano studio and details the practical application of theories and strategies offered within the fields of piano pedagogy and adult learning. This study finds that fostering self-direction is more complex than offering the balance between guidance and freedom that some experts suggest. It also requires strong student–teacher rapport, supporting and building students’ self-efficacy and being willing to set aside expectations. This was made possible by implementing transformative pedagogical strategies, such as effective questioning, collaborative discussions and adapting the structure of lessons. While the author’s journey is uniquely her own, the approaches used to engage adult students with their learning, and the use of reflective practice as professional development, may be of interest to other studio instrumental teachers.
Beyond Czech and Slovak differences in Hofstede´s Masculinity index: An investigation of cross-cultural differences using Hofstede’s and Schwartz’s framework

: A number of studies adopting either Hofstede ́s Cultural Values Survey approach or Schwartz ́s concept of Value Types have documented major distinctions in value preferences between Czechs and Slovaks. The most prominent one has been represented either by the dimension of Masculinity (as constructed by Hofstede) or value type of Achievement (a concept of Schwartz); both defined by similar content, stressing the importance of success, achievement and competence. In all the five published comparisons so far – two based on Cultural Values Survey by Geert Hofstede (Kolman, Norderhaven, Hofstede, & Dienes, 2003, Bašnáková, Brezina and Masaryk, 2016) and three on value types by Shalom Schwartz (Schwartz & Bardi, 1997, Schwartz, Bardi & Bianchi, 2000 and Ilgová & Ritomský, 2009), -- Slovak participants scored higher in both Masculinity (MAS) and Achievement. Interestingly, Slovakia´s MAS score reported by Kolman et al. (2003) reached one of the highest values of all the surveyed countries with the VSM instrument, thus becoming an in Masculinity, but rather this single item on Hofstede's VSM 2013 questionnaire. After minimizing the influence of item number 8 on the MAS score, we found that not only did the large difference between Masculinity in Czechs and Slovaks disappear, but also that Masculinity was now better accounted for by the two Schwartz’s values that we have predicted based on theoretical grounds: Achievement and Power. What remains to be discussed is whether the differences in item 8 are merely an artefact of the instrument (e.g. Czech and Slovak participants understood the item in systematically different ways) or whether this item taps into real and profound differences in Czech and Slovak cultures. This particular finding offers support to the assumption that the validity of differences in Masculinity between Czechs and Slovaks as measured by Kolman et al. (2003) and Bašnáková et al. (2016) is, at least in part, influenced by either a) methodological artefacts (instrumental validity) or b) construct bias. One theoretical possibility brought about by our findings is that while the dimension of Masculinity might be culturally universal, the items devised to measure it could have culture-specific content.
Promoting Persuasion With Ideologically Tailored Science Messages: A Novel Approach to Research on Emphasis Framing

Motivated reasoning in response to disconfirming science information presents a challenging barrier to science communication. This article presents a novel approach to emphasis framing, in which functionally equivalent information is framed using ideologically consistent values and tailored to the audiences. In contrast to traditional framing approaches, science information is held constant across frames and only interpretations of the information are varied. Results from an experiment provide initial support for this ideology-based framing approach. Persuasive effects are stronger for an ideologically congruent frame than for an incongruent frame, and no boomerang effects were observed. We discuss implications and directions for future research.
Atomising the News: The (In)Flexibility of Structured Journalism

Abstract The field of data-driven news production and delivery is maturing, and public service media are among a wide range of news organisations innovating to exploit these advances. This article extends the literature on computational journalism by analysing two of the BBC’s recent experiments in “atomizing” the news–an object-based approach, which seeks to make news more adaptable and scalable using media components that can be automatically and algorithmically combined in multiple ways. Findings suggest atomised news is viewed by the organisation as offering opportunities for greater efficiency and personalisation and sits within a broader turn towards “structured journalism. ” We highlight three characteristics of atomisation—recording, recombining and re-use—to illustrate how it breaks from traditional approaches. We find journalists are “writing for machines” by converting unstructured information into structured data to enable automated recombination and future re-use of content. This impacts editorial control by delegating responsibility to either the algorithm or the audience, in the name of choice. We propose a research agenda that maps the field of structured journalism, contextualises it in the politics of data and technology, and further considers the implications for public service journalism.
Reasoning about the supernatural : a cross-cultural examination of how and when intuitions shape belief

The cognitive sciences of religion have theorized that supernatural agent beliefs are shaped by intuitively-supported psychological processes (e.g., teleological thinking, and mentalizing). And, evidence is accumulating that individual differences in reliance on these intuitions is positively related to religious beliefs and that, on the other hand, broad tendencies for questioning them are negatively related to belief. In this dissertation, I build on this literature by providing first tests of several longstanding and some novel theoretical accounts of (1) when and in what ways broad tendencies for questioning intuitions come to predict belief and (2) when and in what ways mentalizing becomes implicated in beliefs. In Chapter 2 (N = 5284 students, Americans and Indians), I examine how and when tendencies for questioning intuitions (i.e., analytical thinking) is associated with belief by testing three theoretical accounts of this relationship. In Chapter 3 (3 studies; N = 2191 students, Christian and Hindu Americans, Indians), I examine how and when intuitions for reasoning about mental states (i.e., mentalizing) come to support belief in god by testing a different set of three theoretical accounts against the evidence. In Chapter 4 (N = 2027 from 14 societies), I examine predictions generated in Chapter 3 regarding the prevalence and correlates of mentalized deity concepts in a sample that spans diverse scales of societal complexity, market integration, and religious traditions. Results demonstrate that deities are increasingly mentalized the more they are moralized (i.e., attributed with moral knowledge and capacities to punish). Throughout, this work demonstrates the necessity of taking theory-testing in the cognitive sciences of religion across cultures and religious traditions. Methodologically, this work takes an individual difference approach and employs high-powered samples. When suitable, statistical mediation analyses are conducted to test the processes by which intuitions relate to belief. Broadly,
Feeling the narrative: Emotions of Media Tourists

This paper focuses on the emotional aspects of media tourism: the way the media tourist’s emotions change, develop and lead to the actual media tourism event. When a person interacts with a narrative, a desire to visit a related location (that is to perform a media tourism act) may occur. For the purpose of this research project, several semi-structured interviews were conducted with media tourists to find out how their emotions develop before, during and after the media tourism experience. In order to study the dynamics of emotions a model is suggested, where the reading of a book or watching of a movie is taken as the initial point. After that, according to the model, the media tourist will experience a postreading/post-watching stage where the narrative emotions (feelings one has during the interaction with a narrative) urge him/her to visit the location portrayed in that narrative. The next stage is the media tourism act itself, and finally he/she will experience post-travelling emotions. As the study showed, most of the respondents had positive emotions when they were interacting with the initial narratives and likewise during the visit of the media location. Their emotions were mostly of happiness and joy. However the emotions occurred after reading/watching and after travelling were rather weak especially when compared to the sentiments during the actual reading/watching or media tourism experience. In conclusion, there was no constant level of the respondents’ emotions. Emotions that had appeared in the beginning transformed and induced the respondents to become a media tourist. Their feelings then increased, flourished during the period of media tourism and afterwards created new urges when the traveler returned home.