Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Role of Context in Affective Behavior Understanding

Face-to-face communication is highly interactive. Even when only one person speaks at the time, other participants exchange information continuously amongst themselves and with the speaker through gesture, gaze, posture and facial expressions. Such affective feedback is an essential and predictable aspect of natural conversation and its absence can significantly disrupt participants ability to communicate [2, 20]. During multi-party interactions such as in meetings, information is exchanged between participants using both audio and visual channels. Visual feedback can range from a simple eye glance to a large arm gesture or posture change. One important visual cue is head nod during conversation. Head nods are used for displaying agreement, grounding information or during turn-taking [7, 8]. Recognizing these affective gestures is important for understanding all the information exchanged during a meeting or conversation, and can be particularly crucial for identifying more subtle factors such as the effectiveness of communication [17], points of confusion, status relationships between participants [18], or the diagnosis social disorders [15]. This chapter argues that it is possible to significantly improve state-of-the art recognition techniques by exploiting regularities in how people communicate. People do not provide affective feedback at random. Rather they react to the current topic, previous utterances and the speaker’s current verbal and nonverbal behavior [1]. For example, listeners are far more likely to nod or shake if the speaker has just asked them a question, and incorporating such dialogue context can improve recognition performance during human-robot interaction [11]. More generally, speakers and listeners co-produce a range of lexical, prosodic, and nonverbal patterns. Our goal is to automatically discover these patterns using only easily observable features of human face-to-face interaction (e.g. prosodic features and eye gaze), and exploit them to improve recognition accuracy. This chapter shows that the recognition of affective gestures can be im-
Unusual thermoelectric behavior of packed crystalline granular metals

Loosely packed granular materials are intensively studied nowadays. Electrical and thermal transport properties should reflect the granular structure, as well as intrinsic properties. We have compacted crystalline CaAl-based metallic grains and studied the electrical resistivity and the thermoelectric power as a function of temperature (T) from 15to300K. Both properties show three regimes as a function of temperature. It should be pointed out: (i) The electrical resistivity continuously decreases between 15 and 235K, (ii) with various dependencies, e.g., ≃T−3∕4 at low T, while (iii) the thermoelectric power (TEP) is positive, (iv) shows a bump near 60K, and (v) presents a rather unusual square root of temperature dependence at low temperature. It is argued that these three regimes indicate a competition between geometric and thermal processes—for which a theory seems to be missing in the case of TEP. The microchemical analysis results are also reported, indicating a complex microstructure inherent to the .
Distributed estimation of cross-correlation functions in ad-hoc microphone arrays

In this paper, we address the problem of estimating the cross-correlation function between two microphone signals recorded in different nodes of an ad-hoc microphone array or wireless acoustic sensor network, where the transmission of the entire microphone signal from one node to another is undesirable due to power and/or bandwidth constraints. We show that instead of directly computing the cross-correlation function, it can be estimated as the solution to a deconvolution problem. This deconvolution problem can be separated into two subproblems, each of which depends on one microphone signal and an auxiliary signal derived from the other microphone signal. Three different strategies for solving this deconvolution problem are proposed, in which the two subproblems are solved jointly (symmetric deconvolution), separately (asymmetric deconvolution) or in a consensus framework (consensus deconvolution). Simulation results illustrate the performance difference in terms of estimation accuracy, noise robustness, and transmission requirements.
Understanding the residents’ social impact perceptions of an African Cultural Festival: the case of Macufe

ABSTRACT The Macufe is one of the Africa’s largest cultural festivals, and takes place annually in Bloemfontein, South Africa. This 10-day event attracts approximately 140,000 attendees, meaning that the residents have to share facilities and services with tourists. The effects of such interactions can be both positive and negative. Community members are stakeholders in any tourism ventures that take place in their area, meaning that their goodwill is of utmost importance. Therefore, the social impacts of this event should be well managed to foster community support. For this reason, a quantitative study was done to determine residents’ social impact perceptions towards the event. A total of 425 questionnaires were completed by willing residents who lived in proximity to festival activities. From an exploratory factor analysis, four factors were extracted, namely community enhancement, community degradation, tourism growth and increased public spending and interaction. It was found that the event does not generate significant levels of positive social impacts, and that the negative social impacts are viewed almost equal to the positive social impacts. This was one of the first social impact perception studies done on an African arts festival, which contributes to the sustainable management of such crucial events.
A unified logical model for CBR‐based e‐commerce systems

This article examines new issues resulting from applying case‐based reasoning (CBR) in e‐commerce and proposes a unified logical model for CBR‐based e‐commerce systems (CECS) that consists of three cycles and covers almost all activities of applying CBR in e‐commerce. This article also decomposes case adaptation into problem adaptation and solution adaptation, which not only improves the understanding of case adaptation in the traditional CBR, but also facilitates the refinement of activity of CBR in e‐commerce and intelligent support for e‐commerce. It then investigates CBR‐based product negotiation. This article thus gives insight into how to use CBR in e‐commerce and how to improve the understanding of CBR with its applications in e‐commerce from a logical viewpoint. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Int Syst 20: 29–46, 2005.
Production , Manufacturing and Logistics Non-cooperative joint replenishment under asymmetric information

We consider jointly replenishing n ex-ante identical firms that operate under an EOQ like setting using a non-cooperative game under asymmetric information. In this game, each firm, upon being privately informed about its demand rate (or inventory cost rate), submits a private contribution to an intermediary that specifies how much it is willing to pay for its replenishment per unit of time and the intermediary determines the maximum feasible frequency for the joint orders that would finance the fixed replenishment cost. We show that a Bayesian Nash equilibrium exists and characterize the equilibrium in this game. We also show that the contributions are monotone increasing in each firm’s type. We finally conduct a numerical study to compare the equilibrium to solutions obtained under independent and cooperative ordering, and under full information. The results show that while information asymmetry eliminates free-riding in the contributions game, the resulting aggregate contributions are not as high as under full information, leading to higher aggregate costs. 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Fathers as sexuality educators: aspirations and realities. An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis

Abstract Men can play a significant role in teaching their children about sexuality but fathers’ practices and perceptions in this domain remain under explored. This study presents an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of eight fathers’ perceptions and practices in educating their ten-year-old children about physical maturation, reproduction and relationships. A Foucauldian analysis with a focus on governmentality and biopower revealed tensions and contradictions between the fathers’ aspirations and their realities, which appeared to be underpinned by the dynamic, contradictory, shifting, plural nature of fatherhood identities. Whilst fathers wished to adhere to the cultural imperative for father–child emotional closeness, a disparity between their ambitions and their conduct emerged. Care appeared to be a deeply gendered concept for the fathers and despite their aspirations for an intimate relationship with their children, gendered norms for motherhood and fatherhood prevailed resulting in passivity in their role as sexuality educators. The study concludes by arguing that challenges to structures and subcultural contexts, which may deter fathers from fully engaging with their sons and daughters in this aspect of communication are required.
Modern pedagogy, local concerns: the Junkyard on the kibbutz kindergarten

Abstract This paper focuses on the “Junkyard” (chatzar grutaot) – a unique educational environment and practice developed in kindergartens on the Israeli kibbutz in the 1940s and 1950s, and still in wide use today in kibbutz kindergartens. The Junkyard, consisting of artefacts of the adult world that are no longer in use, is an ever-changing set-up in which children’s free play is encouraged, with minimal rules for use of time, space, objects, and social relations. Anchored in the writings of its two founding educators, as well as in writings of and interviews with its advocates and instructors over the years, this paper shows how the Junkyard drew on widespread ideas about early childhood development and education, at the same time as it responded to local conditions and concerns. The paper argues that a unique conjunction of factors – material and structural, educational and pedagogical, ideological and cultural – facilitated the process by which the Junkyard was inserted relatively smoothly into the kibbutz educational landscape, in lasting ways.
New Insights in the Moderating Effect of Switching Costs on the Satisfaction-Loyalty Link

Existing studies on the moderating role of switching costs on the satisfaction-loyalty relationship are inconclusive. Based on a meta-analysis and two studies, we show that switching costs moderate this relationship in a nonlinear (inverted u-shaped) way. Explaining existing inconsistencies, our results contribute to a better understanding of the satisfaction-loyalty link.
A new method for the spectroscopic identification of stellar non-radial pulsation modes. I. The meth

Aims. We present the Fourier parameter fit method, a new method for spectroscopically identifying stellar radial and non-radial pulsation modes based on the high-resolution time-series spectroscopy of absorption-line profiles. In contrast to previous methods this one permits a quantification of the statistical significance of the computed solutions. The application of genetic algorithms in seeking solutions makes it possible to search through a large parameter space. Methods. The mode identification is carried out by minimizing $\chi^2$, using the observed amplitude and phase across the line profile and their modeled counterparts. Computations of the theoretical line profiles are based on a stellar displacement field, which is described as superposition of spherical harmonics and that includes the first order effects of the Coriolis force. Results. We made numerical tests of the method on a grid of different mono- and multi-mode models for $0 \le \ell \le 4$ in order to explore its capabilities and limitations. Our results show that whereas the azimuthal order m can be unambiguously identified for low-order modes, the error of $\ell$ is in the range of $\pm 1$. The value of m can be determined with higher precision than with other spectroscopic mode identification methods. Improved values for the inclination can be obtained from the analysis of non-axisymmetric pulsation modes. The new method is ideally suited to intermediatley rotating δ Scuti and β Cephei stars.
The simultaneous evolution of author and paper networks

There has been a long history of research into the structure and evolution of mankind's scientific endeavor. However, recent progress in applying the tools of science to understand science itself has been unprecedented because only recently has there been access to high-volume and high-quality data sets of scientific output (e.g., publications, patents, grants) and computers and algorithms capable of handling this enormous stream of data. This article reviews major work on models that aim to capture and recreate the structure and dynamics of scientific evolution. We then introduce a general process model that simultaneously grows coauthor and paper citation networks. The statistical and dynamic properties of the networks generated by this model are validated against a 20-year data set of articles published in PNAS. Systematic deviations from a power law distribution of citations to papers are well fit by a model that incorporates a partitioning of authors and papers into topics, a bias for authors to cite recent papers, and a tendency for authors to cite papers cited by papers that they have read. In this TARL model (for topics, aging, and recursive linking), the number of topics is linearly related to the clustering coefficient of the simulated paper citation network.
A novel UHF RFID dual-band tag antenna with inductively coupled feed structure

A dual-band tag antenna for UHF RFID systems is proposed. The tag antenna is composed of a zigzag main body and a zigzag loop, which is an inductively coupled feed structure antenna. The proposed structure is simple, which is not only easy to adjust the matching impedance but also to reduce the size of the antenna. Compared with the same type of antennas, this antenna structure is more compact and the length of antenna is reduced by at least 18%. Using the Alien's Higgs-3 tag chip, the proposed antenna operates at 860 MHz and 920 MHz, and the impedance match is achieved in a wide frequency band. We also measure the reading distances of the tag. Simulation and measurement results show that the proposed antenna has good performance and is very practical.
Natriuretic peptide system in the human retina.

PURPOSE The natriuretic peptide (NP) family includes atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP), brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), and C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP). Natriuretic peptides are known to inhibit vascular cell growth and regulate vessel tone. There is also much evidence to suggest they modulate vascular permeability and angiogenesis, as well as regulating aqueous humor production in the eye. All these data indicate that the natriuretic peptide system might be involved in the development of diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma. Given the expression pattern of natriuretic peptides (NPs) and their receptors, natriuretic peptide receptor A (NPRA), natriuretic peptide receptor B (NPRB) and natriuretic peptide receptor C (NPRC) in the human retina has not yet been established, the present study was designed to determine ANP, BNP and CNP gene expression and localize the mature peptides in this tissue. The expression pattern of the genes encoding the different NP receptor subtypes was also examined. METHODS Eyes (n=10) from human donors with no history of eye disease were fixed and processed for routine paraffin embedding. The cellular location of the NPs was established by immunohistochemistry. Real-time quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to evaluate the expression of NP and NP receptor genes in neural retinas obtained from the contralateral eyes. RESULTS Immunohistochemistry revealed the presence of NPs in the neural retina and retinal pigment epithelium. Positive NP immunostaining was observed within the astrocytes and in their processes enveloping vessels. In the anterior portion of the optic nerve, NPs were intensely labeled in neural bundles. We were able to detect NP gene expression in the human retina. The levels of NP receptor-encoding transcripts detected indicated no significant differential expression of genes coding for the different receptor subtypes. CONCLUSIONS Our finding that NP receptor transcripts are expressed along with ANP, BNP, and CNP mRNA in the human retina provides evidence for a local system in this tissue. The expression of NPs in neural retinal, glial, and vascular elements of the normal adult retina suggests a role for these peptides in maintaining both the neural and vascular integrity of the mature retina.
The Empath and the Psychopath: Ethics, Imagination, and Intercorporeality in Bryan Fuller's Hannibal

The long-form television drama series Hannibal (Fuller 2013–2015) thematises the embodied imagination and the elicitation of empathy and ethical understanding at the level of narrative and characterisation as well as through character engagement and screen aesthetics. Using Hannibal as a case study, this research investigates how stylistic choices frame the experiences of screen characters and engender forms of intersubjectivity based on corporeal and cognitive routes to empathy; in particular, it examines the capacity for screen media to facilitate what neuroscientist Vittorio Gallese terms intercorporeality. As a constitutive aspect of intersubjectivity and social understanding that works through embodied simulation, intercorporeality invites a reconceptualisation of empathy and its association with ethical motivation and insight. Hannibal also introduces cannibalism as a dark metaphor for the incorporation of another into oneself, reflecting on empathy's ill-understood potential for negative affect and.
Punishment – and Beyond

This paper argues that the i? ½Economics of Crimei? ½ concentrates too much on punishment as a policy to fight crime, which is unwise for several reasons. There are important instances in which punishment simply cannot reduce crime. Several feasible alternatives to punishment exist, such as offering positive incentives or handing out awards for law abiding behavior. These alternative approaches tend to create a positive sum environment. When people appreciate living in a society that is to a large extent law abiding, they are more motivated to observe the law.
Near Infrared Model Development for Pond-cypress Subjected to Chronic Water Stress and Botryosphaeria rhodina

Visible and near infrared (NIR) reflectance correlate with chemical and physical characteristics of forest canopies. Laboratory analysis of spectral reflectance in the NIR region has advantages over wet-chemical analysis. Spectral analysis of pond-cypress (Taxodium ascendens Brong.) under controlled water stress and Botryosphaeria rhodina (Cooke) Aux. inoculation has not been reported previously. Eight models were selected for preliminary multivariate evaluation of the relationship between reflectance (NIR 1100‐2500 nm) and soluble carbohydrate constituents identified in a previous study. “Best fit models” for half of the constituents were first derivative, modified partial least squares (Mod PLS) models. The remainder were second derivative, Mod PLS models. The R2 values from the best fit models for branch-tip carbohydrates were (from greatest to least): arabinose (0.93), xylose (0.93), rhamnose (0.92), pentose:hexose ratio (0.91), total pentoses (0.87), total carbohydrates (0.83), galacturonic acid (0.81), total hexoses (0.81), mannose (0.78), glucose (0.67), galactose (0.47). Evaluation of dry, milled branch tips from natural stands of pond-cypress trees may provide better understanding of physiological impacts on trees associated with anthropogenic hydroperiod perturbations (e.g., from unsustainable aquifer yield, aquifer storage and recovery, and mining solid materials).
Maternal plasma corticotrophin-releasing factor and urocortin levels in post-term pregnancies.

OBJECTIVE Corticotrophin-releasing factor (CRF) and urocortin are two placental neuropeptides that are involved in the mechanisms of labour by modulating myometrial activity. Maternal plasma levels of both CRF and urocortin are increased at term and preterm labour, whilst those of CRF are reduced in women who are destined to experience post-term delivery. The present study evaluated maternal plasma levels in term and post-term pregnancies out of labour. DESIGN A group of healthy pregnant women was enrolled and subdivided as follows: (i) at term out of labour (n = 19; 276 +/- 0.7 days of gestation; samples collected at the time of elective caesarean section due to previous uterine surgery); (ii) post-term (n = 19; 291 +/- 1.4 days of gestation), from whom samples were collected before induction of labour. METHODS Urocortin and CRF measurements by radioimmunoassay; digital palpatory cervical examination and Bishop score computation; cervical length and funnelling presence assessment by transvaginal ultrasonography. RESULTS Maternal plasma CRF concentrations were significantly (P < 0.05) lower whilst those of urocortin were unchanged in post-term compared with term pregnancy. However, CRF and urocortin levels were both significantly (P < 0.05 and P < 0.001 respectively) higher in pregnancies delivered within 12 h of labour induction than in those that remained undelivered, and were significantly correlated with the induction-delivery interval (CRF: r = -0.676, P = 0.0015; urocortin: r = -0.783, P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS CRF and urocortin levels are decreased and unchanged, respectively, in post-term pregnancy when compared with term pregnancy. Both CRF and urocortin correlate with the time of labour onset after induction. Since CRF derives from the placenta, and urocortin from the fetus, the concerted expression of these neuropeptides appears to be relevant in determining the length of human gestation.
The desert fireball network: A sensor network for meteorite tracking and recovery

The Desert Fireball Network is a sensor network on a continental scale, with the objective of recovering fresh meteorite falls and calculating associated heliocentric orbits. The network was first established in 2005 as a trial network of three (and later four) film camera observatories, which had immediate success with the successful recovery of meteorites in 2008 and 2010. The network was re-established in 2012 as a network of digital fireball observatories, and now comprises over 50 observatories with an observable area over 2.5 million square kilometres. The new digital network was validated at the very end of 2015, with the successful recovery of the Murrili meteorite from Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre in South Australia. This paper describes the design of the observatories and network, and outlines a semi-automated data pipeline which handles nearly a petabyte of data per year.
Edge preserving smoothing by multiscale mode filtering

EDGE preserving smoothing is an important step toward image segmentation. Currently, bilateral and mean shift filters are popular solutions to this problem. The multiscale mode filter proposed in this paper can be thought of as a generalization of both, working successively at a number of scales. As a result of the multiscale approach, the filter avoids being trapped into spurious local maxima, in favour of more significant ones. Compared with the conventional mean shift filter, the multiscale mean shift filter produces smoother images and restores blurred edges more effectively. The filter can cope well with images corrupted by heavy noise.