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Modified probabilistic neural networks LBP classification based on distance measures in probability space
No full textModified probabilistic neural networks are introduced for image classification based on various distance measures in probability space, in which the input to the model is local binary pattern histogram of images. Conventional probabilistic neural networks have input layer, which computes Euclidean distance of pairwise input features. The proposed modified probabilistic neural networks considered various probability distance measures for computing distances of LBP histograms between images. Extensive comparative experimental studies are employed to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. It is shown that the probabilistic neural network (PNN) based on Bhattacharyya distance measure is superior to other measures and using the subset of uniform LBP features is generally better than using full LBP features
Alliance management capabilities in sustainability‐oriented collaboration: problematization and new research directions
Get PDFSustainability-oriented collaboration, a heterogeneous set of formal interorganizational arrangements that vary considerably in size, membership, focus and functioning, but share the same interest in addressing sustainability challenges of public concern, is becoming a mainstay of corporate agenda setting. Yet, the more firms interact on social and environmental issues, the more the burdens and tensions of collaborating for sustainability become apparent. Research and practice increasingly question whether an alliance management capability (AMC) perspective can be adopted to explain variability in collaboration effectiveness. With the aim to investigate whether, and to what extent, existing sustainability-oriented collaboration research integrates or challenges mainstream theory on AMC, we adopt a problematization method to unpack the root assumptions underlying the AMC construct. We find that self-interest in economic value creation and capture, the need for homogeneity to favour knowledge accumulation and learning on alliance management, and predictable patterns of AMC deployment are consistently assumed by scholars to predict success in alliance management. Accordingly, we analyse AMC assumptions’ current integration in the study of sustainability-oriented collaboration, conducting a systematic literature review on collaborative capabilities developed for, during and in response to sustainability challenges. In so doing, we identify what distinguishes sustainability-oriented collaboration from mainstream strategic alliances and the related implications on the collaborative capabilities firms should develop and deploy when dealing with sustainability challenges. We elaborate on these and their implications for AMC constructs to provide a future research agenda, which integrates further theoretical perspectives and broadens the scope of existing ones
Academic success in English medium courses: exploring student challenges, opinions, language proficiency and L2 use
Get PDFThe growth of English medium instruction (EMI) programs at universities worldwide has raised questions about the implications of teaching through L2 English on students’ content learning outcomes. This study examined the impact of four factors on students’ academic success (e.g. content learning) in the Turkish EMI context: (1) students’ language-related challenges; (2) students’ opinions about the effectiveness of EMI; (3) students’ perceived language proficiency levels; and (4)the amount of L2 English used in EMI classes. Students’ perceived academic performance was taken as a proxy of EMI success. The study employed a quantitative empirical design using questionnaires and regression analysis. Data were collected via an online questionnaire from 498 students at an EMI university in Turkey. The results revealed that students’ language-related challenges and perceived language proficiency were the only predictors that were associated with academic success in their EMI courses at a statistically significant level. The amount of English used in the classroom was not found to predict success in EMI, suggesting that students may benefit from multilingual models of teaching. These findings underscore the importance of adequate language support for students on EMI programs, and implications are discussed with respect to EMI policy, program planning, and teacher pedagogy
Effect of global and regional SST biases on the East Asian Summer Monsoon in the MetUM GA7 and GC3 configurations
Get PDFClimate-length experiments of the Met Office Unified Model Global Atmosphere 7.0 (GA7) and Global Coupled 3.0 (GC3) configurations are evaluated against observations and reanalyses for the simulation of the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM). The results show systematic model biases, such as overestimated rainfall over southern China and underestimated rainfall over northern China, suggesting a monsoon that does not penetrate northward enough. We evaluate the effects on the EASM of regional errors in sea-surface temperature (SST) conditions in three regions: the Pacific, the Indian, and the Atlantic Oceans. The global SST biases in GC3 configuration substantially shift the EASM seasonal cycle: a late northward progression of the EASM in the early/mid- monsoon season, and an early retreat of the monsoon that also reduces rainfall over most of northern China. The EASM seasonal rainfall bias in the EASM region is linked to changes in the locations and strength of the western North Pacific subtropical high, which is associated with biases in local evaporation and moisture transport towards South China. GC3 biases in the El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) teleconnection pathways also influence the EASM biases. GC3 biases weaken the ENSO teleconnection to the EASM and cause a strong dry bias in southeast China during developing El Nino
When is work unjust? Confronting the choice between ‘pluralistic’ and ‘unifying’ approaches
Get PDFIndividuals have different experiences of work when they are self‐employed, when they perform tasks in the gig economy, and when they follow directives from managers. But such differences are not represented in some of the most prominent non‐ideal theories of work. These describe workers as a coherent group, with a position in the structure of the liberal capitalist economy. I present an alternative that does better at acknowledging difference, through a description of work and workers that has greater ‘pluralism’ and less ‘unifying coherence’. Some might insist that their ‘unifying’ description has superior empirical plausibility. But if ‘pluralistic’ descriptions are valid rivals to provide an accurate characterization of our current condition, then we should consider whether their use in theory can serve valuable aims. I identify the distinctive and valuable non‐ideal aims – epistemic, evaluative, and normative – that can be pursued with ‘pluralistic’ descriptions of work and workers
The hope of agreement: against vibing accounts of aesthetic judgment
No full textStanley Cavell’s account of aesthetic judgment has two components. The first is a feeling: the judge has to see, hear, ‘dig’ something in the object being judged, there has to be an ‘emotion’ that the judge feels and expresses. The second is the ‘discipline of accounting for [the judgment]’, a readiness to argue for one’s aesthetic judgment in the face of disagreement. The discipline of accounting for one’s aesthetic judgments involves what Nick Riggle has called a norm of convergence: the judge aims to get one’s audience to taste see or hear what the judge tastes or sees or hears in the object being judged. Because of the unmistakable difficulty in reaching agreement in aesthetic judgment, Riggle has denied that aesthetic judgment requires a convergence norm and has proposed instead that it requires ‘a kind of harmony of individuality’ (which Riggle calls ‘vibing’). We argue that Cavell offers a version of the convergence norm that is distinct from those that Riggle criticizes, namely Kant’s demand for agreement and Andy Egan’s presupposition of similarity in dispositions in ‘non-defective’ aesthetic conversations. Cavell’s version of the convergence norm is ‘the hope of agreement’. One can hope that one’s audience will agree with one’s aesthetic judgments even when one isn’t in a position to demand agreement or to presuppose similarity in the dispositions that would make agreement more likely. Cavell’s distinct convergence norm avoids Riggle’s criticisms and contributes to a richer account of what’s going on when we disagree about aesthetic matters
Lifestyle management of hypertension: International Society of Hypertension position paper endorsed by the World Hypertension League and European Society of Hypertension
Get PDFHypertension, defined as persistently elevated systolic blood pressure (SBP) >140 mmHg and/or diastolic blood pressure (DBP) at least 90 mmHg (International Society of Hypertension guidelines), affects over 1.5 billion people worldwide. Hypertension is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) events (e.g. coronary heart disease, heart failure and stroke) and death. An international panel of experts convened by the International Society of Hypertension College of Experts compiled lifestyle management recommendations as first-line strategy to prevent and control hypertension in adulthood. We also recommend that lifestyle changes be continued even when blood pressure-lowering medications are prescribed. Specific recommendations based on literature evidence are summarized with advice to start these measures early in life, including maintaining a healthy body weight, increased levels of different types of physical activity, healthy eating and drinking, avoidance and cessation of smoking and alcohol use, management of stress and sleep levels. We also discuss the relevance of specific approaches including consumption of sodium, potassium, sugar, fibre, coffee, tea, intermittent fasting as well as integrated strategies to implement these recommendations using, for example, behaviour change-related technologies and digital tools
The role identities of women middle management academic leaders in STEM higher education
Get PDFDespite a growing number of women entering STEM-related professions and higher education, they remain underrepresented in taking up the role of middle management leaders. Once in their roles, they face multiple challenges in their attempt to balance numerous demands on their time and efforts. Working in a male-dominated culture increases the pressure on women middle management leaders to perform at a similarly high caliber. This study adopted a life history approach to narrative inquiry to explore the role identities of three female middle management leaders in one university in Qatar. Using the Dynamic Systems Model of Role Identity as a theoretical model, participants took part in a semi-structured interview during which they recounted their stories of past, present, and future. The findings of this study captured the rich, complex, dynamic, and contextualized nature of how the participants negotiated their identity formation in their academic leadership roles through their discursive practices of gender and leadership highlighting the values and beliefs of motherly care, trust and respect. With the self-perception of goal orientation, they engaged themselves in actions that enabled collegial support and encouraged colleagues to act. Despite a lack of structured professional training for leadership preparation, they generally replied on their prior experiences and efforts as strategies for leadership in doing. Family support was also considered a resource for balancing heavy workload for academic leadership and life commitments. The study concludes with ways to better support women academic leaders
Bilingual exposure might enhance L1 development in Cantonese-English bilingual autistic children: evidence from the production of focus
Get PDFThis study investigated bilingualism effects on the production of focus in 5- to 9-year-old Cantonese-English bilingual autistic children’s L1 Cantonese, compared to their monolingual autistic peers as well as monolingual and bilingual typically developing (TD) children matched in nonverbal IQ, working memory, receptive vocabulary, and maternal education. The results from an elicitation task showed that monolingual autistic children had significantly lower accuracy than TD children in producing focus in subject and object positions. Bilingual autistic children in general performed similarly to monolingual autistic children but outperformed their monolingual autistic peers in the production of object focus with a significantly higher accuracy. The total amount of English exposure did not relate to the accuracy of focus production in autistic and TD children. Our results also revealed autistic children’s tendency to make use of less prosodic means to produce focus. The overall findings indicate that bilingual exposure has no detrimental effect on the language skills of autistic children but might enhance the production of focus in bilingual autistic children’s L1 Cantonese
A narrative review investigating the potential effect of lubrication as a mitigation strategy for whey protein-associated mouthdrying
Get PDFWhey is consumed by active adults to aid muscle recovery and growth, the general population as a nutritious convenient food, and by older adults to prevent sarcopenia due to its high leucine content. However, whey protein has poor consumer acceptance in this latter demographic, partially due to mouthdrying. This is thought to result from electrostatic interactions between whey and salivary proteins, mucoadhesion to the oral mucosa, and the inherent astringency of acidity. Previous unsuccessful mitigation strategies include viscosity, sweetness and fat manipulation. This literature review reveals support for increasing lubrication to reduce mouthdrying. However, of the 50 papers reviewed, none have proposed a method by which whey protein could be modified as an ingredient to reduce mouthdrying in whey-fortified products. This review recommends the use of modern technologies to increase lubrication as a novel mitigation strategy to reduce mouthdrying, with the potential to increase consumer acceptance