Language-Aware Soft Prompting: Text-to-Text Optimization for Fewand Zero-Shot Adaptation of V&L Models

Soft prompt learning has emerged as a promising direction for adapting V &L models to a downstream task using a few training examples. However, current methods significantly overfit the training data suffering from large accuracy degradation when tested on unseen classes from the same domain. In addition, all prior methods operate exclusively under the assumption that both vision and language data is present. To this end, we make the following 5 contributions: (1) To alleviate base class overfitting, we propose a novel Language-Aware Soft Prompting (LASP) learning method by means of a text-to-text cross-entropy loss that maximizes the probability of the learned prompts to be correctly classified with respect to pre-defined hand-crafted textual prompts. (2) To increase the representation capacity of the prompts, we also propose grouped LASP where each group of prompts is optimized with respect to a separate subset of textual prompts. (3) Moreover, we identify a visual-language misalignment introduced by prompt learning and LASP, and more importantly, propose a re-calibration mechanism to address it. (4) Importantly, we show that LASP is inherently amenable to including, during training, virtual classes, i.e. class names for which no visual samples are available, further increasing the robustness of the learned prompts. Expanding for the first time the setting to language-only adaptation, (5) we present a novel zero-shot variant of LASP where no visual samples at all are available for the downstream task. Through evaluations on 11 datasets, we show that our approach (a) significantly outperforms all prior works on soft prompting, and (b) matches and surpasses, for the first time, the accuracy on novel classes obtained by hand-crafted prompts and CLIP for 8 out of 11 test datasets. Finally, (c) we show that our zero-shot variant improves upon CLIP without requiring any extra data. Code will be made available

Landscape approaches for ecosystem management in Mediterranean Islands

This book presents a series of essays, drawing on the twm concepts of ecosystem management and landscape approaches, to elucidate and reflect on the present situation and future evolution of Mediterranean islands. This publication brings together contributions from Mediterranean individuals, non-Mediterranean individuals, islanders and non-islanders there is, after all, no geographical limit on who and what we can learn from. The essays presented here each contribute a specific perspective on the future evolution of Mediterranean islands. This book presents a series of essays, drawing on the twin concepts of ecosystem management and landscape approaches, to elucidate and reflect on the present situation and future evolution of Mediterranean islands. This publication brings together contributions from Mediterranean individuals, non-Mediterranean individuals, islanders and non-islanders; there is, after all, no geographical limit on who and what we can learn from. The essays presented here each contribute a specific perspective on the future evolution of Mediterranean islands. Following this introductory chapter, the first section of the book focuses on the contributions that can be made by the discipline of landscape ecology. loannis Vogiatzakis and Geoffrey Griffiths first explain the concepts and relevance of landscape ecology, also presenting and discussing a range of applied tools that can facilitate landscape planning in Mediterranean islands. Louis F. Cassar then reviews the 'offshoot' discipline of restoration ecology, making a strong case for offsetting the environmental damage inflicted on natural ecosystems over millennia of human occupation, with constructive efforts to effectively restore and/or rehabilitate ecosystems. The two following chapters bring the socio-economic dimension into the discussion. Godfrey Baldacchino first presents two contrasting paradigms for the development of island territories, reviewing the dual influences of ecological and economic factors, and exploring ways in which the two can be brought together in successful development strategies. Gordon Cordina and Nadia Farrugia then address the demographic dimension of development, presenting a model to explain the economic costs of high population densities on islands. The third block of chapters expands on the relevance of social and cultural dynamics to the management of Mediterranean Islands. Isil Cakcï, Nur Belkayali and Ilkden Tazebay explain the evolution of the concept of a 'cultural landscape', focusing on the challenges of managing change in landscapes with strong heritage values. The chapter concludes with a case study on the Turkish island of Gökçeada (lmbros), which is experiencing major challenges in balancing the conservation of a cultural landscape on the one hand, and the management of inevitable change, on the other. Elisabeth Conrad then discusses the role of social capital in managing the landscape resources of Mediterranean islands, reviewing the potential for this intangible social fabric to facilitate or impede the sustainable evolution of island territories. The fourth section includes four chapters, each of which addresses a different aspect relevant to policy development and implementation in Mediterranean islands. Salvino Busuttil presents an essay outlining the political influences on the management of coastal landscapes, the latter so relevant to Mediterranean island territories. The essay derives from the author's professional experience in various policy-related institutions for environmental management within the Mediterranean region. Maggie Roe then reflects on issues of landscape sustainability, focusing on the neglected aspect of intelligence. She discusses ways in which landscape research, knowledge and understanding can feed directly into frameworks for 'sustainable' landscape planning. In the subsequent chapter, Adrian Phillips takes from his substantial experience with international landscape policy, reviewing the gradual emergence of international and national landscape 'tools', to draw out lessons for application in Mediterranean islands. In the final chapter of this section, Riccardo Priore and Damiano Galla present a comprehensive discussion of the European Landscape Convention, the first international instrument to focus exclusively on landscape. The authors explain the innovative character of this convention, and discuss its potential implementation in Mediterranean islands. The publication concludes with a series of case studies, highlighting specific constraints, experiences and opportunities in different Mediterranean islands. Theano Terkenli explores the landscapes of tourism in Mediterranean islands - perhaps no other industry has played such a fundamental role in shaping the evolution of Mediterranean landscapes in recent years. The author reviews the theoretical relationship between landscape and tourism across Mediterranean islands, before focusing on the specific case of the Greek Cycladic islands. In the following chapter, Alex Camilleri, Isabella Colombini and Lorenzo Chelazzi present an in-depth review of the context and challenges being faced on a number of minor Mediterranean islands, namely those of the Tuscan archipelago (Elba, Giglio, Capraia, Montecristo, Pianosa, Gorgona and Giannutri), and Comino, the latter forming part of the Maltese archipelago. The comparison between these various islands enables an appreciation of both commonalities across these islands, as well as considerations that are specific to the context of each in dividual island. JeremyBoissevain then adopts an anthropological lens to review the cautionary tale of landscape change in Malta, exploring underlying causes of landscape destruction and limited civil engagement. In the subsequent chapter, Jala Makhzoumi outlines the richness of Mediterranean islands' rural landscapes, focusing on olive landscapes in Cyprus. Her research demonstrates the economic and ecological robustness of various olive cultivation practices, and whilst warning of several threats to such sustainable regimes, she outlines strategies for reconfiguring our approach to rural heritage, in order to integrate such assets into sustainable development strategies. Finally, Stephen Morse concludes the section with an evaluation of sustainable development indicators, and the contribution that these can make towards enhancing the management of Mediterranean island territories. He illustrates his arguments with reference to the two island states of Malta and Cyprus. To conclude, in the final chapter of this publication, we review key insights emerging from the various chapters, and summarize considerations for ecosystem management and sustainable development in Mediterranean Islands. We truly hope that this publication makes some contribution towards safeguarding the "magic' of Mediterranean islands, whilst embracing their dynamic characteristics.Published under the patronage of UNESCO and with the support of the Maltese National Commission for UNESCOpeer-reviewe

The transformation of an agricultural economy : forms of rural settlement in Epirus from the second century BCE to the fourth century CE

This thesis investigates the transformation of the agricultural economy of Epirus in Roman times, approximately from its conquest in 168/7 BCE and its annexation in the province of Macedonia in 146 BCE, until the 4th century CE. It does so through study of diverse forms of rural settlement in the Epirote countryside, using untapped rescue archaeology to distinguish between different farms, to refine their chronologies, and to assess their agricultural productions. In so doing, the nature of the villa and its temporal spread in this area of Greece is also thoroughly examined and clarified. The development of Epirus has in the past often been closely linked to narratives painted by Roman authors of its allegedly devastating destruction and subsequent agricultural exploitation by members of the Roman aristocracy, who called themselves "Synepirotae". Many rural sites have been interpreted in this light and called "villas", leading scholars to postulate that the villa spread widely in Epirus during the early Roman period. In contrast to this theory, it is argued that, while a few exceptional villas were constructed early on, they did not become popular until the middle and later Imperial periods; instead, in early Roman times dispersed villages and fortified farms, many of which had been inhabited before the Roman period, were more numerous. Consequently, the villa was not always the typical way to manage agricultural resources of substantial scale in this part of the Roman world. The thesis also combines rural rescue archaeology with material culture from cities and with written evidence, to reconstruct a new view of societal and economic change in Epirus during the Roman period. It is shown how gradual changes in the agricultural economy reflected changes in local societies, which were also measured in pace, and it is highlighted that the individuals making up those societies played a more active role in the ways that Epirus became incorporated into the Roman Empire than has previously been thought

Archaeology at the Alamodome: Investigations of a San Antonio Neighborhood in Transition, Volume III: Artifact and Special Studies

On March 15, 1990, the Center for Archaeological Research (CAR) of The University of Texas at San Antonio entered into a contract with the City of San Antonio\u27s Multipurpose Domed Stadium Development Advisory Committee and Via Metropolitan Transit Authority to undertake cultural resource investigations of a 17-square-block (65 acre) area in downtown San Antonio, Texas (Figure F-l). From mid-March to early July 1990, and periodically thereafter, intensive archival and historical research on the entire project area was carried out by CAR staff members. Architectural recording and assessment of all standing buildings was done by Andrew Perez and Associates. Thirteen oral history interviews with residents, former residents, and officers and employees of business establishments in the general area were recorded and transcribed by E. L. Fly and Associates. This was the first phase of a multiple-phase Figure F-l. Alamodome Project area. Vlll project that also included archaeological test excavations during 1991 and 1992 to verify or identify the locations of sites and features within the project area, and detailed investigations of a selected sample of those sites and features. The project was conducted under Texas Antiquities Committee permit numbers 900, 932, and 982. The artifacts recovered from the investigations were processed, cataloged, and sorted into categories for identification and analysis. Then followed over a year of intensive study of the products of the research and excavations. Because of the tremendous scope of the archaeological work and the associated analysis and write-up, the results of the Alamodome Project are presented in three volumes. Volume I contains the background research results, including chapters on the historical setting, the architecture present before demolition was begun, the oral history, a study of the African-American community, and a summary of the structural evolution of the area. Volume n contains a complete description of the archaeological excavations and a distributional analysis of the results, written by the archaeologist who was in charge of the field work on the project. Included are numerous maps, drawings, and photographs of the work in progress. Also included in Volume n are a study of the site formation processes, undertaken by Kevin Gross, and a geomorphic description of the project area, by Michael Collins. This volume, the last of the series, is comprised of individual reports on the description and analysis of various types of arifactual materials recovered during the project, including ceramics, glass, kitchen and tablewares, dolls and toys, marbles, clothing and personal items, and building materials. Also included in this volume are descriptions and discussions of excavated wells, cisterns, acequias, and privies, and an analysis of the faunal materials. The temporal scope of these studies is the l00-year period from 1850 to 1950. This time frame encompasses the period directly after the end of SpanishlMexican control and the gradual rise of Anglo/German control of the local economy and sociopolitical structure. It is also the time during which the first wave of the Industrial Revolution arrived in Texas, seriously impacting the history of San Antonio. One goal of the project was to study this impact on the economic and cultural life of one small sector of the city. Scope of Volume III This volume presents the results of research by CAR staff members into the developmental history of the numerous types of artifacts used to analyze and date deposits on the archaeological sites investigated during the Alamodome Project. Comparatively little research has been done on artifacts of the post-1900 period in Texas. Authors have spent hours of patient research in sometimes obscure publications and long distance phone calls to chase down and interview manufacturers wherever possible. We hope this volume will be a resource to others doing the same sort of research. As the years pass and 1900 recedes farther into the past, more and more archaeologists and historians will be looking for this sort of information

Kinship, friendship and gender relations in two east Aegean village communities (Lesbos, Greece)

This thesis is concerned with the ways in which kinship and friendship are informed by cultural notions of gender in two villages of Northern Lesbos (East Aegean region of Greece) and it falls into four parts. It begins with a discussion of marriage and the creation of the domestic group, it moves on to consider relations in the predominantly female realm of house and neighbourhood and concludes with an examination of the social and cultural configurations present in the exclusively male domain of the coffeeshop and the village community at large. In the introductory chapter I briefly discuss the socio-economic and demographic context in a historical perspective. The analysis of informal courtship, match-making and dowering and the process of marriage more generally forms the focus of part one. Here it is shown that the religiously sanctioned ideal of the bilateral household (which is based on gender complementarity) is administered primarily by women and exhibits a matrilateral emphasis. This point is fully explored in part two where it is demonstrated that while men, especially those of low status, are domestically marginal, their wives in their maternal role dominate kin-based and mutually antagonistic networks of women. A close examination of the fragmented nature of male kinship and the content of affinity and neighbourship further confirms the centrality of women to kinship. The third part begins with an extensive discussion of the code of commensality and the drinking patterns it supports, the cycle of participation in different categories of coffeeshop and the symbolism of drinks. An analysis of male commensal friendship and the more asymmetric ties that arise in competitive drinking and gambling gives us the clues to understanding notions of gender that are specific to the coffeeshop and opposed to corresponding notions that arise in the context of the household. Finally the concluding part examines the values of individual personhood and 'belonging' in local society and assesses the contrast between two notions of the village and their implications for political behaviour

Spanish Artifacts from Santa Elena

This volume contains Parts I and 2 of a three-part presentation of the artifacts relating to the sixteenth century Spanish occupation of the colonial capital of La Florida at Santa Elena, located on Parris Island, South Carolina from 1566 to 1587. Part 1, by Stanley South, with contributions by Eugene Lyon, Richard Polhemus, William Radisch and Carl Steen, comprises the Spanish non-ceramic artifacts. Part 2, by Russell Skowronek, Richard Johnson and Stanley South, examines the Spanish imported ceramics. Part 3, incomplete at this writing, by Chester Depratter, deals with the Spanish-contemporary Indian pottery. This third part will be published as a separate volume at a later date. The entire artifact inventory of the artifacts from Santa Elena is presented in this three-part volume, being those recovered from a number of expeditions to the site between 1979 and 1985. For comparative use the appendices contain the tabulated artifact inventory resulting from these expeditions. Synthesizing tables from these data are presented in the text. This information should prove useful to students of sixteenth century Spanish colonial history, particularly historical archaeologists involved in excavating sites of this period wherever they may be.https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/archanth_anthro_studies/1008/thumbnail.jp

Market bulletin

The South Carolina Department of Agriculture publishes the bi-monthly Market Bulletin newsletter. The Market Bulletin began in 1913 and was originally an insert in The State newspaper. Later it was added to other papers, and about 12 years later began as a stand-alone publication. The Market Bulletin has information about the agency, agriculture-related news, and free advertising available to farmers and consumers

Regulatory and adaptive responses of Lactococcus lactis in situ

cum laude graduation (with distinction