283 research outputs found
Dirichlet belief networks for topic structure learning
Recently, considerable research effort has been devoted to developing deep
architectures for topic models to learn topic structures. Although several deep
models have been proposed to learn better topic proportions of documents, how
to leverage the benefits of deep structures for learning word distributions of
topics has not yet been rigorously studied. Here we propose a new multi-layer
generative process on word distributions of topics, where each layer consists
of a set of topics and each topic is drawn from a mixture of the topics of the
layer above. As the topics in all layers can be directly interpreted by words,
the proposed model is able to discover interpretable topic hierarchies. As a
self-contained module, our model can be flexibly adapted to different kinds of
topic models to improve their modelling accuracy and interpretability.
Extensive experiments on text corpora demonstrate the advantages of the
proposed model.Comment: accepted in NIPS 201
Wet, wild and convivial : past, present and future contributions of Australiaâs ocean pools to surf, beach, pool and body cultures and recreational coasts
I investigated the past, present and possible futures of Australiaâs ocean pools, over a hundred public seawater pools sited on rocky surfcoasts, so that waves wash over their walls. My interdisciplinary analysis informed by actor-Âânetwork theory explored their contributions to surf, beach, pool and body cultures and recreational coasts. Ocean pools have since the nineteenth century been far more significant in the surf, beach, pool and body cultures of Australia and South Africa, than in those of Britain and the United States. Most of Australiaâs ocean pools lie within state of New South Wales, and my work strengthens the case for recognising Australian and NSW ocean pools as having distinct collective identities and affinities with their South African counterparts. Ocean pools are sites of social and environmental learning that challenge efforts to establish human mastery over wild natures and depictions of coastal environments as mere stages for enacting human activities unconstrained by non-Ââhuman nature. They also challenge the notion that people prefer to swim and bathe at patrolled beaches or in private or public pools far less wild than an ocean pool. They are evidence that supervision by suitably trained and equipped lifeguards or lifesavers is not the only or the most satisfactory way to adequately safeguard bathers and swimmers from the dangers of the sea. Australiaâs ocean pools demonstrate that regardless of race, class, gender, age or ability, people can and do make themselves at home in pools shared convivially with wild nature and well-Ââsuited for sustained, unsupervised recreation and sport on rocky surfcoast. Ocean pools serve as places of refuge, therapeutic and restorative environments, adventure playgrounds, convivial public spaces, visually appealing cultural landscapes, brands, icons and symbols. Australiaâs ocean pools are unified by their sites, their affordances and core actor-Ââ networks linked to their fundamental and enduring identity as âwild but safe enough surfside poolsâ. Rocky shores and coastal waters characterised by surf, sharks and rips are among the most persistent macro-Ââactors in these networks that include bathers, swimmers, tourism and transport networks, news media, local councils and progress associations. Australian ocean pools that gained a further identity as âpublic pools for competition and carnivalsâ acquired additional actor-Âânetworks strongly linked since the late nineteenth century to amateur swimming clubs and schools, and since the twentieth century to surf lifesaving clubs and winter swimming clubs. Those ocean pools nevertheless, remained predominately recreational facilities. As other types of public pools became more affordable, Australiaâs ocean pools remained popular despite gaining new identities as an âunusually hazardous type of public poolâ and âa type of facility no longer createdâ. The growing threats to ocean pools and their actor-Âânetworks are a further unifying factor. As sport and recreation venues cultivating healthy, convivial relationships with wild nature and possessing unrealised potential as centres for community engagement, learning and research, ocean pools are worth emulating on other rocky shores and in other public places. My work strengthens efforts to sustain and create ocean pools and supports further studies on seawater pools and their actor-Âânetworks
Wet, wild and convivial : past, present and future contributions of Australiaâs ocean pools to surf, beach, pool and body cultures and recreational coasts
I investigated the past, present and possible futures of Australiaâs ocean pools, over a hundred public seawater pools sited on rocky surfcoasts, so that waves wash over their walls. My interdisciplinary analysis informed by actor-Âânetwork theory explored their contributions to surf, beach, pool and body cultures and recreational coasts. Ocean pools have since the nineteenth century been far more significant in the surf, beach, pool and body cultures of Australia and South Africa, than in those of Britain and the United States. Most of Australiaâs ocean pools lie within state of New South Wales, and my work strengthens the case for recognising Australian and NSW ocean pools as having distinct collective identities and affinities with their South African counterparts. Ocean pools are sites of social and environmental learning that challenge efforts to establish human mastery over wild natures and depictions of coastal environments as mere stages for enacting human activities unconstrained by non-Ââhuman nature. They also challenge the notion that people prefer to swim and bathe at patrolled beaches or in private or public pools far less wild than an ocean pool. They are evidence that supervision by suitably trained and equipped lifeguards or lifesavers is not the only or the most satisfactory way to adequately safeguard bathers and swimmers from the dangers of the sea. Australiaâs ocean pools demonstrate that regardless of race, class, gender, age or ability, people can and do make themselves at home in pools shared convivially with wild nature and well-Ââsuited for sustained, unsupervised recreation and sport on rocky surfcoast. Ocean pools serve as places of refuge, therapeutic and restorative environments, adventure playgrounds, convivial public spaces, visually appealing cultural landscapes, brands, icons and symbols. Australiaâs ocean pools are unified by their sites, their affordances and core actor-Ââ networks linked to their fundamental and enduring identity as âwild but safe enough surfside poolsâ. Rocky shores and coastal waters characterised by surf, sharks and rips are among the most persistent macro-Ââactors in these networks that include bathers, swimmers, tourism and transport networks, news media, local councils and progress associations. Australian ocean pools that gained a further identity as âpublic pools for competition and carnivalsâ acquired additional actor-Âânetworks strongly linked since the late nineteenth century to amateur swimming clubs and schools, and since the twentieth century to surf lifesaving clubs and winter swimming clubs. Those ocean pools nevertheless, remained predominately recreational facilities. As other types of public pools became more affordable, Australiaâs ocean pools remained popular despite gaining new identities as an âunusually hazardous type of public poolâ and âa type of facility no longer createdâ. The growing threats to ocean pools and their actor-Âânetworks are a further unifying factor. As sport and recreation venues cultivating healthy, convivial relationships with wild nature and possessing unrealised potential as centres for community engagement, learning and research, ocean pools are worth emulating on other rocky shores and in other public places. My work strengthens efforts to sustain and create ocean pools and supports further studies on seawater pools and their actor-Âânetworks
Erving Goffman, Fateful Action, and the Las Vegas Gambling Scene
This paper explores Erving Goffmanâs research on gambling, the historical context within which he articulated his views on risk taking, and the contribution he made to our understanding of gambling as a stigmatized social activity. Drawing on the large database assembled in the Erving Goffman Archives, the article traces Goffmanâs footprint in Las Vegas and shows the personal as well as scholarly dimensions of his interest in betting practices in entertainment venues and risk taking in society at large. The argument is made that the theory of fateful action presented in the seminal study âWhere the Action Isâ remains a potent if underutilized theoretical, methodological, and political resource. The paper concludes with reflections on the commodification of risk and the role of chance in distribution of rewards in our society
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