1,190 research outputs found

    Advances and Applications of DSmT for Information Fusion. Collected Works, Volume 5

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    This fifth volume on Advances and Applications of DSmT for Information Fusion collects theoretical and applied contributions of researchers working in different fields of applications and in mathematics, and is available in open-access. The collected contributions of this volume have either been published or presented after disseminating the fourth volume in 2015 in international conferences, seminars, workshops and journals, or they are new. The contributions of each part of this volume are chronologically ordered. First Part of this book presents some theoretical advances on DSmT, dealing mainly with modified Proportional Conflict Redistribution Rules (PCR) of combination with degree of intersection, coarsening techniques, interval calculus for PCR thanks to set inversion via interval analysis (SIVIA), rough set classifiers, canonical decomposition of dichotomous belief functions, fast PCR fusion, fast inter-criteria analysis with PCR, and improved PCR5 and PCR6 rules preserving the (quasi-)neutrality of (quasi-)vacuous belief assignment in the fusion of sources of evidence with their Matlab codes. Because more applications of DSmT have emerged in the past years since the apparition of the fourth book of DSmT in 2015, the second part of this volume is about selected applications of DSmT mainly in building change detection, object recognition, quality of data association in tracking, perception in robotics, risk assessment for torrent protection and multi-criteria decision-making, multi-modal image fusion, coarsening techniques, recommender system, levee characterization and assessment, human heading perception, trust assessment, robotics, biometrics, failure detection, GPS systems, inter-criteria analysis, group decision, human activity recognition, storm prediction, data association for autonomous vehicles, identification of maritime vessels, fusion of support vector machines (SVM), Silx-Furtif RUST code library for information fusion including PCR rules, and network for ship classification. Finally, the third part presents interesting contributions related to belief functions in general published or presented along the years since 2015. These contributions are related with decision-making under uncertainty, belief approximations, probability transformations, new distances between belief functions, non-classical multi-criteria decision-making problems with belief functions, generalization of Bayes theorem, image processing, data association, entropy and cross-entropy measures, fuzzy evidence numbers, negator of belief mass, human activity recognition, information fusion for breast cancer therapy, imbalanced data classification, and hybrid techniques mixing deep learning with belief functions as well

    Outcome Measurement in Functional Neurological Symptom Disorder

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    Outcome measurement in Functional Neurological Symptom Disorders (FNSDs) is particularly complex. Pressing questions include what kind of measure is more accurate or meaningful, or how to achieve standardisation in a clinically heterogenous group where subjective and objective observations of the same construct may deviate. This project aimed to build on the limited knowledge of measuring outcomes in FNSDs and attempts to address one of its inherent complexities; where clinical aspects of the disorder confound the usual prioritisation of "objective" over "subjective" (or patient-rated) measures. This PhD comprised a literature review and three research studies, each using different measures to assess the current status and (potential) outcomes in FNSD patients. A narrative description of systematically identified literature on stress, distress, and arousal measures in FNSD presents an overarching profile of the relationships between subjective and objective study measures. Eighteen studies (12 functional seizures, six other FNSD) capturing 396 FNSD patients were included. Eleven reported no correlation between subjective and objective measures. Only four studies reported significant correlations (r's=-0.74-0.59, p's <0.05). The small number of studies and diverse methodologies limit the conclusions of this review. However, the review's findings underscore the importance of validating outcome measures in patients with FNSD, carefully selecting the most appropriate measures for the research objectives, and possibly combining different measures optimally to triangulate a patient's current state, level of functioning or disability. Study One used factor analysis and Rasch modelling to investigate the psychometric properties of a novel FNSD-specific resource-based measure developed as an outcome measure for psychological therapies (The sElf-efficacy, assertiveness, Social support, self-awareness and helpful thinking (EASE) questionnaire). A 4-factor model identified self-efficacy (SE), self-awareness/assertiveness (SA), social support (SS) and interpersonal illness burden (IIB) as relevant domains. Each latent scale fits the Rasch model after refinement of the category responses and removing two items. With further improvement, the EASE-F has the potential to reliably measure self-reported SE, SA, SS, and IIB constructs which were found to be meaningful to patients with FNSD. This can identify patients with strengths and deficits in these constructs, allowing therapists to individualise interventions. Recommendations for refinement of future instrument versions, using the measure in clinical practice, and research in FNSDs are discussed. Study Two sought to understand the urgent and emergency care (UEC) service usage patterns among FNSD patients. Retrospective FNSD patient data from 2013 to 2016 UEC records (including NHS 111 calls, ambulance services, A&E visits, and acute admissions) were used to compare FNSD UEC usage rates with those of the general population and to model rates before and after psychotherapy. FNSD patients displayed 23 to 60 times higher UEC usage than the general population. Emergency service usage rates showed a significant reduction in level (rate level change = -0.90--0.70, p's <0.05) immediately after psychotherapy. While this study was uncontrolled, and a causal relationship between psychotherapy and reduced UEC service use cannot be proven by its design, the decrease in pre-treatment service usage among FNSD patients mirrors treatment-related improvements in health status and functioning previously documented using self-reported outcome measures. Further research is warranted to elucidate features of emergency care service use by patients with FNSD, assess interventions' cost-effectiveness, and help to optimise limited health care resource allocation. Study Three utilised a delay discounting and emotional bias task to assess if these measures could indicate the health state of FNSD patients and to compare findings in patients with those in healthy controls. This online-based study collected data on cognitive-affective functioning, decision-making and, indirectly, emotion regulation, alongside self-reported health data and indicators of mood while completing the tasks. Delay discounting (DD) was steeper in patients with FNSD, indicating a preference for less subjectively valuable immediate rewards. Patients displayed priming and interference effects for angry and happy facial expressions, which differed from the interference effects observed in healthy controls [F(1,76) = 3.5, p = 0.037, η2p = 0.084]. Modest associations (r's =0.26-0.33, p's <0.05) were found between the DD estimates and self-reported generalised anxiety, but not current feelings of anxiety in FNSD. There were no correlations with indices for negative affective priming or interference. These measures did not show predictive ability for self-reported difficulty regulating emotions, anxiety, depression or coping in FNSD. However, the fact that the DD task and self-reported constructs failed to correlate does not invalidate this objective test. The findings underscore the importance of using a combined approach to outcome measurement. This project highlights the importance of a more comprehensive understanding of outcomes and measures that capture clinically valid and meaningful health information. Given that subjective and objective measures capture different aspects of health state or function, a combination of measurement approaches will likely produce the most comprehensive understanding of patients' current state or treatment outcome. Because of the attentional, emotional, and perceptual alterations implicated in FNSD and the variable external representations of these, the difference between objective and subjective measures represents an interesting observation in its own right. The size of the discrepancy between subjective and objective measures may provide additional valuable insights into the underlying pathology. Nonetheless, there is still a need for standardisation and consistency in FNSD outcome measurement and reporting. Several important factors, such as the timeframe of measures, the influence of confounding factors, and the variety of presentation of any aspect of the disorder (e.g., physiological, cognitive, social, or behavioural presentations of arousal/stress), will need to be considered when designing and interpreting measurements for research or clinical analysis of the patient group

    (b2023 to 2014) The UNBELIEVABLE similarities between the ideas of some people (2006-2016) and my ideas (2002-2008) in physics (quantum mechanics, cosmology), cognitive neuroscience, philosophy of mind, and philosophy (this manuscript would require a REVOLUTION in international academy environment!)

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    (b2023 to 2014) The UNBELIEVABLE similarities between the ideas of some people (2006-2016) and my ideas (2002-2008) in physics (quantum mechanics, cosmology), cognitive neuroscience, philosophy of mind, and philosophy (this manuscript would require a REVOLUTION in international academy environment!

    Context and uncertainty in decisions from experience

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    From the moment we wake up each morning, we are faced with countless choices. Should we press snooze on our alarm? Have toast or cereal for breakfast? Bring an umbrella? Agree to work on that new project? Go to the gym or eat a whole pizza while watching Netflix? The challenge when studying decision-making is to collapse these diverse scenarios into feasible experimental methods. The standard theoretical approach is to represent options using outcomes and probabilities and this has provided a rationale for studying decisions using gambling tasks. These tasks typically involve repeated choices between a single pair of options and outcomes that are determined probabilistically. Thus, the two sections in this thesis ask a simple question: are we missing something by using pairs of options that are divorced from the context in which we make choices outside the psychology laboratory? The first section focuses on the impact of extreme outcomes within a decision context. Chapter 2 addresses whether there is a rational explanation for why these outcomes appear in decisions from experience and numerous other cognitive domains. Chapters 3-5 describe six experiments that distinguish between plausible theories based on whether they measure extremity as categorical, ordinal, or continuous; whether extremity refers to the centre, the edges, or neighbouring outcomes; whether outcomes are represented as types or tokens; and whether extreme outcomes are defined using temporal or distributional characteristics. In the second section, we shift our focus to how people perceive uncertainty. We examine a distinction between uncertainty that is attributed to inadequate knowledge and uncertainty that is attributed to an inherently random process. Chapter 6 describes three experiments that examine whether allowing participants to map their uncertainty onto observable variability leads them to perceive it as potentially resolvable rather than purely stochastic. We then examine how this influences whether they seek additional information. In summary, the experiments described in these two sections demonstrate the importance of context and uncertainty in understanding how we make decisions

    Public Perception of and Preference for Designed Naturalistic Urban Plantings in Beijing, China

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    Naturalistic plantings provide environmental and human well-being benefits and have become increasingly popular in many parts of the world, particularly in Europe and North America. China, a major carbon emitter with a mission to achieve carbon neutrality, is gradually recognizing the ecological benefits of naturalistic plantings in promoting sustainable environmental improvement. In recent years, naturalistic plantings have been introduced in major Chinese cities such as Beijing and Chengdu. If this approach is to be upscaled to deliver environmental and wellbeing effects across China, there is an urgent need for a greater understanding of the level of acceptance of naturalistic planting design amongst the Chinese public. This study aimed to explore public perceptions of and preferences for designed naturalistic planting design in Beijing, China to inform future urban landscape design and management throughout China. An on-site questionnaire was conducted with 1600 participants who were visiting national nature reserves, urban parks, and EXPO show gardens in Beijing. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were then carried out online or on-site with a sub-set of 47 interviewees. Our results show that most respondents recognized and defined nature according to the degree of human intervention and the scale of a scene. Respondents surveyed in urban parks perceived designed naturalistic urban plantings, more positively than conventional Chinese planting design. They recognized and appreciated naturalistic plantings for their ecological values, enjoyment, and fitness, as well as acknowledging the perception of disorder and unsafety in small-scale design show gardens. We identified relationships between respondents’ gender, age, education level, income and professional background and their preference for designed naturalistic urban plantings. Our study contributes to the growing body of research on urban plantings and provides valuable insights for urban planners and greenspace designers in China. By harnessing the preferred planting characteristics identified in our study, urban planners and designers can shape greener, more sustainable environments that effectively address the challenges of urbanization while creating harmonious spaces that benefit both urban residents and the ecosystem

    Complexity Science in Human Change

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    This reprint encompasses fourteen contributions that offer avenues towards a better understanding of complex systems in human behavior. The phenomena studied here are generally pattern formation processes that originate in social interaction and psychotherapy. Several accounts are also given of the coordination in body movements and in physiological, neuronal and linguistic processes. A common denominator of such pattern formation is that complexity and entropy of the respective systems become reduced spontaneously, which is the hallmark of self-organization. The various methodological approaches of how to model such processes are presented in some detail. Results from the various methods are systematically compared and discussed. Among these approaches are algorithms for the quantification of synchrony by cross-correlational statistics, surrogate control procedures, recurrence mapping and network models.This volume offers an informative and sophisticated resource for scholars of human change, and as well for students at advanced levels, from graduate to post-doctoral. The reprint is multidisciplinary in nature, binding together the fields of medicine, psychology, physics, and neuroscience

    Unbiased analytic non-parametric correlation estimators in the presence of ties

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    An inner-product Hilbert space formulation is defined over a domain of all permutations with ties upon the extended real line. We demonstrate this work to resolve the common first and second order biases found in the pervasive Kendall and Spearman non-parametric correlation estimators, while presenting as unbiased minimum variance (Gauss-Markov) estimators. We conclude by showing upon finite samples that a strictly sub-Gaussian probability distribution is to be preferred for the Kemeny τκ\tau_{\kappa} and ρκ\rho_{\kappa} estimators, allowing for the construction of expected Wald test statistics which are analytically consistent with the Gauss-Markov properties upon finite samples.Comment: arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:2305.0096

    Undergraduate and Graduate Course Descriptions, 2023 Spring

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    Wright State University undergraduate and graduate course descriptions from Spring 2023
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