Input window size and neural network predictors

Neural network approaches to time series prediction are briefly discussed, and the need to specify an appropriately sized input window identified. Relevant theoretical results from dynamic systems theory are briefly introduced, and heuristics for finding the correct embedding dimension, and hence window size, are discussed. The method is applied to two time series and the resulting generalisation performance of the trained feedforward neural network predictors is analysed. It is shown that the heuristics can provide useful information in defining the appropriate network architectur

“Free, bold, joyous”’: the love of seaweed in Margaret Gatty and other mid-Victorian writers

With particular reference to Gatty’s British Sea-Weeds and Eliot’s ‘Recollections of Ilfracombe’, this article takes an ecocritical approach to popular writings about seaweed, thus illustrating the broader perception of the natural world in mid-Victorian literature.This is a discursive exploration of the way that the enthusiasm for seaweed reveals prevailing ideas about propriety, philanthropy and natural theology during the Victorian era, incorporating social history, gender issues and natural history in an interdisciplinary manner.Although unchaperoned wandering upon remote shorelines remained a questionable activity for women, ‘seaweeding’ made for a direct aesthetic engagement with the specificity of place in a way that conforms to Barbara Gates’s notion of the ‘Victorian female sublime’. Furthermore, while women’s contributions often received an uneven reception within the masculine institutions of professional science, marine botany proved to be a more accommodating area for participation.At Ilfracombe, Eliot wrote that she believed collecting and naming was a means to achieve distinct and definite ideas in her understanding of the world. The argument is developed that many needed to reorient their personal cosmologies in order to make sense of, and impose meaning upon, an uncertain world, thus contributing to the great debate about evolution

Early-stage entrepreneurial activity in the European Union: some issues and challenges

In this paper the authors present the levels of Total early-stage Entrepreneurial Activity (TEA) across 16 Member States of the European Union participating in the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM - 2004 research 2). They also compare the average TEA rate for these 16 EU-countries participating in GEM with the average for some other OECD-countries, further referred to as 'Anglo'-countries: the United States of America, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Next, they relate the striking differences in TEA across countries to underlying cultural and institutional differences. And also they examine some other current issues associated with entrepreneurial activity in Europe, such as ageing of the population, and technology-based start-ups.

Private providers of higher education in the UK: mapping the terrain

Working Paper 47, authored by Dr Stephen Hunt and Professor Vikki Boliver, reports on the findings of a web-based survey of private providers of higher education operating in the UK in 2017. The findings indicate that there as some 813 private providers in operation in the UK – a significant increase on the 732 and 674 recorded in 2014 and 2011 respectively. However, there appears to be a degree of volatility in the private provider sector: 50 per cent (363) of private providers identified by prior research conducted in 2014 had ceased to operate, at least as HE providers, three years later. Of these, 165 were listed as dissolved at Companies House, 70 had simply vanished without trace, and a further 128 were still in operation but no longer providing courses at HE level, or possibly never had. The vast majority of private providers, 88 per cent, operate exclusively in England. Private providers range from a few large-scale colleges and private universities with 1000+ enrolled students to small scale providers offering courses in addition to their principle business. The majority of private providers, some 64 per cent, are for-profit enterprises. For-profit private providers tend to be younger than not-for-profit private providers, and more vulnerable to market exit. For-profit enterprises accounted for 61 per cent of all private providers identified in 2014 but 90 per cent of all those providers found to have closed down between 2014 and 2017. Many providers are small scale, concentrating on sub-degree or postgraduate qualification across a narrow band of subjects – often characterised as being popular but with low overheads. This means private providers are as likely to complete amongst themselves as with the public sector. The paper also details the qualifications offered by private providers of higher education; the subject specialisations; levels of innovation in delivery, such as accelerated courses; the number and characteristics of students; and the quality of inspections on the providers

Intersectoral relationships within higher education: the FE/HE interface in the UK

This study seeks to understand the interface between further education colleges and universities in the UK. Its findings, based on a response rate of 45% of FE colleges, shows that 89% of colleges have formal links with at least one university; 95 universities, more than 50% of the UK’s universities, had formal agreements in respect to individual joint activities. The study reports in total and by regions the joint activities and the fields of study which these links cover and the cumulative student numbers engaged in each type of joint activity. The findings raise significant issues as to the extent to which higher education policies in the UK should be tertiary based rather than conceived as the product of two separate sectors. Wales has already adopted a tertiary system of education and Scotland is moving in that direction but England retains a two sector approach. The paper suggests that the evidence provided points to there being strong arguments for policy integration rather than separation and that this should be best undertaken on a regional rather than a centralised basis

Providing Evidence of a Multiple-Process Model of Trust in Automation

This study focuses on the effects of human responses to computer automation aids. Previous research has shown that different types of automation errors (false alarms and misses) affect human trust in different ways. False alarms tend to negatively affect operator compliance, whereas misses tend to negatively affect operator reliance. Participants were asked to determine whether an enemy target was present or absent in a series of images, a task similar to what a UAV operator might be asked to perform. A diagnostic aid provided recommendations before participants viewed each image. Reliability and type of automation error were manipulated in order to provide data to determine which of four theoretical models is most accurate. Analyses provided conclusive evidence that a multiple-process theory of operator trust is the only model which accurately explains behavior outcomes in this type of situation. A discussion of theoretical and practical implications of this finding is included

Pathways into homelessness among post 9/11 era veterans

This article may not exactly replicate the final version published in the APA journal. It is not the copy of record.Despite the scale of veteran homelessness and government–community initiatives to end homelessness among veterans, few studies have featured individual veteran accounts of experiencing homelessness. Here we track veterans’ trajectories from military service to homelessness through qualitative, semistructured interviews with 17 post-9/11-era veterans. Our objective was to examine how veterans become homeless—including the role of military and postmilitary experiences—and how they negotiate and attempt to resolve episodes of homelessness. We identify and report results in 5 key thematic areas: transitioning from military service to civilian life, relationships and employment, mental and behavioral health, lifetime poverty and adverse events, and use of veteran-specific services. We found that veterans predominantly see their homelessness as rooted in nonmilitary, situational factors such as unemployment and the breakup of relationships, despite very tangible ties between homelessness and combat sequelae that manifest themselves in clinical diagnoses such as posttraumatic stress disorder. Furthermore, although assistance provided by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and community-based organizations offer a powerful means for getting veterans rehoused, veterans also recount numerous difficulties in accessing and obtaining VA services and assistance. Based on this, we offer specific recommendations for more systematic and efficient measures to help engage veterans with VA services that can prevent or attenuate their homelessness

The Alpha Course and Its Critics: An Overview of the Debates

Abstract This paper considers the theology and praxis that is discernible in the highl