On the Bayes-optimality of F-measure maximizers

The F-measure, which has originally been introduced in information retrieval, is nowadays routinely used as a performance metric for problems such as binary classification, multi-label classification, and structured output prediction. Optimizing this measure is a statistically and computationally challenging problem, since no closed-form solution exists. Adopting a decision-theoretic perspective, this article provides a formal and experimental analysis of different approaches for maximizing the F-measure. We start with a Bayes-risk analysis of related loss functions, such as Hamming loss and subset zero-one loss, showing that optimizing such losses as a surrogate of the F-measure leads to a high worst-case regret. Subsequently, we perform a similar type of analysis for F-measure maximizing algorithms, showing that such algorithms are approximate, while relying on additional assumptions regarding the statistical distribution of the binary response variables. Furthermore, we present a new algorithm which is not only computationally efficient but also Bayes-optimal, regardless of the underlying distribution. To this end, the algorithm requires only a quadratic (with respect to the number of binary responses) number of parameters of the joint distribution. We illustrate the practical performance of all analyzed methods by means of experiments with multi-label classification problems

Hydrological controls on Greenland Ice Sheet motion

An improved understanding of the processes controlling the dynamics of the Greenland Ice Sheet is needed to enable more accurate determination of the response of the ice sheet to projected climate change. Meltwater produced on the ice sheet surface can penetrate to the bed and cause ice motion to speed up through enhanced basal sliding. However, the importance of coupled hydro-dynamics both to current ice sheet motion and future stability over the coming century is unclear. This thesis presents observations from the south-west Greenland Ice Sheet which improve our understanding of coupled hydro-dynamics. It commences with an investigation of the response of ice motion to exceptional meltwater forcing during summer 2012. Simultaneous field observations of ice motion (by GPS) and proglacial discharge show that, despite two extreme melt events during July 2012 and summer ice sheet runoff 3.9 s.d. above the 1958– 2011 mean which resulted in faster summer motion, net annual motion was slower than in the average melt year of 2009. This suggests that surface melt-induced acceleration of land-terminating regions of the ice sheet will remain insignificant even under extreme melting scenarios. The thesis then examines spatial variability in ice motion, in relation to an inferred subglacial drainage axis, using GPS and satellite radar observations from a land-terminating margin up to 20 km inland where ice is 800 m thick. Whilst spatial variability in subglacial drainage system configuration is found to control ice motion at short timescales, the proportional contribution of summer motion to annual motion is almost invariant. The structure of the subglacial drainage system does not therefore appear to significantly influence spatial variations in net summer speedup. Lastly, observations are made by applying feature tracking to 30 years of optical satellite imagery in a ~170 by 50 km area along the ice sheet margin (where ice reaches ~850 m thick) to examine whether coupled hydrology-dynamics affects inter-annual ice motion. Hydro-dynamic coupling resulted in net ice motion slowdown during a period of clear climate warming. Further increases in meltwater production may therefore reduce ice sheet motion. The thesis concludes that at land-terminating margins of the Greenland Ice Sheet, (1) larger annual meltwater volumes do not result in faster annual ice motion; (2) the detailed structure of the subglacial drainage network appears unimportant to the role of summer motion in determining annual motion; and (3) atmospheric warming over several decades has been accompanied by a slowdown in ice motion. As such, hydro-dynamic coupling is unlikely to form a significant positive feedback between surface melting and ice motion in response to projected climate warming. The wider relevance of these findings to tidewater systems requires further investigation

Specjalne i nie-specjalne. Dylematy współczesnego podejścia do potrzeb osób z niepełnosprawnością

The article is devoted to the problems of disability seen through the prism of needs, both those referred to as special (special educational, developmental, professional needs), as well as those universal. The term (special) needs were analyzed, in particular the problem of losing its basic, psychological significance in the special pedagogy of recent years, as well as its theoretical and practical explorations in relation to nursing-compensating, educational and therapeutic activities. Text points attention to the need to update analyzes consistent with the idea of inclusion, in relation to the issue of the needs of people with disabilities, as a motivating factor and compensation area.The article is devoted to the problems of disability seen through the prism of needs, both those referred to as special (special educational, developmental, professional needs), as well as those universal. The term (special) needs were analyzed, in particular the problem of losing its basic, psychological significance in the special pedagogy of recent years, as well as its theoretical and practical explorations in relation to nursing-compensating, educational and therapeutic activities. Text points attention to the need to update analyzes consistent with the idea of inclusion, in relation to the issue of the needs of people with disabilities, as a motivating factor and compensation area

Selective mutism and shyness. Differential diagnosis and strategies supporting child development

The article deals with the problem of differential diagnosis of extreme reticence or selective speech in a child, categorised as selective mutism and shyness. Selective mutism is an increasingly recognized disorder among preschool and school children. It manifests itself functionally in the sphere of speech and communication, but in relation to the anxiety factor. As an anxiety disorder, it is categorised in the latest medical classifications ICD-11 and DSM-5, and therefore, primarily psychological or psychiatric therapeutic intervention could be expected. The specificity of the pathomechanism of selective mutism, however, requires interdisciplinary activities, with a room for a speech therapist, a special pedagogue (e.g. at a public school as a supporting teacher), any other pedagogue working with the child (educator, teacher of integrated classes, subject teacher), other specialists (therapist pedagogue, physiotherapist), as well as the parents. The speech therapist may play a special role in the diagnosis of mutism in the conditions of inclusive education, as he will probably be the first specialist who will receive a child who is not speaking or very taciturn at a public school. In the article, the diagnosis of selective mutism is associated with the differential diagnosis of shyness, which may not be treated as a disorder, but only a certain personality trait, but with incompetent pedagogical support in everyday educational practice it can lead to more serious difficulties, including logophobia and mutism. The diagnosis of mutism requires specialised therapeutic measures, but with the awareness of the differences in the situations of a shy child and a child with mutism, it is worth learning some supportive strategies that are useful in both cases

Ocena funkcjonalna w warsztacie diagnostycznym nauczycieli a rozpoznawanie indywidualnych potrzeb dzieci i uczniów w edukacji włączającej

Projekt dofinansowany ze środków UE, w ramach Programu Operacyjnego Wiedza Edukacja Rozwój 2014-2020. Oś Priorytetowa II Efektywne Polityki Publiczne dla Rynku Pracy, Gospodarki i Edukacji, Działania 2.10 Wysoka jakość systemu oświat

Liberation or dependency? The problem of language mediator and new areas of dependence in communication of people with disabilities

W artykule przedstawiono problem osób niepełnosprawnych zależnych od pośrednika językowego w komunikacji alternatywnej i wspomagającej (AAC). AAC jest dla nich okazją do osobistego wyzwolenia z opresji izolacji, chociaż specyfiką tej komunikacji jest ograniczony krąg uczestników, a czasem uzależnienie od tłumacza lub facylitatora. Ten typ zagrożenia rozwoju można jednak ograniczyć przez świadome kształtowanie środowiska komunikacyjnego i kontrolowania rozwoju relacji: osoba z niepełnosprawnością – pośrednik językowy. Pokonanie bariery komunikacyjnej jest ważnym procesem wyzwalania się z ograniczeń wynikających z niepełnosprawności.W artykule przedstawiono problem osób niepełnosprawnych zależnych od pośrednika językowego w komunikacji alternatywnej i wspomagającej (AAC). AAC jest dla nich okazją do osobistego wyzwolenia z opresji izolacji, chociaż specyfiką tej komunikacji jest ograniczony krąg uczestników, a czasem uzależnienie od tłumacza lub facylitatora. Ten typ zagrożenia rozwoju można jednak ograniczyć przez świadome kształtowanie środowiska komunikacyjnego i kontrolowania rozwoju relacji: osoba z niepełnosprawnością – pośrednik językowy. Pokonanie bariery komunikacyjnej jest ważnym procesem wyzwalania się z ograniczeń wynikających z niepełnosprawności

Zasada dobrostanu zwierząt we Wspólnej Polityce Rolnej Unii Europejskiej

The paper aims to show how the Common Agricultural Policy implements the principle of animal welfare. It has been expressed in article 13 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, in the part of the Treaty devoted to general rules, which means that it occupies a special position in the hierarchy of values of the European legislator. This rule has a significant impact on the formulation and implementation of policies of the European Union, including the Common Agricultural Policy. The concept of animal welfare is not defined in any legal act, which can be problematic from the point of view of the enactment of this rule. It is fulfilled primarily through the establishment of standards of animals treatment, on the basis of European directives and regulations. This legal norms are often criticized, because they are inadequate from the point of view of the animal welfare. Commented rule has also a substantial impact on environmental protection and rural development.Opracowanie ma na celu ukazanie, w jaki sposób w ramach Wspólnej Polityki Rolnej realizuje się zasadę dobrostanu zwierząt. Została ona wyrażona w art. 13 Traktatu o funkcjonowaniu Unii Europejskiej w części poświęconej zasadom ogólnym, co oznacza, że zajmuje szczególną pozycję w hierarchii wartości prawodawcy europejskiego. Reguła ta istotnie wpływa na formułowanie i realizowanie polityk Unii Europejskiej, w tym na Wspólną Politykę Rolną. Pojęcie dobrostanu zwierząt nie zostało zdefiniowane w żadnym akcie prawnym, co może być problematyczne z punktu widzenia wcielenia w życie omawianej zasady. Jest ona wykonywana przede wszystkim przez ustanowienie standardów postępowania ze zwierzętami na mocy dyrektyw i rozporządzeń. Ustanowione w tym zakresie normy spotykają się jednak często z krytyką jako niedostateczne z punktu widzenia zasady dobrostanu zwierząt. Komentowana reguła ma także niebagatelny wpływ na ochronę środowiska oraz rozwój obszarów wiejskich

Second, Third, Fourth… Looking for the Sense of a Special Counselor’s Work in Various Educational Aesthetics

The article is inspired by Professor Lech Witkowski’s Edukacja wobec sporów o (po)nowoczesność (2007) and his concept of different aesthetics of the educational situation. This concept refl ects a certain way of looking at the ontological forms and styles of behavior and complex social forms, also in the educational situation. Education aesthetics specify a different relation between the teacher and the student. Witkowski asks what it means that the counselor is “fi rst”, ”second”, “third”, “fourth” etc. to the pupil. The author of this article applies this question to the situation of the special counselor and all special pedagogy. Using sequence numbers cannot be associated with competition here, and different aesthetics are not evaluated in any form. Similarly, special pedagogy does not aspire to the dominant position in the educational system, deliberately seeking self-restraint, but at the same time it does not reject the validity of its importance. The analysis looks for the signifi cance of the special counselor’s activities in various aesthetic confi gurations of social relations between the teacher and the pupil, to make the most of their resources, to be aware of the risks involved, and to consciously accept educational challenges

Emancipatory pedagogy and special education – the key categories in emancipatory discourse of disability

Interest of special education in the issue of emancipation emerges from an opres- sion, often experienced by people with disabilities. Emancipation is usually under- stood as liberation from all kinds of dependence, oppression or fear, as the attain- ment of self-reliance and independence. This justifies the importance of stimulating the activity of emancipation by special educators. The issue, however, is a way of shaping emancipation competences. Although the emancipatory paradigm has not yet been fully utilized within this sub-discipline, it seems to be an inspiring research perspective. The article presents the key issues, discourses and concepts associated with the paradigm of emancipation in special education.Interest of special education in the issue of emancipation emerges from an opres- sion, often experienced by people with disabilities. Emancipation is usually under- stood as liberation from all kinds of dependence, oppression or fear, as the attain- ment of self-reliance and independence. This justifies the importance of stimulating the activity of emancipation by special educators. The issue, however, is a way of shaping emancipation competences. Although the emancipatory paradigm has not yet been fully utilized within this sub-discipline, it seems to be an inspiring research perspective. The article presents the key issues, discourses and concepts associated with the paradigm of emancipation in special education