A genetically modified fuzzy linear discriminant analysis for face recognition

This paper addresses the face recognition problem through a modification of the Fuzzy Fisherface classification method. In conventional methods, the relationship of each face to a class is assumed to be crisp. The Fuzzy Fisherface method introduces a gradual level of assignment of each face pattern to a class, using a membership grading based upon the K-Nearest Neighbor (KNN) algorithm. This method was further modified by incorporating the membership grade of each face pattern into the calculation of the between-class and within-class scatter matrices, termed as Complete Fuzzy LDA (CFLDA). The present work aims at improving the assignment of class membership by improving the parameters of the membership functions. A genetic algorithm is employed to optimize these parameters by searching the parameter space. Furthermore, the genetic algorithm is used to find the optimal number of nearest neighbors to be considered during the training phase. The experiments were performed on the Olivetti Research Laboratory (ORL) face image database and the results show consistent improvement in the recognition rate when compared to the results from other techniques applied on the same database and reported in literature.     

Representations of swine flu: perspectives from a Malaysian pig farm

Novel influenza viruses are seen, internationally, as posing considerable health challenges, but public responses to such viruses are often rooted in cultural representations of disease and risk. However, little research has been conducted in locations associated with the origin of a pandemic. We examined representations and risk perceptions associated with swine flu amongst 120 Malaysian pig farmers. Thirty-seven per cent of respondents felt at particular risk of infection, two-thirds were somewhat or very concerned about being infected. Those respondents who were the most anxious believed particular societal "out-groups" (homosexuals, the homeless and prostitutes) to be at higher infection risk. Although few (4%) reported direct discrimination, 46% claimed friends had avoided them since the swine flu outbreak. Findings are discussed in the context of evolutionary, social representations and terror management theories of response to pandemic threat.     

Nostalgic Emotional Appeals for Smoking Prevention

Nostalgia-evoking messages are used to promote consumer products, but their use for encouraging healthy behaviors is not well understood. This study examines the use of nostalgia as an emotional appeal to influence attitudes and reduce smoking behavior. The study hypothesized that exposure to a nostalgic public service announcement (PSA) will result in (a) more negative attitude toward smoking; and (b) increased intention to limit smoking, relative to a control. Participants exposed to the nostalgia-evoking PSA expressed more negative attitudes toward smoking and stronger intentions to limit smoking than did participants exposed to nonnostalgic messages. The findings suggest nostalgic appeals as a promising strategy for smoking prevention messages.     

What do they like? Communication preferences and patterns of older adults in the United States: The role of technology

ABSTRACT

With the development of information and communication technologies (ICTs), there are increasingly more Internet-based communication methods available for older adults besides traditional methods (e.g., in-person or landline phone). However, older adults’ preferred communication methods remain under-investigated. The purpose of this study is to explore the communication preferences and patterns of older adults in the United States, with emphasis on technologically-mediated environments. In this study, 17 semistructured interviews were conducted with participants from a midwestern state in the United States. The goal was to examine older adults’ communication patterns and preferences with family members and friends, as well as their views about the impacts of modern technology on communication. Three themes (communication preferences and reasons, communication barriers, and the impacts of technology) were generated from the interviews. The findings showed that although face-to-face communication is the most preferred method, telephone communication is the most commonly adopted method. Interviewees also shared different opinions regarding Internet-based communication. The current study illustrated the importance of understanding the preferences and patterns of older adults’ communication needs and desires.     

The Relation of Career Indecision and Parental Attachment among Iranian Undergraduate Students

Career indecision particularly among college and undergraduate students is a concern of counselors and psychologists. This concern has led to numerous research studies related to career indecision and factors that influence it, such as family relationships. In this regard, several studies have reported a significant relationship between career indecision and parental attachment. However, little research has been undertaken on the influence of this factor in regard to career indecision for Iranian students. For this purpose, 158 Iranian freshmen and sophomores who had completed the ‘Career Decision Scale’ (Osipow et al., Journal of Vocational Behavior 9:233–243, 1976) and had been identified as career-undecided, completed the ‘Inventory of Parents and Peer Attachment-Revised’ (Armsden & Greenberg, Journal of Youth and Adolescence 16:427–453, 1987). The results revealed that a significant negative relationship was found between career indecision and attachment to mother, whilst the relationship between career indecision and attachment to father was not significant. However, regression analysis showed parental attachment did not significantly predict career indecision of students. Implications and recommendations for further research are discussed.     

Assessing Community College Student Learning Outcomes: Where are We? What's Next?

The Community College Leadership Consortium is building the Bellwether Coalition for Instructional Leadership toward the development of a voluntary system of accountability for community colleges. In response to the Spellings Commission's national call for accountability in higher education, the consortium and its partners convened an Independent Policy Forum at the 2008 Community College Futures Assembly in Orlando, Florida. The Independent Policy Forum began to develop a set of recommendations to be communicated to the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) during its 2009 annual meeting. Recommendations put forth by the forum will contain the founding principles for the nascent voluntary system of accountability for community colleges.     

Arabic literature: Uniterm indexing system for storage and retrieval

As centers of research and study in colleges and universities, Chinese academic libraries are heavily used and play a significant role in higher education. However, the level of administration can affect service to patrons and have an impact on their development. In this paper, the characteristics of administration in Chinese academic libraries are examined from both a historical perspective and current practice. The problems arising from the centralization of authority and administrative structure are also examined. Some possible suggestions are made of ways to improve library services in areas such as the quality of leadership, the creation of new positions, the increased responsibility of assistant directors, the re-organization of work distribution, the establishment of reference services, the development of faculty and staff participation in committee work, the importance of a library liaison program and the importance of designing a strategic plan for the library.     

Use of on-line databases by faculty members and research scholars of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI), New Delhi (India): A survey

The study is focused on finding out the level of use of on-line databases by faculty members and research scholars of the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI), Delhi (India). Both are Central Universities and are funded by the University Grants Commission (UGC). A well-structured questionnaire was administered to faculty members and research scholars of the JNU and JMI to collect data regarding the use of on-line database. The survey reveals that all of the faculty members and research scholars are aware of the availability of on-line databases and largely use them for reference purposes in their research work and studies. The degree of usefulness and utilization of on-line databases is high among the universities' faculty members and research scholars. The survey further reveals that the respondents from both universities are aware of the search options for accessing on-line databases. It is also found that a large number of respondents of JNU and JMI are using field searching and Boolean operators to access information from on-line databases.     

Music and the Music Business

Sidney Shemel and M. William Krasilovsky's This Business of Music (New York: Billboard Publications, 1977— $16.95)

Marianne Lindvall's ABBA: The Ultimate Pop Group (New York: A&W Publishers, 1977—$6.95, paper)

Caroline Coon's 1988: The New Wave Punk Rock Explosion (New York: Hawthorn Books, 1978—$4.95, paper)

Mark C. Gridley's Jazz Styles (Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1978—price not given, paper)

Raoul Abdul's Blacks in Classical Music (New York: Dodd, Mead, 1977—$8.95)

David Horn's The Literature of American Music in Books and Folk Music Collections: A Fully Annotated Bibliography (Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press, 1977—$20.00)

Arthur Jacobs' British Music Yearbook: 1977-78 (New York and London: Bowker, 1977— $27.50)

The Book of Music (London: Macdonald Educational Ltd., 1977—E8.50 or about $17.00)