Contemporary Alternatives Research Articles

Identifying Rare and Subtle Behaviors: A Weakly Supervised Joint Topic Model

One of the most interesting and desired capabilities for automated video behavior analysis is the identification of rarely occurring and subtle behaviors. This is of practical value because dangerous or illegal activities often have few or possibly only one prior example to learn from and are often subtle. Rare and subtle behavior learning is challenging for two reasons: (1) Contemporary modeling approaches require more data and supervision than may be available and (2) the most interesting and potentially critical rare behaviors are often visually subtle-occurring among more obvious typical behaviors or being defined by only small spatio-temporal deviations from typical behaviors. In this paper, we introduce a novel weakly supervised joint topic model which addresses these issues. Specifically, we introduce a multiclass topic model with partially shared latent structure and associated learning and inference algorithms. These contributions will permit modeling of behaviors from as few as one example, even without localization by the user and when occurring in clutter, and subsequent classification and localization of such behaviors online and in real time. We extensively validate our approach on two standard public-space data sets, where it clearly outperforms a batch of contemporary alternatives.

The Return of the Perennial Philosophy: The Supreme Vision of Western Esotericism (review)

Reviewed by: The Return of the Perennial Philosophy: The Supreme Vision of Western Esotericism David Appelbaum John Holman . The Return of the Perennial Philosophy: The Supreme Vision of Western Esotericism. London: Watkins Publishing, 2008. Pp. xxii + 170. This compact volume attempts to define and explicate a sprawling field of what is alternatively called esotericism, esoterism, theosophy, theophany, or occultism. It might have been more aptly entitled, "The Return of Perennial Philosophies." Holman espouses an approach that at one and the same time upholds a theory/practice distinction and avows itself to side with the practitioner, [End Page 233] for example: "it is only by having personal experience of the same that we can truly know that, and what, such is" (p. xx). His "ethnomethodological" approach assumes that theory emerges only through praxis, that understanding synthesizes knowing with being. Following Dilworth's term, the economy of the perennial philosophy is "diaphanic." An ultimate hope is to isolate a body of work, separate from cult, sect, faith, or religion, that could serve both the adherent and the scholar. Much of the problematic of such a shared discipline is too briefly summarized, and the interested reader will need to consult secondary texts such as those by Faivre or Hanegraaff for the nuances. The work is divided into three sections. The first lays out the historical grounds of the field in terms of "schools" or "teachings," themselves terms that might invite further inquiry. Traditionalism and Blavatsky's Theosophy are grouped with ancient sources. The second part outlines a path that underlies or synthesizes the diverse conceptions of inner development and gives the author's views of the objective or transpersonal implications of a search for self-perfection. The final part attempts to place esoteric studies in a broader academic context, where kindred or competing views such as postmodernism or spiritual psychology appear to cover the same ground. It also tries to evaluate the idea of esoteric studies in the marketplace of contemporary theories. Holman is on his safest ground when he provides a historical background for an esoteric tradition, though one might wonder about the excessive emphasis on Blavatsky and Guenon over alchemical, kabbalistic, or thaumaturgical schools of thought. More controversial is the material on an initiatory path (the development of "higher faculties"), which in general follows the curriculum of a course in Theosophy (is it true that "its language is arguably at once more accessible and technically complete"?) (p. 46). Initiation itself is "a breakthrough into a new awareness" in which one comes to recognize the limitations of a subjectivity and opens to a wider perspective on reality (p. 47). Although it is reasonable to expect divisions or stages in development, some of the tougher questions concern their placement or number. Is there agreement concerning the common ground of what appears as a great diversity of approach? There is the perennial appeal of a single paradigm, a "unified field theory," of esoteric studies—if only to show the "transcendental unity" of all religions. But the manner in which it might be proposed, hypothesized, or determined remains highly contested. And, perhaps one needs to be suspicious about the notion of unity itself. In the third section, the initiatory prerogative is contrasted with contemporary alternatives, conceived as challenges to a participatory ethnomethodology. Perhaps chief among these is "postmodernism." Here, Holman might have lingered to say more than the "deconstructionist project is to reveal the [End Page 234] 'ever-emptiness' of philosophy" (p. 98). One might think of Sankara and his work in Vedanta to destroy the grounds of any proposed conceptualization of existence. Derrida's deft intellectual sword-play surely calls into question thought's tendency to fix on positions, themes, arguments, or trajectories—pathways. Having much to say about "higher consciousness," deconstruction could be profitably compared to esotericism in terms of the notions of non-literal meaning, dissimulation, and secrecy. Further, there is an all too brief inclusion of Carl Jung, whose view of the human psyche might be expected to conflict with Holman's own. Holman cites William Quinn's view that Jungian thought meshes well with Traditionalism. But Quinn's version of Traditionalism has been strongly criticized from within Traditionalist ranks...

Production/Consumption and the Chinese City/Region: Cultural Political Economy and the Feminist Diamond Ring

The "consumer revolution" in the People's Republic of China emerged after 1992 when the state deepened growth-oriented reform and justified individual consumption as a pillar of economic development. This examination of cultural-economic practices in urban China makes an argument for conceptualizing consumption in relation to production through a modified cultural political economy. It identifies a regional regime in the zone between Shanghai and Hong Kong, with the latter as China's main center of trade in precious metals and gemstones, and citizen-consumer subject formation with "Chinese characteristics." The argument builds on Chinese feminist theory to explain contrasts between PRC state ideology on women's roles in the household and contemporary alternatives in the marketplace. Empirical analysis focuses on the large market for fine jewelry, its disassociation from heteronormative gifting, and its connection with leisure/tourism sites. Conclusions affirm the importance of a cultural political economy for theorizing production/consumption relations in the city, and query evolving consumerism in the PRC.

Identification and Functional Characterization of von Willebrand Disease

The identification and functional characterization of von Willebrand disease (VWD) is challenging due to clinical uncertainty and limitations in test processes and panels used by laboratories, and because the classification scheme does not always permit unequivocal assignment of subtype. This article reviews contemporary alternatives to classic diagnostic approaches, including the incorporation of extended core test panels inclusive of the collagen-binding assay, and the potential for desmopressin (DDAVP) challenges not only to provide therapeutic information but also to assist the better characterization of individuals with defects or deficiencies in von Willebrand factor (VWF). Supplementary assays such as the PFA-100® and the VWF propeptide assay following DDAVP challenge are also worth considering.

Identification and Functional Characterization of von Willebrand Disease

The identification and functional characterization of von Willebrand disease (VWD) is challenging due to clinical uncertainty and limitations in test processes and panels used by laboratories, and because the classification scheme does not always permit unequivocal assignment of subtype. This article reviews contemporary alternatives to classic diagnostic approaches, including the incorporation of extended core test panels inclusive of the collagen-binding assay, and the potential for desmopressin (DDAVP) challenges not only to provide therapeutic information but also to assist the better characterization of individuals with defects or deficiencies in von Willebrand factor (VWF). Supplementary assays such as the PFA-100® and the VWF propeptide assay following DDAVP challenge are also worth considering.

Identification and Functional Characterisation of von Willebrand Disease

The identification and functional characterisation of von Willebrand disease (VWD) is challenging due to clinical uncertainty and limitations in test processes and panels used by laboratories, and because the classification scheme does not always permit unequivocal assignment of subtype. This article reviews contemporary alternatives to classic diagnostic approaches, including the incorporation of extended core test panels inclusive of the collagen-binding assay and the potential for desmopressin (DDAVP) challenge not only to provide therapeutic information but also to assist the better characterisation of individuals with defects or deficiencies in von Willebrand factor (VWF). Supplementary assays such as the PFA-100® and the VWF propeptide assay following DDAVP challenge are also worth considering.

RTcams: A New Perspective on Nonphotorealistic Rendering from Photographs

Abstract-We introduce a simple but versatile camera model that we call the Rational Tensor Camera (RTcam). RTcams are well principled mathematically and provably subsume several important contemporary camera models in both computer graphics and vision; their generality is one contribution. They can be used alone or compounded to produce more complicated visual effects. In this paper, we apply RTcams to generate synthetic artwork with novel perspective effects from real photographs. Existing Nonphotorealistic Rendering from Photographs (NPRP) is constrained to the projection inherent in the source photograph, which is most often linear. RTcams lift this restriction and so contribute to NPRP via multiperspective projection. This paper describes RTcams, compares them to contemporary alternatives, and discusses how to control them in practice. Illustrative examples are provided throughout.

Analyzing change in school psychology research

AbstractWe look at three common research scenarios, one in the behavioral domain (i.e., disruptive behaviors) one in the cognitive domain (i.e., academic achievement), and one in the affective domain (i.e., anxiety and stress) for which school psychologists are asked to address important questions related to change. We list measurement and statistical considerations across these scenarios, including whether variables are manifest or latent, the scales of measurement, the dimensionality of measures, the units of analysis, the sample size, and the frequency or duration of time, given the primary nature of the variables under study. We suggest that researchers carefully consider whether assumptions can be met employing classical general linear models, or whether contemporary alternatives, such as hierarchical linear modeling (HLM), should be recommended for the more appropriate handling of data. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Psychol Schs 44: 535–542, 2007.

Sustaining Sustained Yield: Class, Politics, and Post-War Forest Regulation in British Columbia

In British Columbia, Canada, industrial sustained-yield forest regulation was embraced together with a system of forest tenures governing private access to public forest lands in the mid-19408. This approach has underpinned forest exploitation and regulation ever since, despite sometimes significant reforms over the years. Yet this approach to forest policy has also come under fire in recent years because of pervasive signs of economic, social, and environmental exhaustion. In this paper I analyze the political circumstances surrounding adoption of this particular approach to governing forest access and forest use in the province of British Columbia. In particular, I draw on historical documentation related to two key provincial Royal Commissions on Forestry conducted in the 1940s and 1950s. These commissions provided an arena for debating alternative approaches to forest regulation in the province, and resulted in a series of recommendations that were key influences on postwar forest policy. Drawing on the debate and particularly on the positions adopted by socialists and trade unionists, I link the politics of forest regulation to the politics of class struggle and class compromise in early postwar British Columbia. This serves the purpose of highlighting important, alternative ideas about forest use values and exchange values that contrast with those that underpin conventional, commodity-oriented forestry in the province, as well as with contemporary alternatives to mainstream forestry. It also serves the purpose of exploring the organization of political consent around industrial, sustained-yield forestry, treating this model of regulation not as something ‘natural’, but rather as something politically contingent and negotiated. And finally, I examine seldom explored links between the politics of producing and regulating nature, and the politics of class struggle under capitalism more generally.

Contemporary alternatives to plant estrogens for menopause

Objectives Every year, millions of women begin the peri-menopause and may experience a number of symptoms related to this transition. Many women are reluctant to use exogenous hormone therapy for treatment of menopausal symptoms and are turning to botanical and dietary supplements (BDS) for relief. This paper reviews the literature on alternatives to plant estrogens for relief of menopausal symptoms. Methods The MEDLINE database was searched for clinical trials of non-estrogenic plant extracts for menopausal symptoms. To be included, studies had to include peri- or postmenopausal women as subjects. All clinical trials (randomized-controlled trials, open trials, and comparison group studies) were included for this review. Results Black cohosh appears to be one of the most effective botanicals for relief of vasomotor symptoms, while St. John's wort can improve mood disorders related to the menopausal transition. Many other botanicals have limited evidence to demonstrate safety and efficacy for relief of symptoms related to menopause. Conclusions A growing body of evidence suggests that some botanicals and dietary supplements could result in improved clinical outcomes. Health care providers should discuss these issues with their patients so they can assist them in managing these alternative therapies through an evidence-based approach.

Directed monitoring using Cuscore charts for seasonal time series

AbstractThe most commonly used statistical process control charts to detect special causes are Shewhart and Cusum charts. However, the Cuscore chart is a contemporary alternative that is especially well suited for detecting special causes that can be modeled in advance based on their characteristic effect on the system. In this paper, we develop the appropriate Cuscore statistic and the required control limits to detect a mean shift in a seasonal time series process. The work is motivated by an application involving blood platelet orders placed with the Red Cross. We also compare the performance of the Cuscore chart to the Cusum chart in this application and find that the performance of the Cuscore, in terms of time to signal the special cause, is better than the Cusum chart. We find that this result holds even when faced with the mismatch problem, which pertains to the compatibility between the actual and expected information that the Cuscore statistic is predicated on. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Fighting for “Freedom”: The End of Conscription in the United States and the Neoliberal Project of Citizenship

This paper investigates the termination of conscription in the United States as a neoliberal project to reconstruct national citizenship. It examines how scholars of the “Chicago School” worked towards the termination of the draft through the 1960s, as foundational to their fight for (individual, economic) freedom. In their quest to liberate citizens from big government, Milton Friedman and friends theorized the state's right to take life as a fundamental political problem. Friedman conceptualized conscription as a form of tax, quantified its cost to individuals, and slated its practice to be dismantled. The end of conscription was something of a “first victory” for the early neoliberals, and as such, it was a key project through which they defined neoliberal notions of freedom and models of citizenship. Through debates about conscription, they came to distinguish themselves from both contemporary Keynesian alternatives and classic liberal thinkers. This reconfiguration of the state's biopolitical right to take its citizens' lives for national defense has contributed in important but understudied ways to the contemporary polarization of citizenship. In the context of the broader restructuring of work and welfare, neoliberal “social” policy is increasingly militarized, targeted towards socially and spatially marginal soldiers who work for their welfare. The end of conscription has been a central and unexplored element of the dismantling of “universalism” in the realm of social policy, the introduction of workfare, the militarization of social welfare, and the reintroduction of notions of a deserving and undeserving poor. The conflict with which we have to deal is indeed a quite fundamental one between two irreconcilable types of social organization, which, from the most characteristic forms which they appear, have often been described as the commercial and the military type of society … The army does indeed in many ways represent the closest approach familiar to us to the second type of organization, where work and worker alike are allotted by authority and where, if the available means are scanty, everybody is alike put on short commons. This is the only system in which the individual can be conceded full economic security and through the extension of which to the whole of society it can be achieved for all its members. This security is, however, inseparable from the restrictions on liberty and the hierarchical order of military life—it is the security of the barracks. (Hayek, 1944, p. 131, The Road to Serfdom) Of all the statist violations of individual rights … the military draft is the worst … It negates man's fundamental right, the right to life, and establishes the fundamental principle of statism—that a man's life belongs to the state, and the state may claim it by compelling him to sacrifice it in battle. Once that principle is accepted, the rest is only a matter of time. (Rand, 1967, track 2, “The wreckage of consensus”) A personal story will perhaps make my point. Sometime in the late 1960s I engaged in a debate at the University of Wisconsin with Leon Keyserling, an unreconstructed collectivist … He was doing very well with the audience of students as he went through my castigation of price supports, tariffs, and so on until he came to point 11 … That expression of my opposition to the draft brought ardent applause and lost him the audience and the debate. Incidentally, the draft is the only item on my list of fourteen unjustified government activities that has so far been eliminated—and that victory is by no means final. (Friedman, 1962, Preface to Capitalism and Freedom)

Metal-on-metal bearings surfaces: Materials, manufacture, design, optimization, and alternatives

When first introduced, total hip replacements offered pain relief and improved mobility in elderly patients. The success of this procedure in terms of long-term durability and restoration of function has led to its use in younger, more active patients. This has resulted in a commensurate increase in patient expectation regarding longevity and the degree to which function and lifestyle is restored. The bearing surface is a key feature of the performance of replacement joints. It is generally accepted that excessive amounts of wear debris preclude their long-term survivorship and hence there is an ongoing requirement for bearing surfaces which minimize debris generation. The purpose of this paper is to review the factors which affect the performance of so-called metal-on-metal bearings, to compare their performance with that of the other commonly used contemporary alternatives, metal and ceramic articulating against highly cross-linked polyethylene, and ceramic-on-ceramic, and finally to consider the potential solutions offered by new developments such as ceramic-on-metal and coatings applied to metal-on-metal bearings.

Leo Strauss, Max Weber, and the Scientific Study of Politics (review)

Nasser Behnegar, Leo Strauss, Max Weber, and the Scientific Study of Politics. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2005, 216 pp. First published in 2003, Leo Strauss, Max Weber, and the Scientific Study of Politics has now been released in paperback. The title is somewhat misleading, inasmuch as Weber is only invoked in connection with Strauss' critique of social science. The book's stated objective is to show that 'Leo Strauss is a friend, perhaps an indispensable friend, of the scientific study of politics' (1). Relativism above all galvanized Strauss' belief that returning to classical political philosophy is 'a necessary step in achieving clarity about preferences of any kind' (3). Thus Part I assesses the viability of contemporary alternatives to his conception of a genuine science of politics. The conclusion is announced at the onset: the history of positivism is largely one of 'social science's dissatisfaction with its own achievements' (9). In this vein, the unraveling of Comte's progressive expectations with the advent of the First World War and the ascent of mass democracy, and their ultimate disappointment at the hands of behaviourist and rational choice paradigms, is chronicled. And this lamentable process, it is argued, culminates in political science's steadfast refutation of universally valid moral laws. According to Strauss, however, natural right is a perennial human need; it alone enables judgments about injustice. Hence the rejection of natural law occasions nihilism. But he warns there is no guarantee this repudiation is unwarranted and, therefore, that we must not 'embrace natural right in a spirit of fanatical obscurantism' (59). Rather, deliverance from our present-day sense of despair requires an acute appreciation of the fact that 'only the full awareness of our own perplexity can lead to the realization of the possibilities that remain open to us' (61). The rest of the book is devoted to Strauss' critique of positivism. The demise of natural right, he avers, occurred with the triumph of historicism on the one hand and a fact/value distinction on the other. Part II concentrates on the latter and, for this reason, deals with his chapter on Weber in Natural Right and History because of its 'thematic treatment' of this issue (5). For Strauss, reading Weber is vital to a full understanding of the modern condition, insofar as the idea of irreconcilable value conflicts gives rise to philistine conformism which, in conjunction with an untenable commitment to value-neutrality that vitiates the ascendancy of ultimate principles, undermines moral concerns. This nihilistic Weltanschauung has its origins in the theory of natural causality behind his model of science and allied notion of disenchantment. What is more, it discloses his opinion that conflict is a necessary condition for morality and, it follows, his 'preference for the tragic life' (114). All told, Weber hauntingly illuminates the abiding and seemingly insoluble tension between philosophy and revelation, between human and divine guidance. Strauss hopes that openness to the prospect of faith will put an end to this stand-off and cultivate earnest moral sensitivity. …

Dylematy moralne. Przyczynek do debaty z Plutarchem w tle

The article presents the basic controversy concerning the existence of moral dilemmas. The dominant interpretation of the issue of moral dilemmas within the traditional ethics of principles tends to exclude the possibility of such conflicts by (a) treating them as conflicts of another type, (b) invoking the possibility of creating a hierarchy of obligations, (c) elaborating a different interpretation of emotional phenomena.One of the principal contemporary alternatives to the ethics of principles is the so-called ethics of virtues. The author attempts to show that according to the latter moral dilemmas must be interpreted as conflicts between desires in situations where even the most virtuous individual is unable to determine whether his desires in fact follow from virtues. The essence of moral dilemmas in this understanding, then, seems to be the issue of knowing one’s nature and the impossibility in some situations of eliminating apprehensions about one’s own moral character.

Challenges and collaborative possibilities of the PRN: A view from depth-therapy.

This commentary provides a depth-therapeutic critique of the design methodology of Borkovec et al.'s Practice Research Network (PRN). Although aspects of the network's goals and investigative format are supported, key limitations are also identified. To address these limitations, an amalgamated PRN is proposed, featuring two contemporary design alternatives—hermeneutic single-case efficacy design and multiple-case depth research.

Dimensión espacial y política de la reestructuración capitalista

La mayor parte de la opinión pública y de los académicos presume que los procesos de descentralización de los Estados y las prácticas de participación ciudadana y comunitaria en las políticas públicas son altamente positivas. Para muchos, son los nuevos contenidos de la democracia, la libertad y la emancipación. La descentralización acerca las decisiones a los gobiernos locales, y la participación a los individuos. La apropiación del poder político por la multitud estaría al alcance de la mano después del derrumbe de la esperanza socialista y la arremetida neoliberal. Sin embargo, descentralización y participación sólo pueden ser entendidas en el contexto de la reestructuración capitalista. En sentido estricto, son las formas espaciales de organización administrativa y política de la sociedad capitalista actual, con base en las cuales se estructuran la estrategia neoliberal y la alternativa socialista contemporánea.

The Role of Models in Secondary Science Instruction

This article reviews common curricular alternatives for addressing the needs of secondary students with learning disabilities in science. For the most part, special education strategies for modifying science materials reflect generic techniques. Support for these methods is based on the argument that they place relatively few demands on teachers. Moreover, these methods readily apply to the commercial texts used in general and special education classrooms, however, the increasing complexity of secondary materials, as well as the call for a richer understanding of science. Make techniques like direct instruction, mnemonics, and graphic organizers less tenable. A curriculum revision method that emphasizes models and context-rich problem solving is proposed as a contemporary alternative.

A personal computer workstation for music education

Courses in acoustics and psychoacoustics are becoming increasingly common within the music curriculum. An introduction to these subjects enables students both to better understand the structure of traditional music and to explore contemporary alternatives to that structure. But the information in these courses is generally imparted to students exclusively by means of lecture/demonstration. This mode of presentation makes the material remote and difficult to absorb. A sufficiently powerful personal computer with analog‐to‐digital and digital‐to‐analog converters can overcome this problem by providing the student with a rich environment in which to explore the material directly. In this report we describe a major software‐development project aimed at producing a coherent personal‐computer‐based workstation for sound analysis, synthesis, and modification. The software is written in C and intended for a UNIX environment. Much of it runs at present on a VAX 11‐780 and is used for computer music composition and research. The package currently under development, though, has education as its primary focus. Since this development may continue for some time to come, an important goal of this report is to solicit informed opinions and contributions from a diversity of sources.

ARMA Modeling of Time Series

A method for efficiently generating a rational model of a wide-sense stationary time series is presented. In this method the autoregressive parameters associated with an ARMA model consisting of q zeros and p poles are optimally chosen with the selection being based on a finite set of time series observations. This selection is made so that a set of Yule-Walker equation approximations are ``best'' satisfied. The resultant autoregressive parameter estimates have the desired statistical feature of being unbiased and consistent. This estimation method has been found to provide a modeling performance which typically equals or exceeds that of contemporary alternatives. Moreover, this method is amenable to a computationally efficient adaptive solution procedure. The autoregressive parameters characterizing the resultant ARMA model estimate can serve the role of decision variables in pattern classification schemes. For example, these parameters can be utilized in determining whether or not a member(s) of a given signal class is contained within a noise corrupted measurement signal. This approach has been found to be particularly effective in Doppler radar and array processing applications in which one is looking for the presence of spectral lines (i.e., sinusoids) in the measurement signal.