Anomaly Detection using a Convolutional Winner-Take-All Autoencoder

We propose a method for video anomaly detection using a winner-take-all convolutional autoencoder that has recently been shown to give competitive results in learning for classification task. The method builds on state of the art approaches to anomaly detection using a convolutional autoencoder and a one-class SVM to build a model of normality. The key novelties are (1) using the motion-feature encoding extracted from a convolutional autoencoder as input to a one-class SVM rather than exploiting reconstruction error of the convolutional autoencoder, and (2) introducing a spatial winner-take-all step after the final encoding layer during training to introduce a high degree of sparsity. We demonstrate an improvement in performance over the state of the art on UCSD and Avenue (CUHK) datasets

Myxomycetes recorded from three lowland tropical forests in Vietnam

Abstract The first report of myxomycetes from Vietnam was in 2009 by van Hooff, who listed 23 species, including one (Cribraria tecta) new to science, from moist chamber cultures prepared with samples of dead leaves, lychee husks, woody twigs and herbaceous stems. Two other species, both new to science, were reported in a recent paper. The project reported herein investigated the occurrence of myxomycetes in moist chamber cultures prepared with samples of various types of dead plant material collected in three lowland tropical forests in Vietnam. These samples were randomly collected from Cuc Phuong, Bu Gia Map and Nam Cat Tien national parks in the late dry season or between the dry season and the rainy season during 2012 and 2013. From 360 moist chambers, 43 species of myxomycetes representing 19 genera were recorded. The most abundant species were Arcyria cinerea, Collaria arcyrionema, Cribraria microcarpa, Cribraria violacea, Perichaena chrysosperma and Perichaena depressa. The taxonomic composition of the assemblage of species associated with the three study areas was found to be similar to what has been reported from Laos, Myanmar and Thailand, the other regions of SE Asia for which comparable studies have been carried out. In brief, the present project added 32 new records of myxomycetes for Vietnam, increasing the total number of species known from the country to 57

Narcissism, Social Media Addiction, Self-Esteem, and Haxeco Traits: Exploring Influences on Life Satisfaction Among Generation Z

Thanh Ngoc Dan Nguyen,1 Hao Yen Tran,2 Giang Hoang Minh Nguyen,2 Yen Kim Nguyen,2 Hoai Thi Mong Dinh2 1Faculty of Business Administration, Ho Chi Minh City Open University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; 2School of Advanced Study, Ho Chi Minh City Open University, Ho Chi Minh City, VietnamCorrespondence: Thanh Ngoc Dan Nguyen, Ho Chi Minh City Open University, Ho Chi Minh City, 70000, Vietnam, Email [email protected]: This study aimed to analyze the influence of narcissism on self-esteem and social media addiction. In addition, it highlights the consequences of social media addiction through internal factors such as self-esteem and external factors such as life satisfaction. It also examined the regulatory role of personality traits in this context.Participants and Methods: Conducted in Ho Chi Minh City, it surveyed 426 Generation Z individuals aged 13– 26 spending over two hours daily on social media, using convenience sampling. Data analysis and reliability assessment were done with SPSS 29, and SmartPLS 4 evaluated the linear structural model.Results: The study has demonstrated that narcissism among Generation Z significantly influences life satisfaction. The results indicate that narcissism plays a crucial role in determining the self-esteem of Generation Z. Furthermore, individuals exhibit varying levels of narcissism, which are positively related to various online social activities. Therefore, high levels of narcissism are likely to lead to social media addiction. Those who exhibit symptoms of social media addiction tend to have lower self-esteem because they perceive social media as a safe space where they can express themselves. However, each individual possesses unique personality traits, and this study has proven that specific personality traits such as Agreeableness and Openness impact the life satisfaction of Generation Z.Conclusion: The study investigated how narcissism, self-esteem, and social media addiction affect life satisfaction among Generation Z, exploring their complex interplay and mental health implications. It emphasized Gen Z’s widespread social media engagement and addiction risks, impacting mental health and emotional satisfaction. Additionally, it highlighted the influence of personality traits on life satisfaction. The examination scrutinized the intricate relationship between self-esteem and narcissism, stressing its nuances, especially among Generation Z.Keywords: narcissism, social media addiction, self-esteem, life satisfaction, HEXACO traits, Gen

The effect of participatory community communication on HIV preventive behaviors among ethnic minority youth in central Vietnam

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In Vietnam, socially marginalized groups such as ethnic minorities in mountainous areas are often difficult to engage in HIV research and prevention programs. This intervention study aimed to estimate the effect of participatory community communication (PCC) on changing HIV preventive ideation and behavior among ethnic minority youth in a rural district from central Vietnam.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In a cross-sectional survey after the PCC intervention, using a structured questionnaire, 800 ethnic minority youth were approached for face-to-face interviews. Propensity score matching (PSM) technique was then utilized to match these participants into two groups-intervention and control-for estimating the effect of the PCC.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>HIV preventive knowledge and ideation tended to increase as the level of recall changed accordingly. The campaign had a significant indirect effect on condom use through its effect on ideation or perceptions. When intervention and control group statistically equivalently reached in terms of individual and social characteristics by PSM, proportions of displaying HIV preventive knowledge, ideation and condom use were significantly higher in intervention group than in matched control counterparts, accounting for net differences of 7.4%, 12.7% and 5%, respectively, and can be translated into the number of 210; 361 and 142 ethnic minority youth in the population.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The study informs public health implications both theoretically and practically to guide effective HIV control programs for marginalized communities in resources-constrained settings like rural Vietnam and similar contexts of developing countries.</p

Anomaly Detection Using Prediction Error with Spatio-Temporal Convolutional LSTM

In this paper, we propose a novel method for video anomaly detection motivated by an existing architecture for sequence-to-sequence prediction and reconstruction using a spatio-temporal convolutional Long Short-Term Memory (convLSTM). As in previous work on anomaly detection, anomalies arise as spatially localised failures in reconstruction or prediction. In experiments with five benchmark datasets, we show that using prediction gives superior performance to using reconstruction. We also compare performance with different length input/output sequences. Overall, our results using prediction are comparable with the state of the art on the benchmark datasets

Influence of contextual and individual level risk factors on adiposity in a preschool child cohort in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Objective. To identify risk factors associated with changes in BMI and sum of skinfold thickness (SSF) in a cohort of preschool children in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), Vietnam. Methods. This one year follow-up study, using multi-stage cluster sampling, was conducted from 2005-2006 with 526 children aged 4-5 years in preschools in urban HCMC. Information on neighborhood, preschool and home environments, socio-economic status, the child and parental characteristics were collected using interview-administered questionnaires. Dietary intake and physical activity were measured using modified, validated questionnaires. Weight, height, and triceps, subscapular and suprailiac skinfold thickness were measured. Generalized estimating equations (GEEs) were used to assess the longitudinal relationships between the risk factors and the development of adiposity. Results. A variety of factors at different levels were associated with changes in BMI and SSFs. As safety of the neighborhood increased, BMI and SSFs decreased (coefficients for BMI: -0.59; 95% CI: -1.16 to -0.01 for girls and -0.80; 95% CI: -1.53, -0.08 for boys, and coefficients for SSFs: -2.71; 95% CI: -5.07, -0.35 for girls and -4.16, 95% CI: -8.28, -0.05). Having both parents overweight was strongly predictive of an increase in BMI (1.18, 0.21-2.16). Maternal pre-pregnant BMI status, breast-feeding, and high birth weight were also related to change in adiposity. Conclusion. Contextual variables in the community and home environment, and parental characteristics appeared to be more important than individual factors for explaining on changes in adiposity in this child population. © 2011 Informa Healthcare

A comparative species listing of myxomycetes from tropical (Philippines) and temperate (United States) forests

Abstract In terms of their flora and fauna, tropical forests are generally reported to be characterized by higher species diversity than temperate forests. Can this also be true for microorganisms such as myxomycetes? In the present study, three lowland tropical forests in the Philippines and three midlatitude temperate forests in north central Arkansas in the United States were surveyed for myxomycetes with the moist chamber technique as it applies to these organisms. Results indicated that more species of myxomycetes were associated with samples of aerial litter (dead but still attached plant parts), forest floor litter and woody twigs collected in Arkansas than for those collected in the Philippines. A higher value for taxonomic diversity also was noted for the temperate forests. However, 19 species listed herein are new records for the Philippines. In the present study, a comparison of the taxonomic diversity of myxomycetes in relation to the number of moist chamber replications was carried out, and this showed that a difference of as many as eight species could occur between what was recorded from a single culture and a series of three cultures prepared from the same sample. Clearly, many of these species could be missed if only a single culture is prepared for a particular sample

Health risk assessment of volatile organic compounds exposure among nail salon workers in Vietnam

Purpose: The objective of this study is to assess the carcinogen and non-carcinogen risks due to exposure to volatile organic compounds including methyl methacrylate (MMA), benzene, toluene, and xylene among Vietnamese nail salon workers, using probabilistic health risk assessment. Methods: This study applied the probabilistic health risk assessment framework to assess the health risk due to exposure to four types of volatile organic compounds among nail salon workers. Forty-two passive personal samples of full-shift female nail workers from 15 salons in Da Nang city were monitored and analyzed by GC-FID in the Thammasat laboratory. Exposure parameters were collected by interviewing nail salon workers. Monte Carlo simulation was used to characterize the risk and its uncertainty. Results: The mean of concentrations of MMA, benzene, toluene, and xylene were 20.62, 0.21, 2.49, and 0.58 mg m−3, respectively. The 95th percentile hazard quotients calculated for MMA, benzene, toluene, and xylene were 33.14, 7.49, 0.54, and 2.07, respectively. The 95th percentile lifetime cancer risk for benzene was 198 times higher than the EPA recommendation for cancer risk (10−6). Conclusions: Non-cancer risks from exposure to MMA, benzene, and xylene were many times higher than the acceptable limit, which indicated a possible risk of adverse health effects among nail salon workers. Nail salon workers may also be at risk of leukemia or cancer of the blood-forming organs because the cancer risk due to exposure to benzene is higher than the recommended level.No Full Tex

University’s shared vision for research and teaching: an international comparative study

AbstractHow do universities encourage academics to buy into a shared vision while often setting punitive targets in teaching and research? This article explores possible antecedents of a university’s shared vision and its relationships with academics’ research and teaching performance in the era of managerialism. This cross-country study of two large universities in the UK and Vietnam draws on data from multiple sources to uncover the key components of a university’s shared vision. A survey strategy was adopted. Data were collected from different sources, using a stratified random sampling technique from academics of different schools at those universities. A total of 431 survey responses from academics at these universities were included for analysis, employing structure equation modelling. It provides fresh insights into whether having a shared vision can benefit academics’ research and teaching performance. The findings of this study show that while achieving a high degree of shared vision may enhance research performance, it may do little to improve teaching performance. The study provides empirical evidence indicating that a shared vision emerges as strongly rooted within individual employees rather than managers, challenging the common belief that a shared vision emanates primarily from the top down. This article advances social exchange theory (SET) by showing the interdependence of workplace antecedents, personal attributes, interpersonal connections, and performance. It introduces a framework for the relationship between universities’ shared vision with its possible antecedents and with academics’ teaching performance and research performance. The article also discusses useful implications for higher education leaders, based on the findings of the study

University’s shared vision for research and teaching: an international comparative study

How do universities encourage academics to buy into a shared vision while often setting punitive targets in teaching and research? This article explores possible antecedents of a university’s shared vision and its relationships with academics’ research and teaching performance in the era of managerialism. This cross-country study of two large universities in the UK and Vietnam draws on data from multiple sources to uncover the key components of a university’s shared vision. A survey strategy was adopted. Data were collected from different sources, using a stratified random sampling technique from academics of different schools at those universities. A total of 431 survey responses from academics at these universities were included for analysis, employing structure equation modelling. It provides fresh insights into whether having a shared vision can benefit academics’ research and teaching performance. The findings of this study show that while achieving a high degree of shared vision may enhance research performance, it may do little to improve teaching performance. The study provides empirical evidence indicating that a shared vision emerges as strongly rooted within individual employees rather than managers, challenging the common belief that a shared vision emanates primarily from the top down. This article advances social exchange theory (SET) by showing the interdependence of workplace antecedents, personal attributes, interpersonal connections, and performance. It introduces a framework for the relationship between universities’ shared vision with its possible antecedents and with academics’ teaching performance and research performance. The article also discusses useful implications for higher education leaders, based on the findings of the study