Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Shallow Processing and Underspecification

Discourse comprehension theories frequently assume that discourse comprehension involves a complete analysis of lexical, syntactic, semantic, and discourse levels of processing. However, discourse psychologists have documented some conditions when a partial processing and underspecification of the resulting representations occurs. The articles in this special issue report empirical studies that identify some of these conditions. A satisfactory understanding of these conditions and the underlying explanatory mechanisms should contribute to a more sophisticated model of language and discourse processing.
Multicomputer Networks: Message-Based Parallel Processing

High-performance message-based supercomputers have only recently emerged from the research laboratory. The commercial manufacturing of such products as the Intel iPSC, the Ametek s/14, the NCUBE/ten, and the FPS T Series - all based on multicomputer network technology - has sparked lively interest in high-performance computation, and particularly in the message-passing paradigm for parallel computation.This book makes readily available information on many aspects of the design and use of multicomputer networks, including machine organization, system software, and application programs. It provides an introduction to the field for students and researchers and a survey of important recent results for practicing engineers. The emphasis throughout is on design principles and techniques; however, there are also descriptions and comparison of research and commercial machines and case studies of specific applications. "Multicomputer Networks" covers such major design areas as communication hardware, operating systems, fault tolerance, algorithms, and the selection of network topologies. The authors present results in each of these areas, emphasizing analytic models of interconnection networks, VLSI constraints and communication, communication paradigms and hardware support, multicomputer operating systems, and applications for distributed simulation and for partial differential equations. They survey the hardware designs and the available software and present a comparative performance study of existing machines.
Recognizing realistic actions from videos

In this paper, we present a systematic framework for recognizing realistic actions from videos “in the wild”. Such unconstrained videos are abundant in personal collections as well as on the Web. Recognizing action from such videos has not been addressed extensively, primarily due to the tremendous variations that result from camera motion, background clutter, changes in object appearance, and scale, etc. The main challenge is how to extract reliable and informative features from the unconstrained videos. We extract both motion and static features from the videos. Since the raw features of both types are dense yet noisy, we propose strategies to prune these features. We use motion statistics to acquire stable motion features and clean static features. Furthermore, PageRank is used to mine the most informative static features. In order to further construct compact yet discriminative visual vocabularies, a divisive information-theoretic algorithm is employed to group semantically related features. Finally, AdaBoost is chosen to integrate all the heterogeneous yet complementary features for recognition. We have tested the framework on the KTH dataset and our own dataset consisting of 11 categories of actions collected from YouTube and personal videos, and have obtained impressive results for action recognition and action localization.
"Harnessing folksonomies for resource classification" by Arkaitz Zubiag with Danielle H. Lee as coordinator

In our daily lives, organizing resources into a set of categories is a common task. Categorization becomes more useful as the collection of resources increases. Large collections of books, movies, and web pages, for instance, are cataloged in libraries, organized in databases and classified in directories, respectively. However, the usual largeness of these collections requires a vast endeavor and an outrageous expense to organize manually. Recent research is moving towards developing automated classifiers that reduce the increasing costs and effort of the task. Little work has been done analyzing the appropriateness of and exploring how to harness the annotations provided by users on social tagging systems as a data source. Users on these systems save resources as bookmarks in a social environment by attaching annotations in the form of tags. It has been shown that these tags facilitate retrieval of resources not only for the annotators themselves but also for the whole community. Likewise, these tags provide meaningful metadata that refers to the content of the resources. In this thesis, we deal with the utilization of these user-provided tags in search of the most accurate classification of resources as compared to expert-driven categorizations. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first research work performing actual classification experiments utilizing social tags. By exploring the characteristics and nature of these systems and the underlying folksonomies, this thesis sheds new light on the way of getting the most out of social tags for the sake of automated resource classification tasks. Therefore, we believe that the contributions in this work are of utmost interest for future researchers in the field, as well as for the scientific community in order to better understand these systems and further utilize the knowledge garnered from social tags.
New method for the fusion of complementary information from infrared and visual images for object detection

Visual and infrared cameras have complementary properties and using them together may increase the performance of object detection applications. Although the fusion of visual and infrared information results in a better recall rate than using only one of those domains, there is always a decrease in the precision rate whereas the infrared domain on its own always has higher precision. Thus, the fusion of these domains is meaningful only for a better recall rate, which means that more foreground pixels are detected correctly. This study presents a new computationally more efficient and simpler method for extracting the complementary information from both domains and fusing them to obtain better recall rates than those previously achieved. The method has been tested using a well-known database and a database created for the study and compared with earlier fusion methods.
Vocabulary Learning Strategies of the Advanced Students

The purpose of this article is to present the results of the research conducted on 102 students of English philology on the Pedagogical University of Cracow, Poland. It focuses on the vocabulary learning strategies used by the advanced students of English seen as the successful language learners. The author of this article tries to discover and systematize the strategies used especially by this group – the group which successfully deals with countless number of new vocabulary items on the daily basis. Precisely, the aim of the following article is to present and analyze the findings of the survey conducted in order to specify which vocabulary learning strategies are used by the advanced students and to discover whether the kind of strategies is related to proficiency. What is more, the author suggests how the data gathered during this research may be helpful when choosing strategies which are presented to students of lower levels. The first part of the paper presents the theoretical background to the topic of vocabulary learning strategies, focusing on their kinds and usage. The following part of the article presents the design of the study i.e. the subjects of the research are described, the research questions are provided and the structure of the questionnaire is outlined. Then the research findings are presented. The issues raised in the research questions are addressed and some teaching implications are offered.
The Italian language today

Preface to the Second Edition Preface Part 1: The Linguistic Situation in Italy Italian Today A Historical View Italian Dialects Varieties of Italian Part 2: The Grammar of Italian V An Outline Phonology Spelling The Article Prepositions with the Article Conjunctions Nouns and Adjectives Comparatives and Superlatives Adverbs Personal Pronouns Possessives Interrogatives and Relatives Negatives Demonstratives Indefinites Numerals Verbs VI Sixteen Points of Syntax Some Notes on Word Order The Use of the Article Evaluative Suffixes Compund and Juxtaposed Nouns Position of Adjectives Agreement of Adjectives Position of Adverbs Some Constructions with/without Prepostions Agreement of Past Participles Clitic Clusters Constructions with causative and perception predicates The use of si The use of indicative past tenses The use of the subjunctive Sequence of tenses The use of the conditional Short Bibliography Table of main symbols used Index
Effects of geometrical factors of coplanar electrodes on biomedical measurements as exemplified by the electrical impedance measurement of saline and blood

We present our results of the effects of coplanar electrode's geometrical factors on the measurement of bioelectrical impedance, one of the most widely measured physical properties in biomedical applications. Coplanar electrodes of different shapes and sizes were used to measure the electrical impedance of saline at different concentration and blood reconstituted at different hematocrit in either plasma or serum. The results show that the impedance measurement by coplanar electrodes are sensitive to the geometry of the electrode as well as the sample boundary in addition to the universal determinants such as the ionic or cellular concentration of the material under test. This implies that all the geometrical parameters of a coplanar electrode ought to be taken into account collectively of its design when it is used in biomedical instrumentation. Thus the reliability of the instrument as well as the measurement may be assured.
Image feature matching with network flow: a global optimization method

A new approach is presented for obtaining feature matching based on the identified features from images. Features which are described by high-dimension vectors are first extracted from a set of reference images and stored in a database, then the correspondence between similar features from different images are established by introducing the notion of a Min-cost K-flow Problem (MKP), which consists in finding a min-cost flow subject to the constraint that the flow value is K. The similarity function, which characterizes these vector components, can avoid the errors that come from different metrics of vectors. Finally, the K-flow is checked to reject ambiguous correspondence bi-directionally and automatically in accordance with the ratio of the matching cost. Experiments on three image sets demonstrate encouraging results.
A study on the effectiveness and usefulness of Animated Graphical Annotation in Japanese CALL

This paper describes an experiment in which an attempt was made to show that Japanese Computer Assisted Language Learning (JCALL) with Animated Graphical Annotation (AGA) is more effective and useful in assisting learners to acquire Japanese language listening skills compared to JCALL without AGA. The independent variable in the experiment is AGA. The principal research question addressed was, “Does the AGA used in the JCALL contribute to the students’ overall pronunciation and listening performances in elementary Japanese language courses by looking into its AKUSENTO (symbol missing), SEION (symbol missing) and DAKUON (symbol missing) and TANON, CHOUON & SOKUON (symbol missing)? ” The experiment was conducted in Malaysia last summer. One hundred and twelve students (25 male and 87 female) who were enrolled in Japanese language courses participated in this study. The students were randomly divided into two groups and the pre-test/post-test approach was used in this study. The results of the research showed AGA’s effectiveness in assisting the students to improve their listening skills. However, AGA appeared to be less effective in helping the students to improve their pronunciation skills.
How flip teaching supports undergraduate chemistry laboratory learning

In this paper, we define flip teaching as a curricular platform that uses various strategies, tools, and pedagogies to engage learners in self-directed learning outside the classroom before face-to-face meetings with teachers in the classroom. With this understanding, we adopted flip teaching in the design and enactment of one Year 1 and one Year 2 undergraduate chemistry laboratory session at a higher education institution. The undergraduates viewed videos demonstrating the practical procedures and answered pre-laboratory questions posted on the institution's mobile device application before the laboratory lessons. Analyses of the lesson videos, interviews with the undergraduates and instructors, and undergraduate artefacts showed that the undergraduates had developed a better understanding of the theory undergirding the procedures before they performed the practical, and were able to decipher the complex practical procedures. They also experienced less anxiety about the complex practical steps and setup, and subsequently, improved work efficiency. The findings of this study have implications for chemistry educators looking for ways to improve on the design and enactment of the laboratory curriculum to enhance the undergraduates' self-directed learning.
Does instruction about phonological correspondences contribute to the intelligibility of a related language? A study with speakers of Dutch learning Frisian

This paper investigates whether instruction about phonological correspondences between the native and a closely related language contributes to the intelligibility of this closely related language. Previous research has shown that closely related languages can be mutually intelligible to a certain degree (cf. Gooskens, 2007). Little is known about methods for improving the intelligibility of a closely related language. In this paper we focus on improving the intelligibility of spoken Frisian for Dutch speakers. In a 50-minute instruction session, participants got information about the most frequent sound correspondences between Dutch and Frisian, e.g. /sk/ in Frisian is often /sx/ in Dutch. The results of the intelligibility test show no significant improvement, neither at the text level, nor at the word level. Further research could focus on other language combinations, but also on a longer time span of intervention and other linguistic factors, such as unknown vowels.
Spectral methods for logic design and testability

A brief overview is presented of recent work in the application of the theory of Rademacher-Walsh transforms to fault detection, and analysis. The results are relevant both for the derivation of practical signatures for the testing of circuits and for the theoretical analysis of testing methods. The primary use is in compaction testing, using the coefficients as a possible test and using the transforms to derive deterministic values for the coverage of a test, without resorting to simulation. <<ETX>>
Book Reviews: Web Corpus Construction by Roland Schäfer and Felix Bildhauer

The World Wide Web constitutes the largest existing source of texts written in a great variety of languages. A feasible and sound way of exploiting this data for linguistic research is to compile a static corpus for a given language. There are several adavantages of this approach: (i) Working with such corpora obviates the problems encountered when using Internet search engines in quantitative linguistic research (such as non-transparent ranking algorithms). (ii) Creating a corpus from web data is virtually free. (iii) The size of corpora compiled from the WWW may exceed by several orders of magnitudes the size of language resources offered elsewhere. (iv) The data is locally available to the user, and it can be linguistically post-processed and queried with the tools preferred by her/him. This book addresses the main practical tasks in the creation of web corpora up to giga-token size. Among these tasks are the sampling process (i.e., web crawling) and the usual cleanups including bo lerplate removal and removal of duplicated content. Linguistic processing and problems with linguistic processing coming from the different kinds of noise in web corpora are also covered. Finally, the authors show how web corpora can be evaluated and compared to other corpora (such as traditionally compiled corpora). For additional material please visit the companion website: sites.morganclaypool. com/wcc Table of Contents: Preface / Acknowledgments / Web Corpora / Data Collection / Post-Processing / Linguistic Processing / Corpus Evaluation and Comparison / Bibliography / Authors' Biographies
The Reflections of a Distance Learner 1977-1997

This paper explores one student's personal experience of the evolution of distance learning in the UK between 1977 and 1997. Reflecting on his experience, the author discusses the growth in opportunities available to the learner as more and more providers have entered the field; the changes in the nature of learning materials; differences in the assessment strategies adopted by the four different providers he studied with, and in learner support; and the extent to which the different providers exhibited degrees of openness. Based on this personal experience, the author discusses the changes that have taken place over 20 years: the increasing consumerism of the sector; the changes in the nature of the providers' response to the market, and in the nature of distance learners; and changes in the underpinning technology.
Information Systems Foundations: The Role of Design Science

Focusing on the foundations of Information Systems as an academic discipline, this volume shows how the design science approach can be used in academic research. This volume presents papers from the fourth biennial Information Systems Foundation Workshop, held at The Australian National University in Canberra from 2–3 October, 2008. The focus of the workshop was, as for the others in the series, the foundations of Information Systems as an academic discipline. The emphasis in this workshop was on the movement known as 'Design Science' and its importance in practical disciplines such as Information Systems. The chapters in the volume provide a critical examination of current design science ideas, with the role of human creativity given special mention. The philosophical underpinnings of design science thinking are also examined.
Generation and Detection of Terahertz Waves Using Low‐Temperature‐Grown GaAs with an Annealing Process

In this letter, we present low‐temperature grown GaAs (LTG‐GaAs)‐based photoconductive antennas for the generation and detection of terahertz (THz) waves. The growth of LTG‐GaAs and the annealing temperatures are systematically discussed based on the material characteristics and the properties of THz emission and detection. The optimum annealing temperature depends on the growth temperature, which turns out to be 540°C to 580°C for the initial excess arsenic density of 2×1019/cm3 to 8×1019/cm3 .
Prosody and Parsing: An Introduction

This introduction surveys some recent studies of the relationship between prosody and syntax, and provides a context for the papers contained in this issue ofLanguage and Cognitive Processes. It charts the development of research from the study of the mapping between syntax and phonetics to on-line investigations of the use of prosodic information in the parsing of utterances. It highlights the importance of recognising the phonological organisation of prosody as a grammatical system, and discusses issues concerning the prosodic marking of focus, the existence of a hierarchical prosodic structure, and prosodic disambiguation of syntactic structure.
An Investigation of the Integrated Model of User Technology Acceptance: Internet User Samples in Four Countries

National background of users may influence the process of technology acceptance. The present study explored this issue with the new, integrated technology use model proposed by Sun and Zhang (2006). Data were collected from samples of college students in India, Mauritius, Reunion Island, and United States. Questionnaire methodology and hierarchical multiple regression data analysis procedures were employed. The direct effects of the model's predictors were tested in relation to behavioral intention to use the Internet and self-reported Internet usage. Moderator effects were explored concerning users' country affiliation and extent of Internet experience. Findings supported the integrated model's prediction of intention. Country affiliation and experience appeared to moderate several of the relationships between model predictors and Internet criteria. Recommendations for encouraging student Internet use are based on the present findings and current literature.
Seeing the Whole Picture: Evaluating Automated Assessment Systems

Abstract This paper argues that automated assessment systems can be useful for both students and educators provided that its results correspond well with human markers. Thus, evaluating such a system is crucial. We present an evaluation framework and show why it can be useful for both producers and consumers of automated assessment. The framework builds on previous work to analyse Latent Semantic Analysis- (LSA) based systems, a particular type of automated assessment, that produced a research taxonomy that could help developers publish their results in a format that is comprehensive, relatively compact, and useful to other researchers. The paper contends that, in order to see a complete picture of an automated assessment system, certain pieces must be emphasised. It presents the framework as a jigsaw puzzle whose pieces join together to form the whole picture and provides an example of the utility of the framework by presenting some empirical results from our assessment system that marks questions about html. Finally, the paper suggests that the framework is not limited to LSA-based systems. With slight modifications, it can be applied to any automated assessment system.
Low‐cost dye‐sensitized solar cells with ball‐milled tellurium‐doped graphene as counter electrodes and a natural sensitizer dye

This paper presents a facile and economic development of dye‐sensitized solar cells using a nonprecious counter electrode made from ball‐milled tellurium‐doped graphene (Te‐Gr) and a natural sensitizer extracted from Calotropis gigantea leaves. The prepared materials were characterized using various techniques, such as Raman spectroscopy, X‐ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), impedance spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy with built‐in energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy (SEM with EDS). The electrochemical activity of the produced counter electrodes and the impedance of the fabricated cells were examined and discussed to devise plans for future enhancement of cell performance. A clear pattern of improvement was found when using cost‐effective Te‐Gr relative to the costly platinum counter electrodes, especially when compared with cells employing another natural sensitizer. The results show approximately 51% enhancement over chlorophyll‐based cells made from spinach, where the added advantage in our approach is the utilization of an abundant plant extract with little nutritional appeal.