Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Accessibility and retrieval of electronic information at the University of Agriculture Library, Abeokuta, Nigeria

This paper examines the accessibility and retrieval of electronic information in the Nigerian University of Agriculture Library. A three‐part questionnaire was given to 1,000 out of an estimated 5,030 users of electronic information in the university library using a simple random sampling technique from whom 789 responses were returned and found usable. This constituted a 78.9 per cent response. The study revealed that non‐final year undergraduates use mainly the automated library catalogue (OPAC) while final year and postgraduate students as well as academic staff regularly use bibliographic databases tools such as TEEAL and CAB abstracts. A majority of users were satisfied with the information obtained and reported that they find these automated services to a greater or lesser extent easy to use. The major constraints to information accessibility and retrieval of automated library services were infrastructural: the limited number of terminals available for use and power supply outages.
Sequencing to minimize work overload in assembly lines with product options

We address the problem of sequencing jobs, each of which is characterized by one of a large number of possible combinations of customer-specified options, on a paced assembly line. These problems arise frequently in the automotive industry. One job must be launched into the system at equal time intervals, where the time interval (or cycle time) is prespecified. The problem is to sequence the jobs to maximize the total amount of work completed, or equivalently, to minimize the total amount of incomplete work (or work overload). Since there is a large number of option combinations, each job is almost unique. This fact precludes the use of existing mixed model assembly line sequencing techniques. We first consider the sequencing problem for a single station which can perform two different sets of operations. We characterize the optimal solution for this problem and use the results as the basis for a heuristic procedure for multiple stations. Computational results with data from a major automobile company are reported.
Research of the file system of volume holographic storage based on virtual storage layer

Volume holographic storage (VHS) is currently the subject of widespread interest as a fast-readout-rate, high-capacity digital data-storage technology. To make need of characteristics of the VHS, the paper present the file system using a virtual storage layer (VSL) which can be compatible with the logic layer of the current used file system and accommodate the requirement of VHS in the physical layer. The VSL which is made of the super block, directory area, the metadata area and dynamic file area can connect directly to the storage media one side and implement compatible to the existing file system by providing the operating interfaces for the above logical file system. We produce the two layer storage structure which effectively reduces the number of disk accessed and improves the speed of file read and write. The allocation mode of 'hybrid of block and zone' and allocation strategy of 'block priority' greatly improve the space utilization rate of storage device and enforce the storage adaptability in VHS.
High speed comparator for flash ADC and UWB application in 130 nm CMOS technology

High speed comparator for high-speed flash analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and ultra wideband applications that can work at a sampling rate of 7 GS/s is presented in this paper. This fully differential comparator consists of three stages using a new structure to improve its performance. The offset voltage of the designed comparator has been reduced by means of an active positive feedback. The analyses and simulation results were obtained by using 130 nm CMOS parameters. The comparator can operate with a 1 V peak-to-peak input range consuming 371 µW. The predicted performance is verified by analyses and simulations using HSPICE tool.
A Semantic Type-driven Account of Verb-formation Patterns in Panyjima

In this paper we propose a semantic type-driven account of verb-formation patterns in Panyjima. By offering an explicit theory for the construal of semantically simplex event descriptions from morphologically complex verbal stems, we flesh out intuitions dating back to Clark and Clark (1979) about the role of derivational morphology in the interpretation of derived verbs, especially denominal verbs. This latter point is of particular relevance to a general theory of verb meaning (inclusive of, but not limited to, Aktionsart/lexical aspect), as most formal theories of lexical semantics have been primarily developed for languages with a rich verbal lexicon. By contrast, Australian languages often have a much smaller verbal lexicon and rely more heavily on productive processes of verbalization. The challenge we intend to meet is to provide a formal analysis that matches the productive morphology of the language under investigation. We offer an implementation couched within the Type Composition Logic (TCL) of Asher (2011), which demonstrates how TCL can successfully capture the contextual interpretation of productively derived Panyjima verbs.
Can synchronous computer-mediated communication (CMC) help beginning-level foreign language learners speak?

This study investigated the possibility that initial-level learners may acquire oral skills through synchronous computer-mediated communication (SCMC). Twelve Taiwanese French as a foreign language (FFL) students, divided into three groups, were required to conduct a variety of tasks in one of the three learning environments (video/audio, audio, and face-to-face (f2f)) over 18 weeks. The participants' performance in three oral tests was compared to see if they had developed oral skills in the three environments. The other data such as their online chat records, interview transcriptions, learning journals, and the instructor's observation journal provided further information about how they developed oral skills in their learning environment. The results suggested that factors (related to task design, learners' strategy use) generated by the three environments, rather than the environments themselves, have the biggest impact on learners' oral proficiency development. In addition, all three environments held the potential to help different types of students to develop oral skills.
The Lasting Impact of a Library Credit Course

This study found that there were statistically significant differences in citation use and grades between students who took a library credit course and students who did not. The results of independent samples t-tests indicated that the student group that took a library credit course cited more scholarly resources, produced fewer incomplete citations, and received higher grades for its papers and courses. The data included 836 citations produced by 120 student papers and the students' grades for their papers and courses in the fall of 2004. Additionally, the survey results revealed that the students' acquisition of bibliographic research and citation skills was directly attributable to the library credit course, whereas their counterparts tended to rely on informal sources. The evidence supports the lasting impact of a library credit course on student learning.
Exploring the potential of SRTM topographic data for flood inundation modelling under uncertainty

The desirable data for model building and calibration to support the decision-making process in flood risk management are often not sufficient or unavailable. A potential opportunity is now offered by global remote sensing data, which can be freely (or at low cost) obtained from the internet, for example, Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) topography. There is a general sense that inundation modelling performance will be degraded by using SRTM topography data. However, the actual effectiveness and usefulness of SRTM topography is still largely unexplored. To overcome this lack of knowledge, we have explored the value of SRTM topography to support flood inundation modelling under uncertainty. The study was performed on a 98 km reach of the River Po in northern Italy. The comparison between a hydraulic model based on high-quality topography and one based on SRTM topography was carried out by explicitly considering other sources of uncertainty (besides topography inaccuracy) that unavoidably affect hydraulic modelling, such as parameter and inflow uncertainties. The results of this study showed that the differences between the high-resolution topography-based model and the SRTM-based model are significant, but within the accuracy that is typically associated with large-scale flood studies.
The Effects of Image and Animation in Enhancing Pedagogical Agent Persona

The purpose of this experimental study was to test the role of image and animation on: a) learners' perceptions of pedagogical agent persona characteristics (i.e., extent to which agent was person-like, engaging, credible, and instructor-like); b) agent value; and c) performance. The primary analysis consisted of two contrast comparisons: 1) comparing the presence/absence of agent image; and 2) comparing static versus animated agent images. In the study, 75 preservice teachers developed an instructional plan for a case study involving designing economics instruction for the concepts of supply and demand within the MIMIC (Multiple Intelligent Mentors Instructing Collaboratively) agent-based environment. Overall, animation was found to be beneficial for all four persona characteristics, but not always as the single best implementation. For the agent to be perceived as instructor-like, a strong positive effect was found for the presence of agent animation. Agent credibility was facilitated by either a static or animated image, with the presence of an image being critical. Perceptions of the agent as engaging and person-like were also improved by animation, although person-like was not affected by presence/absence of image. Results are discussed in terms of implementing anthropomorphic pedagogical agents to support computer-based instruction.
Dynamic programming algorithms for producing food mixture packages by automatic combination weighers

The lexicographic bi-criteria combinatorial optimization problem to be discussed in this paper is a mathematical model of the food mixture packing performed by so-called automatic combination weighers, and it is described as follows. We are given a union I = I 1 [ I 2 [ (cid:1) (cid:1) (cid:1) [ I m of m sets of items, where for each i = 1 ; 2 ; : : : ; m , I i = f I ik j k = 1 ; 2 ; : : : ; n g denotes a set of n items of the i -th type and I ik denotes the k -th item of the i -th type. Each item I ik has an integral weight w ik and an integral priority (cid:13) ik . The problem asks to ﬁnd a union I ′ = I ′ 1 [ I ′ 2 [ (cid:1) (cid:1) (cid:1) [ I ′ m of m subsets of items where I ′ i (cid:18) I i so that the total weight of chosen items for I ′ is no less than an integral target weight T , and the sum weight of chosen items of the i -th type for I ′ i is no less than an integral indispensable weight b i . The total weight of chosen items for I ′ is minimized as the primary objective, and further the total priority of chosen items for I ′ is maximized as the second objective. For the case in which there are two types of items (i.e., m = 2), we propose an O ( nT ) time dynamic programming algorithm, applying a linear search technique. We also conduct numerical experiments to demonstrate the empirical performance.
A low-voltage low-power voltage reference based on subthreshold MOSFETs

In this work, a new low-voltage low-power CMOS voltage reference independent of temperature is presented. It is based on subthreshold MOSFETs and on compensating a PTAT-based variable with the gate-source voltage of a subthreshold MOSFET. The circuit, designed with a standard 1.2-/spl mu/m CMOS technology, exhibits an average voltage of about 295 mV with an average temperature coefficient of 119 ppm//spl deg/C in the range -25 to +125/spl deg/C. A brief study of gate-source voltage behavior with respect to temperature in subthreshold MOSFETs is also reported.
Arc Crossing Minimization in Graphs with GRASP

Graphs are commonly used to represent information in many fields of science and engineering. Automatic drawing tools generate comprehensible graphs from data, taking into account a variety of properties, enabling users to see important relationships in the data. The goal of limiting the number of arc crossings is a well-admitted criterion for a good drawing. In this paper, we present a Greedy Randomized Adaptive Search Procedure (GRASP) for the problem of minimizing arc crossings in graphs. Computational experiments with 200 graphs with up to 350 vertices are presented to assess the merit of the method. We show that simple heuristics are very fast but result in inferior solutions, while high-quality solutions have been found with complex meta-heuristics but demand an impractical amount of computer time. The proposed GRASP algorithm is better in speed than complex meta-heuristics and in quality than simple heuristics. Thus, it is a clear candidate for practical implementations in graph drawing software systems.
Putting interpreting admissions exams to the test: The MA KD Germersheim Project

With increasing numbers of students wishing to become conference interpreters, but limited capacities in most university degree programs, accurate admission testing is an important means of predicting an applicant’s chances of completing the program successfully. This article focuses on three aptitude tests for simultaneous interpretation: Pochhacker’s SynCloze test; Chabasse’s cognitive shadowing test; and Timarova’s personalized cloze test. The test battery was administered at the start of the 2009/2010 academic year to students beginning the two-year Master’s program in conference interpreting (MA KD) at Germersheim. Correlations between test performance and subsequent exam grades at the end of the second semester were examined for all three tests. Given the large number of applicants each year, practical feasibility of the tests was taken into consideration with a view to scheduling the format and content of the entrance exam for the 2012/2013 academic year. In this perspective, cognitive shadowing was identified as the most useful test under the existing time constraints.
Inferential information‐seeking

Purpose – Using a variety of evidence this paper aims to develop the concept of “inferential information‐seeking”. The term itself is new and the type of phenomena it addresses has been the subject of limited attention.Design/methodology/approach – The author considers inferential information‐seeking in the context of three distinct scenarios, each of which has come to the writer's attention through either the literature or his own direct experience.Findings – Exploration of the identified instances of inferential information‐seeking reveals that the strategy is a circuitous one employed by individuals when faced with barriers that impede their use of more obvious methods of finding information. Substantial mental effort may be required on the user's part to exploit the information elicited in such a way as to satisfy the information need stimulating the action.Research limitations/implications – The notion of inferential information‐seeking postulated here is based on a very small number of cases, none o.
Essentials of fuzzy modeling and control

el->e2. The intended interpretation here is that whenever el occurs, so does e2 (or, el causes e2). However, the typicality operator can be used here to represent the fact that "typically" el causes e2, but not always. For example, if el=strike-thematch and e2=light-the-match, then typically, el causes e2, but not when additional information such as e3=match-is-wet is added. Thus, the preference criteria developed to deal with declarative statements can be used to retract unplausible chains of causal effects given new information. The author than develops these events into complex frames and scripts, and describes in some detail the representation of an isa hierarchy using the statements in typicality logic. It should be noted here that this effort does not differ substantially fi'om similar work on formalizing semantic networks except in the identification ofstatements in a given frame. For example, while every slot-value pair in a frame can be represented by a wff in predicate logic, a number of these formulas will be monotonic, while some will be typicality statements.
Robust speaker-independent word recognition using static, dynamic and acceleration features: experiments with Lombard and noisy speech

Speaker-independent recognition of Lombard and noisy speech by a recognizer trained with normal speech is discussed. Speech was represented by static, dynamic (first difference), and acceleration (second difference) features. Strong interaction was found between these temporal features, the frequency differentiation due to cepstral weighting, and the degree of smoothing in the spectral analysis. When combined with the other features, acceleration raised recognition rates for Lombard or noisy input speech. Dynamic and acceleration features were found to perform much better than the static feature for noisy Lombard speech. This suggests that an algorithm which excludes the static feature in high ambient noise is desirable. <<ETX>>
Online Behaviors Affected by Spam

Has the continued proliferation of spam caused computer users to alter their online behavior? There are many online behaviors such as online shopping, posting to newsgroups, and visiting chat rooms that are documented to contribute to the increased reception of spam, or commercial e-mail. Has the increased dissemination of spam caused users to reduce or curtail these types of online activities? This study looks at this issue and what methods users have under-taken to reduce the amount of spam received such as antispam e-mail filtering programs and which of these programs users found effective. Finally, this study examines how computer users approach the issue of imposing some type of e-mail tax as a means of removing the financial incentive enjoyed by spammers at being able to send out an almost limitless number of nearly free commercial e-mail ads, and that users are overwhelmingly against any type of e-mail tax.
AWIP: A simulation-based feedback control algorithm for scalable design of self-regulating production control systems

A new simulation-based feedback control algorithm, called Adaptive Work In Process (AWIP), for the design of Self-regulating Production Control Systems (SPCSs) such as Kanban, CONWIP, base stock control and their generalizations is presented. The problem of minimizing average Work In Process (WIP) subject to a required throughput is solved. The AWIP algorithm is used as a feedback controller to adjust the WIP at various stages in the production system. The algorithm is synthesized based on the structural properties of SPCSs that are established analytically in this paper. In this approach simulation is used to provide the feedback to the controllers, and leads to an iterative numerical computational algorithm. Computational experiments show that the AWIP algorithm is near-optimal, and computationally efficient, which makes it an attractive approach for designing and controlling large production systems. [Supplementary materials are available for this article. Go to the publisher's online edition of IIE Transactions for the following free supplemental resource: Appendix]
Capture division packet access: a new cellular access architecture for future PCNs

The authors describe a new cellular access architecture, known as capture-division packet access, which is a packet-oriented architecture able to support the constant bit rate traffic and variable bandwidth on demand necessary for multimedia traffic. The approach integrates the multiple access and channel reuse issues to achieve a high degree of spectral efficiency, and presents general advantages even if used for delay-constrained circuit-oriented traffic. Unlike CDMA and TDMA, wherein the effective data rate of each connection is typically a small fraction of the total radio channel allocated for PCN, the CDPA approach allows each user to access the entire channel, if necessary, for brief periods of time (packet access). Spectrum sharing is accomplished by exploiting the different path losses suffered by the various signals as they appear at the base stations (the capture effect), with co-channel interference abated through time diversity (colliding users do not successively retry in the same time interval). Results suggest that abating co-channel interference by random retransmission may be more effective than spatial isolation at cells using the same channel, as is usual in FDMA-TDMA systems.
Reading from an LCD monitor versus paper: Teenagers’ reading performance

The purpose of the study was to examine differences in reading performance when an electronic test format with a scrolling text mode on a LCD monitor and a traditional paper test format were used to present reading tests to teenagers who belong to Generation Z. In this study, participants were 108 high school students who each read two different reading passages, one from paper and the other from an LCD monitor. The results show that teenagers’ reading performance is affected by a presentation medium. Teenagers scored significantly higher on the paper reading comprehension tests than on the electronic ones, with average scores of 76 and 61 respectively. In addition, teenagers took much longer time to read passages and answer questions on the electronic tests than the paper tests. The paper tests only took teenagers an average of 10 minutes, but the electronic tests took an average of 16 minutes to complete. Several other variables such as gender and presentation medium preference were also tested against the variables of reading performance. These findings have strong implications for educators and educational administrators.
Making Sense of Errors Made by Learners in Mathematical Word Problem Solving

In recent years research in mathematical word problems has focused on an attempt to connect classroom mathematics teaching and learning to learners’ out-of-school ‘real life’ knowledge. The study reported in the current article investigated sources of errors that Grade 9 learners make when they solve mathematical word problems in a classroom. The study followed a quantitative approach with data collected through a test. The study consisted of a convenience sample of 35 Grade 9 learners with different academic achievements in mathematics. Analyses of data gathered from learners’ written work (or a test) seemed to suggest that learners encountered difficulties in reading and making sense of the mathematical word problems. In addition, it appeared that learners struggled to comprehend the given word problems. In brief, the data in the current article demonstrated that the errors exhibited by learners in the solution of word problems appeared to be as a result of lack of understanding of mathematical vocabulary that is used in a problem statement. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2013. v4n13p325
Future core research areas and associated research challenges for technology-enhanced learning: results of an international Delphi study

We present emerging trends and challenges in research on Technology-Enhanced Learning (TEL) that resulted from an international Delphi study. The study used the input from members of the European Network of Excellence STELLAR (Sustaining Technology Enhanced Learning LArge-scale multidisciplinary Research), as well as input from two international panels of experts (n