Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Effect of Implicit vs. Explicit Instruction on Learning Form-based vs. Meaning-based Language Features

Second language researchers and teachers are greatly interested in whether or not—and how—the effect of different instructional approaches varies depending on different language features (Doughty, 1991; Dekeyser, 1995; Robinson, 1996; de Graaff, 1997; Housen, Pierrard & Van Daele, 2005). The present study investigates whether implicit meaning-based instruction benefits meaning-based language features more and explicit rule-based instruction benefits form-based language features more. The Chinese relative clause (RC), a form-based complex grammatical feature, and the distinction between the Chinese negative forms bu and mei (you), a meaning-based complex grammatical feature, are the target structures in the present study. Thirty-four first-year native speakers of English in the Chinese program at the University of Pittsburgh were randomly assigned into implicit and explicit training groups. The implicit group was provided with the context and meaning of a sentence including the target structures, while the explicit group was provided with the rule explanation and examples of target structures during the training. Participants had three 50-minute computer-based training sessions and five tests: a pretest, a posttest immediately after each training session (three times), and a delayed posttest 2 weeks after the last training session. Their accuracy and reaction time (RT) were recorded by the program Paradigm. The effect of implicit and explicit teaching on different language features was compared in terms of four aspects: accuracy, reaction time, knowledge durability, and speed of learning (the time for the teaching effect to show up). The results show that meaning-based implicit teaching is more beneficial for meaning-based language features, and rule-based explicit teaching is more beneficial for form-based language features. In addition, the present study also shows that syntactic cues, such as grammatical relations, affect the production, but not comprehension, of Chinese RCs, whereas semantic cues, such as animacy, affect the comprehension, but not production, of Chinese RCs. This result partially supports the prediction of the Noun Phrase Accessiblity Hierarchy (NPAH).
System designs to perform bioinformatics sequence alignment

The emerging field of bioinformatics uses computing as a tool to understand biology. Biological data of organisms (nucleotide and amino acid sequences) are stored in databases that contain billions of records. In order to process the vast amount of data in a reasonable time, high-performance analysis systems are developed. The main operation shared by the analysis tools is the search for matching patterns between sequences of data (sequence alignment). In this paper, we present 2 systems that can perform pairwise and multiple sequence alignment operations. Through the optimized design methods, proposed systems achieve up to 3.6 times more performance compared to the previous designs. The proposed systems are modeled with VHDL; these models are simulated and then mapped on a Mezzanine card that contains an FPGA chip. The systolic processing core implemented on the Mezzanine card processes the data obtained from the PC and sends the results back to the PC. The practical functionality of the systems is tested and verified by comparing the system results with pure software results.
Ebola : une épidémie postcoloniale

Si l’epidemie d’Ebola de 2014 est si difficile a endiguer, c’est qu’elle a emerge dans des pays marques par les stigmates de la pauvrete et de la violence, et se reproduit dans un climat general de mefiance. Les populations – qui ont encore en tete les injustices des periodes coloniale et postcoloniale – ne font confiance ni a leurs propres pouvoirs publics, ni aux Occidentaux venus aider. Elles desertent les hopitaux, consideres comme des mouroirs, ce qui ne fait que renforcer la propagation d’Ebola.
Multiresolution digital watermarking: algorithms and implications for multimedia signals

The large-scale communication of multimedia data motivates the protection of digital information against illegal duplication and manipulation. This work is concerned with the development and use of digital watermarking technology to embed copyright and authentication codes, and hidden annotations within media content. We assess the appropriateness of watermarking for certain problems, broaden its usefulness to multimedia applications, and design and test three multiresolution digital watermarking techniques. We provide a communications paradigm for watermarking which describes principles underlying e ective data hiding strategies in analytic terms, and justify the performance gains of our schemes through the use of this framework. We introduce and formulate the problem of telltale tamper proo ng, and develop a fragile watermarking algorithm which, unlike traditional techniques, characterizes the distortions so that intentional doctoring can be distinguished from integritypreserving operations such as perceptual coding. Two other techniques are proposed for the problem of robust watermarking. In the rst method, data fusion concepts are incorporated to provide robust security in which the original media signal is needed to extract the hidden data. The second This work was support by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) of Canada and by the Communications and Information Technology Ontario (CITO).
The Phonemic − Syllabic Comparisons of Standard Malay and Palembang Malay Using a Historical Linguistic Perspective

This study is a historical linguistic investigation entitled The Phonemic − Syllabic Comparisons of Standard Malay and Palembang Malay Using a Historical Linguistic Perspective which aims to explore the types of sound changes found in Palembang Malay . The investigation uses a historical linguistic comparative method to compare the phonemic and syllabic changes between an ancestral language Standard Malay and its decent language Palembang Malay . Standard Malay refers to the Wilkinson dictionary in 1904. The participants of this study are seven native speakers of Palembang Malay whose ages range from 20 to 40 years old. The data were collected from the voices of the participants that were recorded along group conversations and interviews. This study applies the theoretical framework of sound changes which proposed by Terry Crowley in 1997 and Lily Campbell in 1999. The findings show that there are nine types of sound changes that were found as the results, namely assimilation (42.35%), lenition (20%), sound addition (3.53%), metathesis (1.18%), dissimilation (1.76%), abnormal sound changes (3.53%), split (13.53%), vowel rising (10.59%), and m onophthongisation (3.53%). Keywords : Historical linguistics, standard Malay, Palembang Malay, comparative method, sound change, phoneme, syllable.
Corpora and language education

Corpus linguistics as a methodology of linguistics research has gained such prominence over time that corpora have been used extensively in nearly all branches of linguistics. This article explores, through a series of studies undertaken so far, the potential uses of corpus data in one of these areas – language education. We will discuss a wide range of issues related to using corpora in language pedagogy, including syllabus design, materials development, data-driven learner (DLL), teaching language for specific purposes, language testing, teacher training as well as learner corpus and interlanguage analysis.
Cooperative Learning

Elements: Use acronym PIGS FACE Positive Interdependence the success of the group depends on the success of each member. Therefore, it is vital that each member participates. How can you ensure that each member actively engages in the particular activity? Give, for instance, only one worksheet per group. This technique requires each member to look on with other group members. If you give out a sheet to each member, each would probably work alone, thus defeating your purpose.
Refining the Pure-C Cost Model

The pure-C cost model, a simple but realistic model for the performance of programs , was first presented by Katajainen and Träff in 1997. The model is refined by Bojesen, Katajainen and Spork in 1999 in to include the cost of cache misses. In this thesis the model will be further refined to include the cost of branch mispredictions. Furthermore it will be discussed how to modify the pure-C cost model to account for the instruction level parallelism of today's superscalar processors. The efficiency of various mergesort and binary search programs is analysed under the refined model. It is concluded that branch prediction has a considerable effect on the performance of programs and that the refinement of the pure-C cost model does to some extent improve the accuracy of the model. In spite of this it is concluded that the pure-C model is not sufficient for describing modern computers. The effect of instruction level parallelism need to be taken into account as well. Acknowledgement Thanks must go to my advisor Jyrki Katajainen for fruitful discussions and comments. Also I must thank my better half Winnie for putting up with me during the final weeks of the preparation of this text.
COMPARAÇÃO ENTRE OS MÉTODOS DE AMOSTRAGEM DE BITTERLICH E DE ÁREA FIXA COM PARCELA CIRCULAR EM PLANTAÇÃO DE Pinus taeda

Comparison between Bitterlich and fixed area circul ar plot sampling methods in Pinus taeda L plantation. This study aimed to compare the Bitterlich samplin g method to the fixed area circular plot. These two methods were evaluated with respect to th e accuracy and efficiency for estimating the variables mean DBH, number of trees, basal area and total volume per hectare. Three conditions for Pinus taeda plantations were selected. They were located in Bo a Vista farm, Carambei County, State of Parana. Results showed that the fixed area circu lar plot was more efficient and accurate to estimat e the mean DBH and the number of trees per hectare because it is a method where the trees selection is proportional to the plot area, whereas the Bitterli ch method was more efficient and accurate to estimate the basal area and the total volume per he ctare because the trees selection is related to the
Practical Work in School Science: Which Way Now?.

Part I Introduction 1. Practical Work in Science: Time for a Reappraisal 2. Rhetoric and Reality: What Practical Work in Science Education is really For Part II Perspectives on Practical Work in School Science 3. The Schooling of Laboratory Science 4. Teaching about the World of Science in the Laboratory: the Influence of Students' ideas 5. 'If this were Played on Stage. ': School Laboratory Work as a Theatre of Representation Part III The Search for Authenticity 6. Is this really what Scientists Do? 7. Authentic Science in Schools to Develop Personal Knowledge 8.Learning about Dimensions in Science through Authentic Tasks Part IV Language, Images, Ideas and Practical Work 9. Science Education 10. Science as Conversation: Come and See my Air Pump! 11. 'Imaging' or 'Envisionment' in Practical Work: Developing the Link Between Action, Thought and Image Part V Further Ideas on the Future of Practical Work 12. Implicit Knowledge and Science Practical Work in Schools 13. Experimentation and Conceptual Understanding in School Science: Can Hypothesis Testing Play a Role? 14. IT in Practical Work: Assessing and Increasing the Value Added 15. Multimedia Simulation: a Threat to, or Enhancement of Practical Work in Science Education? 16. Virtual Science: a Practical Alternative?
A proposed method for adapting and integrating student learning style, teaching strategies and electronic media

Recent research on the learning process has shown that students tend to learn in different ways and manners, and that they prefer to use different teaching resources. Researchers in the education field agree on the fact that learning materials shouldn’t just reflect the teacher’s teaching style, but should be designed and adapted to all kind of personalities and psychological profiles. The availability of information technology and multiple forms of electronic media open new perspectives for adapting and personalizing the learning process. In this research, we are interested in adaptive pedagogy and personalized teaching methods. Our goal is combining electronic media and teaching strategies according to student profiles. The underlying problems are: How to take into account the student personality and psychological profile to develop an adapted pedagogy? How to use and take advantage of new available emedia and IT based tools? How to combine in a course or in a learning system adapted pedagogy with adequate e-media? We have based our work on the Felder and Soloman's learning styles instrument. First, we explore some basic ideas concerning the matching of e-media and learning styles in the context of an experimental e-learning system. Second, we present a general framework for combining and adapting teaching strategies, learning styles and electronic media. This framework has been constructed with the help of an expert panel and using the Delphi approach. Finally, two case studies including surveys and statistical analysis have been conducted to validate the framework and generalize its applicability. This works contributes to a better understanding of e-media usage in education, and increases our knowledge concerning the interaction between students psychological profile and learning systems.
School Libraries, Public Libraries, and the NAEP Reading Scores.

A multiple regression analysis utilizing data from forty-one states was performed. Significant predictors of NAEP reading comprehension test scores were the number of books per student in school library media centers and average circulation in public libraries. The amount of software in the school libraries was positively associated with reading scores, but not significantly. Surprisingly, increased library services was associated with lower reading scores.
Text format, text comprehension, and related reader variables

Text Format, Text Comprehension, and Related Reader Variables Jodi L. Nichols This investigation explored relationships between format of text (electronic or printbased) and reading comprehension of adolescent readers. Also in question were potential influences on comprehension from related measures including academic placement of participants, gender, prior knowledge of the content, and overall reading ability. Influences were measured through an unaided text retell and a constructed-response assessment with traditional questioning. Participants’ reading preferences and self-reported reading behaviors were also explored. Findings from regression analyses revealed that format of the text was not a significant predictor of reading comprehension for seventh grade students, despite participants’ self-reported preference to reading electronic text. Conversely, participants’ academic placements and overall reading abilities were significant predictors of comprehension, as measured by both retell and constructed-response assessments. Having prior knowledge of the subject content was advantageous for participants on retell measures but did not appear to impact performance on the constructed response assessment. Gender, however, significantly predicted comprehension on the constructed -response assessment but did not impact retell measures. There were no significant two-way interactions between the format of the text and academic placement, gender, prior knowledge, or overall reading ability. Findings from a two-part written survey revealed that seventh grade students in this study prefer reading electronic text, as compared to conventionally printed text. Additionally, those who read electronic text reported utilizing a greater number of comprehension strategies than those reading conventionally printed text. Males, as well as students in lower academic placement levels, reported using strategies most often.
One Thing Leads to Another: European and National Identities in French School Children

De fil en aiguille : l'identite nationale et l'identite europeenne chez les ecoliers francais Cet article se veut une contribution au debat theorique sur la notion de l’identite europeenne. Il s’appuie sur des donnees qualitatives originales et approfondies, recoltees lors d’une enquete sur l’apprentissage de la nation par les jeunes enfants en France. Il suggere qu’il semble bel et bien exister une forme d’identite europeenne chez ces enfants, mais qu’elle differe de maniere importante dans sa nature et sa fonction de leur identite nationale. L’identite europeenne procede d’une auto-identification des enfants « comme » Europeens, et non avec l’Europe. Il s’agit d’une identite individuelle, qui ne renvoie pas a un collectif et se nourrit de connaissance plutot que d’experience vecue et d’imagination. L’identite europeenne de ces enfants, nes dans une Europe integree, apparait ainsi comme un prolongement de leur nationalite : ils sont Europeens parce qu’ils sont francais. Les fortes differences de nature entre ces deux identites expliquent leur absence d’antagonisme.
The Designer-by-Assignment in Practice: Instructional Design Thinking of Subject Matter Experts.

Designers-by-assignment, or subject matter experts (SMEs) who are pressed into training service, have become common in the workplace. A review of more than 24 studies on expert and novice instructional designers, however, revealed that little is known about how designers-by-assignment think about design and make design decisions in the field. A qualitative study was therefore conducted to explore and describe how a sample of designers-by-assignment, expert instruction librarians, carried out design work in the field. Two research questions guided this study: How do community college instruction librarians design one-shot library workshop sessions? How do community college instruction librarians make decisions during the design process? The multiple-case study design included seven participants with at least 10 years of instructional experience in a California community college library environment. Qualitative data sources included a recruitment survey, semi-structured interviews, think-aloud protocols, and artifacts. Audio recordings of interviews and design tasks were transcribed and member-checked, then coded and triangulated. An event-state network and descriptive narrative were produced for each case. A final cross-case analysis of all cases included a composite event-state network, several matrices of design practice components by participant, and a composite descriptive narrative for the final workshop product and each research question. It was found that participants followed four process events (Inquiry, Planning, Implementation, and Evaluation) comprised of numerous design inputs. In addition, four contextual factors (Expertise, Theory, Culture, Institution) seemed to underpin the participants’ design decision process. Although participants were successful in designing a workshop, their focus on content and implementation skewed their view of the instructional design process and its integrated nature. The contextual factors found in this study aligned participant design practice with an ill-structured problem-solving approach to instructional design rather than the well-structured ADDIE process. From these observations, the efficiency and effectiveness of librarian design practice could be improved by expanding the role of instructional designers to oversee the work of these designers-by-assignment and to create assistive design tools. Further research on the nature and needs of designers-by-assignment could ultimately lead to improvements in the quality of their instruction.
Semantic Clustering Versus Thematic Clustering of English Vocabulary Words for Second Language Instruction: Which Method Is More Effective?.

There is a multitude of research on vocabulary methods or strategies, how many relate to second language learners and the importance of vocabulary knowledge to reading comprehension. Researchers have explored the possibility that grouping words in a manner other than the traditional list of nouns, all fitting under a common theme, might be more beneficial for students. This suggests that it might be helpful to give a list of words that are not semantically related. However, there is a deficit in the research on teaching vocabulary by using different word clusters for elementary students and for students learning a second language. The study presented here attempted to answer the question "Will grouping vocabulary words thematically result in more words learned by second language students than semantic grouping? " In addition, this research produced data on the retention of new vocabulary data over 3 weeks and the students' opinions about the two types of word clusters. Participants were third, fourth, and fifth grade students receiving the same level of English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) instruction. Results showed both word groupings were beneficial, suggesting teachers might consider using both semantic and thematic groupings to help second language elementary students learn new vocabulary words. Twenty-three appendices (containing sample worksheets, questionnaires, letters, lists, and other items associated with the research) and 22 references are included. (Author/KFT) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. Semantic Clustering versus Thematic Clustering of English Vocabulary Words for Second Language Instruction Which Method is More Effective? U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) This document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating it. Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality. Points of view or opinions stated in this document do not necessarily represent official OERI position or policy. PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY
Algorithms and complex phenomena in networks: Neural ensembles, statistical, interference and online communities

This thesis is about algorithms and complex phenomena in networks. In the first part we study a network model of stochastic spiking neurons. We propose a modelling technique based on a mesoscopic description level and show the presence of a phase transition around a critical coupling strength. We derive a local plasticity which drives the network towards the critical point. We then deal with approximate inference in probabilistic networks. We develop an algorithm which corrects the belief propagation solution for loopy graphs based on a loop series expansion. By adding correction terms, one for each �generalized loop� in the network, the exact result is recovered. We introduce and analyze numerically a particular way of truncating the series. Finally, we analyze the social interaction of an Internet community by characterizing the structure of the network of users, their discussion threads and the temporal patterns of reaction times to a new post