Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A programmable flying‐spot microscope and picture preprocessor

A description is given of a system comprising a general purpose computer (PDP‐8E) and a special purpose computer controlling a flying‐spot microscope. Under program control, the system extracts data from a field of view on the microscope slide. Various operating features of the system are detailed and a general account is given of its design and construction. Experience of using the system is briefly discussed.
Third language acquisition: Where are we now?

Up until around ten years ago, third language acquisition (L3A) research was generally subsumed under the umbrella term of second language acquisition (L2A). In this short space of time, however, L3A has established itself as an independent strand of linguistic research, providing an invaluable source of information into language and language acquisition. This paper emphasises the crucial differences between L2A and L3A. It provides a snapshot of the current state of cognitive research into L3A, discussing studies in the domains of morphology, syntax, phonology and lexicon. Recently proposed (specific L3) generative models are discussed, such as Cumulative Enhancement Model (Flynn, Foley & Vinnitskaya, 2004), L2 Status Factor (Bardel & Falk, 2007) and Typological Primacy Model (Rothman, 2011) together with an alternative proposal (Contextual Complexity Hypothesis, Hawkins & Casillas, 2007). Finally this paper highlights the gaps in our knowledge and the direction for future research in this fast-growing area of research.
How probable is probable? A numerical translation of verbal probability expressions

The reported experiment took place in a professional forecasting organization accustomed to giving verbal probability assessments (‘likely’, ‘probable’, etc.). It attempts to highlight the communication problems caused by verbal probability expressions and to offer possible solutions that are compatible with the forecasters overall perspective on their jobs Experts in the organization were first asked to give a numerical translation to 30 different verbal probability expressions most of which were taken from the organization's own published political forecasts. In a second part of the experiment the experts were given 15 paragraphs selected from the organization's political publications each of which contained at least one verbal expression of probability. Subjects were again asked to give a numerical translation to each verbal probability expression The results indicate that (a) there is a high variability in the interpretation of verbal probability expressions and (b) the variability is even higher in context. Possible reasons for the context effect are discussed and practical implications are suggested.
Dictionaries vs concordancers: actual practice of the two different tools in EFL writing

A number of studies have suggested the possible benefits of using concordancers in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) writing. To date, however, there is still limited understanding of how EFL writers may make use of such tools along with dictionaries when engaging in a writing task. To better understand the question, this study investigated a class of non-English-major college students (N = 14) over a semester. Four online corpus tools, including monolingual and bilingual concordancers and collocation retrieval systems, were provided, along with two online dictionaries. After two tool-training sessions, students performed three timed-writing tasks online during three consecutive months and received individual stimulus recall interviews after each writing task. The recall interviews served as the main source of data; other data included the video clips of the writing process, student writing samples, and the researchers’ notes. The result showed that students used corpus tools and the bilingual dictionary for different purposes. They tended to use a bilingual dictionary when information on word form and word meaning was needed. When searching for information related to word usage, collocation information, and grammar patterns, they chose corpus tools more often than a bilingual dictionary. However, they also turned to corpus tools for meaning and form when the bilingual dictionary failed to provide clear word meanings, when they needed to search for word strings, and when they needed to just confirm an intuition regarding either word form or word meaning. This study provides empirical data that help to better understand how corpus tools contribute to EFL writing.
Colour, contrast and gestalt theories of perception: The impact in contemporary visual communications design

Visual communications design, which generally relates to design projects with specific communication objectives, includes most forms of graphic and digital design that have a commercial or an educational purpose. The effectiveness of such design projects rests on how well the embedded communications objectives are met from the perspective of the target audience. In advertising as in education, various post-campaign evaluation techniques are used to measure effectiveness. The challenge for designers is to create designs that are aesthetically appropriate and visually engaging for the target audience, but which are also functionally-legible and support the encoding of communication messages so that these are effectively decoded as intended. This is particularly important given that the effectiveness of visual communications is not guaranteed in the visually-cluttered environment of the 21st century. Of the design elements available to the designer of visual communications, colour and contrast play key roles in visual perception, and the strategic use of these can contribute to the effectiveness of visual communications design. Examining the roles that colour and contrast within the context of Gestalt theories of perception provides additional insight into the ways in which these design elements can be harnessed to improve the effectiveness of visual communications design. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Col Res Appl, 40, 85–92, 2015
CONTRASTIVE PHONOLOGY AND ERROR ANALYSIS

Les resultats presentes dans cet article sont bases sur un test phonetique, entrepris avec 50 etudiants universitaires de langue anglaise apres 45 heures d'enseignement d'espagnol. II se trouve que la frequence et le caractere des fautes correspondent grosso modo au pronostic a base contrastive. II ressort, en plus, de ces tests que les concepts structuralistes de phoneme et d'allophone, contrairement a Topinion de certains linguistes, se sont montres tres utiles pour la prediction, la description et Texplication des fautes de prononciation dans l'enseignement des langues etrangeres.
Towards a parameterless 3D mesh segmentation

This paper proposes a novel technique for 3D mesh segmentation using multiple 2D pose footprints. Such a problem has been targeted many times in the literature, but still requires further development especially in the area of automation. The proposed algorithm applies cognition theory and provides a generic technique to form a 3D bounding contour from a seed vertex on the 3D mesh. Forming the cutlines is done in both 2D and 3D spaces to enrich the available information for the search processes. The main advantage of this technique is the possibility to operate without any object-dependent parameters. The parameters that can be used will only be related to the used cognition theory and the seeds suggestion, which is another advantage as the algorithm can be generic to more than one theory of segmentation or to different criterion. The results are competitive against other algorithms, which use object-dependent or tuning parameters. This plus the autonomy and generality features, provides an efficient and usable approach for segmenting 3D meshes and at the same time to reduce the computation load.
Technology Integration for Instructional Improvement: The Impact of Professional Development

Technology purchased for use in the classroom often goes unused. We identify a primary reason for the lack of technology integration as ineffectively developed professional development opportunities for teachers. Then we recommend a sustained, administrative-supported and mentor-supported approach to professional development as an alternative to the ineffective traditional approach. The importance of considering the role of teachers' attitudes and beliefs on their use of technology in professional development is also discussed.
Typology of ICT Implementation and Technology Applications

Abstract This paper presents a typology of information and communication technology (ICT) integration into schools, demonstrates the typology by three case studies, and provides a discussion related to each. Based on the organizational learning approach, the typology will show that ICT use depends more on organizational arrangement than on ICT itself. The typology dimensions include two types of implementation processes, which differ with regard to the teacher's role, teaching methods, and time and space configuration, and two types of technology, which differ in ICT practices. The typology presents four types of ICT integration: traditional, “jet carriage” emergence, and exploitation. Three Israeli schools, which successfully implemented innovative pedagogy using ICT, serve as a case study for the three latter types. Implications of ICT inclusion in schooling are discussed and suggestions for further research presented.
Negotiation of meaning in desktop videoconferencing-supported distance language learning

The aim of this research is to reveal the dynamics of focus on form in task completion via videoconferencing. This examination draws on current second language learning theories regarding effective language acquisition, research in Computer Mediated Communication (CMC) and empirical data from an evaluation of desktop videoconferencing-supported task completion by distance learners of Chinese. Occasions of focus on form that occurred in this learning environment are explored using the Varonis and Gass model (1985) for negotiation of meaning. Initial findings indicate that videoconferencing-supported negotiation of meaning may facilitate second language acquisition at a distance and has its own distinct features. Issues for future research in the employment of videoconferencing for L2 learning at a distance are suggested.
Unravelling the processing units of translation

This is a quantitative study which compares pauses found during translating a text with those found in monolingual text production. The data was collected from 28 professional translators. Each subject wrote an informative presentation in Finnish and a translation from English into Finnish using the Translog keystroke logging software. The processing units of individual subjects were determined by statistically testing which linguistic units differed significantly from the surrounding units with regard to the preceding pause length. Results show that 1) the processing units of individual subjects vary a lot, 2) the processing of monolingual text production does not predict the processing of translation and 3) the most conspicuous differences between translation and monolingual text production seem to appear at the level of syntactic processing.
Amide Bond Formation from Selenocarboxylates and Aromatic Azides.

Abstract A new method of amide bond formation was developed through the reaction of potassium selenocarboxylates with aromatic azides at room temperature. Potassium selenocarboxylates were prepared in situ by the treatment of diacyl selenides with potassium methoxide at 5 °C under N 2 . After the addition of azide, the reaction was allowed to gradually warm to room temperature and was stirred for 0.5–2 h. Excellent yields were obtained when electron deficient aromatic azides were used.
Predictors of student Internet use: data from three developing countries 1

Training, organizational support, attitude and national culture were explored in relation to college students’ Internet usage. Samples were drawn from India, Mauritius and Reunion Island (an overseas Department of France). Each nation differs culturally from the others. Questionnaire data was collected on students’ Internet usage as well as the predictor variables. Data was analyzed using hierarchical multiple regression. The country groups were dummy‐coded. Results suggested that attitude, training and university support were positively related to students’ Internet use. Non‐significant interaction terms suggested that these relationships did not change according to country sample. The present findings are consistent with previous reports using samples from Western, economically developed countries.
Radioactivity and Elemental Composition of Phosphogypsum Produced From Three Phosphate Rock Sources

Phosphogypsum, a by-product of phosphate fertilizer production, is produced in large quantities worldwide. Most phosphogypsum is stockpiled while lesser quantities are recycled or dumped into water. Phosphogypsum is primarily CaSO4·2H2O, but also contains impurities of environmental concern such as residual acids, fluoride, heavy metals and naturally-occurring radionuclides. Impurity composition within phosphogypsum can vary greatly depending on the source of phosphate rock used in phosphoric acid production. This study was undertaken to obtain detailed information on the composition of phosphogypsum produced from the processing of rock from Florida, Togo and Idaho, to define more clearly the chemical issues of importance to management and use of the by-product. All freshly produced phosphogypsum had sufficiently high fluoride levels that leaching and decomposition of silicate minerals beneath repositories might occur. Phosphogypsum from Idaho rock had elevated Ag, Cd and Se concentrations, and the greatest Ra-226 activity concentrations (up to 1780 Bq kg— 1). Radon-222 emanation coefficients ranged between 12-51%.
Mobile station emergency locating in GSM

The positioning of a mobile station (MS) will become mandatory in the US in the near future to support enhanced emergency calls (E911). Also a lot of other applications are foreseen for the location service, when implemented. In the US a five-year, three-phase implementation of the E911 services is the most likely scenario. The authors study the feasibility of the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) for the MS emergency locating in each of the three phases. The results are relevant to all GSM based systems, i.e., to DCS 1800 and to PCS 1900. The TDMA based GSM offers some inherent means of calculating the location of the MS. The serving cell is already known by the mobile switching centre (MSC) and if wanted also by the operation and maintenance center (OMC). A set of measurement functions is already implemented in the MS that can be used to locate it more accurately. We investigate the use of timing advance (TA) and observed timing difference (OTD). By using the existing measurement functions the complexity of the handsets and the network does not increase much and additional costs remain moderate.
Is Infants' Learning of Sound Patterns Constrained by Phonological Features?

Phonological patterns in languages often involve groups of sounds rather than individual sounds, which may be explained if phonology operates on the abstract features shared by those groups (Troubetzkoy, 1939/1969; Chomsky & Halle, 1968). Such abstract features may be present in the developing grammar either because they are part of a Universal Grammar included in the genetic endowment of humans (e.g., Hale, Kissock and Reiss, 2006), or plausibly because infants induce features from their linguistic experience (e.g., Mielke, 2004). A first experiment tested 7-month-old infants' learning of an artificial grammar pattern involving either a set of sounds defined by a phonological feature, or a set of sounds that cannot be described with a single feature—an “arbitrary” set. Infants were able to induce the constraint and generalize it to a novel sound only for the set that shared the phonological feature. A second study showed that infants' inability to learn the arbitrary grouping was not due to their inability to encode a constraint on some of the sounds involved.
A Wavelet-Based Video Compression using Adaptive Rood Search with Spatio-Temporal Correlation and LSK

Abstract Image and video coding plays a salient role in numerous multimedia applications. Nowadays, digital video communication is adopted in many applications, for example broadcast services over satellite and terrestrial channels, digital video storage, and more. It is impractical for us to store the full digital video without processing. It is well-known that video compression is a process of diminishing the size of data used to depict digital video images, and it is an amalgamation of spatial image compression and temporal motion compensation. The primary intent of our research is to propose a very potent video compression system. Originally, wavelet decomposition is applied to the I-frame and the resulting coefficients are quantized with the aid of Listless SPECK (LSK) algorithm. Secondly, an adaptive rood search with spatio-temporal correlation technique (ARS-ST) is employed for motion estimation and it finds the displacement of the blocks of P-frame from the I-frame. The proposed video compression technique is evaluated by using different videos and the compression efficiency is computed by determining the peak signal to noise ratio (PSNR) values. Also, the efficacy of the proposed system is compared with existent video compression systems. From the comparative study, it can be seen that our proposed system robustly compress the videos with adequate PSNR measurements.
Cognitively flexible hypertext in an object-oriented programming course: effects of case-based instructional support on student learning

The primary purpose of this study was to determine if a semi-automated reasoning tool that provides a set of searchable cases would improve a student’s understanding of the more difficult concepts in an object-oriented programming course. Also investigated were the relationships between the dependent variable student performance with independent variables of motivation, background knowledge, and student attitudes towards the semi-automated reasoning tool. Subjects for the study were randomly assigned from two sections of an introductory object-oriented programming course at an NCAA, Division II university in the Midwest region of the United States. Posttests were used to measure the effects of the semi-automated reasoning tool on learner competency. Background knowledge was collected through student transcripts. Motivation and student attitudes data were collected from surveys. All data were collected during the Spring 2005 semester. Data were analyzed at the p < . 05 level of significance using a Wilcoxon Signed Ranks test, mixed-design ANOVA, Mann-Whitney U test, Spearman rho correlations, and thematic analysis as well as other statistical techniques. Results of the study indicated a significant difference between the group who used the semi-automated reasoning tool on complex questions and the group who did not. No significant difference was indicated between the groups on simple questions. A strong positive correlation was indicated between background knowledge and the total test scores for both content areas tested. Results of the correlational analysis between motivation and learner competencies indicated that the type of motivation, be it intrinsic or extrinsic, plays a minimal role in how students performed in this online course. Finally, students overwhelmingly felt that the semi-automated reasoning tool was an effective instructional-support tool. Results of this study suggested recommendations for practice as well as for further research. Recommendations for practice include the need for effective use of course management systems, supporting complex content through examples, using performance on background coursework when considering an online course covering complex topics, providing a case-based instructional aid for complex topics, and minimizing the economic costs in using a case-based instructional aid. Recommendations for future research include more research on relationships between background coursework and online courses, effects of a case-based instructional aid on face-to-face courses, development of overarching examples containing content from multiple computer science courses, improvements to the CBJava framework, and extending the framework to other disciplines. Cognitively Flexible Hypertext in an Object-Oriented Programming Course: Effects of Case-Based Instructional Support on Student Learning
Statistical analysis of fiber-optic CDMA communication systems. I. Device modeling

In this paper, we present a new methodology for analysis of all-optical fiber-optic code-division multiple-access (FO-CDMA) networks. In this analysis, we propose statistical models, based on photon-counting techniques, for some basic elements of the network, such as splitters, combiners, star couplers, and FO-CDMA passive encoders/decoders. By following the statistical variation of the photon-count of the string of pulses that constitutes the address sequence in an FO-CDMA network, we will be able to reveal the quantum-limited optical signal-to-noise ratio (OSNR) required at the transmitter output to meet the performance limits. Moreover, considering receiver thermal noise and source extinction ratio, we explore the role of using an optical preamplifier before the detector and the dependence of the performance on the transmitted power and the weight of the employed optical orthogonal codes (OOCs).
Speed control of a DC motor using binary rate modulation of the input power

The paper describes the optimal pulse positioning property of binary rate modulation for a DC motor, modelled as a first order system. The paper compares the speed output performance against that for pulse width modulation. It is shown that binary rate modulation has a better disturbance rejection for the same system performance in speed. Also, the method of producing binary rate modulation waveforms is shown to be simple and comparable with that for pulse width modulation in any computer system. The closed loop digital control system is analysed using an adaptation of the circle criterion for the highly nonlinear method of power dispatch. Results from a practical motor test are included. <<ETX>>
Evolutionary multi-objective optimization: a historical view of the field

This article provides a general overview of the field now known as "evolutionary multi-objective optimization," which refers to the use of evolutionary algorithms to solve problems with two or more (often conflicting) objective functions. Using as a framework the history of this discipline, we discuss some of the most representative algorithms that have been developed so far, as well as some of their applications. Also, we discuss some of the methodological issues related to the use of multi-objective evolutionary algorithms, as well as some of the current and future research trends in the area.