Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
KM QUEST: A collaborative Internet-based simulation game

In this article, the development of a collaborative Internet-based simulation game for learning to solve knowledge management problems is described. The simulation game builds on two starting points: first, on psychological and pedagogical developments in learning and instruction, which are based on a shift from instructivistic toward constructivistic approaches; and second, on a perceived need for better training of people working in the emerging field of knowledge management. After having described these starting points in the introduction, the choice for using a simulation game is clarified and a set of assumptions that have been used to develop a simulation game are described. The resulting simulation game is described in the second part of this article together with the elements that have been implemented to support communication and collaboration at a distance, as well as those to support the learning process. The article ends with a summary of the results of the formative evaluation of the first prototype. The issue of collaboration via the Internet is a particular focus of discussion.
Parametric Uncertainty in Hydrologic Modeling

ABSTRACT IN most applications, parametric, hydrologic models are treated as deterministic. That is once the parameters are determined, the model always produces the same outputs for a given set of inputs. Parameters are generally treated as unknown constants. Once they are estimated, they are taken as constant. In fact, model parameters are generally estimated from observed data or from relationships that have been derived from observed data. The observed data generally includes some stochastic variables such as rainfall and runoff. Based on the premise that any function of a random variable is itself a random variable, this paper reviews theory and approaches enabling one to treat model parameters as uncertain random variables. The report is a review of parametric uncertainty in hydrologic modeling. Several aspects of the topic are introduced but not treated in great mathematical detail. Many references to additional work are given that will enable the interested reader to pursue various aspects of the topic in detail.
The management of medical technology

Medical technology is a valuable asset that is strategically important to the operational efficiency of the Australian health care industry. This paper looks at the Australian care health industry and suggests the need for a more structured approach to medical technology strategic planning at a national, state, and hospital level. Strategic planning frameworks are considered and data relating to a sample of Australian hospitals is discussed. The paper deals with a wide range of issues that impact on medical technology strategic planning including cost of ownership, access and equity, remaining life of technology, financing options, and centralised vs local planning.
Feature importance sampling‐based adaptive random forest as a useful tool to screen underlying lead compounds

Good performance of ensemble approaches could generally be obtained when base classifiers are diverse and accurate. In the present study, feature importance sampling‐based adaptive random forest (fisaRF) was proposed to obtain superior classification performance to the primal one‐step random forest (RF). fisaRF takes a convenient, yet very effective, way called feature importance sampling (FIS), to select the more eligible feature subset at each splitting node instead of simple random sampling and thereby strengthen the accuracy of individual trees, without sacrificing diversity between them. Additionally, the iterative use of feature importance obtained by the previous step can adaptively capture the most significant features in data and effectively deal with multiple classification problems, not easily solved by other feature importance indexes. The proposed fisaRF was applied to classify three structure–activity relationship (SAR) data sets proposed by Xue et al. 1 together with disinfection by‐products (DBPs) data, compared to the primal one‐step RF induced by simple random sampling. The comparison revealed that fisaRF can effectively improve the classification accuracy and prediction confidence for each sample and thereby was considered as a very useful tool to screen the underlying lead compounds. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Usage and User Analysis of a Real-Time Digital Reference Service

Summary This paper presents the results of a use analysis and the results of a user survey of Bowling Green State University Libraries' “Chat with a Librarian” service for the academic year 2001-2002. When appropriate, the results are compared with the results of other libraries' services. Information examined includes when and from where users ask questions via the services, how users find out about the service, and what types of questions the users ask, the status and affiliation of the users, and user satisfaction with the service. Most of this information can be compared to findings from at least one other academic library's study of a somewhat similar service. With a few exceptions, the findings are similar from service to service.
Reply to ‘Feasibility of neural network approach in spectral mixture analysis of reflectance spectra’

Neural Networks (NN) have proliferated during recent years, and are widely used in the scientific environment, particularly providing interpretation of results acquired by spectroscopic techniques. Separately and independently, these results were historically analysed and interpreted with ‘classical techniques’, derived from statistical formulations. The purpose of this reply is to analyse under what conditions NN methods have a better performance than the statistical methods, when it is necessary to process a spectrum obtained by a linear spectroscopic technique. The use of Neural Networks methods instead of purely statistical methods for linear spectra analysis and interpretation is discussed.
Simulating the coevolution of compositionality and word order regularity

This paper proposes a coevolutionary scenario on the origins of compositionality and word order regularity in human language, and illustrates it using a multi-agent, behavioral model. The model traces a ‘bottom-up’ process of syntactic development; artificial agents, by iterating local orders among lexical items, gradually build up basic constituent word order(s) in sentences. These results show that structural features of language (e.g. syntactic categories and word orders) could have coevolved with lexical items, as a consequence of general learning mechanisms (e.g. pattern extraction and sequential learning) initially not language-specific. Keywords: Computer simulation; language origin; coevolution; compositionality; word order regularity
Users’ familiar situational contexts facilitate the practice of EFL in elementary schools with mobile devices

It is beneficial for students to experience situational learning, especially for English as a foreign language (EFL) learning. Providing more listening and speaking opportunities could help EFL students with English learning. Our research proposes a listening and speaking practice system employing personal digital assistants (PDAs) for situated learning using contexts with which students would be familiar. The proposed system attempts to help participating EFL students by presenting learning contexts in familiar situations, such as during lunch at school. The results show that the proposed system and designed activities provided EFL elementary school students with listening and speaking practice opportunities in basic vocabulary and simple sentences with the support of familiar, situational learning. In the experiment, the experimental group learned multimedia-based learning materials about food materials at lunch with PDAs. In contrast, the control group learned via paper-based learning materials in class without real contextual support. After the experiment, findings reveal that the experimental group significantly outperformed the control group in learning achievement. By providing recommended sample voices recorded by peers, students in the experimental group could repeatedly listen to the recordings in familiar situations, thus obtaining more opportunities to practice and interact with peers later. The other significant finding is that the number of peers used to practice speaking English in daily contexts, defined as practice diversity, was significantly correlated to learning improvement. That is, when students practiced speaking English with an increased number of peers, in familiar contexts, their English skills improved. After interviews with students, an interesting phenomenon was identified; students in the experimental group extended their learning from school to home. Furthermore, students’ learning was not only a deliberate event or situation – learning also took place spontaneously in their daily lives. Therefore, the proposed system and activities can help EFL students, particularly novices, listen to and speak English in familiar situational contexts.
The Three Circles of English: Language specialists talk about the English Language

The Three Circles of English is a book of papers contributed by many leading linguists in the world in honor of Professor Braj Kachru’s pioneer works. Though the editor does not clearly mention it, it seems that the papers in the books were first written for the proceedings of a certain international conference in Singapore. As a result, each of them has kept the format for either a presented paper or a proceedings paper. Consequently, “language specialists” are really “talking about the English language” in the book as stated in the subtitle. “The Three Circles” in the title is the term Kachru created in his book in 1982. Since then the term has been widely used in the field of sociolinguistics. The term symbolizes what Kachru accomplished in the previous century. As Anita Pandey explains in the book on p.278, “the three circles” means “the three different geolinguistic settings Braj Kachru aptly labeled. ” Pandey adds, “the Inner Circle varieties are homegrown varieties including British English, Canadian English, Australian English, and American English. ” Also she refers to the Outer Circle varieties as “‘nativized’ English-speaking societies,” and then, “in the Expanding Circle . , English still functions, for the most part, as a ‘foreign’ language. ” The book comprises 28 papers including the Foreword, Introduction and Afterword, all of which are written by renowned linguists from “three-circle” countries. Naturally, the contributors deal with various language matters in various countries. This book is just like a smorgasbord at a five-star hotel where you can taste various dishes of various cultures. Likewise, in the book, we can enjoy various papers addressing varieties of language issues both east and west. Below, let us briefly look at the content of the book. The first two papers before Chapter One, which introduce Braj Kachru himself and his achievements, are particularly interesting and enlightening since they are written by three of Kachru’s
Optimal Selection of Wavelet and Threshold Using Cuckoo Search for Noise Suppression in Speech Signals

Application of threshold based techniques to wavelet transformed speech signals can act as the noise suppression algorithm. There are types of wavelets and thresholding algorithms which exist and selection of optimal wavelet and optimal thresholding technique based on the input speech signal is vital for having better noise suppression. Selection of optimal number of decomposition levels is also has an impact on the resultant signal. In this paper, optimal selection of wavelet, level and thresholding technique for noise suppression in speech signals using Cuckoo search is proposed. After finding these, the signal is wavelet transformed andis applied proposed adaptive coefficient process which is then done thresholding. Subsequently, reconstruction is carried out to have the noise suppressed signal. The implementation is carried out with MATLAB and the evaluation metrics employed are Itakura–Saito distance (IS) and MSE.The results are taken under various noise conditions and compared with existing technique. From the results obtained, IS and MSE values for proposed is far lower than existing technique.Total IS average for proposed was about 0.78×105 compared with 1.3×105 that of existing. Total MSE average for proposed was about 0.22×10-3 compared with 1.25×10-3 that of existing. The results show the effectiveness of the proposed technique.
Studies on Fungi Responsible for the Spoilage/Deterioration of Some Edible Fruits and Vegetables

Investigation of fungi responsible for the post harvest deterioration of Lycopersicum esculentus (tomatoes), Elaeis guineensis (palm fruit), Ipomoea batatas (sweet potato), Solanum tuberosum (Irish potato), Musa sapientum (banana), Doucus carota (carrot), Musa paradisiaca (plantain), Carica papaya (pawpaw), Persea americana (Avocado pear), Citrullus lanatus (water-melon) and Capsicum chinense (fresh red pepper) from five different markets and farm lands in Enugu state, Nigeria was carried out. Healthy and diseased samples were collected from the selected markets/ farmlands. Fungal species found associated with the deterioration of the various fruits and vegetables tested included Mucor species (M. indicus, M. amphibiorum, M. racemosus and M. hiemalis), Rhizopus species (Rhizopus stolonifer, R. nigrican and R. oligosporus), Candida albicans, Aspergillus species (Aspergillus fumigatus, A. niger and A. flavus) and Penicillum species (P. oxalicum and P. chrysogenum) and Fusarium species (F. accuminatum, F. oxysporum, F. eqiuseti and F. moniliforme, F. solani, F. dimerum). All isolated fungi were pathogenic to the different fruits and vegetables from the result of pathogencity tests carried out.
Slips of the Tongue: Speech Errors in First and Second Language Production

This book reports the results of an extensive study of slips of the tongue produced by foreign language (L2) learners at different levels of proficiency. Thus, it provides new data which can be used to test current monolingual models of speech production and to further the development of bilingual speech production models. Moreover, it offers a new approach to the study of second language acquisition. The book contains a detailed survey of the findings of L1 slip research, including studies of slips produced by child L1 learners. It systematically compares these findings to those of the current L2 study and relates them to recent monolingual and bilingual models of speech production and to several cognitive models of second language acquisition. Special features of the book are its emphasis on methodological problems and the inclusion of the complete L2 corpus of 2000 slips of the tongue. It is expected that the book will be of interest to researchers and advanced students in the areas of speech production and second language acquisition, and particularly to those who would like to test their own hypotheses using the L2 data.Summary of the contents of the book. The book provides an overview of the key findings in L1 slip research. It relates L1 findings to monolingual speech production models. It gives a detailed survey of studies of slips produced by children. It presents an up-to-date review of bilingual speech production models. It discusses recent cognitive models of second language acquisition. It gives a detailed description of an extensive research project on slips of the tongue produced by Dutch learners of English. The L2 slip corpus is tape-recorded. It discusses methodological problems in L1 slip research. It systematically compares the L1 findings to those of the L2 slip project. It relates the findings to monolingual and bilingual models of speech production and to cognitive models of second language acquisition. It makes the data available in the appendix.
Global -exponential way-point manoeuvering of ships

This paper considers way-point manoeuvering in three degrees of freedom (surge, sway and yaw). A line-of-sight motivated control law that globally� -exponentially stabilizes an underactuated ship is derived using output redefinition and cascaded systems theory. The control law development is based on a general nonlinear ship model with surge propeller force and rudder moment as control inputs. Simulation results on a full scale model of a supply vessel are presented. I. INTRODUCTION The route of a ship is usually specified in terms of way- points (1). The way-points are selected taking into account a number of features like weather conditions, obstacle avoid- ance and mission planning. Each way-point is defined in Cartesian coordinates+{l>|l, forl@4===s . The reference trajectory is then made up by straight lines connecting the s way-points. When the ship reaches a prescribed circle, the circle of acceptance, about way-point l, the reference trajectory is switched to the straight line connecting way- points l and l.4. Alternatively, circle arcs connecting the straight lines can be used to define the desired turn at each way-point. In this paper we consider the problem of designing a controller that makes the ship follow the straight lines between way-points, and at the same time controls the forward speed to a constant desired speed xg , i.e. we consider a way-point manoeuvering control problem. Conventional ships are usually equipped with one or two main propellers for forward speed control, and rudders for course control. Even if equipped with side thrusters, these will not give a significant force at transit speeds. This means that we only have independent controls in two degrees of freedom (DOF), surge and yaw, while we seek to control all three degrees of freedom (surge, sway and yaw) of the ship. The path following, tracking and manoeuvering problems are hence underactuated control problems. In conventional way-point guidance systems the output space is reduced such that the number of outputs equals the number of control inputs, and in this way a fully actuated control problem is obtained. It is most often the yaw angle and surge velocity that are controlled. The desired yaw angle#g is then usually chosen using a line- of-sight (LOS) algorithm, while the desired forward speed is constant. Recent research, however, aims at controlling all 3DOF of the ship using only the two available control inputs. Furthermore, while conventional way-point guidance
Delineation of precipitation areas from MODIS visible and infrared imagery with articial neural networks

An important phase in a nowcasting system is the diagnosis of the forecast variables. This work focuses on the diagnosis of precipitation. The Nimrod automatic nowcasting system at the Met Office (UK) has long used Meteosat visible and infrared data to supplement the data it receives from the UK weather radar network to produce rainfall analyses. With the advent of Meteosat Second Generation (MSG) attention has focused on how best to use the larger range of spectral information from MSG to improve the rainfall analyses. Earlier work at the Met Office had suggested artificial neural networks (ANNs) to be a useful tool for such applications. Pending the availability of data from MSG, ANNs were used to process data from appropriate visible and infrared channels on the MODIS instrument. Sixty daytime winter cases were collected, and Nimrod radar rainfall analyses provided ‘ground truth’ for both training and testing the ANNs. The optimal combination of MODIS channels was investigated and it was found that almost all the skill in rain/no rain discrimination was provided by the radiance values from six selected spectral channels. A notable result was that the 1.64 µm channel had no value as a discriminator when used alone, but produced a large increase in skill when used in conjunction with a visible channel. The ANN with MODIS data was found to outperform the corresponding Nimrod look‐up table technique applied to Meteosat data. Application of the technique to SEVIRI data is proposed, as is extension to other seasons. Copyright © 2005 Royal Meteorological Society
A Scalable Architecture for Integrating Associative and Semantic Memory

Abstract Traditionally, semantic memory is considered to be composed of a single layer of knowledge. This layer can be thought of as encoding the systematic relations that underlie the regularities in our cognitive world. In this article, this notion is extended to include a second layer, so that semantic memory now consists of two tiers. The second tier asserts that each of our concepts has attached to it an associational cloud of knowledge that encodes the non-systematic knowledge associated with these concepts, or what Fillmore (1982) calls a concept's background frame knowledge. Semantic memory is constructed from co-occurrence statistics gathered from the Wall Street Journal text corpus. The associational knowledge is encoded from a set of semantic features extracted from the categories o/Roget's Thesaurus. This approach of the encoding and use of world knowledge is significant in that it supports an architecture that can scale up.
A comparative study of rhetorical moves in abstracts of published research articles and students’ term papers in the field of computer and communication systems engineering.

This study seeks to compare and contrast the rhetorical moves in abstracts of students’ term papers and published articles in the field of Computer and Communications Systems Engineering. The reason is to identify to what extend the rhetorical moves used in the abstracts of students’ term papers approximate to the published articles. Using Santos’ (1996) five move pattern as the model of analysis, the data indicated that both the abstracts in the students’ term papers and the published articles did use some of the rhetorical moves. However, the pattern of use did vary among them. Furthermore, the study also revealed that abstracts with a complete five moves presented a more comprehensive overview of the content of the study when compared with abstracts with limited moves. These findings could heighten the awareness of the student writers as to how abstract writing should be structured and it could also increase their sophistication in the crafting of an effective abstract. Finally, the data could also form as an informed input for both writing instructors and program designers to incorporate the learning of the rhetorical moves in abstract writing instructions.