Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
"Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Adolescents’ Recognition of Category Names"

a better performance in the high- than in the mid-typicality condition for the DHH participants. The DHH adolescents did have been similar to the hearing adolescents in having significantly lower error rates for the high-than for the mid-typicality exemplar words when category names were presented first. When exemplar words preceded category names, however, they had significantly higher error rates in the high- than in the mid-typicality condition, which was different from their hearing counterparts. The researchers explained this anti-typicality effect with a theoretical proposition, which we would like to separate into a general hypothesis and a procedural hypothesis. By the general hypothesis we mean that DHH adolescents are able to recognize category names at a slow speed and tend to have a shallow processing of category names in a limited duration; by the procedural hypothesis we mean that there is a stage in which representations for mid-typicality exemplars are inevitably activated during DHH adolescents’ early stage of category-name ABSTRACT A series of studies by Li and his colleagues suggested that deaf and hard-of-hearing adolescents’ recognition of category names can be influenced by the availability of processing time and by that of proper contextual information in cognitive tasks. Teachers should allow them to have a long processing time and/or provide as rich contextual information as possible when helping them to learn new words or requiring them to understand abstract
Research on Stability Mechanism of Fissured Loess Slope Influenced by Rainfall and Evaporation

Based on saturated-unsaturated seepage mechanism, the features of pore-water pressure, strain and displacement of fissured and fissureless slope are analyzed by using the finite element method. At the same time, pore-water pressure, displacement and safety factor of fissured and fissureless slope as well as fissured slope with different depth and width are comparatively analyzed under the condition of rainfall and evaporation. The research results show that, under rainfall condition, the existence of fissures could change the boundary of soil infiltration and seepage filed distribution, lead to stress concentration and make plastic strain around the fissures area. In addition, as the rainfall response time increasing, the plastic zone around the fissures will spread to the surrounding, thus, the new micro-fissures would be produced during the process of the fissures expansion. Evaporation will reduce the shallow soil water content, increase suction and slope stability. Under the condition of rainfall and evaporation, slope stability is affected more seriously by the fissure depth, but less by the width.
Genomic landscape of the global oak phylogeny

The tree of life is highly reticulate, with the history of population divergence buried amongst phylogenies deriving from introgression and lineage sorting. In this study, we test the hypothesis that there are regions of the oak (Quercus, Fagaceae) genome that are broadly informative about phylogeny and investigate global patterns of oak diversity. We utilize fossil data and restriction-site associated DNA sequencing (RAD-seq) for 632 individuals representing ca. 250 oak species to infer a time-calibrated phylogeny of the world’s oaks. We use reversible-jump MCMC to reconstruct shifts in lineage diversification rates, accounting for among-clade sampling biases. We then map the > 20,000 RAD-seq loci back to a recently published oak genome and investigate genomic distribution of introgression and phylogenetic support across the phylogeny. Oak lineages have diversified among geographic regions, followed by ecological divergence within regions, in the Americas and Eurasia. Roughly 60% of oak diversity traces back to four clades that experienced increases in net diversification due to climatic transitions or ecological opportunity. The support we find for the phylogeny contrasts with high genomic heterogeneity in phylogenetic signal and introgression. Oaks are phylogenomic mosaics, and their diversity may in fact depend on the gene flow that shapes the oak genome.
Determining Amount of Built-in Curling in Jointed Plain Concrete Pavement: Case Study of Pennsylvania 1-80

During the late 1980s and 1990s, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation constructed numerous miles of its new drained jointed plain concrete pavement (JPCP) design. Portions of the JPCP were built in reconstruction efforts, and some of the JPCP was placed as an overlay on rubblized sections of old jointed reinforced concrete pavement. The performance of the new JPCP has been quite variable; in some instances, it has performed very well, and in others some slab cracking and joint-related concerns have occurred. Two different base types were used beneath the JPCP: an untreated open-graded granular material (OGS) and an asphalt-treated permeable base. In general, the cracking has occurred only in the sections with the untreated OGS base layer. The cracking was top-down, transverse cracking that is generally located near midslab. A comprehensive study of the cracking was performed to identify its probable cause and to develop a repair (or preventive repair) technique. The results of this study showed that the top-down cracking was caused by a combination of excessive upward slab curling, loss of slab support (slab lift-off), and repeated heavy-truck loadings. The built-in slab curling was also found to be a major contributor to the observed top-down cracking. One of the keys to the analysis effort was quantifying the amount of built-in curling in the slabs; the techniques are described that the research team used to determine the amount of built-in curling in the in-place JPCP slabs.
A pathway model of emotionally-associated predictors of US college students' career indecision

This small-scale study establishes a pathway model to explain how variables with emotional content affect career indecision in higher education. How researchers have quantified attitudes with career planning has been explored—but factors affecting indecision, career decision self-efficacy (CDSE), and other emotionally-related constructs—have not yet been carefully examined. We investigated a total of 240 undergraduate students, taking both introductory psychology and upper-level developmental psychology to access their professional problem, e.g., such as career planning, related indecision, etc. This study examined the relationship between emotional intelligence (EI) and career indecision. A pathway model of direct and indirect effects surrounding career indecision, was established by using structural equation modeling (SEM), while exploring associations among the variables. Career planning, CDSE, procrastination, and life satisfaction were also investigated. Our pathway model shows a positive direct effect of procrastination on career indecision (β = .13, p < .001), with negative direct effects on EI, life satisfaction, CDSE, and planning, in terms of career conflict. EI shows a negative effect on procrastination (β = -.29, p < .001), but a positive correlation with CDSE (β = .51, p < .001). Findings indicate that emotionally-related variables are good predictors of psychology students’ career concerns. The study provides quantitative evidence for psychology interventions, in order to publish replication studies.
Is hand-to-foot resistance preferable to foot-to-foot resistance for whole body fat-free mass measurement by impedance?

Clinical whole body impedance measurements are usually made in the supine position with voltage and current electrodes located on the right hand and foot, so that the measured resistance R13 is the sum of right leg and arm resistances and the longitudinal trunk resistance. Whole body fat-free mass (FFM) is then calculated by a correlation of H /R13, weight and age, which has been determined by comparison with dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) or with underwater weighing (Deurenberg et al. 1991). Fat tissue mass is obtained from the difference between weight and FFM. Body fat analysers or foot-to-foot impedancemeters (FFIs) measure FFM, in addition to weight (W), with plantar electrodes which measure the foot-to-foot resistance R34, which is the sum of the leg resistances and the transverse resistance of the lower part of the trunk. Whole body FFM is then calculated by a correlation of H /R34, W and age. One may think that R13 is more representative of the whole body morphology than R34 which ignores the upper part of the body. However, arm resistance is often higher than that of the leg, while arm FFM represents a minor part of the whole body FFM. The goal of this paper is to compare the whole body FFM calculated from hand-to-foot resistance and those obtained from foot-to-foot resistance with DXA measurements. We have used a prototype 8-electrode impedancemeter described previously (Jaffrin and Morel 2009), comprising the electronics and foot plate of a Tefal Bodymaster Vision FFI and four additional electrodes for the hands mounted on handles.
Experimental Investigation on Improving the Aerodynamic Performance of Swept Aircraft by DBD Plasma

The experimental investigation on improving the aircraft aerodynamic performance by DBD (Dielectric Barrier Discharges) plasma is described in this paper. The test has been carried out in a low speed wind tunnel with a wept aircraft model. The plasma actuators were set on the upper surface of swept wing combining with airplane body model. The test results presented include the flow field visualization by PIV (Particle Imaging Velocimetry), lift and drag characteristics under the plasma actuators off and on. The results show that the induced flow by DBD plasma may control the separation on the upper surface of the wing evidently, so that the highest stalling angle of the model increases and maximum lift-to-drag ratio rises, respectively. But with the wind velocity increasing, the effect of the plasma decreases gradually.
Implementing ISO 9000: performance improvement by first or second movers

When an organization implements a new managerial practice how should timing affect its decision? Should it be among the organizations that implement the new management practices early, i.e. first movers, or wait for others to implement and implement it a later time, i.e. second movers. The literature's findings with regard to many management practices, especially those that deal with quality, such as total quality management, suggest that while first movers implement a new management practice because of real needs and a high fit between what the practice suggests and their needs (technical efficiency), second movers implement the new management practice because of customer pressure and the fear of falling behind the competition (external pressure). Second movers just mimic first movers, and the new practice does not really fit with their operations. Thus, the new management practice achieves more for the first movers than the second movers. In this paper we ask whether this premise holds for the ISO 9000 quality standard, one which was specified in considerable detail by outside forces but was implemented in many different ways by organizations. Our results are based on a survey of 1150 quality managers who implemented ISO 9000. We find that learning is a more important factor than timing in explaining ISO 9000 performance. First movers achieve a high level of performance because they learn from their own experience, and second movers achieve a high level of performance because they learn from the experience of others. Whether an organization is a first mover or second, the ones that benefit from ISO 9000 are those who learn.
Propagation and radiation behaviour of a longitudinally slotted horn with dielectric-filled slots

It is proposed that the slots of a longitudinally slotted horn be filled with a dielectric material. This is shown to considerably reduce the required slot depths for achieving low crosspolarisation; thus more feasible and economic design of such a horn is possible. Design curves for the modal propagation constants of the first two modes against the frequency, the dielectric constant of the slot filling material and the geometrical constants of the horn are presented. The co- and cross-polar radiation patterns are calculated, and it is found that peak crosspolar level < ? 50 dB can be achieved at certain frequencies and a level < ? 30 dB can be achieved over about 13% bandwidth.
Influence of tamper weight shape on dynamic compaction

This paper presents the effect of tamper weight shape on the dynamic compaction method in granular soils. Although the dynamic compaction method appears to be very simple, it requires careful design of the compaction process. The aim of this study is to improve the efficiency and decrease the cost of deep compaction by using cylinder-shaped tamper weights. The influence of the shape of the bottom of the tamper weight on dynamic compaction efficiency was evaluated experimentally on sandy soils. Sands of three different densities were used to evaluate the compaction efficiency. Conical-bottom tamper weights were studied with the conic angle approximately the same values as the internal friction angles of the three different densities of soil. Also, in order to compare results, a flat-bottom tamper was used with the same weight. The results indicated significant increases of the amount of ground improvement by using a conical rather than a flat-bottom load. Cet article traite de l'effet de la forme du poids .
Influence of MR damper modeling on vehicle dynamics

The influence of magneto-rheological damper modeling in vehicle dynamics analysis is studied. Several tests using CarSim™ compare a four-corner controlled semi-active suspension for two different magneto-rheological damper models. The magneto-rheological damper characteristics were identified from experimental data. A model-free controller discards the influence of control and emphasizes the compliance of the magneto-rheological damper model; the characteristics of the vehicle index performance considered were comfort, road holding, handling, roll and suspension deflection. The comparison for magneto-rheological damper dynamics and semi-active suspension covers the automotive bandwidth. The results show that high precision of a magneto-rheological damper model as an isolated feature is not enough. The magneto-rheological damper model, as a component of a vehicle suspension, needs to simulate with passive precision and variable damping forces. The findings exhibit the requisite of accurate models for evaluation of semi-active control systems in classic tests. The lack of the friction component in a magneto-rheological damper model leads to an overestimation in handling and stability.
What are the odds? Lower compliance with Western loot box probability disclosure industry self-regulation than Chinese legal regulation

Background and aims: Paid loot boxes are video game monetisation methods that provide randomised rewards of varying value. Loot boxes are prevalent internationally: approximately 60% of the highest-grossing mobile games in ‘Western’ countries (specifically, Australia and the UK) contain loot boxes (Zendle et al., 2020a). 1 Loot boxes represent an important revenue stream for the industry: the sale of loot boxes in one single game can generate more than US$528,000 per day from just one country alone (Zendle et al., 2020b). Global loot box spending was estimated to have been US$15 billion in 2020, and is estimated to rise and exceed US$20 billion by 2025 (Juniper Research et al., 2021). The loot box purchasing process hides and randomises what rewards the player will actually receive (and, by implication, the rewards’ value) until after both the purchase decision and payment have already been made. Most of the time, the player will receive a reward that is perceived to be worth less than the price of the loot box, but, rarely, the player will receive a valuable reward. Players often purchase multiple loot boxes to
Innovation—What's Design Got to Do with It?

If the goal is innovation, then Bettina von Stamm is sure design is an essential component in realizing that goal. She celebrates the differences between designers and other functions and documents how their unique perspectives can improve business performance, help expand market share, and leverage bottom-line results. She believes design must be an in-house expertise and outlines strategies to integrate design and designers into the innovation effort.
A Conceptual Framework for the Gift-Giving Process: Implications for Clothing

Clothing gifts constitute a substantial share of retail sales of clothing and of clothing acquired for consumption, but little else is known about clothing gifts. This paper presents a conceptual framework for the gift-giving process with clothing-specific applications. The framework consists of four stages: prepurchase, purchase, presentation, and postpresentation. Components of the prepurchase stage are object; interactions among occasion, recipient, and gift object; giver and recipient; cost of gifts; and information search. The purchase stage includes choice of retail outlets for gifts, distance traveled to locate gifts, and methods of payment. The presentation stage focuses on perceptions of the giver and the recipient when the gift is revealed. The postpresentation stage includes ways in which gifts affect interpersonal relationships; consumption of gifts is another component of this final stage. Theoretical and methodological issues in gift-giving research are identified and discussed with respect to their impact on research design and interpretation of results. The paper concludes with a list of research topics on clothing gifts.
Robotic Displays for Dismounted Warfighters

This study investigated the scalability of unmanned vehicle displays for dismounted warfighters. Task performance, workload, and preferences for three display devices were examined in two operational settings: teleoperation of an unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) and intelligence gathering from a remote unmanned vehicle. Previous research has demonstrated variability in operational needs with regard to active teleoperation versus passive intelligence gathering. Thus, it was important to identify whether there was actually a dichotomy between the two in terms of screen space requirements and whether this difference stems from task differences or other factors. Thirty-one soldiers participated in a field study at Fort Benning, Georgia. They were required to perform teleoperation and intelligence-gathering tasks. Results reconfirmed the hypothesis that display type influences performance in intelligence-related tasks that require the use of video feed and digital map. No significant differences among display types were found in the UGV teleoperation task. Dismounted warfighters can adequately perform both active and passive duties with a handheld device on which the video window is as small as 4.3 inches in diameter. However, monocular helmet-mounted displays for robotic displays can be problematic and should be carefully assessed before use in dismounted warfighters’ missions.
A Curvilinear Abscissa Approach for the Lap Time Optimization of Racing Vehicles

The optimal control and lap time optimization of vehicles such as racing cars and motorcycle is a challenging problem, in particular the approach adopted in the problem formulation has a great impact on the actual possibility of solving such problem by using numerical techniques. This paper illustrates a methodology which combines some modelling technique which have been found to be numerically efficient. The methodology is based on the 3D curvilinear coordinates technique for the road modelling, the moving frame approach for the derivation of the vehicle equations of motion, the replacement of the time with the position along the track as new independent variable and the formulation and the solution of the minimum lap time problem by means of the indirect approach. The case study of a GT car is presented and simulation examples are given and discussed.
Water Distribution Network Design Optimization: Simulated Annealing Approach

A simulated annealing-based heuristic has been developed to obtain the least-cost design of a looped water distribution network. A Newton search method was used to solve the hydraulic network equations. Simulated annealing is a stochastic optimization method that can work well for large-scale optimization problems that are cast in discrete or combinatorial form, as with the problem proposed. The results obtained with this approach for networks currently appearing in the literature as case studies in this field (whose solution by other optimization methods was known) have proved the ability of the heuristic to handle this kind of problem.
Parameter optimization for a high-order band-pass continuous-time sigma-delta modulator MEMS gyroscope using a genetic algorithm approach

This paper describes a novel multiobjective parameter optimization method based on a genetic algorithm (GA) for the design of a sixth-order continuous-time, force feedback band-pass sigma-delta modulator (BP-ΣΔM) interface for the sense mode of a MEMS gyroscope. The design procedure starts by deriving a parameterized Simulink model of the BP-ΣΔM gyroscope interface. The system parameters are then optimized by the GA. Consequently, the optimized design is tested for robustness by a Monte Carlo analysis to find a solution that is both optimal and robust. System level simulations result in a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) larger than 90 dB in a bandwidth of 64 Hz with a 200° s−1 angular rate input signal; the noise floor is about −100 dBV Hz−1/2. The simulations are compared to measured data from a hardware implementation. For zero input rotation with the gyroscope operating at atmospheric pressure, the spectrum of the output bitstream shows an obvious band-pass noise shaping and a deep notch at the gyroscope resonant frequency. The noise floor of measured power spectral density (PSD) of the output bitstream agrees well with simulation of the optimized system level model. The bias stability, rate sensitivity and nonlinearity of the gyroscope controlled by an optimized BP-ΣΔM closed-loop interface are 34.15° h−1, 22.3 mV °−1 s−1, 98 ppm, respectively. This compares to a simple open-loop interface for which the corresponding values are 89° h−1, 14.3 mV °−1 s−1, 7600 ppm, and a nonoptimized BP-ΣΔM closed-loop interface with corresponding values of 60° h−1, 17 mV °−1 s−1, 200 ppm.
Investigating organizational quality management maturity: an instrument validation study

Reports an initial study to validate a brief instrument which could be useful as a tool to permit researchers to gain insight into a construct termed QM maturity – the quality of an organization’s adoption of (QM) programs. Notes that investigators have frequently confounded the length of time an organization reports that it has “been on” QM with the quality of its QM adoption. Yet it is entirely possible that an organization that reports that it has had quality programs in place for a considerable period of time may have adopted those programs poorly and superficially. The researchers were aware that a significant research stream was in place and investigating these issues, but were concerned that the available instruments tended to be extremely lengthy, aimed at top management rather than the workforce as a whole, or oriented toward a manufacturing rather than service environment. Reports initial work to validate a brief instrument that is potentially useful at all organizational levels and in both service and manufacturing. Suggests that the findings indicate that the instrument is consistent with an instrument from the existing research stream and that it also shows relationships to worker perceptions of organizational culture, Baldrige criteria, and job enrichment in directions that would be expected in the quality environment.