Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Response Effect of Question Order in Computer-Administered Questioning in the Social Sciences/

The authors examine question-order bias in computer-administered questioning (CAQ) by examining the responses of two survey groups. Each group rated two types of prod ucts with respect to various product attributes in a computer interactive mode. The two product sections of the survey appeared in different order for each survey group. The results suggest that question order has no effect in CAQ. In addition, the authors found that CAQ is not readily susceptible to fatigue. Keywords: computer-administered questionnaires, question-order bias, response fatigue.
Analysis of the M and M/sup 2/ routings in circuit-switched networks

In nonhierarchical circuit-switched networks, calls can be routed to alternate paths if the direct path is blocked. Two alternate-path routing rules called maximum free circuit routing and maximum free circuit with minimum occupied channel routing, the M and M/sup 2/ routings, respectively) are analyzed. In the use of M routing, a call is routed to an alternate path that has the maximum number of free circuits when the direct path is blocked. The M/sup 2/ routing is an improvement of the M routing in that when multiple alternate paths have the same number of free circuits, the path with the smallest total occupied channels is chosen. Analytical results show that M/sup 2/ routing provides a small but significant improvement over M routing when the number of alternate paths is large and/or the trunk group size is small. These results are verified by simulation. As the implementation of M/sup 2/ routing is no more complicated than M routing (both require the same channel occupancy information) and its performance is always better than M routing, M/sup 2/ routing is deemed a better rule to use. <<ETX>>
Heuristics for Domain-Independent Planning: A Survey

Increasing interest has been devoted to Planning as Heuristic Search over the years. Intense research has focused on deriving fast and accurate heuristics for domain-independent planning. This paper reports on an extensive survey and analysis of research work related to heuristic derivation techniques for state space search. Survey results reveal that heuristic techniques have been extensively applied in many efficient planners and result in impressive performances. We extend the survey analysis to suggest promising avenues for future research in heuristic derivation and heuristic search techniques.
A methodology for controlling the size of a test suite

As a result of modifications to a program during the maintenance phase, the size of a test suite used for regression testing can become unmanageable. The authors present a technique that selects from a test suite a representative set of test cases that provides the same measure of coverage as the test suite. This selection is performed by the identification of the redundant and obsolete test cases in the test suite. The representative set can be used to reduce the size of the test suite by substituting for the test suite. The representative set can also be used to determine those test cases that should be rerun to test the program after it has been changed. The technique is independent of the testing methodology and only requires an association between each testing requirement and the test cases that satisfy the requirement. The technique is illustrated by means of the data flow testing methodology. Experimental studies are being performed that demonstrate the effectiveness of the technique. <<ETX>>
STUDENTS´ STRATEGIES IN SOLVING ALGORITHMIC STOICHIOMETRY PROBLEMS

Students solving chemistry problems tend to rely on algorithmic methods. However, the problem solving strategy a person applies may depend on the difficulty of the problem. Research on stoichiometric problem solving reports that students working on easy-to-calculate problems created a non-mathematical strategy on their own. The aim of the present study was to find out (1) whether Swedish students would behave in a similar manner to that described in literature and (2) how they change the strategies when moving from an easy-to-calculate problem to a more difficult question. Four semistructured interviews were conducted with Swedish senior high school students. The result showed that they reacted as described in literature. In addition to applying mathematical strategies they each developed a non-mathematical strategy. All the students used a non- mathematical strategy to solve an easy question. However, in moving from an easy-to-calculate problem to a more difficult one most students calculated the mass fraction or the percentages of an element in a compound. In this form the strategy comes close to the non-mathematical strategy. It is suggested for introductory chemistry courses to use easy-to-calculate problems and to concentrate on both the non-mathematical and the mass fraction strategy. [Chem. Educ. Res. Pract. : 2003, 4, 305-317]
Perceptual linearization as display standard: link between psychophysics and contrast discrimination models

Given the increasing use of soft-copy in the medical field, standardization and fidelity of the display are gaining much interest. For medical imaging, it is of great importance that information in the data is accurately mapped to brightness sensation. The concept of perceptual linearization was introduced by Pizer [Computer Graphics and Image Processing, 17, 262 (1981)] to guarantee the display fidelity. It means that equal steps in the data evoke equal steps in sensation. We investigate the fidelity of achromatic displays prior to and after perceptual linearization. First, we use magnitude estimation of brightness differences between gray square patches embedded in a uniform background, to make equal-interval brightness series. Then, we extend the brightness contrast discrimination models of Whittle [Vision Research, 26, 1677 (1986)], and Kingdom and Moulden [Vision Research, 31, 851 (1991)], for gray patches in uniform background, to our supra-threshold data. A good fit is found. Finally, we apply the look-up tables that provide perceptual linearization for the gray patches to complex images. Brightness matching with a scale of reference gray patches is used to estimate gray levels at specified image locations. The experimental results indicate that the accuracy of this task is not necessarily affected by perceptual linearization.
Scientifically Based Research in Quantitative Literacy: Guidelines for Building a Knowledge Base

Research in quantitative literacy (QL) is in its infancy, so now is the time to begin a regimen for healthy growth into adulthood. As a new discipline still defining itself, QL has the opportunity to build a sound infrastructure for accumulating a solid body of interconnected research that will serve the discipline well in years to come. To that end, much can be learned from recent studies of the weaknesses of mathematics education research and recommendations on how to overcome them. Mathematics education lacks a strong research foundation, one that is scientific, cumulative, interconnected, and intertwined with teaching practice. These weaknesses can be alleviated by following a model built around five key components of a high-quality research program: generating ideas, framing those ideas in a research setting, examining the research questions in small studies, generalizing the results in larger and more refined studies, and extending the results over time and location. Single research projects having only one or two of these components should link to others so that a viable research program that is interconnected and cumulative can be identified and effectively used to improve both teaching practice and future research. Detailed reporting guidelines for each component of the model are outlined in the following sections.
FIRST USE OF THE TAYLOR PTERIDINE SYNTHESIS AS A ROUTE TO POLYGLUTAMATE DERIVATIVES OF ANTIFOLATES

The di- through penta-γ-L-glutamates of 2-desamino-2-methylaminopterin, a new antifolate with a novel mechanism of action requiring γ-polyglutamylation for biological activity, were prepared. α-tert-Butyl γ-methyl L-glutamate was condensed with 4-nitrobenzoyl chloride, the methyl ester selectively hydrolyzed with base, and the product condensed with di-tert-butyl L-glutamate to obtain tri-tert-butyl N-(4-nitrobenzoyl)-γ-L-glutamyl-L-glutamate. This is the first example of the preparation of the polyglutamates of an antifolate via the Taylor pteridine synthesis
Collective memory based on semantic annotation among economic intelligence actors

Many enterprises are reflected on strategies and tools that facilitate the knowledge sharing and exploiting the collective intelligence among their actors. Economic intelligence actors collaborate to solve a decisional problem, they use significant mental effort, and so they share a common knowledge that can indicate to other actors directions to follow or avoid. Indeed, whenever an actor explores knowledge or a relevant document, it enriches the collective knowledge of the memory via annotations. To ensure this collaboration in solving a decisional problem among actors in a context of economic intelligence, in this article we propose a conceptual model using ontologies to represent collaborative semantic annotations between economic intelligence actors in order to capitalise on and reuse the knowledge shared in a collective memory.
Academic Social Network Information Dissemination Model

This paper constructs an academic social network information dissemination model. A social network dataset was established through acquiring the user relation in the website which named ResearchGate. The diagram of information dissemination trend were drew according to a dissemination statistical of 30 questions within 30 days, and through a calculation of the probability of information dissemination among the network, the regularity of information dissemination in the network was obtained. Keywords-Academic social networks, Information dissemination characteristics, Information dissemination model
An Advanced Method for Human Body Detection

An advanced method is proposed that combines the advantage of Hough transform and exemplar method for human detection. This method firstly uses a universal codebook for all the patches in an image which reduces the total codebook size and the dimensionality of similarity features. Another contribution is in classifying and detection, in which section we use the sprite of Hough transform, but we train the model in a boost way. Finally the experiment results are given.
Alternative Assessment Approaches for Online Learning Environments in Higher Education

This article describes the need and prospects for alternative assessment approaches in online learning environments within the context of higher education. Assessment in higher education has traditionally focused on retention of knowledge and its application in limited contexts as measured by paper and pencil tests and academic assignments such as writing term papers. Increased interest among academics in what has been labeled “alternative assessment” reflects both dissatisfaction with national approaches to assessment and the desire to assess the attainment of higher order educational goals that involve deep understanding and active use of knowledge in complex, realistic contexts. Concerns about current assessment approaches are increasing as online learning environments become more prevalent in higher education. The article prescribes three different approaches to integrating alternative assessment approaches into online learning environments: 1) cognitive assessment, 2) performance assessment, and 3) portfolio assessment.
A Facile Method to 1,4-Diacyl Semicarbazides: Syntheses of 1-Aryloxyacetyl-4-(4-Chlorobenzoyl)-Thiosemicarbazides and Semicarbazides

Abstract A facile method to diacyl semicarbazides is described. Reactions of 4-chlorobenzoyl chloride with ammonium thiocyanate first, then with aryloxyacetic acid hydrazides under phase transfer catalysis give 1-aryloxyacetyl-4-(4-chlorobenzoyl)-thiosemicarbazides (Ia-h). Compounds Ia-h on treatment with potassium iodate under reflux result in the formation of 1-aryloxyacetyl-4-(4-chlorobenzoyl)-semicarbazides (IIa-h) in excellent yields.
CROWIS: A System for Sharing and Integrating Crop and Weather Data

A web-based system for sharing and integration of crop data and weather data called CROWIS was developed to allow users upload their experimental data and download the merged and integrated data in spreadsheet format. The system was designed based on a hybrid of MVC (Model, View and Controller) and SOA (Service Oriented Architecture) design pattern and composed of a web application and three services of MetBroker, Google Maps and Rice Data Service. User can upload crop data in spreadsheet format, and then these data are merged with data from other locations in the database. Crop data can be queried from Rice Data Service and be integrated with weather data by way of MetBroker based on specified locations and then be downloaded as a spreadsheet file. By using Google Maps service, user can register the latitude and longitude information of a new location. Successful uploading of 37 spreadsheet rice data files indicated that the upload and merging function of CROWIS is operational. A total of 184 rice properties of 151072 records containing information of 6486 different varieties and lines collected from 256 different experiment locations from 1980 to 2004 had been stored in rice database. The results of various combinations of rice data queries and data integrations with weather data indicated that CROWIS is robust and stable enough for users to download merged rice data and/or integrated data files. With this system, people in experimental fields can easily share and integrate their most recent and valuable experimental data sets. Researchers and modelers can easily obtain the merged and integrated data. These data are helpful to test and verify existing models, improve parameter estimations and simplify construction of new models. The system is accessible at http://www.agmodel. org/CROWIS/
An Effective Aggregation Method in Distributed Virtual Environments

The aggregation problem of the interest expressions is an important problem in distributed virtual environment (DVE). According to the characteristic of DVE system, a new aggregation method is proposed in this paper, which uses hierarchical bounding volume to aggregate threshold predicate and TAG-ID/MASK to aggregate equivalent predicate separately. Experimental results show that this method can effectively reduce storage of interest expressions and highly improve the system’s scalability.
New Technique for Generating and Detecting Multilevel Signal Formats

A new modem circuit technique is proposed for multilevel signal transmission to utilize frequency bandwidth efficiently in high-speed digital carrier transmission systems. With this technique a multilevel amplitude and phase-keying (APK) signal is generated as the sum of the outputs of two multiphase modulators and is detected by tandem phase demodulators. This "superposed modem has a simple circuit configuration. It is constructed from phase-shift-keying (PSK) modems. It appears advantageous for realizing high-baud-rate multilevel transmission of severalhundred Megabauds (MBd). Experimental results show the feasibility of a 16-level modem with performance degradation of only about 1 dB from the theoretical predictions.
Matrix-vector multiplication and conjugate gradient algorithms on distributed memory computers

The critical bottlenecks in the implementation of the conjugate gradient algorithm on distributed memory computers are the communication requirements of the sparse matrix-vector multiply and of the vector recurrences. In a previous paper (G. Lewis et al., 1993), we described the data distribution and communication patterns of several implementations of parallel matrix-vector multiplication, demonstrating that on hypercubes, the cost of communication can be overcome to a much larger extent than is often assumed. In this paper, we generalize the best of those implementations to mesh architectures. We make no assumptions about the mesh being square or power-of-two. We also comment on the implications of our results for structured problems and on the scalability of our approach. Results are presented for the implementation of these algorithms on the Intel Touchstone Delta and Paragon mesh multicomputers. <<ETX>>
THE BEHAVIOR OF 5-(4-PYRIDYL)-2-THIONO-1,3,4-OXADIOAZOLE TOWARDS WITTIG-HORNER REAGENTS

Abstract Wittig-Horner reagents (2a-c) react with 5-(4-pyridyl)-2-thiono-1,3,4-oxadiazole (1) yielding the new adducts (3a-c). Structural reasoning for compounds 3 was based on compatible analytical and spectral data. The mechanism that accounts for the formation of 3 is discussed.
Estimation and Compensation of Non-deterministic Delays for Time Synchronization in Wireless Sensor Networks

New research opportunities are emerging as Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) are penetrating into the industrial domain; one such prospect is within time synchronization. For the operation of WSNs, partial or full time synchronization is needed. Time synchronization is very important in a distributed WSN for the purpose of data fusion, time interval calculation, context-free access to radio channel, coordination, event ordering and power management. This paper proposes a novel distributed time synchronization protocol for WSNs, which compensates for the nondeterministic delays by estimating the uncertainties in the synchronization packet delays. The main idea is to minimize the uncertainties in the synchronization packet delays to achieve a synchronization scheme that is accurate, efficient and has a low communication overhead. An average per hop synchronization accuracy of 2. 4µs has been achieved.
Application of Morphological Filtering and Dynamic Time Warping in Fault Diagnosis of Complex System

Pattern classification / recognition is considered as one of the frequently adopted methodology in complex system fault diagnosis. This paper studies a group of methods which can be collectively categorized as signal feature matching based fault diagnosis methodology. This proposed methodology employs dynamic programming to quantify the distance between signals which are processed by morphological filtering. The proposed methods are applied to deterministic fault classification problem in Tennessee Eastman (TE) process to demonstrate the their validity and advantages.
Computer aided diagnosis of low back disorders using the motion profile

Feature extraction and stepwise discrimination techniques were applied to motion profiles (MPs) obtained from subjects during a repetitive trunk flexion and extension task, in order to develop a computer aided procedure for the diagnosis of low back disorder. 524 subjects, belonging to normal, low back pain patient, and pre-employment categories were tested using the B-200 Isostation dynamometers, at the Mayo Clinic and The Ohio State University. Principal components analysis (PCA) and Fourier descriptor (FD) methods were used to efficiently represent the continuous MPs and phase portraits, respectively, by reducing the dimensionality of the data. In addition, the statistical parameters from the continuous MPs were used to represent the dynamic trunk performance. The results of discriminant analysis indicated similar error rates ranging from 19% to 24%, using the three methods of data representation: MPs, PCA and FD.
The Research for the Least Energy Cost Optimization Algorithm Based on the LEACH Protocol

The paper proposes a new least energy cost optimization algorithm for the deficiency of the low energy adaptive clustering hierarchy (LEACH) protocol. In the perspective of the energy, the algorithm uses the least energy cost to decide whether the network clustering is on the optimal state, meanwhile the status of the cluster energy cost is imported to conduct clustering gradually towards minimizing energy consumption. Based on the theoretic analysis of the energy consumption, it is proved to have a longer network lifecycle which performs better than the LEACH.
Generation of high-frequency power oscillation by astable mode arcing with SCR switched inductor

High-frequency high-power oscillation can be generated by a two-terminal and feedback oscillator. In the former, the negative resistance portion is separated from the frequency determining part so these can use a solid-state negative resistance switching device. However, the power output capability is limited in single-stage operation. Using an inductor-switched SCR device, an arc can be established and maintained by astable mode of operation actuating itself as negative resistance for the two-terminal oscillator. With proper selection of circuit parameters, arc geometry, and core material, an efficient sinusoid can be generated and power amplification stages can be avoided as well as circuit Q adjustment for good waveform at the cost of output power.
An Experiment of Ocular Artifacts Elimination from EEG Signals using ICA and PCA Methods

In the modern world of automation, biological signals, especially Electroencephalogram (EEG) is gaining wide attention as a source of biometric information. Eye-blinks and movement of the eyeballs produce electrical signals (contaminate the EEG signals) that are collectively known as ocular artifacts. These noise signals are required to be separated from the EEG signals to obtain the accurate results. This paper reports an experiment of ocular artifacts elimination from EEG signal using blind source separation algorithm based on independent component analysis and principal component analysis. EEG signals are recorded on three conditions, which are normal conditions, closed eyes, and blinked eyes. After processing, the dominant frequency of EEG signals in the range of 12-14 Hz either on normal, closed, and blinked eyes conditions is obtained.
QoS-Based Resource Allocation and Transceiver Optimization

The control and reduction of multiuser interference is a fundamental problem in wireless communications. In order to increase the spectral efficiency and to provide individual quality-of-service (QoS), it is required to jointly optimize the power allocation together with possible receive and transmit strategies. This often leads to complex and difficult-to-handle problem formulations. There are many examples in the literature, where the special structure of the problem is exploited in order to solve special cases of this problem (e.g. multiuser beamforming or CDMA). So it is desirable to have a general theory, which can be applied to many practical QoS measures, like rates, delay, BER, etc. These measures can all be related to the signal-to-interference ratio (SIR) or the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR). This leads to the problem of SIR and SINR balancing, which is fundamental for many problems in communication theory.
Exploring Relevent Concepts in the Presentation of Audio within a Simulated or Virtual Environment

This report proposes a taxonomy for audio presentation within virtual environments. After a brief review of relevant audio and hearing issues, a step-by-step process for integrating the audio component of the simulation is offered. The taxonomy is the result of research by Darin Hughes from the Institute for Simulation and Training in Orlando, FL. This work was originally submitted as a class project under the guidance of Dr. Mustapha Mouloua, where Mr. Hughes was co-author. For more information on the taxonomy or his expertise in the field of audio engineering, contact him at darin@cs.ucf. edu.