Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Using a MaxEnt Classifier for the Automatic Content Scoring of Free‐Text Responses

Criticisms against multiple‐choice item assessments in the USA have prompted researchers and organizations to move towards constructed‐response (free‐text) items. Constructed‐response (CR) items pose many challenges to the education community—one of which is that they are expensive to score by humans. At the same time, there has been widespread movement towards computer‐based assessment and hence, assessment organizations are competing to develop automatic content scoring engines for such items types—which we view as a textual entailment task. This paper describes how MaxEnt Modeling is used to help solve the task. MaxEnt has been used in many natural language tasks but this is the first application of the MaxEnt approach to textual entailment and automatic content scoring.
Perceived Audio Quality of Realistic FM and DAB+ Radio Broadcasting Systems

The perceived audio quality of a digital broadcasting system such as DAB+ is dependent on what type of coding and bit rates are applied. Due to bandwidth constraints, audio quality is prone to be in conflict with other service demands such as the number of channels and the transfer of ancillary data. Compared to DAB+, several other audio services have superior bit rates that challenge the audio quality of DAB+. This paper reviews audio-quality criteria and investigates how the perceived audio quality of different broadcasting systems complies with the criteria. Two studies were conducted: Test 1 where DAB+ codecs were tested at bit rates between 96 and 192 kbit/s and Test 2 where DAB+ systems between 48 and 192 kbit/s as well as FM systems were tested. The systems in Test 2 were designed to as far as possible model a realistic broadcasting signal chain including commonly used dynamic processors. The studies were realized through two listening experiments using the ITU-R recommendations BS.1116 and BS.1534 (MUSHRA) followed by a closing interview. The results showed that the currently highest available subchannel bit rate for DAB+ (192 kbit/s) was insufficient for attaining perceptually transparent quality for critical items, whereas it enabled a quality comparable to or in some instances better than a modern FM system. Extrapolation of data indicates that critical items may need to be coded at even higher bit rates to reach perceptually transparent quality. From the interviews, auditory features important for the subjects' assessment of quality were observed. This study concludes that when making decisions on broadcasting systems, it is important to have well-founded and clearly defined criteria for minimum acceptable quality and/or perceptually transparent quality.
Completing Your Qualitative Dissertation: A Road Map From Beginning to End

List of Tables List of Figures List of Appendices Foreword Preface Acknowledgments About the Authors Part I. Taking Charge of Yourself and Your Work Chapter 1. A Complete Dissertation: The Big Picture Chapter 2. Gearing Up: There is Method in the Madness Chapter 3. Choosing a Qualitative Research Approach Chapter 4. A First Step: Developing Your Proposal Part II. Content and Process: A Chapter-By-Chapter Road Map Chapter 5. Introduction to Your Study Chapter 6. Developing and Presenting Your Literature Review Chapter 7. Presenting Methodology and Research Approach Chapter 8. Analyzing Data and Reporting Findings Chapter 9. Analyzing and Interpreting Findings Chapter 10. Drawing Trustworthy Conclusions and Presenting Actionable Recommendations Part III. Nearing Completion Chapter 11. Some Final Technical Considerations Chapter 12. Defense Preparation Afterword Appendices References Author Index Subject Index
Designation and Control of Landing Points for Competitive Robotic Table Tennis

Competitive robotic table tennis involves many topics such as smart ball returning strategy, precise motion control, etc. It remains a quite challenging task due to the unpredictable, uncooperative incoming ball and the requirement of a smart strategy to defeat the opponent. Designation and control of landing points is one basic aspect of ball returning strategies in competitive robotic table tennis because different landing points require the opponent to make different efforts to return the ball. In this paper, we present a method to designate desired landing points based on competitiveness level. We also propose a learning based landing point control approach to minimize the error of the actual landing points with respect to the designated landing points. The proposed methods have been verified through experiments on a humanoid table tennis robot.
Reasoning about digital circuits

Abstract : Predicate logic is a powerful and general descriptive formalism with a long history of development. However, since the logic's underlying semantics have no notion of time, statements such as I increases by 2 and The bit signal X rises from 0 to 1 can not be directly expressed. The author presents a formalism called interval temporal logic (ITL) that augments standard predicate logic with time-dependent operators. ITL is like discrete linear-time temporal logic but includes time intervals. The behavior of programs and hardware devices can often be decomposed into successively smaller intervals of activity. State transitions can be characterized by properties relating the initial and final values of variables over intervals. Furthermore, these time periods provide a convenient framework for introducing quantitative timing details. After giving some motivation for reasoning about hardware, he presents the propositional and first-order syntax and semantics of ITL. Demonstrated is ITL's utility for uniformly describing the structure and dynamics of a wide variety of timing-dependent digital circuits. Devices discussed include delay elements, adders, latches, flip-flops, counters, random-access memories, a clocked multiplication circuit and the Am2901 bit slice. ITL also provides a means for expressing properties of such specifications. Also examine are such concepts as device equivalence and internal states. Propositional ITL is shown to be undecidable although useful subsets are of relatively reasonable computational complexity. (Author)
GRAVITATIONAL WAVES AND THE MAXIMUM SPIN FREQUENCY OF NEUTRON STARS

In this paper, we re-examine the idea that gravitational waves are required as a braking mechanism to explain the observed maximum spin frequency of neutron stars. We show that for millisecond X-ray pulsars, the existence of spin equilibrium as set by the disk/magnetosphere interaction is sufficient to explain the observations. We show as well that no clear correlation exists between the neutron star magnetic field B and the X-ray outburst luminosity LX when considering an enlarged sample size of millisecond X-ray pulsars.
Effects of technology on students' achievement: A second-order meta-analysis

Numerous meta-analyses addressing the effect of technology on student achievement differ by focus, scope, content, sample, and methodological quality, making the interpretation of the overall effect challenging. To overcome this problem, this dissertation implemented a systematic quantitative synthesis procedure (second-order meta-analysis) to answer the question: does technology use enhance student achievement in formal face-to-face classroom settings as compared to traditional (no/low technology) settings, while taking methodological quality into consideration. Literature searches and review processes resulted in 37 relevant meta-analyses involving 1253 different primary-studies (approximately 130,300 participants). After examining the lists of primary studies, 25 meta-analyses incorporating 1055 primary studies (approximately 109,700 participants) were found to have greatest coverage of the overall set of primary-studies while minimizing the problem of overlap in primary literature. Analyses revealed a variety of weaknesses in the implementation of the meta-analytic procedures. To synthesize the 25 effect-sizes from the unique meta-analyses, two standard error approaches were used, one based on sample sizes in the primary studies, and one based on number of studies included in individual meta-analyses. The weighted mean effect-sizes from the two approaches, 0.315 and 0.333 respectively, were significantly different from zero. Results from the first approach revealed a high level of heterogeneity while those from the second one were homogeneous. Moderator analysis for results from the first approach revealed that higher methodological quality meta-analyses and higher inclusivity regarding the covered literature and incorporated research designs in a meta-analysis were associated with lower average effect-sizes. To validate these findings, 574 individual effect-sizes (60,853 participants) were extracted from 13 meta-analyses that provided sufficient information. The weighted mean effect-size of 0.304 was significantly different from zero and highly heterogeneous thus supporting the findings of the second-order meta-analysis with both approaches. The results consistently represent a medium strength effect-size, favouring the utilization of technology. Guidelines for conducting a second-order meta-analysis with advantages and disadvantages of the used approaches are presented and discussed with suggestions for applicability in different settings. Implications for technology use are offered and recommendations for future meta-analyses are suggested, including the need for greater systematicity, rigour and transparency in implementation and reporting.
Grammar and semantics of adnominal clauses in Japanese

Grammar and Semantics of Adnominal Clauses in Japanese By Yoshiko Matsumoto MA. (University of Tsukuba, Japan) 1979 M A (University of California) 1982 CJPhil. (University of California) 1987 DISSERTATION Submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in LINGUISTICS in the GRADUATE DIVISION of the UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA at BERKELEY Approved: DOCTORAL DEGREE CONFERRED illfi i **6at**bi»etM*********** R e p r o d u c e d w ith p e r m issio n o f th e co p y r ig h t o w n e r. F u rth er rep ro d u ctio n p roh ib ited w ith o u t p e r m issio n .
Thickness Optimization of Cylindrical Shell in Shrink Fit

Shrink fit is an economical and effective method of holding together two members in the assembly of components in the machine tool industry, automobile industry and spacecraft structures. In this paper the thickness of the cylindrical shell in shrink fit is optimized using genetic algorithm and a first-order method. This investigation has been done for two cases. In the first case both members are chosen of the same material and in other case members consist of two different materials. A code has been written in MATLAB 7.0 to optimize the thickness by genetic algorithm. Also optimization by first-order method has been done by writing APDL code in ANSYS. The results show that the obtained thickness from genetic algorithm is less than the one obtained by the first-order method.
Jet Turbulence Dissipation Rate Measurements and Correlations

Abstract : The rate of viscous dissipation in a turbulent jet is examined in some detail. A correlation of the mean rate of dissipation on the center-line in terms of the orifice Reynolds number and axial position is established. Measurements of the velocity and velocity derivative are described for a jet with an orifice Reynolds number of 120000. The spectrum of the square of the velocity derivative was examined for similarity to those obtained for atmospheric boundary layer flows at very large Reynolds numbers when normalized with Kolmogoroff length and time scales. Spectra of higher order moments of the velocity derivative are also presented and compared to Novikov's predictions of the power law subranges. (Author)
Formant tracking with quasilinearization

An algorithm for the calculation of formant tracks from a speech signal is presented. It is based on the method of quasilinearization, a nonlinear parameter estimation procedure. What distinguishes this method from the most other methods is the fact that the formants are directly calculated from the speech signal, using a nonlinear model for the speech production that is based on formants and LPC parameters (FLPC model). Since quasilinearization is a nonrecursive parameter estimation method, this procedure is also much faster than nonlinear estimation algorithms for formant tracking which are based on extended Kalman filters. <<ETX>>
Robot Skill Learning Through Intelligent Experimentation

In robot skill learning the robot must obtain data for training by executing expensive practice trials and recording their results. The thesis is that the high cost of acquiring training data is the limiting factor in the performance of skill learners. Since the data is obtained from practice trials, it is important that the system make intelligent choices about what actions to attempt while practicing. In this dissertation we present several algorithms for intelligent experimentation in skill learning. pp In open-loop skills the execution goal is presented and the controller must then choose all the control signals for the duration of the task. Learning is a high-dimensional search problem. The system must associate a sequence of actions with each commandable goal. We propose an algorithm that selects practice actions most likely to improve performance by making use of information gained on previous trials. On the problem of learning to throw a ball using a robot with a flexible link, the algorithm takes only 100 trials to find a ``whipping'''' motion for long throws. pp Most closed loop learners improve their performance by gradient descent on a cost function. The main drawback of this method is convergence to non-optimal local minima. We introduce the concept of cooperation as a means of escaping these local minima. We assume the existence of several coaches that each improve some aspect of the controller''s performance. Switching training between coaches can help the controller avoid locally minimal solutions. On the task of curve tracing with an inverted pendulum the cooperative algorithm learns to track faster than with a traditional method. pp In an integrated system with scarce sensor resources it is preferable to perform tasks without sensing. We observe that closed loop learning can function as an efficient search technique for open-loop control. Our system starts with closed loop learning. As it improves its ability to control the plant, it replaces sensor information with estimates. The result is a controller that tracks long segments of a reference curve open loop.
Curvature-Continuous 3D Path-Planning Using QPMI Method

It is impossible to achieve vertex movement and rapid velocity control in aerial robots and aerial vehicles because of momentum from the air. A continuous-curvature path ensures such robots and vehicles can fly with stable and continuous movements. General continuous path-planning methods use spline interpolation, for example B-spline and Bézier curves. However, these methods cannot be directly applied to continuous path planning in a 3D space. These methods use a subset of the waypoints to decide curvature and some waypoints are not included in the planned path. This paper proposes a method for constructing a curvature-continuous path in 3D space that includes every waypoint. The movements in each axis, x, y and z, are separated by the parameter u. Waypoint groups are formed, each with its own continuous path derived using quadratic polynomial interpolation. The membership function then combines each continuous path into one continuous path. The continuity of the path is verified and the curvature-continuous path is produced using the proposed method.
Land-Mobile Radio System Engineering

From the Publisher: This applications-engineering reference presents the science and the art of system design procedures in land-mobile radio system engineering. Includes chapter-end problems (and solutions) that provide insight into how the theory and various analytical procedures are used in practice. It is supported by 117 figures, 28 tables, and 453 equations.
A Comprehensive System for 3D Modeling from Range Images Acquired from a 3D ToF Sensor

Developing a system which generates a 3D representation of a whole scene is a difficult task. Several new technologies of 3D time-of-flight (ToF) imaging have been developed in recent years, which overcome various limitations of other 3D imaging systems, such as laser/ra­dar/sonar scanners, structured light and stereo rigs. However, only limited work got published upon computer vision applications based on such ToF sensors. We present in this paper a new complete system for 3D modeling from a sequence of range images acquired during an arbitrary flight of a 3D ToF sensor. First, comprehensive preprocessing steps are performed to improve the quality of range images. An initial estimate of the transformation between two 3D point clouds, which are computed from two consecutive range images respectively, is achieved through feature extraction and tracking based on three kinds of images delivered by the 3D sensor. During the initial estimation, a RANSAC sampling algorithm is implemented to filter out outlier correspondences. At last the transformation is further optimized through registering the two 3D point clouds using a robust variation of the Iterative Closest Point (ICP) algorithm, the so-called Picky ICP. Extensive experimental results are provided in the paper and show the efficiency and robustness of the proposed system.
Neural networks, genetic algorithms and the K-means algorithm: in search of data classification

Neural networks, genetic algorithms, and the K-means clustering algorithm have been used in this study for the classification of quantitative electromyographic data. The results that have been independently obtained by the above methods are presented and the relative advantages and disadvantages are discussed. The comparative study of these methods guidance in choosing the most appropriate method for the classification of electromyographic data. It is also suggested that the problem of medical diagnosis can be handled better by combining more than one method. <<ETX>>
Existe-t-il des corrélations entre les stades de développement morphosyntaxique et les niveaux proposés du Cadre européen commun de référence ? Une étude de productions écrites par des apprenants suédophones de français L2

The Common European Framework of reference for languages (CEFR) has, since its publication in 2001, become a key document with respect to the organisation of language teaching and testing in Europe. The six reference levels (A1, A2, B1, B2, C1 and C2) have become widely accepted as the European standard for grading an individual's language proficiency. However, it has been pointed out that the scales of the CEFR lack empirical support. Furthermore, the CEFR is not language specific and therefore does not define linguistic features for a given language at a specific CEFR-level. This study, based on 40 texts written by Swedish L2 learners of French, primarily attempts to establish if there exists a correlation between the levels of language proficiency (as defined by CEFR) and the morphosyntactic stages of development of French as a second language elaborated by Bartning and Schlyter (2004). In addition it aims to investigate if there are specific linguistic features that characterize each CEFR-level in written L2 French. The students included in this study consist of two groups. The first group is composed of Swedish L2 learners of French in the last year of the Swedish nine-year compulsory school and has had 4 years of classroom instruction in French. The second group is composed of upper-secondary school students who have had 7 years of classroom instruction in French. The students were asked to write two texts each, an e-mail to a teacher and a personal narrative. The method included a detailed linguistic analysis of the written productions as well as an analysis of their stage of morphosyntactic development, following the model of Bartning and Schlyter. Furthermore, an evaluation according to the CEFR - scales by two experts of the CEFR - and an analysis of the linguistic features used by the students at each CEFR-level were carried out. The results show that there is a correlation between the levels of proficiency defined by CEFR and the stages of development of morpho-syntax in French as a second language. Furthermore, we show that there is a development in the use of different linguistic features across the CEFR-levels. This study also shows that the use of discourse markers develops across the CEFR-levels.
Stochastic modeling as a means of automatic speech recognition.

Abstract : Automatic recognition of continuous speech involves estimation of a sequence X(1), X(2), X(3), . , X(T) which is not directly observed (such as the words of a spoken utterance), based on a sequence Y(1), Y(2), Y(3), . , Y(T) of related observations (such as the sequence of acoustic parameter values) and a variety of sources of knowledge. Formally the author wishes to find the sequence x(1:T) which maximizes the a posteriori probability Pr(x(1:T))=(1:T) Y(1:T) =y(1:T),A,L.P,S), where A,L,P,S represent the acoustic-phonetic, lexical, phonological, and syntactic-semantic knowledge. A speech recognition system must attempt to approximate a solution to this problem, whether or not the system uses a formal stochastic model. The DRAGON speech recognition system models the knowledge sources as probalistic functions of Markov processes. The assumption of the Markov property allows the use of an optimal search strategy. A simplified implementation of the DRAGON system has been developed using knowledge A and L, and some of the knowledge from S.
Design Meta-Intent Representation and Semantic Annotation

The parametric feature-based modeling systems can express design intent at high-level. But they usually lack representations for explaining why the feature is selected, what its design purpose and source are. This paper integrates the design intent object with design rationale and proposes an ontology-based representation framework for design meta-intent information. An approach to ontology instantiation for design intent objects and meta-intent properties by semantic annotating is presented. In order to improve the annotating efficiency the methods to automatically capture the design meta-intent information are also discussed. Based on above approaches the design meat-intent information can be naturally and effectively constructed during design process.
System Performance Evaluation of Fixed and Adaptive Resource Allocation of 3GPPLTE Downlink Interface Air

The allocation strategies employed in assigning the subcarriers will affect the system performance in various ways such as data rate, power efficiency, spectrum efficiency and bandwidth flexibility. The study investigated the effect of two main assignment strategies which include fixed subcarrier allocation and dynamic subcarrier allocation on the performance of OFDM system. The objective of this study is to determine allocation algorithm that will optimise the available resources. Simulation results show that an adaptive subcarrier allocation based on user channel quality information perform better and optimise the network than fixed allocation. Key words: OFDM, Spectrum efficiency,
Automatic anatomical labeling of Talairach coordinates and generation of volumes of interest via the BrainMap database

Introduction Automatic translation of Talairach coordinates to anatomical labels is, e.g., implemented in the Talairach Daemon [1] that is based on a digitization of the Talairach Atlas [2] and probabilistic atlases [3]. Here we describe a bootstraped method based on labels in the literature as recorded in the BrainMap database [4], This method allows us to label new Talairach coordinates as well as generate probabilistic based volumes of interest. It also gives us the possibility of partially assessing the validity of association between stereotactic coordinates and anatomical nomenclature [6].