Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Supporting older adults in using technology for lifelong learning: the methodological and conceptual value of Wizard of Oz simulations

In the past, many technological initiatives have failed to engage adult learners in any significant way in part due to the lack of technological initiatives that build on people's existing interests but also because of an insufficient focus on designing co-operative technologies that can be used effortlessly. In this paper we provide our experiences of the use of Wizard of Oz (WOz) studies in order to develop a technological tool to support older adults' use of the Internet for learning, where we aimed to achieve a more learner centred approach to design. Wizard of Oz simulation is a research method common in Human-Computer Interface (HCI), Natural Language Processing (NLP) and other human factors/computer usability research where researchers conceal themselves from research participants and use communications technology to pretend that a prototype or incomplete computer-based conversational system is fully functioning. The purpose of a WOz simulation is usually to investigate and inform the development of a technology that has yet to be developed, or to learn more about how people interact with the system in order to improve the design. In this paper we outline the understandings we developed using this technique, highlighting the methodological and conceptual value of using this approach. Based on conducting Wizard of Oz simulations with 20 older adults with a diverse range of educational backgrounds and technological expertise we ask: what are the methodological benefits and challenges of using Wizard of Oz simulations in studies of learning and the Internet? In this paper, we argue that the use of Wizard of Oz approach could be a valuable method to employ for a wider range of research that examines networked learning in formal or informal settings. This is particularly the case as one (unanticipated) effect of the study was how the use of this technique developed our understandings of the everyday experiences older adults have with computers and the Internet when trying to learn new things. In addition we argue that the use of this method is important in the current context where a common criticism of technologies that are designed to support learning tend not to be fit for purpose, as they have either been developed initially for commercial uses or developed without a strong understanding of the learner in mind.
Recent trends in robotics: Modeling, control and education

This book presents the papers given at a symposium on the computerized simulation and control of manipulators used by robots. Topics considered at the symposium included robot calibration, nonlinear modeling, Kalman filters, flexible joints, knowledge bases, algorithms, learning control schemes, education, research programs, data base management, and trajectory tracking.
Econometrics of Qualitative Dependent Variables

This textbook introduces students progressively to various aspects of qualitative models and assumes a knowledge of basic principles of statistics and econometrics. Inferring qualitative characteristics of data on socioeconomic class, education, employment status, and the like - given their discrete nature - requires an entirely different set of tools from those applied to purely quantitative data. Written in accessible language and offering cogent examples, students are given valuable means to gauge real-world economic phenomena. After the introduction, early chapters present models with endogenous qualitative variables, examining dichotomous models, model specification, estimation methods, descriptive usage, and qualitative panel data. Professor Gourieroux also looks at Tobit models, in which the exogenous variable is sometimes qualitative and sometimes quantitative, and changing-regime models, in which the dependent variable is qualitative but expressed in quantitative terms. The final two chapters describe models which explain variables assumed by discrete or continuous positive variables.
Unmanned Vehicle Positioning Method in Satellite-jamming Environment Based on Improved Factor Graph

Nowadays, satellite positioning technology has been widely used in the navigation system of unmanned vehicles. But the complex road environment has a bad effect on satellite positioning. When an unmanned vehicle is driving between high-rise buildings, under an overpass or in a tunnel, the satellite signal it receives will be weak or even lost, which will lead to a decrease in positioning accuracy. Based on the factor graph model, this paper proposes a method to adjust the fusion weight of satellite positioning information in real time by using position difference to construct weight function. The experimental results show that the method proposed in this paper can troubleshoot and reconnect the satellite positioning information in satellite-jamming environment, and reduce the positioning error to a certain extent to ensure the normal operation of the positioning system of unmanned vehicle.
Groundwater remediation optimization using artificial neural networks

One continuing point of research in optimizing groundwater quality management is reduction of computational burden which is particularly limiting in field-scale applications. Often evaluation of a single pumping strategy, i.e. one call to the groundwater flow and transport model (GFTM) may take several hours on a reasonably fast workstation. For computational flexibility and efficiency, optimal groundwater remediation design at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) has relied on artificial neural networks (ANNS) trained to approximate the outcome of 2-D field-scale, finite difference/finite element GFTMs. The search itself has been directed primarily by the genetic algorithm (GA) or the simulated annealing (SA) algorithm. This approach has advantages of (1) up to a million fold increase in speed of remediation pattern assessment during the searches and sensitivity analyses for the 2-D LLNL work, (2) freedom from sequential runs of the GFTM (enables workstation farming), and (3) recycling of the knowledge base (i.e. runs of the GFTM necessary to train the ANNS). Reviewed here are the background and motivation for such work, recent applications, and continuing issues of research.
Doing Research in the Real World

PART ONE: PRINCIPLES AND PLANNING FOR RESEARCH Theoretical Perspectives and Research Methodologies Selecting and Planning Research Proposals and Projects Research Ethics Searching, Critically Reviewing and Using the Literature PART TWO: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY Research Design: Quantitative Methods Research Design: Qualitative Methods Research Design: Mixed Methods Sampling Strategies Designing Descriptive and Analytical Surveys Designing Case Studies Designing Evaluations Action Research and Change PART THREE: DATA COLLECTION METHODS Questionnaires Interviewing Non-participant Observation Ethnography and Participant Observation Focus Groups Unobtrusive Measures Secondary Analysis PART FOUR: ANALYSIS AND REPORT WRITING Getting Started Using SPSS Analyzing and Presenting Quantitative Data Analyzing and Presenting Qualitative Data Writing up the Research Preparing for Presentations and Vivas
A modular simulation of TSS/360

This paper describes a modular simulation of TSS/360, a virtual memory time-sharing computer system. A detailed model of the table driven scheduler is embedded in an environment consisting of higher level models of other subsystems. The original goal of the project was to provide a useful tool to aid in the tuning of the monitor's scheduling algorithm. As the simulation evolved, the model served as a vehicle to study proposed hardware changes.
CMOS Circuit Design, Layout, and Simulation

The Third Edition of CMOS Circuit Design, Layout, and Simulation continues to cover the practical design of both analog and digital integrated circuits, offering a vital, contemporary view of a wide range of analog/digital circuit blocks including: phase-locked-loops, delta-sigma sensing circuits, voltage/current references, op-amps, the design of data converters, and much more. Regardless of one's integrated circuit (IC) design skill level, this book allows readers to experience both the theory behind, and the hands-on implementation of, complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) IC design via detailed derivations, discussions, and hundreds of design, layout, and simulation examples.
On Paraphrase and Coreference

By providing a better understanding of paraphrase and coreference in terms of similarities and differences in their linguistic nature, this article delimits what the focus of paraphrase extraction and coreference resolution tasks should be, and to what extent they can help each other. We argue for the relevance of this discussion to Natural Language Processing.
Transmit antenna array techniques for cellular CDMA systems

Adaptive antenna arrays can be employed to improve the transmission quality and thus to increase the capacity of wireless communication systems. We address the transmit antenna array techniques for base-to-mobile (downlink) transmission in frequency-division-duplex (FDD) based cellular CDMA systems. A new criterion for transmit weight estimation is developed, which is based upon maximizing the transmit signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) and using downlink channel responses estimated by a probing feedback approach. Computer simulations show that the new transmit antenna array technique is effective for improving the capacity of the wireless communication systems.
Résumé automatique de textes d’opinion [Automatic Summarization of Opinionated Texts]

Nous presentons dans cet article un systeme de resume automatique tourne vers l'analyse de blogs, ou sont exprimees a la fois des informations factuelles et des prises de position sur les faits consideres. Notre systeme de resume est fonde sur une approche nouvelle qui mele analyse de la redondance et reperage des informations nouvelles dans les textes ; ce systeme generique est en outre enrichi d'un module de calcul de la polarite de l'opinion vehiculee afin de traiter de facon appropriee la subjectivite qui est le propre des billets de blogs. Le systeme est evalue sur l'anglais, a travers la participation a la campagne d'evaluation internationale TAC (Text Analysis Conference) ou notre systeme a obtenu des performances satisfaisantes.
CIAO: Chandra's data analysis system

The CIAO (Chandra Interactive Analysis of Observations) software package was first released in 1999 following the launch of the Chandra X-ray Observatory and is used by astronomers across the world to analyze Chandra data as well as data from other telescopes. From the earliest design discussions, CIAO was planned as a general-purpose scientific data analysis system optimized for X-ray astronomy, and consists mainly of command line tools (allowing easy pipelining and scripting) with a parameter-based interface layered on a flexible data manipulation I/O library. The same code is used for the standard Chandra archive pipeline, allowing users to recalibrate their data in a consistent way. We will discuss the lessons learned from the first six years of the software's evolution. Our initial approach to documentation evolved to concentrate on recipe-based "threads" which have proved very successful. A multi-dimensional abstract approach to data analysis has allowed new capabilities to be added while retaining existing interfaces. A key requirement for our community was interoperability with other data analysis systems, leading us to adopt standard file formats and an architecture which was as robust as possible to the input of foreign data files, as well as re-using a number of external libraries. We support users who are comfortable with coding themselves via a flexible user scripting paradigm, while the availability of tightly constrained pipeline programs are of benefit to less computationally-advanced users. As with other analysis systems, we have found that infrastructure maintenance and re-engineering is a necessary and significant ongoing effort and needs to be planned in to any long-lived astronomy software.
A Demonstration of STIR-GATE-Connection

We present the first open-source version of STIR-GATE-Connection, a project that aims to provide an easy-to-use pipeline to simulate realistic PET data using GATE, followed by quantitative reconstruction using STIR. Monte Carlo simulations and image reconstruction are powerful research tools for emission tomography that can assist with the design of new medical imaging devices as well as the evaluation of novel image reconstruction algorithms and various correction techniques. STIR-GATE-Connection is a collection of scripts that aid with the: (i) setup of a realistic GATE simulation of a voxelised phantom using a user selected scanner configuration, (ii) conversion of the output list mode data into STIR compatible sinograms, and (iii) computation of additive and multiplicative data corrections for Poisson image reconstruction using STIR. In this work, we demonstrate example usage of these steps. A public release of STIR-GATE-Connection, licensed under the Apache 2.0 License, can be downloaded at: http://www.github. com/UCL/STIR-GATE-Connection.
Le profil sociologique des amateurs de football Adhésions identitaires et fidélisation

L’article suivant a comme objectif d’apporter deux elements fondamentaux : d’un cote presenter quelques unes des conclusions les plus globales et generalisables de l’etude realisee sur le profil sociologique de l’amateur de football d’un club du championnat professionnel espagnol [2] , et de l’autre, offrir un positionnement methodologique complementaire sous la forme d’un ensemble integre de techniques quantitatives et de techniques qualitatives qui nous permettent de mener a bien une analyse sociologique plus complete. Entre la participation sociale et l’organisation sportive, se dessine un profil sociologique qui doit nous apporter une information riche pour ameliorer la gestion des clubs de football et pour connaitre mieux leurs supporters.
REVIEW: Cognitive Load Theory

Cognitive load theory (2011) by John Sweller, Paul Ayres, and Slava Kalyuga presents the state-of-the art form of cognitive load theory (CLT) including instructional guidelines produced by the theory so far. The book achieves this in a precise, detailed and well-organized manner thereby being very informative from the very beginning to the very end. For instance, even the preface provides an ample amount of information about CLT after stating the main premise of this theory: “Without knowledge of human cognitive processes, instructional design is blind. ” (p. v). As stated in the book, CLT is that sort of a theory that informs instructional design from a cognitive perspective or on the basis of how human cognition works.
Creeper: an algorithm for decoding convolutional codes

There are two main strategies for decoding convolutional codes: the well-known Viterbi algorithm and sequential decoding. This paper presents a comparison of Creeper, an algorithm for sequential decoding, and the Viterbi algorithm. Creeper is an algorithm which combines the best properties of both the stack and the Fano algorithms. It requires less memory than the stack algorithm and has no backward moves as in the Fano algorithm. Some results of simulation show that Creeper is an interesting alternative to the Viterbi algorithm.
A Comparison of Learner Intent and Behaviour in Live and Archived MOOCs.

The advent of massive open online courses (MOOCs) has created opportunities for learning that are clearly in high demand, but the direction in which MOOCs should evolve to best meet the interests and needs of learners is less apparent. Motivated by our interest in whether there are potential and purpose for archived MOOCs to be used as learning resources beyond and between instructor-led live-sessions, we examined the use of a statistics MOOC and a computer science MOOC, both of which were made available as archived-courses after a live-session and for which enrolment continued to grow while archived. Using data collected from surveys of learner demographics and intent, the course database of major learner activity, and the detailed clickstream of all learner actions, we compared the demographics, intent, and behaviour of live- and archived-learners. We found that archived-learners were interested in the live-MOOC and that their patterns of use of course materials, such as the number and sequence of videos they watched, the number of assessments they completed, their demonstration of self-regulatory behaviour, and their rate of participation in the discussion forums, were similar to the live-learners. In addition, we found evidence of learners drawing on an archived-MOOC for use as reference material. Anticipated areas of impact of this work include implications for the future development of MOOCs as resources for self-study and professional development, and in support of learner success in other courses.
Study on the Hygrothermal Reliability of Underfill/Passivation Layer Interface Using the Silane Coupling Agent as Adhesion Promoter

Due to the low adhesion caused by moisture absorption, the delamination between the underfill and the passivation layer of the chip has been proved to be a critical problem to determine the packaging reliability. In this study, five different silane coupling agents were added to underfill and their reliability at the underfill and passivation layer interface was investigated under hygrothermal conditions. Shear tests at room temperature and high temperature were carried out to evaluate the interfacial adhesion. It was found that after hygrothermal aging, the adhesion of underfill without coupling agent was severely degraded for the passivated layer; however, after adding coupling agent, the coupling agent enhanced the hygrothermal reliability of the interface due to the formation of chemical bonds, especially the silane coupling agent with epoxy and amino groups. It showed good interfacial adhesion under both room temperature and high temperature conditions before and after hygrothermal aging.
Interpretação de clusters gerados por algoritmos de clustering hierárquico

The Data Mining (DM) process consists of the automated extraction of patterns representing knowledge implicitly stored in large databases. In general, DM tasks can be classified into two categories: predictive and descriptive. Tasks in the first category, such as classification and prediction, perform inference on the data in order to make predictions, while tasks in the second category, such as clustering, characterize the general properties of the data. Unlike classification and prediction, which analyze class-labeled data objects, clustering analyses data objects without a known class-label. Clusters of objects are formed so that objects that are in the same cluster have a close similarity among them, but are very dissimilar to objects in other clusters. Clustering can also facilitate the organization of clusters into a hierarchy of clusters that group similar events together. This taxonomy formation can facilitate interpretation of clusters. In this work, we propose and develop tools to deal with this task by implementing a module which comprises hierarchical clustering algorithms and several cluster analysis tools, aiming to help the domain specialist to interpret the clustering results. Once clusters group objects based on similarity measures which are organized into a hierarchy, the user/specialist is able to carry out an analysis and exploration of the agglomeration hierarchy at different levels of the hierarchy in order to discover concepts described by this structure. The proposed module is integrated into a large system under development by researchers from the Computational Intelligence Laboratory — LABIC —which contemplates all the DM process steps, from data pre-processing to knowledge post-processing. To evaluate the implemented module and its use to discover concepts from the hierarchical structure of clusters, several experiments on natural databases were carried out as well as a case study using a real database. Results show the viability of the proposed methodology although the process could be complex depending on the characteristics of the database.
Transfer of tilted sample information in transmission electron microscopy

When a transmission electron microscope is used in imaging mode, information carried by the sample function is transformed by the optics of the instrument during the imaging process. A mathematical description of this physical process (the so-called imaging function) is a requirement for an accurate analysis and the interpretation of electron microscopy experimental data. When the sample is not imaged in tilted geometry (no defocus gradient is present across its extent), the imaging function has a well-known and extensively studied form : the Contrast Transfer Function (CTF) (Reimer, 1997). Several electron microscopy techniques, however, require the sample to be tilted to fully explore its 3-dimensional structure. Only recently a rigorous mathematical description for the imaging process under these conditions, derived from physical ﬁrst principles, has been made available: the Tilted Contrast Imaging Function (TCIF) (Philippsen et al., 2006). The present work discusses in depth the nature and the characteristics of the TCIF model, expanding it to include astigmatism. A robust and efficient software implementation is presented, developed with the context of the IPLT software development framework (Philippsen et al., 2007). Computer simulations of images of tilted samples are then used to qualitatively and quantitatively analyze features of experimental images. No computationally-feasible analytical method for the inversion of the TCIF model is currently available, and its effects on experimental images are usually corrected using a number of heuristic methods that involve some approximations of the imaging parameters. Using computer simulations of tilted images, this work estimates the errors introduced by these approximations, and suggests optimal correction strategies for electron tomography and crystallography imaging conditions. Furthermore, this work describes possible approaches for the determination of the imaging parameters through the analysis of the experimental images, and for a non-analytical inversion of the effects of the TCIF model, showing preliminary results of their implementation applied to computer simulated-images. References: Reimer, L. (1997). Transmission Electron Microscopy. Physics of Image Formation and Microanalysis. Springer-Verlag GmbH, 4. A. edition. Philippsen, A. , Engel, H. and Engel, A. (2006). The contrast-imaging function for tilted specimens. Ultramicroscopy, 107(2-3):202–12. Philippsen, A. , Schenk, A. D. , Signorell, G. A. , Mariani, V. and Berneche, S.et al. (2007). Collaborative EM image processing with the IPLT image processing library and toolbox. Journal of Structural Biology, 157(1):28–37.