Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
What is vocational pedagogy and who is it for

This paper examines the current debate around policy on vocational pedagogy in the United Kingdom and draws on the findings from an LSIS-funded research project which investigated the vocational pedagogy used in four different providers. Alison Wolf’s Report on Vocational Education (2011) is the most prominent contribution to the debate but there have been many others. Amongst them City and Guilds produced a report in 2012 (How to teach vocational education: A theory of vocational pedagogy) as did Learning and Skills Network in 2011 (Effective teaching and learning in vocational education) and the Edge Foundation in 2010 (Mind the gap: Research and reality in practical and vocational education). Most recently the government instigated the Commission on Adult Vocational Teaching and Learning. As well as reviewing the related literature the researchers observed and interviewed vocational teachers in two colleges and two private providers to locate and analyse differing understandings of what vocational pedagogy means. Informed by the work of Michael Young and Leesa Wheelahan, the paper explores how understandings of vocational pedagogy relate theory and practice in ways that promote or limit access to abstract knowledge, with implications for social justice.
Using Model-Based Testing for Manufacturing and Integration-Testing of Embedded Control Systems

Implementing integration tests into to the manufacturing process of embedded devices is a crucial development for dealing with component deviations and production flaws. Especially control devices that interact with the physical world demand on a functional verification since malfunctions have a potentially enormous impact. In this domain, devices are often configured based on the customer needs during the production process. Different sub-components of the same product family are thus assembled into one single device. The high number of possible product configurations requires complex manufacturing processes. In this work, we use Model-Based Test (MBT) concepts to implement a manufacturing and test system that generates executable assembly-and test-procedures from an abstract test procedure model and a model of the actual manufactured device. We demonstrate how our approach helps in handling the complexity of the manufacturing process with an actual implementation in a productive manufacturing system for embedded control devices.
Automatic illumination compensation of color photos

We present the novel method for automatic illumination compensation of color photos. Firstly, we suppose the photo has its own reference luminance level to get the characteristic luminance of each pixel by subtracting reference luminance level from original luminance. Next, the calibrated luminance is obtained by adjusting the characteristic luminance according to expected target luminance. The straight lines or oblique lines in photo are causing the HALO artifact. Therefore, the proposed method also reduces the HALO artifact using applying alpha blending original luminance and reference luminance level. Finally, we also provide the different resulted photos that are based on human perception by applying various proportions of alpha blending original image and fix layer.
Designing online help systems for reflective users

Empirical studies have revealed that most users are dissatisfied with current help systems. One of the causes for many of the problems found in help systems is a lack of coupling between the process for creating online help and the human-computer interaction design of the application. In this paper, we present a method for building online help based on design models according to a Semiotic Engineering approach. We argue that there may be important benefits to the users if designers communicate their design vision, and we also point at the need to change current design practices to encourage creative and intelligent use of computer applications. We show how this proposal opens a direct communication channel from designers to users, and we hope this will contribute to introducing this new culture.
Prostaglandin E2-Induced Masculinization of Brain and Behavior Requires Protein Kinase A, AMPA/Kainate, and Metabotropic Glutamate Receptor Signaling

Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) mediates the masculinization of adult sex behavior in rats in response to the surge in serum testosterone at approximately birth. Measures of behavioral masculinization correlate with a twofold increase in spinophilin protein and the density of dendritic spines in the medial preoptic area (POA). Of the four receptors for PGE2, EP2 and EP4 are required for the masculinization of behavior by PGE2. EP2 and EP4 couple to Gs-proteins, activating protein kinase A (PKA). By using H89 (N-[2-(p-bromo-cinnamylamino)-ethyl]-5-isoquinoline-sulfon-amide 2HCl) and Ht31, disruptors of PKA signaling, we have determined that PKA signaling is required for the masculinization of behavior by PGE2. Glutamatergic signaling often mediates PGE2 signaling; therefore, we tested whether inhibition of AMPA/kainate and metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR) signaling prevents PGE2-induced behavioral masculinization and whether activation of glutamate receptors mimics PGE2. Females treated neonatally with NBQX (2,3-dihydroxy-6-nitro-7-sulfonyl-benzo[f]quinoxaline) plus LY341495 [(2S)-2-amino-2-[(1S,2S)-2-carboxycycloprop-1-yl]-3-(xanth-9-yl) propanoic acid] combined (AMPA/kainate and mGluR inhibitors, respectively) before PGE2 did not exhibit as many mounts or intromission-like behaviors or initiate these behaviors as quickly as animals treated with PGE2 alone. Animals neonatally treated with kainate, (±)-1-amino-1,3-cyclopentanedicarboxylic acid (ACPD) (type I mGluR agonist), or the two combined mounted as frequently and initiated mounting behavior as quickly as those given PGE2. Ht31 does not prevent the masculinization of behavior by ACPD plus kainate cotreatment; rather, the coadministration of NBQX plus LY341495 prevents the forskolin-induced formation of POA dendritic spine-like processes. We conclude that PKA, AMPA/kainate, and metabotropic glutamate receptor signaling are necessary for the effects of PGE2, that each receptor individually suffices to organize behavior, and that PKA is upstream of the glutamate receptors.
An Approach of Action Scene Detection in Martial Arts Movies Based on Audio Feature

The paper presents a new method for action scene detection in the martial arts movies based on audio feature. First audio information is divided into seven categories: silence, har- monic environmental sound, pure music, pure voice, voice with background music, environmental sound with background music and non-harmonic environmental sound. Then the non-harmonic environmental sound is divided into the sword sound, the stick sound, the unarmed fight sound, the object broken sound and other non-harmonic environmental sound using support vector machines (SVM). At last the method of detecting action scene according to audio classification is elaborated. Experimental re- sults prove that the method is effective.
Di-Tyrosine Cross-Link Decreases the Collisional Cross-Section of Aβ Peptide Dimers and Trimers in the Gas Phase: An Ion Mobility Study

Oligomeric forms of Aβ peptide are most likely the main synaptotoxic and neurotoxic agent in Alzheimer’s disease. Toxicity of various Aβ oligomeric forms has been confirmed in vivo and also in vitro. However, in vitro preparations were found to be orders of magnitude less toxic than oligomers obtained from in vivo sources. This difference can be explained by the presence of a covalent cross-link, which would stabilize the oligomer. In the present work, we have characterized the structural properties of Aβ dimers and trimers stabilized by di- and tri-tyrosine cross-links. Using ion mobility mass spectrometry we have compared the collisional cross-section of non-cross-linked and cross-linked species. We have found that the presence of cross-links does not generate new unique forms but rather shifts the equilibrium towards more compact oligomer types that can also be detected for non-cross-linked peptide. In consequence, more extended forms, probable precursors of off-pathway oligomeric species, become relatively destabilized in cross-linked oligomers and the pathway of oligomer evolution becomes redirected towards fibrillar structures.
Description of the PRC CEO Algorithm for TREC

This paper describes work done on the TREC project at PRC Inc. in collaboration with Professor Edward Fox (and his colleagues) at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (VPI&SU). The description of their system is included in this proceedings. PRC developed an algorithm, the Combination of Expert Opinion (CEO), which combined the results of VPI&SU's runs. The retrieval system is the decision marker and different retrieval algorithms, or models, are the experts
Journal of Media Psychology Theories, Methods, and Applications Editor-in-chief the Psychologist Manager Success Models for Psychologists in Executive Positions Dedication, Acknowledgements, Introduction 1 Expanding Opportunities for the Psychologist Manager 2 Leadership and Executive Behavior 3 Str

Game research suffers from using a variety of concepts to predict the (often negative) effects of playing games. These concepts often overlap (e.g., addiction or pathological gaming), include negative consequences in their definition, or are very game-specific (e.g., collective play). We argue that the field would benefit from using concepts that are well-established in other domains. Extending earlier work to the interpersonal domain, we examined the effects of obsessive and harmonious passion for massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) on the number and quality of online and offline friendships. Obsessive passion describes an irrepressible urge to engage in an activity, whereas harmonious passion describes the voluntary engagement in an activity. In an online survey of 406 MMORPG players, we found differential relationships between obsessive and harmonious passion and the number and quality of online and offline friendships. The results confirmed the usefulness of the dualistic model of passion for consequences of online gaming.
Mechanisms of Adhesion in Geckos1

Abstract The extraordinary adhesive capabilities of geckos have challenged explanation for millennia, since Aristotle first recorded his observations. We have discovered many of the secrets of gecko adhesion, yet the millions of dry, adhesive setae on the toes of geckos continue to generate puzzling new questions and valuable answers. Each epidermally-derived, keratinous seta ends in hundreds of 200 nm spatular tips, permitting intimate contact with rough and smooth surfaces alike. Prior studies suggested that adhesive force in gecko setae was directly proportional to the water droplet contact angle (θ) , an indicator of the free surface energy of a substrate. In contrast, new theory suggests that adhesion energy between a gecko seta and a surface (WGS) is in fact proportional to (1 + cosθ), and only for θ > 60°. A reanalysis of prior data, in combination with our recent study, support the van der Waals hypothesis of gecko adhesion, and contradict surface hydrophobicity as a predictor of adhesion force. Previously, we and our collaborators measured the force production of a single seta. Initial efforts to attach a seta failed because of improper 3D orientation. However, by simulating the dynamics of gecko limbs during climbing (based on force plate data) we discovered that, in single setae, a small normal preload, combined with a 5 μm displacement yielded a very large adhesive force of 200 microNewton (μN), 10 times that predicted by whole-animal measurements. 6.5 million setae of a single tokay gecko attached maximally could generate 130 kg force. This raises the question of how geckos manage to detach their feet in just 15 ms. We discovered that simply increasing the angle that the setal shaft makes with the substrate to 30° causes detachment. Understanding how simultaneous attachment and release of millions of setae are controlled will require an approach that integrates levels ranging from molecules to lizards.
Measuring the Efficiency of Cache Memory on Java Processors for Embedded Systems

Java, with its advantages as being an overspread multiplatform object oriented language, has been gaining popularity in the embedded system market over the years. However, because of its extra layer of interpretation, it is also believed that it is a slow language while being executed. Nevertheless, when this execution is done directly in hardware, Java advantages caused by its stack nature start to appear. One of these advantages concerns memory utilization, impacting in less accesses and cache misses. In this work we analyze this impact in performance and energy consumption, comparing a Java processor with a RISC one based on a MIPS architecture with similar characteristics.
Vulnerability of dopaminergic amacrine cells and optic nerve myelination to prenatal endotoxin exposure.

PURPOSE Intrauterine infection has been linked to preterm delivery and neurologic injury. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of fetal inflammation induced by exposure to endotoxin on the structure and neurochemistry of the retina and optic nerve. METHODS The bacterial endotoxin, lipopolysaccharide (LPS), was administered to fetal sheep at approximately 0.65 of the approximately 147-day gestation period via repeated bolus doses (1 microg/kg per day) over 5 days, with fetal retinas and optic nerves assessed 10 days after the first LPS exposure. RESULTS In the retina, the total number of tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactive (TH-IR), dopaminergic amacrine cells was reduced (P < 0.05) in LPS-exposed compared with control fetuses. There was no difference in the number of ChAT-, substance P-, or NADPH-d-positive amacrine cells. The total number of myelinated axons in the optic nerve was not different (P > 0.05) between groups; however, the myelin sheath was thinner (P < 0.05) in LPS-exposed fetuses. CONCLUSIONS Prenatal exposure to repeated doses of endotoxin results in alterations to the retina and optic nerve with specific effects on dopaminergic neurons and myelination, respectively. These findings could have implications for visual function.
ROBUST WIRELESS COMMUNICATION AROUND THE BODY : EXPERIMENTS BASED ON USRP HARDWARE

Particularly, we consider a scenario of a patient monitoring device, where a patient has plenty of sensors mounted on its head to measure different parameters like EEG. Moreover, these sensors are connected with wires to a node, which collects all the measured data from these sensors and send wirelessly to another node situated at different location on a human body. Finally, this node is connected to a server system, where the doctors can monitor and process the information. Hence, the measured data is crucial for practitioners so there should not be any error during the transmission from one on body node to another.
Measurement of the Robot Motor Capability of a Robot Motor System: A Fitts's-Law-Inspired Approach

Robot motor capability is a crucial factor for a robot, because it affects how accurately and rapidly a robot can perform a motion to accomplish a task constrained by spatial and temporal conditions. In this paper, we propose and derive a pseudo-index of motor performance (pIp) to characterize robot motor capability with robot kinematics, dynamics and control taken into consideration. The proposed pIp provides a quantitative measure for a robot with revolute joints, which is inspired from an index of performance in Fitts's law of human skills. Computer simulations and experiments on a PUMA 560 industrial robot were conducted to validate the proposed pIp for performing a motion accurately and rapidly.
Improving Localization under Varying Illumination

Localizing the user from a feature database of a scene is a basic and necessary step for presentation of localized augmented reality (AR) content. Commonly such database depicts a single appearance of the scene, due to time and effort required to prepare it. To account for appearance changes under different lighting we propose to generate the feature database from a simulated appearance of the scene model under a number of different lighting conditions. We also propose to extend the feature descriptors used in the localization with a parametric representation of their changes under varying lighting conditions. We compare our method with a standard representation and matching based on L2-norm in a simulation and real world experiments. Our results show that our approach achieves a higher localization rate with fewer feature points and a lower process cost.
EE-CAT: extended electronic catalog for dynamic and flexible electronic commerce

Providing quick and easy access to electronic catalogs of products is one of the most essential parts in the electronic catalog environment. Proposed in this paper are data and query model for electronic catalogs which offer effective searching and management facilities to customize the electronic catalog system. The proposed model separates the management of product information and the visual presentation. Product information is represented as a graph. The model extends the range of electronic catalogs from product information to the whole web documents and their structure. The proposed query language makes the extended catalog more dynamic, flexible, and easy to maintain.
SIMSE: An Interactive Simulation Game for Software Engineering Education

The typical software engineering education lacks a practical experience of the process of software engineering— students are presented with relevant process theory in lectures, but have limited opportunity to put these concepts into practice in an associated class project. SimSE is an educational, interactive, fully graphical computer game that simulates software engineering processes, and is designed specifically to train students in situations that require an understanding and handling of software process issues. In this paper we describe SimSE, including its educational goals, its design, and its implementation.
Korean speech rhythm using rhythmic measures

This paper investigates speech rhythm in standard Seoul Korean using recently developed durational rhythmic measures. Traditionally, languages are classified into 'stress-timed' and 'syllable-timed' (Abercrombie, 1967), with English and German being typical stress-timed languages, French and Italian typical syllable-timed languages. Later works suggested a third category of mora-timed languages, in which Japanese is a typical example (Port, Dalby & O'Dell, 1987). Speech rhythm derives from the perception of repetition of similar elements, which was attributed to the isochronous units with near-equal durations in speech: stress-related feet, syllables or morae. However, no experimental evidence for such isochronous intervals was found to support a rhythmic typol-ogy of languages (e.g. see Grabe & Low, 2002 for a review). Recently, several durational rhythmic measures based on the acoustic speech signal were developed: %V, ΔC, ΔV by Ramus et al. (1999); normalised and raw PVIs by Grabe & Low (2002); VarcoV and VarcoC by Dellwo (2006). Such measures take only consonant and vowel durations as the basis for rhythmic classifications. They could classify languages according to their traditional rhythmic groupings, with %V showing the most robust classifications (White & Mattys, 2007). The speech rhythm of Korean is controversial, and only very little work was done to investigate Korean speech rhythm using durational rhythmic measures. Both syllable-timing and stress-timing were proposed (e.g. Han 1964 and Ji 1993). Seong (1995) argued that Korean cannot be categorised as either stress-timed or syllable-timed because Korean possesses characteristics of both types of languages, while perceptual studies showed that Korean is similar to Japanese in many aspects, suggesting that Korean may be one of the mora-timed languages The present study investigates Korean speech rhythm using the abovemen-tioned acoustic rhythmic measures with three types of duration (syllabic, consonantal and vocalic), and compares it with Cantonese (Can), Beijing Mandarin (Man), French, Italian (syllable-timed languages) versus English and German (stress-timed languages) (Mok & Dellwo, to appear). Six native speakers of standard Seoul Korean (three male and three female, with an average age of 25)
VIBRATION ANALYSIS TECHNIQUES FOR GEARBOX DIAGNOSTIC : A

Gears are important element in a variety of industrial applications such as machine tool and gearboxes. An unexpected failure of the gear may cause significant economic losses. For that reason, fault diagnosis in gears has been the subject of intensive research. Vibration signal analysis has been widely used in the fault detection of rotation machinery. The vibration signal of a gearbox carries the signature of the fault in the gears, and early fault detection of the gearbox is possible by analyzing the vibration signal using different signal processing techniques. In this paper, a review is made of some current vibration analysis techniques used for condition monitoring in gear fault.
TCM on Frequency-Selective Land-Mobile Fading Channels

A power and bandwidth eecient concatenated coding system for reliable data transmission on time-and frequency{selective mobile fading channels is considered. Multi{tone signaling with spectrally overlapping pulses is achieved by orthogonal frequency{division multiplexing (OFDM). The inner coding/modulation system is trellis{coded modulation (TCM) consisting of two binary convolutional codes, outputting 16QAM symbols. This class of codes was found to be optimum in sense of complexity and performance on Rayleigh/Rician fading channels. A soft{output (Viterbi) decoding algorithm accepts channel state information, and even delivers reliability information to an outer decoder. The outer code is a rate{compatible punctured convolutional (RCPC) code providing unequal error protection (UEP). Concatenated coding in conjunction with double in-terleaving and slow frequency hopping (SFH) provides eecient dual diversity. A two{ dimensional pilot sequence multiplexed into the time and frequency sequence according to the sampling theorem allows a robust, truly coherent carrier synchronization, which can be realised, e.g., by a two{dimensional Wiener lter. Emphasis here is on sophisticated, yet reduced complexity channel estimation (CE) making use of the multi{tone structure and a{priori channel knowledge. The use of a guard interval circumvents the implementation of explicit equalization even under severe multipath distortions. Results (BER und power/bandwidth diagram) are presented on basis of a hilly{terrain land{mobile fading channel with f Dmax =200 Hz one{sided maximum Doppler frequency, max 64 s maximum echo delay, and system parameters (2 128 kbit/s data rate, bit sensitivity classes ranging from 5 10 ? 7 to 5 10 ? 2 , 500 ms overall delay) according to the European digital audio broadcasting (DAB) system. The required average E b =N 0 for 8{state inner TCM coding, 64{state outer coding, and low{complexity channel estimation is about 10 dB at a bandwidth eeciency of about 1 bit/s/Hz, which is an improvement of several dB's in power and/or bandwidth compared to the current diierentially coherent DAB proposal. We gratefully acknowledge the DAB project support by the Robert Bosch GmbH, Hildesheim.