Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Performance Evaluation of the Collaborative Efforts in an Online Group Research Project

This study investigated the performance of 13 graduate students' collaborative efforts toward a group research project in an Instructional Analysis, Design, and Evaluation online course. Gaps between course expectations from the instructor and student collaborative performance were identified through the review of the team agreement, the use of surveys, and focus group interviews. Performance gaps occurred in the areas of communication, assignment completion, and group cohesiveness. These performance gaps were caused by lack of knowledge and skills, motivation, and/or organizational support. Appropriate intervention strategies such as effective group interaction and communication, building relationships and establishing trust, periodic review of team agreements, mini-training sessions on collaboration and supportive behaviors, and role differentiations and collaborative task designation are presented. Instructors who are interested in incorporating group research projects into their future online courses may consider implementing these interventions to facilitate the improvement of students' collaborative efforts.
Globally optimal robust control of large scale sheet and film processes

Improved multivariable control of sheet and film processes can mean significant reductions in material and energy consumption, greater production rates for existing equipment, improved product quality, elimination of product rejects, and reduced energy consumption. One of the main weaknesses of modern sheet and film process control approaches is their inability to explicitly account for model inaccuracies. Here we develop a novel computational approach for designing controllers for large scale sheet and film processes that addresses model inaccuracy in a globally optimal manner. This approach is computationally feasible for industrial sheet and film processes (up to 500 inputs and outputs).
Using perspective schema and a reference model to design the ETL process

For many years the database community has been wrestling with the problem of data integration. In short, this problem consists of combining data from different information sources, and providing the user with a unified view of these data. The advances of information and communications technologies have greatly increased the importance of data integration in recent years, since sharing and integrating information has emerged as a strategic requirement in modern business. In dealing with the integration problem, the designer usually encounters incompatible data models, characterised by differences in structure and semantics. In this work, we propose a declarative approach based on the creation of a reference model and perspective schemata in order to make the relationship between schemata explicit. The reference model serves as a common semantic meta-model, while perspective schemata defines correspondence between schemata using correspondence assertions. Our proposal offers a way to express, in a formal and declarative way, the existing data models and the relationship between them. The former is done using the schema language focused on object-relational paradigm, while the latter is done using the language to describe perspective schemata (the perspective schema language). The proposed approach makes the mappings that exist in data integration systems clear, and uncouples them in order to make their maintenance easier. Furthermore, based on the proposed architecture, which considers a reference model and correspondence assertions, an inference mechanism was developed to allow the (semi-) automatic derivation of new mappings from previous ones. A Prolog-based proof-of-concept was implemented in order to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed approach.
Approximate spatial reasoning using vague object boundaries

This paper presents a method of accomplishing approximate spatial reasoning directly with solid models. By representing solids as vague objects, simple spatial reasoning is performed in an approximate and direct fashion. A vague object is a simplified solid object where sharp edges are replaced with smooth transitions from solid to its surroundings. A vague object can be compared to a cloud with smoothly varying density that resembles a real solid object. Vague objects can be used to represent spatial concepts as well. A spatial concept is defined as a relation between objects, either solid or vague. Many simple spatial concepts can be visualized as vague objects, and for simple spatial reasoning, they can be implemented as such. The use of vague objects to represent both solid objects and the relations between them is the foundation of an approximate spatial reasoning system. The purpose of this approach is to implement a form of spatial reasoning that mimics human spatial reasoning for judging and reasoning about simple relationships. The method presented has a significant advantage in that reasoning can be performed directly from solid model data. <<ETX>>
Site-Selective Fluorescence Spectroscopy of Conjugated Polymers and Oligomers

Inhomogeneous broadening is a ubiquitous property of absorption and fluorescence spectra of chromophores, both organic and inorganic, embedded in random matrices. It originates from random local variations of that contribution to the transition energy that is governed by the interaction of the excited state with its polarizable environment. The elimination of that broadening has been a central endeavor of research into spectroscopic problems of random solids like glasses or polymers. It requires the selection of a certain subensemble of chromophores or, in the extreme case, of single molecules via appropriate methods like spatially or spectrally confined excitation and its photophysical characterization. One of these methods involves hole burning.1 It is premised on the condition that a chromophore undergoes a photophysical or photochemical reaction after excitation that removes it from its original spectroscopic site. Siteselective fluorescence spectroscopy (SSFS) is an alternative method applicable to fluorescent chromophores. It is the purpose of this Account to give an overview of the underlying principle and to discuss recent advances concerning excited state phenomena in conjugated polymers and oligomers.
The Local Definability of Robotic Large-Scale Knowledge Based on Splitting

In order to reduce the computational tasks in robots with large-scale and complex knowledge, several methods of robotic knowledge localization have been proposed over the past decades. Logic is an important and useful tool for complex robotic reasoning, action planning, learning and verification. This paper uses propositional atoms in logic to describe the affecting factors of robotic large-scale knowledge. Definability in logic reasoning shows that truths of some propositional atoms are decided by other propositional atoms. Definability technology is an important method to eliminate inessential propositional atoms in robotic large-scale and complex knowledge, so the computational tasks in robotic knowledge can be completed faster. On the other hand, by applying the splitting technique, the knowledge base can be equivalently divided into a number of sub-knowledge bases, without sharing any propositional atoms with others. In this paper, we show that the inessential propositional atoms can be decided faster by the local definability technology based on the splitting method, first formed in local belief revision by Parikh in 1999. Hence, the decision-making in robotic large-scale and complex knowledge is more effective.
Settling time design considerations for SC integrators

Using the return-ratio approach, a model is developed to optimize the switched-capacitor (SC) integrator settling time. This model is used to determine the phase margin of the open-loop amplifier to achieve minimum settling time as a closed-loop SC integrator. The sampling switch resistance affects the integrator settling time while the feedback switch resistance has negligible effect.
Tunable optical filters for dense WDM networks

WDM is currently taking over as the leading technology in point-to-point transmission links. For optical implementation of WDM networks, logical functionalities such as wavelength (channel) selection should be carried out in the wavelength domain; thus, the development of dynamic optical devices is required. One key device is a tunable optical filter. Important features of such a filter include low insertion loss, narrow bandwidth, high sidelobe suppression, large dynamic range, fast tuning speed, a simple control mechanism, small size, and cost effectiveness. Here, an extensive overview of the different technologies used to produce tunable optical filters is presented. Among them, fiber filters such as fiber Bragg gratings and fiber Fabry Perot are the most commercialized, yet inherently limited in their dynamic speeds. For high demanding dynamics, micro-machined and acousto-optic filters can offer a good solution for microsecond tuning speeds. Faster tunable devices, in nanosecond tuning speeds, might emerge out of microresonators, electrooptic filters, and active DBR filters.
Forensic Speech Enhancement Based On Two-Dimensional Fractional Fourier Transform Domain

Forensic speech usually suffers from noise, distortion, interfering sounds, and other signal processing challenges that can impede proper analysis. The most common enhancement issue for forensic speech only could remove amplitude spectrum of background noise from the record. This paper proposes a new two-dimensional speech enhancement method which adopts parallel Wiener filter array in fractional Fourier transform domain to remove amplitude spectrum and phase spectrum of background noise. Theoretical analysis and experiments are conducted and the experiment shows that it has significantly superior Signal-to-Noise ratio over wiener filtering under the colored noise and white noise. It has wide application prospects in forensic speech recognition and speaker recognition.
A critical evaluation of the Dolby digital compression algorithm

Dolby Digital, or AC-3, provides for the compression o f high-quality audio signals at a bit rate of 384 kbps, for 5.1 audio channels. The purpose of this thesis is to conduct an analysis and evaluation of the AC-3 compression algorithm. The main conclusion is that AC-3 allocates too few bits to the upper frequency ranges. This conclusion is supported by two lines o f argument. First, a comparison of the AC-3 perceptual coding model with known facts concerning the masking properties of sound reveals omissions in the AC-3 perceptual model that lead to a loss of high frequency resolution. Second, a test program comparing the bit allocation generated by AC-3 with the bit allocation generated by MPEG corroborates the conclusion. A remedy for the high frequency loss problem is put forward.
Toward objective image quality metrics: the AIC Eval Program of the JPEG

Objective quality assessment of lossy image compression codecs is an important part of the recent call of the JPEG for Advanced Image Coding. The target of the AIC ad-hoc group is twofold: First, to receive state-of-the-art still image codecs and to propose suitable technology for standardization; and second, to study objective image quality metrics to evaluate the performance of such codes. Even tthough the performance of an objective metric is defined by how well it predicts the outcome of a subjective assessment, one can also study the usefulness of a metric in a non-traditional way indirectly, namely by measuring the subjective quality improvement of a codec that has been optimized for a specific objective metric. This approach shall be demonstrated here on the recently proposed HDPhoto format14 introduced by Microsoft and a SSIM-tuned17 version of it by one of the authors. We compare these two implementations with JPEG1 in two variations and a visual and PSNR optimal JPEG200013 implementation. To this end, we use subjective and objective tests based on the multiscale SSIM and a new DCT based metric.
Proceedings of the ACL Workshop on Feature Engineering for Machine Learning in Natural Language Processing

The ACL 2005 Workshop on Feature Engineering for Machine Learning in Natural Language Processing is an opportunity to explore the various dimensions of feature engineering for problems that are of interest to the ACL community. Feature Engineering encompasses feature design, feature selection, feature induction, studies of feature impact (including feature ablation studies), and related topics. In 2003, there was a NIPS workshop on feature engineering ("Feature Extraction and Feature Selection"), but the focus was not on NLP problems specifically. Also, although the various aspects of feature engineering have been dealt with at times in various ACL forums, until now, to our knowledge, the spotlight has never been shone directly on this topic specifically for NLP and language technology problems. We feel that now is the time to look more closely. As experience with machine learning for solving natural language processing tasks accumulates in the field, practitioners are finding that feature engineering is as critical as the choice of machine learning algorithm, if not more so. Feature engineering significantly affects the performance of systems and deserves greater attention. Also, in the wake of the shift in our field away from knowledge engineering and of the successes of data-driven and statistical methods, researchers are likely to make further progress by incorporating additional, sometimes familiar, sources of knowledge as features. Feature design may benefit from expert insight even where the relative merits of features must be assessed through empirical techniques from data. Although some experience in the area of feature engineering is to be found in the theoretical machine learning community, the particular demands of natural language processing leave much to be discovered. In the call for papers, we expressed our intent of bringing together practitioners of NLP, machine learning, information extraction, speech processing, and related fields with the goal of sharing experimental evidence for successful approaches to feature engineering. Judging by the quality and diversity of the submissions received, we believe we have succeeded, and the resulting program should be of great interest to many researchers in the ACL community. We hope that the workshop will contribute to the distillation of best practices and to the discovery of new sources of knowledge and features previously untapped.
Zinc Selenium Oxochloride, β‐Zn2(SeO3)Cl2, a Synthetic Polymorph of the Mineral Sophiite.

Dizinc selenium dichloride trioxide, -Zn2(SeO3)Cl2, a monoclinic polymorph of the orthorhombic mineral sophiite, has a structure built of distorted ZnO4Cl2 octahedra, ZnO2Cl2 tetrahedra and SeO3E tetrahedra (E being the 4s 2 lone pair of the Se ion), joined through shared edges and corners to form charge-neutral layers. The Cl atoms and the Se lone pairs protrude from each layer towards adjacent layers. The main structural difference between the mineral and synthetic polymorphs lies in the packing of the layers.
Study on method-based and trace-based just-in-time compilation for scripting languages

Applications written in scripting languages are widely used on web application development. Even on the server side application, programmers are using scripting languages such as Ruby to building complex applications. Since the complexity and the number of the applications written in these scripting languages grown, the performance of these applications is becoming important. A scripting language’s design provides the high productivity and easiness of writing programs to the programmer, while a performance of a scripting language implementation still remains an issue. To improve the performance of the scripting language, many researchers attracted the attention of a JIT (Just-In-Time) compilation technique for scripting language to construct high-performance implementations. In this thesis, we propose two JIT compilers for the implementation of scripting languages. The difficulty in terms of aiming to improve the performance of JIT compiled code is in the dynamic typing and cooperation with its own runtime. In Chapter 3, we propose a method-based JIT compiler for a statically typed scripting language KonohaScript. We reveal the performance of the portion other than the type checking using a statically typed scripting language. We use a statically typed scripting language KonohaScript to analyze language runtime the performance impact of the JIT compiled code. Another proposal is a trace-based JIT compiler for a dynamically typed scripting language Ruby. Chapter 4 describes RuJIT, a trace-based JIT compiler for Ruby, which traces program code to determine frequently executed traces (hot paths and loops) in running programs and emits optimized machine code specialized to these traces. We describe the design and implementation of the RuJIT compiler. Then we show that two Ruby’s functions and characteristics make difficult to improve the performance of JIT compiled code. To produce better quality code, we describe solutions for these issues as well as implementation of optimization techniques. We also evaluate the application of trace-based JIT compilation technique to Ruby interpreter and explain performance impact of our approach.
Teaching and Learning of Databases: The Impact on Industry Extended Abstract

As part of the Workshop on Teaching, Learning and Assessment in Databases, there will be a discussion centred on the challenges of introducing cutting edge technology into industry, and the impact of database teaching on a real world project. The discussion will be led by a short presentation. This extended abstract outlines the focus of the presentation.
60 GHz SiGe HBT Chip Set for High Speed Wireless Communication Systems

A 60 GHz SiGe HBT chipset for high speed wireless communication systems has been developed. The functionalities of LNA, up-converter, down-converter and PA have been realized with good performance. Design strategy, achieved results and comparison with state-of-the-art work will be presented. The presented work proves that single chip integration of the whole 60 GHz RF-frond-end will be possible using silicon based technologies.
Convergence of telecommunications and computing to networking models for integrated services and applications

This paper gives a snapshot of the convergence of the telecommunications and computer industries to a common vision of networking models for an integrated services information infrastructure meeting the stringent requirements of multimedia applications. First we summarize the requirements and elements of such an infrastructure and introduce a networking model that is framed into four layers: interconnection (bearer), internetworking, interoperability (middleware), and application. Then, we offer a review of the classical telecommunications networking model, the current status of asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) multimedia networking features, and the ongoing activities for fostering evolution of telecommunications networks to enhance control, management, and service delivery. An overview of the current Internet network architecture follows, presenting the recent achievements and the evolving networking protocols to cope with real-time multimedia applications. As described in this paper, the schemes for integrating Internet protocols (IPs) and ATM resource reservation protocols, which address an efficient resource utilization and quality of service guarantee in broadband networks, fall into the first two lower architectural layers, which are the foundation of network computing and communications services. In particular, we present a summary description of the comparative features of both IP and ATM protocol approaches, and we report on current proposals for provisioning IP on ATM networks. Last, we discuss trends in middleware services, including the emerging technology of transportable computation and intelligent agents. Interoperability of heterogeneous networked systems is based on an agreed distributed application encoding and computation environment, thus pushing the key capability of the layered networking architecture up into the middleware layer.
Absolute Stereostructures of Carabrane-Type Sesquiterpenes, Curcumenone, 4S-Dihydrocurcumenone, and Curcarabranols A and B: Vasorelaxant Activity of Zedoary Sesquiterpenes.

New carabrane-type sesquiterpenes, curcarabranols A and B, were isolated from zedoary together with the two known carabrane-type sesquiterpenes curcumenone and 4S-dihydrocurcumenone. The absolute stereostructures of these carabrane-type sesquiterpenes were determined on the basis of physicochemical and chemical evidence. Zedoary sesquiterpenes including 4S-dihydrocurcumenone and curcarabranols A and B were found to inhibit the contraction induced by a high concentration of K + in isolated rat aortic strips.
A general purpose software for distance monitoring and diagnosis of electrical machines

This paper is mainly about the development of a virtual platform structure, on the design of the data-processing environment, the data standard, the design of the different acquisition and data processing systems, the database development for the management and the exchange of information. The main features are: user friendly interface, low maintenance source code, modularity to facilitate the integration of new computation and decision techniques, a standardized database for electrical machines monitoring and diagnosis to improve the knowledge of a large scientific community as well.
A nearly constant delay and low power VLSI design of a pipeline Reed–Solomon encoder for storage and communication systems

Linear feedback shift register (LFSR) is a common method used in the design of Reed–Solomon (RS) encoders. Most previous LFSR-based articles have focused on the design of finite field multipliers and the throughput improvement of the RS encoders. However, these articles have some problems. First, the fan-out of the feedback register grows with respect to the increase of the error-correction capability, leading to longer encoding time. Second, in applications that require high-throughput, parallel implementations are usually adopted, which result in huge chip area. This article presents a new pipelined encoder architecture for systematic RS code, which has a nearly constant delay with less than 10% increase in cycle time for higher error-correction capability. The key technique behind this encoding technique is based on the modified polynomial of the Lagrange interpolation formula. It not only reduces the number of finite field multipliers, but also increases performance. Moreover, we propose a method of low computation complexity for the implementation of the constant multipliers in order to save area and power. Compared to the conventional LFSR architectures over the (204, 188, t = 8) RS code, the proposed encoder design reduces the critical path delay by 71% and the power consumption by 44%. Because of the high-throughput and low latency, the new design is readily adaptable for use in many applications such as RAID 6, CD, VCD, DVD, and high definition television, especially for storage and communication applications.