ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Nowadays, information has become one of the most valuable assets: research and data analytics is an essential consideration in decision making. In a data-driven society, it is a priority to ensure that the collected data can be trusted. Personal or face-to-face interviews are the most reliable way of getting information; however, it comes with shortcomings such as requiring more resources for the conduction. Personal interviews have been used on every level of decision-making and continue to be one of the most frequently used techniques not only for gathering scientific data but also in making hiring or admission decisions. Various benefits of face-to-face interview surveys made the US Federal Government committed to using this survey method rather than the phone interviews or self-administered questionnaires for the most high-sensitive research (National Science Foundation, 2015). The government makes decisions, impacting large groups of people, so being able to generate the highest response rate and most dependable results is the main priority in their choice of the approach. Personal interviews help to prescreen potential participants, making it possible to include only persons of interest, providing more reliable results. They also enable targeting groups of people who might not have a computer or a phone to participate in the survey that requires having access to technology. The usage of personal interviews is common when the research does not have a strict structure and looks for collecting qualitative data (Oltmann, 2016). Being able to interact with the respondent allows discussing more complex issues, using various visual aids such as images, maps, and calendars. Differences in cultural values and social characteristics and not having a good comprehension of the language might influence respondent’s answers: having an experienced interviewer could help overcome those barriers. While the physical presence of the interviewer has advantages, several issues require extra attention. “Interviewer bias” could be considered one of the costliest issues with the interviewing: swaying the interpretation of the answers by the interviewee’s appearance and behavior. Therefore, interviewers must go through extensive training to learn how to stay objective and not influence the participant’s response in any way. For example, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a comprehensive recruitment process for interviewers to ensure a high level of preparation and ability to deal with sensitive information (CDC, 2017). However, even after training, interviewers might not get honest answers because respondents might be uncomfortable talking to a stranger. A personal interview is the mo
The year 1863 was indeed a turning point during the Civil War, but the stage was set a year earlier. By mid-1862, the Civil War had gained momentum, and President Abraham Lincoln was eager to win the war with fewer casualties, but the Confederates seemed resilient (Griffith, 2015). Lincoln confided to his cabinet in August 1862 that he would release a proclamation that would set the slaves free. True to his words, President Lincoln signed the Proclamation of Emancipation on January 1, 1863, which changed the cause of the war in favor of the Union. The freed slaves joined the Union forces in large numbers that which increased the Union’s manpower exponentially (Gallagher & Waugh, 2015). As a result, the Confederates, with a shortage of human resources, stood no chance against the reinforced Union military. Hence, the balance was offset, and all the signs showed that the Union had the edge over the South. Additionally, the accidental encounter between the Confederate army at Gettysburg led by General Lee and the Union’s army between July 1 and 3, 1863, further cemented 1863 as the turning point. Although both sides experienced high casualties, the Confederates lost almost half of their troops within those few days (Shi & Tindall, 2016). The results were a weakened Confederate army. Another significant occurrence related to the Gettysburg battle was Lincoln’s Gettysburg address which pointed out that the Union had transformed its purpose to ending slavery from preserving the Union. After the Gettysburg battle, the focus of the Union was to end slavery in America (Reid, 2013). That means the course and purpose of the war had changed, making 1863 a significant turning point in the Civil War.
Introduction Guqin is a plucked seven-stringed traditional Chinese musical instrument of the zither family with many years of history. The original name of Guqin was Qin; the Chinese believe that the instrument was invented by Fux, a tribe leader in ancient China. The name guqin was developed in the 20 th century, and a prefix was added to the original name Qin to mean ancient and distinguish it from the other pianos. The instrument’s physical appearance was also symbolic according to Chinese culture. Guqin was part of the Chinese culture, and only the noblemen and scholars would play it. The instrument also defines the philosophy and literature of the Chinese and has created the history of the country. Thus, this report discusses guqin and its various aspects, such as the relationship to ancient poetry and development. Relationship to Ancient Poetry Guqin musical instruments had a relationship with poetry alongside the literature and the Chinese culture, such as Yu Boya and Zhong Ziqi. The two led to the existence of the idiom high mountains and flowing water, which means two bosom friends. Bosom’s friends suggested that many Chinese phrases and allusions originate from guqin. Under the reign of Emperor Shun, one of the five emperors of Chinese Qin was introduced with five strings to represent the five essential universe elements, which are metal, wood, water, and fire. Guqin is believed to be five fen, three chi, and six cun (meaning 135 centimeters), representing the 365 days of the year (Deng 5). The original five strings of the instrument have two symbols. For instance, the five elements of Chinese philosophy and the five tunes. The Chinese philosophy elements are Jin, Mu, Shui, Huo, and Tu, while the five tunes are Gong, Shang, Jue, Zhi, and Yu. King Wen, the first ruler of the Zhou dynasty, mourned his son; the string symbolizes sorrow. King Wu added the seventh string when his country was at war; the string symbolized the military, the line produces the masculine sound to represent bravery and courage. The 13 dots of inlaid ivory and jade indicate the pitch positions and represent the 13 months in the intercalary lunar year (Deng 13). In addition, the Chinese believe that the instrument contained the sounds of the universe, entertaining, soothing, and inspiring. Guqin has three types of tones Anyin, Fanyin, and Sanyin, where the tone types are determined by how the strings are plucked while playing. Many people argue that the playing of Guqin represents the union between heaven, earth, and man. The instrument was also used as a truth tool in the Chinese philosophical tradition (Tan and Mengchen 139). Thus, the instrument has been used in various ways by many Chinese individuals in ancient poetry.
Customer service is referred to as the overall activity in identifying customer needs and satisfying customers in terms of such needs (“Operations Theory” par. 1). It plays an important role in the profitability of a business. The quality of products and services is directly related to the satisfaction level of customers. When customers are satisfied with the products and services offered by a firm, customer loyalty is born. Profitability comes from such because customers are willing to pay for good quality products and services. This paper aims to better understand the relationship between customer service and customer satisfaction. I have chosen Apple Inc. to be the subject of evaluation in this paper. In the highly competitive and innovative world of the IT industry, the value of customer service can be seen in the after sales support companies provide their clients. Among its competitors, the products of Apple Inc. have been the most expensive with the resistance of the company to release low-end product lines. Satisfied customer and blogger Jon Buys defended Apple’s positioning of expensive product lines by pointing out the quality customers enjoy when buying Apple products. “It’s not that Apple doesn’t have an interest in the low-budget market, it’s that Apple refuses to create a product that doesn’t live up to their expectations of what a Mac should be” (Buys). Unlike its competitors that market products’ functionality and specifications, Apple’s marketing strategies involve promoting their computers and gadgets in terms of the Apple experience customers will receive when choosing the company’s products. This experience is “something that encompasses every part of owning an Apple product” (Buys). The company ensures customers that by owning their products; customers havethe best products in the market with top of the line quality and superior customer service and support. The Mac experience is known to be something different and is more than just owning a PC. Apple’s commitment to quality is evident with its latest gadgets namely the iPad and iPhone. The iPhone for example was praised by John Gruber despite it being more expensive compared to its competitors from brands such as Nokia, Samsung, HTC, and Black Berry. “There is no better phone, at any price” (Gruber). Apple is different from its competitors namely Lenovo, Dell, HP, Acer and/ or Asus because most of the said brands have the same basic components, run on the same software, and are powered by only one company, Microsoft. Apple products on the other hand have precision engineered products and run on Mac OS which was developed by the company themselves. Throughout the years, Apple has developed a legion of loyal customers with its somewhat radical innovations and campaigns. Most believe that the company provides a breath of fresh air from the typical PC most brands in the market provide. The continuous innovation of the company has led to its cap
Atmospheric pressure can be described as the weight exerted by air at a certain level. Barometers usually measure the force applied by atmosphere per unit area. Thus, the units used include millibars, inches of mercury and most commonly here in America; pounds per square inch which is expressed as Ib/in 2 . Pressure changes under the influence of some parameters, they include altitude or height above sea level and temperature. As we climb up, the force exerted by the atmosphere reduces. At lower altitudes, for every change of one inch of a mercury barometer, there is a change of one thousand feet in altitude. On higher altitudes, the rate of pressure reduction decreases. Like any other matter, air expands upon heating and contracts on cooling. This means that density of air changes as we move from one region to another. From that, it can be concluded that, pressure is not usually the same at a constant altitude. The altimeter is an onboard aircraft instrument, which is essentially an aneroid barometer, used to measure the plane’s altitude. The altimeter’s scale has been changed to indicate height rather than pressure. In a way, it makes sense since pressure changes with height. On the other hand, temperature changes the air pressure; therefore, altimeters mostly indicate an altitude different from the true altitude. Ideally, the higher we go, the lesser the air pressure; thus, altimeters will indicate high altitudes if they detect a drop in pressure. Warm air has a lower density than cold air. The thicker the air, the more pressure will be gained as we move upwards. Thus at the same altitude, barometers in cold air will indicate higher pressure than the ones in hot air. As we fly an aircraft from a warm area to a cold area maintaining the same altitude, the atmospheric pressure will drop. This drop in pressure will be interpreted by an altimeter as a rise in altitude. The indicated altitude will be different from the true altitude. On a flat landscape, if the indicated altitude is lower than the true altitude, there is no much problem. On the other hand if a pilot flies in a mountainous region on a cold weather, he should consider flying higher since the altimeter will give a higher altitude reading than the true altitude. The altimeter can be adjusted to indicate true altitude at various altitudes. Taking off and landing of the planes are the most crucial periods in a flight. Thus, the altitude of an airport is the most meaningful altitude to a pilot. It is advisable for the pilot to make sure that his altimeter reading is at per with other plane nearby. The pilot should regularly set the altimeter in accordance with the nearest tower. It is not possible, with the current technology, for a pilot to determine the average temperature of the column of air be
Today, more than ever before, technology is increasingly documented as a fundamental learning tool for advancing the social, emotional, intellectual and linguistic development of young children. Indeed, the question being asked by educators and parents in the 21 st century is no longer about whether and to what scope information and communication technologies (ICTs) should be utilized with young children in early childhood centers, but rather how it should be employed to achieve maximum benefits (Couse & Chen, 2010). Educators readily acknowledge the fact that keeping up with the ongoing convergence of technology for the classroom presents unique challenges to them as they come to terms with the ever growing potential of ICTs to augment the capacity of young children to learn, solve problems, and express their thoughts. It is against this background that this essay will seek to demonstrate why computers are a necessity in early childhood learning. A wide body of literature demonstrates that preschool children are not only empowered by the use of computers, but the utilization of the new media in learning environments is central to enhancing their creativity, development of ideas, collaborative play and enculturation into the knowledge society and economy (Stephen & Plowman, 2003). This view is reinforced by Long-Breipohl (n.d.), who postulates that computers are great motivators for learning, in part, due to the fact that they encourage interaction among young children. Empowerment, enculturation into the knowledge society and promotion of interaction, in my view, goes a long way towards providing an enabling environment where young children can be able to benefit intellectually, especially in the
Introduction Intellectual flexibility is labeled as one of the cerebral capabilities to shift between judging binary perceptions and thinking about various ideas concurrently. A diversity of valuations is suitable for differentiating amid diverse heights of cognitive suppleness. There is a variety of health benefits associated with Dark chocolate. Black chocolate is good for cardiac health since it improves the flow of blood and might assist in prevention of blood coagulation. Dark chocolate also is also recognized as good for cerebral health since it increases blood flow to the brain and reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases (Smit 2011, p. 214). Therefore, it can help in improving cognitive function. Background of the project The “Cognitive Flexibility and Chocolate” project is a part of a huge project called The STARS project. It is a Deakin project based on national learning and teaching grant. The participants of this project were from the main two campuses of Deakin University: Geelong and Burwood. Aims of the project In this mini project, we attempt to get a general idea about cognitive flexibility and how it works. It also tests the effect of Cocoa “dark chocolate” on cognitive flexibility. We attempt finding out whether dark chocolate has health benefits for the cerebrum or not. The way of doing that is by using an online brain training game called Lumosity. The procedure is fully described in details in the “Method” section. The aims of this project are:  1. Getting research experience.  2. Creation of my first project.  3. Finding out the relationship between chocolate and the brain. Hypothesis The hypothesis for testing in this project is that ‘playing Lumosity twice a week increases cognitive flexibility on those who consume 20g of dark chocolate everyday more than those who consume white chocolate every day’. Method Group formation   * There were three main groups formed to get the appropriate data to test the previous hypothesis from different perspectives.   * The formation of groups was based on:  1.       1. Types of chocolate used, either white or black.      2. Eating or not eating chocolate.      3. Playing Lumosity twice a week. The groups are:  1.       1. No chocolate / Play Lumosity Brain Training Game 2 times / week.      2. Eat 20g of dark chocolate per day for 20 days/ Play Lumosity Brain Training Game 2 times/week.      3. Eat 20g of white chocolate per day for 20 days/ Play Lumosity Brain Training Game 2 times/week. Chocolate consumption   * There were two types of chocolates used in this study: white chocolate and dark chocolate.   * Dark chocolate with 8
In the year 1860, on 24 July, Alphonse Maria Mucha was born in Ivancice, in southern Moravia, which is in modern Czech Republic. His parents were Ondřej, who was an escort in the district court, and Amalia. He also had two sisters, Anděla and Anna and was the youngest of the three. He was a painter and graphic artist and was popular mostly in France. His art was inspired by mainly two things – nationalism and religion. As he was born at the border with Austria, German culture and art played a significant role in his life. It is said that Alphonse Mucha had started painting even before he knew how to walk. He liked to sketch people’s faces and paint pictures from a very early age. As a young boy, he had joined the church choir in St Peter’s Church located in Brno and was an amateur musician. He studied at the Slavic gymnasium and wanted to join the Art Academy in Prague. However, since he was not accepted there, he started to work as a clerk of the district court in his homeland. At the beginning of his career, Alphonse Mucha was mostly self-taught. From 1879 to 1881, he took professional training in stage decoration from Vienna. While working for a company, which produced stage sets, Alphonse Mucha discovered the works of Hans Makart. In 1882, he left for Mikulov. He made a living by making portraits of famous local people. Count Khuen-Bellassi was one of them who invited Alphonse Mucha at his home to paint murals. He also used to attend evening drawing classes. The Count sent him to Munich in south Bavaria where he joined the Munich Academy of Fine Arts. He studied there from 1885 to 1887. (Arwas, 26-30). From Munich, he went to Paris in the autumn of 1888 and studied under several teachers. He joined the Academie Julian and found work in the studios of Jean-Paul Laurens and Jules Lefebvre. In 1889, all his grants were stopped and he had to leave the Academy. He then had to survive of his small payments, which he obtained for his newspaper and book illustrations. He started creating illustrations in novels and schoolbooks for a Parisian publishing company. He then joined Academie Coarossi for a brief period. In the year 1890, Alphonse Mucha did his first individual show where more than 400 of his works were displayed. In 1892 he was asked by Colin to illustrate “ Scenes et Episodes de l’Histoire d’Allemagne” by Charles Seignobos. In the end of 1894, he designed a poster for the famous actor Sarah Bernard for the play “Gismonda”, which later became the best theatre poster ever made by him. Soon his poster became a sensation all over Paris. Sarah Bernard was so impressed with him that he received a contract for 6 years from her. He not only designed for the Lautrec’s Aristide Bruant dans son Cabaret, but also her costumes, other posters and sets at Theatre de la Renaissance and became famous almost immediately. The posters, which he made for her, were “Lorenzaccio” and “La Dame aux Camelias” in 1896, “La Samaritaine” in 1897, “Mede
Executive Summary Hyperinflation is one of the conditions of the economy that affects money and prices in a country. This inflation exceeds 50% per month, however; the Zimbabwean case of 200 million percent is one of the worst in recent times. It means that the prices of goods and services in Zimbabwe are increasing more than 100 million times in a year. Hyperinflation occurred in some countries in the 1920s and currently in Zimbabwe. It has caused a lot of confusion and inconvenience because it distorts the currency of the country there is a large movement of people to South Africa from Zimbabwe and it has eroded the real value of life in the country. Income and wealth are arbitrarily distributed in Zimbabwe and actually, the country is facing serious economic challenges. The causes of Hyperinflation In Zimbabwe are no different from the causes of inflation in other economies. However, the Zimbabwean case is made worse by poor leadership and economic sanctions embossed on that country. Hyperinflation has its benefits and there are some solutions to this case. Just to mention a few solutions include the imposition of high taxes, encouraging savings, using price control means, use monetary control tools such as bank rates, credit squeeze, and many others. Introduction Hyperinflation – this is a type of inflation in which the general level of prices rises at a phenomenal rate. This type of inflation makes people loose confidence in the currency since the value of money declined daily, and consequently, the monetary system starts to disintegrate. As money is rapidly falling in value, people consider it is an unacceptable method of payment reverting to barter trade as a medium of exchange. This leads to the currency ceasing to act or function as money and eventually has t