News from FormCalc and LoopTools

The FormCalc package automates the computation of FeynArts amplitudes up to one loop including the generation of a Fortran code for the numerical evaluation of the squared matrix element. Major new or enhanced features in Version 5 are: iterative build-up of essentially arbitrary phase-spaces including cuts, convolution with density functions, and uniform treatment of kinematical variables. The LoopTools library supplies the one-loop integrals necessary for evaluating the squared matrix element. Its most significant extensions in Version 2.2 are the five-point family of integrals, and complex and alternate versions.Comment: 5 pages, to appear in the proceedings of the 7th International Symposium on Radiative Corrections (RADCOR05), Shonan Village, Japan, 200

Tag Recognition for Quadcopter Drone Movement

Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) drone such as Parrot AR.Drone 2.0 is a flying mobile robot which has been popularly researched for the application of search and rescue mission. In this project, Robot Operating System (ROS), a free open source platform for developing robot control software is used to develop a tag recognition program for drone movement. ROS is popular with mobile robotics application development because sensors data transmission for robot control system analysis will be very handy with the use of ROS nodes and packages once the installation and compilation is done correctly. It is expected that the drone can communicate with a laptop via ROS nodes for sensors data transmission which will be further analyzed and processed for the close-loop control system. The developed program consisting of several packages is aimed to demonstrate the recognition of different tags by the drone which will be transformed into a movement command with respect to the tag recognized; in other words, a visual-based navigation program is developed

Pembelajaran Berbasis Masalah Mampu Meningkatkan Kemampuan Metakognisi Siswa SMA

Penelitian ini fokus untuk meningkatkan kemampuan metakognisi dengan penggunaan pembelajaran berbasis masalah pada materi suhu dan kalor. Sebanyak 30 siswa  kelas XI MIPA 8  menjadi subjek penelitian. Penelitian ini dilakukan di SMAN 1 Kedungwaru Tulungagung. Penelitian ini menggunakan model kuantitatif-kualitatif (mixed methods). Penelitian ini menunjukan hasil yang positif, didapatkan nilai N-Gain termasuk ke dalam kategori sedang sebesar 0,46 dan effect size yang masuk dalam kategori sangat kuat yaitu 2,55. Kemampuan metakognisi siswa meningkat pada indikator declarative knowledge, prosedural knowledge, conditinal knowledge dan information, planning, monitoring, evaluation, debugging

Debugging Scandal: The Next Generation

In 1997, the general lack of debugging tools was termed "the debugging scandal". Today, as new languages are emerging to support software evolution, once more debugging support is lagging. The powerful abstractions offered by new languages are compiled away and transformed into complex synthetic structures. Current debugging tools only allow inspection in terms of this complex synthetic structure; they do not support observation of program executions in terms of the original development abstractions. In this position paper, we outline this problem and present two emerging lines of research that ease the burden for debugger implementers and enable developers to debug in terms of development abstractions. For both approaches we identify language-independent debugger components and those that must be implemented for every new language. One approach restores the abstractions by a tool external to the program. The other maintains the abstractions by using a dedicated execution environment, supporting the relevant abstractions. Both approaches have the potential of improving debugging support for new languages. We discuss the advantages and disadvantages of both approaches, outline a combination thereof and also discuss open challenges

Programming MPSoC platforms: Road works ahead

This paper summarizes a special session on multicore/multi-processor system-on-chip (MPSoC) programming challenges. The current trend towards MPSoC platforms in most computing domains does not only mean a radical change in computer architecture. Even more important from a SW developer´s viewpoint, at the same time the classical sequential von Neumann programming model needs to be overcome. Efficient utilization of the MPSoC HW resources demands for radically new models and corresponding SW development tools, capable of exploiting the available parallelism and guaranteeing bug-free parallel SW. While several standards are established in the high-performance computing domain (e.g. OpenMP), it is clear that more innovations are required for successful\ud deployment of heterogeneous embedded MPSoC. On the other hand, at least for coming years, the freedom for disruptive programming technologies is limited by the huge amount of certified sequential code that demands for a more pragmatic, gradual tool and code replacement strategy

Exploring and Understanding Pupils’ Lack of Perseverance and Autonomy With Debugging in Computing

The National Curriculum for Computing in England expects that primary-school-aged pupils (5- to 11-year-olds) will be able to correct programming errors in age-appropriate contexts (DfE) 2013). This correction of errors in computing is known as debugging. Utilising a broadly autoethnographic approach, this paper draws upon the writer’s positionality as a computing teacher in primary school and as a teacher educator in a university-based setting. Reflecting upon experiences of teaching computing (specifically debugging) to primary school pupils, the paper goes on to outline and explore potential reasons for pupils’ lack of perseverance and autonomy when engaged with debugging activities. Ideas around learnt helplessness and cognitive load theory are analysed as potential barriers to pupils’ progress when it comes to debugging. The reflective process concludes with suggestions to further develop pupils’ independence with debugging activities, as well as considering the importance of teacher educators’ own practice-based experiences to share with new teachers