2,363 research outputs found
Leading, educating, and inspiring LIS professionals to embrace accessibility for a resilient future
The COVID years (2020-2021) have put the issues of disability and accessibility in the spotlight. Social interactions, employment, studies, and day-to-day activities for some people with disabilities have become increasingly more challenging than before; and yet, others have found opportunity and even relief in working from home, having a chance to avoid the grueling commute and inaccessible physical environments, often associated with workplaces. The pandemic and remote engagements have thus highlighted disparities within the disabled community itself: those with comfortable living conditions, information literacy skills, and stable internet access fared exceedingly better than individuals lacking these conditions. People with disabilities in all LIS constituent groups have been affected: students, librarians, library users, faculty, and academic staff. This has shown the need for building resilience and intensifying discussion on the importance of accessibility. This session will bring together over a dozen educators from American and Canadian LIS programs and include five presentations accompanied by hands-on interactive activities. After a brief introduction (5 min), each group of presenters will introduce their topics (30-35 min) and then engage the audience in a series of activities that they have prepared (40 min). Participants will reconvene for the general discussion (10-15 min). Cahill, Adkins, and Bushman will review the ways in which LIS courses in youth services address programs for young children with disabilities. Following the talk, they will facilitate the collaborative scrutiny of syllabi from LIS youth services courses. They will encourage participants to collectively come up with solutions, changes, and improvements and show their alignments with ALA Core Competences and COA Standards for Accreditation. Copeland, Mallary, and Thompson will focus on the training of LIS professionals that helps them embrace accessibility by using scenarios for inclusive hiring practices. They will offer a lesson plan for preparing future LIS managers and leaders for the equitable handling of job interviews, inclusive job advertising, and onboarding after hiring. Participants will learn to design training scenarios related to teaching students about inclusive communicative practices. Focusing on the potential of libraries to provide ânon-pharmacological interventionsâ that improve the lives of people living with dementia and their care partners, Dickey will help participants explore the ways to prepare LIS students for supporting these user groups. Participants will brainstorm practical suggestions for fostering accessibility when people with dementia are concerned and discover resources for leadership and advocacy. Hill and Wong will zero in on everyday choices made by LIS educators in their course design that can improve accessibility in learning, including policies, learning materials, and considerations of diversity in establishing ânorms.â Participants will leave with a checklist of practices for accessibility audit in their courses. Farmer will take up the topic of collaboration with disability support service providers (DSSP). Building off the lived experiences of individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), participants will learn several strategies for successful collaboration with DSSP. The SIG session will end with the general discussion of how the aforementioned aspects are affected during world health emergencies and what it means for the future of accessibility
Parametric LTL on Markov Chains
This paper is concerned with the verification of finite Markov chains against
parametrized LTL (pLTL) formulas. In pLTL, the until-modality is equipped with
a bound that contains variables; e.g., asserts that
holds within time steps, where is a variable on natural
numbers. The central problem studied in this paper is to determine the set of
parameter valuations for which the probability to
satisfy pLTL-formula in a Markov chain meets a given threshold , where is a comparison on reals and a probability. As for pLTL
determining the emptiness of is undecidable, we consider
several logic fragments. We consider parametric reachability properties, a
sub-logic of pLTL restricted to next and , parametric B\"uchi
properties and finally, a maximal subclass of pLTL for which emptiness of is decidable.Comment: TCS Track B 201
Stochastic Calculus for a Time-changed Semimartingale and the Associated Stochastic Differential Equations
It is shown that under a certain condition on a semimartingale and a
time-change, any stochastic integral driven by the time-changed semimartingale
is a time-changed stochastic integral driven by the original semimartingale. As
a direct consequence, a specialized form of the Ito formula is derived. When a
standard Brownian motion is the original semimartingale, classical Ito
stochastic differential equations driven by the Brownian motion with drift
extend to a larger class of stochastic differential equations involving a
time-change with continuous paths. A form of the general solution of linear
equations in this new class is established, followed by consideration of some
examples analogous to the classical equations. Through these examples, each
coefficient of the stochastic differential equations in the new class is given
meaning. The new feature is the coexistence of a usual drift term along with a
term related to the time-change.Comment: 27 pages; typos correcte
Semiparametric theory and empirical processes in causal inference
In this paper we review important aspects of semiparametric theory and
empirical processes that arise in causal inference problems. We begin with a
brief introduction to the general problem of causal inference, and go on to
discuss estimation and inference for causal effects under semiparametric
models, which allow parts of the data-generating process to be unrestricted if
they are not of particular interest (i.e., nuisance functions). These models
are very useful in causal problems because the outcome process is often complex
and difficult to model, and there may only be information available about the
treatment process (at best). Semiparametric theory gives a framework for
benchmarking efficiency and constructing estimators in such settings. In the
second part of the paper we discuss empirical process theory, which provides
powerful tools for understanding the asymptotic behavior of semiparametric
estimators that depend on flexible nonparametric estimators of nuisance
functions. These tools are crucial for incorporating machine learning and other
modern methods into causal inference analyses. We conclude by examining related
extensions and future directions for work in semiparametric causal inference
Tools for Deconstructing Gauge Theories in AdS5
We employ analytical methods to study deconstruction of 5D gauge theories in
the AdS5 background. We demonstrate that using the so-called q-Bessel functions
allows a quantitative analysis of the deconstructed setup. Our study clarifies
the relation of deconstruction with 5D warped theories.Comment: 30 pages; v2: several refinements, references adde
Competition of Mesoscales and Crossover to Tricriticality in Polymer Solutions
We show that the approach to asymptotic fluctuation-induced critical behavior
in polymer solutions is governed by a competition between a correlation length
diverging at the critical point and an additional mesoscopic length-scale, the
radius of gyration. Accurate light-scattering experiments on polystyrene
solutions in cyclohexane with polymer molecular weights ranging from 200,000 up
to 11.4 million clearly demonstrate a crossover between two universal regimes:
a regime with Ising asymptotic critical behavior, where the correlation length
prevails, and a regime with tricritical theta-point behavior determined by a
mesoscopic polymer-chain length.Comment: 4 pages in RevTeX with 4 figure
Sufficient Covariate, Propensity Variable and Doubly Robust Estimation
Statistical causal inference from observational studies often requires
adjustment for a possibly multi-dimensional variable, where dimension reduction
is crucial. The propensity score, first introduced by Rosenbaum and Rubin, is a
popular approach to such reduction. We address causal inference within Dawid's
decision-theoretic framework, where it is essential to pay attention to
sufficient covariates and their properties. We examine the role of a propensity
variable in a normal linear model. We investigate both population-based and
sample-based linear regressions, with adjustments for a multivariate covariate
and for a propensity variable. In addition, we study the augmented inverse
probability weighted estimator, involving a combination of a response model and
a propensity model. In a linear regression with homoscedasticity, a propensity
variable is proved to provide the same estimated causal effect as multivariate
adjustment. An estimated propensity variable may, but need not, yield better
precision than the true propensity variable. The augmented inverse probability
weighted estimator is doubly robust and can improve precision if the propensity
model is correctly specified
Neutron beam test of CsI crystal for dark matter search
We have studied the response of Tl-doped and Na-doped CsI crystals to nuclear
recoils and 's below 10 keV. The response of CsI crystals to nuclear
recoil was studied with mono-energetic neutrons produced by the
H(p,n)He reaction. This was compared to the response to Compton
electrons scattered by 662 keV -ray. Pulse shape discrimination between
the response to these 's and nuclear recoils was studied, and quality
factors were estimated. The quenching factors for nuclear recoils were derived
for both CsI(Na) and CsI(Tl) crystals.Comment: 21pages, 14figures, submitted to NIM
Mesoscopic proximity effect in double barrier Superconductor/Normal Metal junctions
We report transport measurements down to T=60mK of SININ and SNIN structures
in the diffusive limit. We fabricated Al-AlOx/Cu/AlOx/Cu (SININ) and
Al/Cu/AlOx/Cu (SNIN) vertical junctions. For the first time, a zero bias
anomaly was observed in a metallic SININ structure. We attribute this peak of
conductance to coherent multi-reflections of electrons between the two tunnel
barriers. This conductance maximum is quantitatively fitted by the relevant
theory of mesoscopic SININ structures. When the barrier at the SN interface is
removed (SNIN structure), we observe a peak of conductance at finite voltage
accompagnied by an excess of sub-gap conductance.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, editorially approved for publication in Phys.
Rev. B Rapid Com
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