Pattern for Re-engineering a Classification Scheme, which Follows the Adjacency List Data Model, to a Taxonomy

This pattern for re-engineering non-ontological resources (pr-nor) fits in the schema re-engineering category proposed by [3]. The pattern defines a procedure that transforms the classification scheme components into ontology representational primitives. This pattern comes from the experience of ontology engineers in developing ontologies using classification schemes in several projects (seemp 1 , neon 2 , and knowledge web 3 ). The pattern is included in a pool of patterns, which is a key element of our method for re-engineering non-ontological resources into ontologies [2]. The patterns generate the ontologies at a conceptualization level, independent of the ontology implementation language

Assessment and Accountability: An Exploration of Teachers\u27 Practices in Assessing English Language Proficiency

Assessment is an important component in an education program. Current educational policy includes large scale assessments with stringent accountability requirements. All students are expected to meet standards for achievement, including those who have historically not been successful. Students from non-English language backgrounds are one of the populations of students who do not achieve academic success at the same rate as other students. This population of students is increasing in our nation\u27s schools, causing this achievement gap to be of greater concern. Added to the concern is the requirement that English Language Learners (ELLs) must meet rigorous standards in both academic achievement and English language proficiency. The assessment of ELLs is controversial for a number of reasons. Language is highly complex and assessment must reflect that complexity. English language proficiency assessment has become a “high stakes” issue as school districts are held accountable for student progress in this area. This research study examines the assessment of ELLs from the perspective of their teachers. Based on a theoretical foundation that supports a social constructivist view of Instruction and assessment, the research design involves mixed methods with a naturalistic perspective. Ten teachers from three states participated in the study, involving interviews, a questionnaire and an online focus group. Themes emerged from the data documenting that teachers use a variety of assessment to understand ELLs, their background and the context of assessment influences their perspectives, teachers know about their students and their relationship with the large scales assessments and accountability is multifaceted and varied. Several assertions and recommendations were developed from these findings. The passion teachers of ELLs have for their students supports them in maintaining a commitment despite challenges. The teachers have found a way to negotiate between assessment that is more holistic and the large scale high stakes tests. Teachers need to be supported in finding a voice in accountability systems. Assessments need to encompass holistic approaches to language. More research needs to be conducted on the construct of English language proficiency

Directly estimating non-classicality

We establish a method of directly measuring and estimating non-classicality - operationally defined in terms of the distinguishability of a given state from one with a positive Wigner function. It allows to certify non-classicality, based on possibly much fewer measurement settings than necessary for obtaining complete tomographic knowledge, and is at the same time equipped with a full certificate. We find that even from measuring two conjugate variables alone, one may infer the non-classicality of quantum mechanical modes. This method also provides a practical tool to eventually certify such features in mechanical degrees of freedom in opto-mechanics. The proof of the result is based on Bochner's theorem characterizing classical and quantum characteristic functions and on semi-definite programming. In this joint theoretical-experimental work we present data from experimental optical Fock state preparation, demonstrating the functioning of the approach.Comment: 4+1 pages, 2 figures, minor change

Spoof detection using time-delay shallow neural network and feature switching

Detecting spoofed utterances is a fundamental problem in voice-based biometrics. Spoofing can be performed either by logical accesses like speech synthesis, voice conversion or by physical accesses such as replaying the pre-recorded utterance. Inspired by the state-of-the-art \emph{x}-vector based speaker verification approach, this paper proposes a time-delay shallow neural network (TD-SNN) for spoof detection for both logical and physical access. The novelty of the proposed TD-SNN system vis-a-vis conventional DNN systems is that it can handle variable length utterances during testing. Performance of the proposed TD-SNN systems and the baseline Gaussian mixture models (GMMs) is analyzed on the ASV-spoof-2019 dataset. The performance of the systems is measured in terms of the minimum normalized tandem detection cost function (min-t-DCF). When studied with individual features, the TD-SNN system consistently outperforms the GMM system for physical access. For logical access, GMM surpasses TD-SNN systems for certain individual features. When combined with the decision-level feature switching (DLFS) paradigm, the best TD-SNN system outperforms the best baseline GMM system on evaluation data with a relative improvement of 48.03\% and 49.47\% for both logical and physical access, respectively

A Pattern Based Approach for Re-engineering Non-Ontological Resources into Ontologies

With the goal of speeding up the ontology development process, ontology engineers are starting to reuse as much as possible available ontologies and non-ontological resources such as classification schemes, thesauri, lexicons and folksonomies, that already have some degree of consensus. The reuse of such non-ontological resources necessarily involves their re-engineering into ontologies. Non-ontological resources are highly heterogeneous in their data model and contents: they encode different types of knowledge, and they can be modeled and implemented in different ways. In this paper we present (1) a typology for non-ontological resources, (2) a pattern based approach for re-engineering non-ontological resources into ontologies, and (3) a use case of the proposed approach

Chapter 7 • Integrated seismic study - Focus on “Cigéo”, the French geological repository project

In the geophysics of oil exploration and reservoir studies, the surface seismic method is the most commonly used method to obtain a subsurface model in 2 or 3 dimensions. This method plays an increasingly important role in soil investigations for geotechnical, hydrogeological and site characterization studies regarding seismic hazard issues. The goal of this book is to provide a practical guide, using examples from the field, to the application of seismic methods to surface imaging. After reviewing the current state of knowledge in seismic wave propagation, refraction and reflection seismic methods, the book aims to describe how seismic tomography and fullwave form inversion methods can be used to obtain seismic images of the subsurface. Through various synthetic and field examples, the book highlights the benefit of combining different sets of data: refracted waves with reflected waves, and body waves with surface waves. With field data targeting shallow structures, it shows how more accurate geophysical models can be obtained by using the proposed hybrid methods. Finally, it shows how the integration of seismic data (3D survey and VSP), logging data (acoustic logging) and core measurements, combined with a succession of specific and advanced processing techniques, enables the development of a 3D high resolution geological model in depth. In addition to these examples, the authors provide readers with guidelines to carry out these operations, in terms of acquisition, as well as processing and interpretation. In each chapter, the reader will find theoretical concepts, practical rules and, above all, actual application examples. For this reason, the book can be used as a text to accompany course lectures or continuing education seminars. This book aims to promote the exchange of information among geologists, geophysicists, and engineers in geotechnical fields

The effect of natural disturbances on forest biodiversity: an ecological synthesis

Disturbances alter biodiversity via their specific characteristics, including severity and extent in the landscape, which act at different temporal and spatial scales. Biodiversity response to disturbance also depends on the community characteristics and habitat requirements of species. Untangling the mechanistic interplay of these factors has guided disturbance ecology for decades, generating mixed scientific evidence of biodiversity responses to disturbance. Understanding the impact of natural disturbances on biodiversity is increasingly important due to human-induced changes in natural disturbance regimes. In many areas, major natural forest disturbances, such as wildfires, windstorms, and insect outbreaks, are becoming more frequent, intense, severe, and widespread due to climate change and land-use change. Conversely, the suppression of natural disturbances threatens disturbance-dependent biota. Using a meta-analytic approach, we analysed a global data set (with most sampling concentrated in temperate and boreal secondary forests) of species assemblages of 26 taxonomic groups, including plants, animals, and fungi collected from forests affected by wildfires, windstorms, and insect outbreaks. The overall effect of natural disturbances on α-diversity did not differ significantly from zero, but some taxonomic groups responded positively to disturbance, while others tended to respond negatively. Disturbance was beneficial for taxonomic groups preferring conditions associated with open canopies (e.g. hymenopterans and hoverflies), whereas ground-dwelling groups and/or groups typically associated with shady conditions (e.g. epigeic lichens and mycorrhizal fungi) were more likely to be negatively impacted by disturbance. Across all taxonomic groups, the highest α-diversity in disturbed forest patches occurred under moderate disturbance severity, i.e. with approximately 55% of trees killed by disturbance. We further extended our meta-analysis by applying a unified diversity concept based on Hill numbers to estimate α-diversity changes in different taxonomic groups across a gradient of disturbance severity measured at the stand scale and incorporating other disturbance features. We found that disturbance severity negatively affected diversity for Hill number q = 0 but not for q = 1 and q = 2, indicating that diversity–disturbance relationships are shaped by species relative abundances. Our synthesis of α-diversity was extended by a synthesis of disturbance-induced change in species assemblages, and revealed that disturbance changes the β-diversity of multiple taxonomic groups, including some groups that were not affected at the α-diversity level (birds and woody plants). Finally, we used mixed rarefaction/extrapolation to estimate biodiversity change as a function of the proportion of forests that were disturbed, i.e. the disturbance extent measured at the landscape scale. The comparison of intact and naturally disturbed forests revealed that both types of forests provide habitat for unique species assemblages, whereas species diversity in the mixture of disturbed and undisturbed forests peaked at intermediate values of disturbance extent in the simulated landscape. Hence, the relationship between α-diversity and disturbance severity in disturbed forest stands was strikingly similar to the relationship between species richness and disturbance extent in a landscape consisting of both disturbed and undisturbed forest habitats. This result suggests that both moderate disturbance severity and moderate disturbance extent support the highest levels of biodiversity in contemporary forest landscapes.British Ecological Society LRB20/1002Junta de AndaluciaEuropean Commission B-FQM-366-UGR20Centro ANID Basal FB210015Direccion de Investigacion Universidad de La Frontera DIUFRO DI20-0066Federal Ministry of Education & Research (BMBF)Max Planck SocietyINCT Madeiras da AmazoniaFederal Ministry of Education & Research (BMBF) 01LB1001A 01LK1602ABrazilian Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI/FINEP) 01.11.01248.00Max Planck SocietyRussian Science Foundation (RSF) 21-14-00227Ministry of Education, Youth & Sports - Czech Republic Czech Republic Government LTC 20058Czech Academy of Sciences RVO67985939UK Research & Innovation (UKRI)Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) GR3/11743Greek project POL-AEGIS, Program THALES MIS 376737Projekt DEAL TH 2218/5-

Inter-sourcing: IT Solutions With University Partners

Managers are currently dealing with a variety of sourcing decisions regarding information technology (IT) projects. Reduction in labor costs is the primary driver for outsourcing and offshoring initiatives (e.g. Klaas, McClendon and Gainey, 1999; Lacity, Willcocks, and Feeny, 1996). However, the challenges posed by these solutions can be reduced, or possibly eliminated, through a novel and innovative collaboration approach called ‘inter-sourcing’. This paper defines what is meant by inter-sourcing, and identifies benefits and challenges associated with this new approach. This “work in progress” outlines the preliminary development of this exploratory project and the qualitative methodology that will be used to investigate the topic in depth. If accepted for the MWAIS program, the authors will share updated findings from interviews and anecdotal evidence of successful projects resulting from inter-sourcing alliances

Interdisciplinarity in the Philippine Academia: Theory, History, and Challenges

Forum Kritika on Interdisciplinarity in the Philippine Academia discusses the history of how universities and academics construct their respective notions of disciplinarity and interdisciplinarity. Our decision to engage with this development in tertiary education takes off from a historical phase in our educational system. Questions on the character of disciplines have heightened in the last half-century, and this phenomenon does not only emerge out of the critical practice of the people who are part of universities, but the external world of the universities have started to knock on the university doors. Informed by the present situation of our universities and the educational system at large, we both argue that both disciplinarity and interdisciplinarity are modern constructs that should be understood by elucidating dialectics of theoretical and historical underpinnings. The tandem of history and theory provides the frames for us to better see the challenges when universities implement such paradigm, and this forum hopes to shed some light to our fellow academics as the Philippines undergo crucial changes, revamps, and overhauls in our educational system

Normal form decomposition for Gaussian-to-Gaussian superoperators

In this paper we explore the set of linear maps sending the set of quantum Gaussian states into itself. These maps are in general not positive, a feature which can be exploited as a test to check whether a given quantum state belongs to the convex hull of Gaussian states (if one of the considered maps sends it into a non positive operator, the above state is certified not to belong to the set). Generalizing a result known to be valid under the assumption of complete positivity, we provide a characterization of these Gaussian-to-Gaussian (not necessarily positive) superoperators in terms of their action on the characteristic function of the inputs. For the special case of one-mode mappings we also show that any Gaussian-to-Gaussian superoperator can be expressed as a concatenation of a phase-space dilatation, followed by the action of a completely positive Gaussian channel, possibly composed with a transposition. While a similar decomposition is shown to fail in the multi-mode scenario, we prove that it still holds at least under the further hypothesis of homogeneous action on the covariance matrix