Evaluation of Current Music Synthesis Software for Rendering of Various Synthesis Algorithms

The ability to distinguish the usefulness of currently available music synthesis software for the application of various synthesis algorithms is the main focus of the research. The amplitude modulation (AM), ring modulation (RM), frequency modulation (PM), additive synthesis and granular synthesis algorithms were used and applied into the Wave Craft [specialised graphical user interface software], Cool Edit Pro [digital audio editor software] and Csound [command prompt type software] synthesis software. These softwares were chosen and categorised according to the software interface. Cool Edit Pro, a commercial or digital audio editor and not specifically a synthesis software, can however be used for this purpose. Due to the accelerated development in music synthesis software, there is an increasing number of new software now with no precise definition of software characteristics to determine their usefulness has been described. Thus, in this project, a Music Software Evaluation (MSE) metrics table with exact definition and criteria in determining the usefulness of music synthesis software was designed and used to evaluate the usefulness of these softwares. Questionnaires were designed based on the MSE metrics table to gauge information on the different features available in the three music synthesis software and also from individuals about their expectations and experience with regards to the softwares. Results from these research findings indicate that different music synthesis software provides users with different features. The results also showed that, from user expectations point of view, Cool Edit Pro is the most preferred software. For experienced users, Csound is preferred over Cool Edit Pro. Conclusions drawn from this research finding is that different software approaches fulfill different kinds of user expectations depending on user experience

An Exploration of Computational Text Analysis of Co-Design Discourse in a Research-Practice Partnership

In combination with contextualized human interpretation, computational text analysis offers a quantitative approach to interrogating the nature of participation and social positioning in discourse. Using meeting transcript data from the development of a co-design research-practice partnership, we examine the roles and forms of participation that contribute to an effective collaboration between a multileveled school system and researcher partners. We apply computational methods to explore the language of co-design and multi-stakeholder perspectives in support of educational improvement science efforts and our theoretical understanding of partnership roles. Results indicate participation patterns align with documented roles in co- design partnerships and highlight the space dedicated to process reflection, context sharing, and logistical coordination

Is a Seat at the Table Enough? Engaging Teachers and Students in Dataset Specification for ML in Education

Despite the promises of ML in education, its adoption in the classroom has surfaced numerous issues regarding fairness, accountability, and transparency, as well as concerns about data privacy and student consent. A root cause of these issues is the lack of understanding of the complex dynamics of education, including teacher-student interactions, collaborative learning, and classroom environment. To overcome these challenges and fully utilize the potential of ML in education, software practitioners need to work closely with educators and students to fully understand the context of the data (the backbone of ML applications) and collaboratively define the ML data specifications. To gain a deeper understanding of such a collaborative process, we conduct ten co-design sessions with ML software practitioners, educators, and students. In the sessions, teachers and students work with ML engineers, UX designers, and legal practitioners to define dataset characteristics for a given ML application. We find that stakeholders contextualize data based on their domain and procedural knowledge, proactively design data requirements to mitigate downstream harms and data reliability concerns, and exhibit role-based collaborative strategies and contribution patterns. Further, we find that beyond a seat at the table, meaningful stakeholder participation in ML requires structured supports: defined processes for continuous iteration and co-evaluation, shared contextual data quality standards, and information scaffolds for both technical and non-technical stakeholders to traverse expertise boundaries

DIETARY SALT INTAKE: HISTORY, ASSESSMENT, AND BENEFIT IN HYPERTENSIVE TREATMENT

ABSTRACTMultiple lines of investigation including genetic, epidemiological, and interventional studies have demonstrated consistently a positive relationshipbetween salt intake, blood pressure (BP) increment, and cardiovascular consequences. In addition, it has been documented that excessive salt intakecan be attributed to various health complications such as asthma, osteoporosis, obesity, and gastric cancer. On the contrary, a reduction in salt intakehas been shown to reduce BP and improve health outcomes, although the evidence is not completely unequivocal. Despite this discrepancy, a lowsodiumdietis widelybeing recommendedtoall hypertensivepatients inparticular,as evidenceagainstits efficacy inconjunction with optimumhypertensivetreatmentiswellestablished.Determinationofsaltintakeamong hypertensivepatients is importantsince dietarysaltrestrictionhadbeenproventoimproveBP controlin conjunction with optimum pharmacological management.Variousmethodshavebeen used toestimatesodiumintakeincludes 24-hrsurinarysodium,overnighturinary sodium,spoturinary sodium/creatinineratio,and dietary surveymethods. Reducingpopulationsaltintakehas been proventobe beneficial, preventingmillionsofdeaths fromcardiovasculardiseaseandstroke,and reducingthe burdenonhealthservices.Manyindividualcountries aroundthe globehavealreadytakenaction againstreducingpopulationsaltintake.These strategieswereeither led bygovernment,nongovernmentorganizations,or industry.Keywords: Dietary sodium, Salt, Hypertension, Sodium measurement, Cost-effectiveness

Integrating new assessment strategies into mathematics classrooms: an exploratory study in Singapore primary and secondary schools

Educational researchers and practitioners have in recent years paid mounting attention to the importance of new assessment (or the so-called alternative assessment) strategies in Mathematics instruction to better reflect the new desired educational goals and shifted values in education. However, research is wanting in this area, particularly in Singapore's educational setting. This project seeks to investigate the influence of using new assessment strategies in Mathematics teaching and learning on students' achievements, in both the cognitive and affective domains, in our local school settings. A quasi-experimental study with about 15-20 teachers at primary and lower secondary levels will be carried out to assess the impact of using a variety of strategies (e.g., projects, journal writing, oral presentation, performance tasks, student self-assessment, classroom observation and interview, etc.) for three school semesters on students' learning. The project will also look into issues concerning how to use new assessment strategies effectively in classrooms in local schools. For this purpose, data will be collected from classroom observation, interviews with teachers and students, and questionnaire surveys. It is hoped that the project will provide research-based evidence and practical suggestions for promoting the effective use of alternative assessment in Singapore Mathematics classrooms. <br/

Multi-scale modeling of moving interface problems with flux and field jumps: Application to oxidative degradation of ceramic matrix composites

Problems involving reaction and species diffusion involve field and flux jumps at a moving reaction front. In multi-scale problems such as carbon fiber composite oxidation, these effects need to be tracked at the microscopic scale of individual carbon fibers. A multi-scale model is derived in this paper for predicting species distribution in such problems using a fully coupled multi-scale homogenization approach. The homogenized fluxes from the micro-scale are derived using Hill's macro-homogeneity condition accounting for both flux jumps and species density field jumps at the reacting interface in the micro-scale unit cell. At the macro-scale, the competition between the transport of reacting species (oxygen) and the reaction product (carbon dioxide) is modeled using homogenized mass conservation equations. The moving reaction front in carbon fibers at the micro-scale is tracked using level set method and an adaptive meshing strategy. The macroscopic weight loss of the composite when exposed to oxygen is simulated as a function of time using a coupled finite element methodology at various locations in a validated macroscopic model. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/79424/1/2996_ftp.pd

A Pilot Study on Nurse-Led Rounds: Preliminary Data on Patient Contact Time

IMPORTANCE OF THE STUDY. Ward rounding has been a historical clinical method of inter-professional collaboration to support inpatient care through the sharing of mental models by exchanging information and discussing plans of care, treatment goals, and discharge plans for the patient. The extant literature reports that rounds are frequently led by doctors with infrequent nurse-physician collaboration and patients’ interactions with doctors during ward rounds tend to be brief. OBJECTIVE. To explore the effects of nurse-led morning ward rounds on patient contact time. DESIGN. An ethnographic prospective observational study comparing nurse-led and physician-led rounds. SETTING. A General Medicine ward at the National University Hospital in Singapore. INTERVENTION. A pilot intervention of nurse-led ward rounds for one week in June 2014. In the pilot intervention, nurses used the SPICES mnemonic to present their patients’ conditions to the clinical teams during morning rounds. MEASURES AND ANALYSES. Two observers shadowed the clinical teams for 57 patients. The amount of time that the clinical teams spent at the bedside of each patient was recorded. RESULTS. The results showed that the average time spent with patients at the bedside was significantly longer for nurse-led rounds compared to physician-led rounds. Also, the average time spent with patients at the bedside trended down toward the end of the 2-hour morning round time for resident-led ward rounds but it remained relatively consistent with an upward trend near the end of the 2-hour morning round for nurse-led rounds. CONCLUSION. The preliminary data suggests that quality time spent with patients at the bedside during morning rounds may be improved by nurse-led rounds

Corn husk as lignocellulosic agricultural waste for the cultivation of Pleurotus florida mushroom

The growth and yield of Pleurotus florida mushroom were evaluated in media with corn husk and wood sawdust substrates. Five formulations of substrates, namely 0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% of wood sawdust substituted with corn husk, were tested with 0% corn husk or 100% wood sawdust serving as the control. The total number of fruiting bodies, the number of effective fruiting bodies, the total fresh weight and dry weight of the mushroom, and biological efficiency were significantly increased with as low as 25% corn husk in the substrate, and they showed a significant increasing trend as the composition of corn husk in the substrate increased. Superior yield was produced by P. florida cultivated in 100% corn husk, where the total number of fruiting bodies, the number of effective fruiting bodies, the total fresh weight, and the total dry weight of the mushroom were 4.8 times, 5.4 times, 4.6 times, and 5.4 times greater than the control, respectively. The biological efficiency of P. florida increased gradually from 8.8% in the control to 51.37% in the 100% corn husk substrate. Therefore, corn husk could be exploited as a substitute or alternative substrate to wood sawdust for more sustainable production of P. florida