Induction of First-Order Decision Lists: Results on Learning the Past Tense of English Verbs

This paper presents a method for inducing logic programs from examples that learns a new class of concepts called first-order decision lists, defined as ordered lists of clauses each ending in a cut. The method, called FOIDL, is based on FOIL (Quinlan, 1990) but employs intensional background knowledge and avoids the need for explicit negative examples. It is particularly useful for problems that involve rules with specific exceptions, such as learning the past-tense of English verbs, a task widely studied in the context of the symbolic/connectionist debate. FOIDL is able to learn concise, accurate programs for this problem from significantly fewer examples than previous methods (both connectionist and symbolic).Comment: See http://www.jair.org/ for any accompanying file

Interferometric mapping of Magnetic fields: G30.79 FIR 10

We present polarization maps of G30.79 FIR 10 (in W43) from thermal dust emission at 1.3 mm and from CO J=$2 \to 1$ line emission. The observations were obtained using the Berkeley-Illinois-Maryland Association array in the period 2002-2004. The G30.79 FIR 10 region shows an ordered polarization pattern in dust emission, which suggests an hourglass shape for the magnetic field. Only marginal detections for line polarization were made from this region. Application of the Chandrashkar-Fermi method yielded $B_{pos} \approx 1.7$ mG and a statistically corrected mass to magnetic flux ratio $\lambda_{C} \approx 0.9$, or essentially critical.Comment: 11 pages, 2 Figures, Published in Ap

Dark Triad traits, engagement with learning and perceptions of employability in undergraduate students

Whilst student engagement with learning has been consistently linked to positive academic outcomes, there has been an increasing focus among higher education institutions on the importance of producing employable graduates. This study investigated whether individual differences in socially aversive personality traits predict different types of student engagement, students’ understanding of employability or their attitudes towards this construct. Ninety-four undergraduate students completed the Short Dark Triad and questionnaires measuring engagement, understanding of employability and attitudes towards employability. Regression analyses revealed that narcissism positively predicts general and emotional engagement, whilst psychopathy negatively predicts general engagement. Narcissism positively predicts, and Machiavellianism negatively predicts, attitudes towards employability. Although no Dark Triad traits predicted understanding of employability, students who were highly engaged tended to better understand the concept. These findings can aid university educators by informing more individualised approaches to encouraging engagement and fostering employable skills and attributes in university students. The results are also discussed in the context of employability in higher education, with recommendations for improving student engagement and graduate employability outcomes

A Case Study of Professional Development Activities That Foster a Biblical Worldview in K-8 Christian School Teachers

The purpose of this collective case study was to explore professional development (PD) activities that fostered a biblical worldview (BW) in K-8 Christian school teachers. The theory guiding this study was Fowler’s (1995) faith development theory (FDT), as this theory provided an understanding of the transformational process which Christian teachers undergo as faith develops throughout their lives. BW development compared to faith development because of the transformation that occurred in pedagogical practices. Twelve K-8 Christian school teachers in Arizona were selected for this study using criterion sampling. Each participant was a K-8 Christian school educator, was a born-again believer, and experienced PD activities that fostered BW. Data collection included on-site interviews, electronic journals, a focus group, and a document review. This collective case study discovered professional development activities that fostered a biblical worldview in K-8 Christian school teachers. Data from this study answered the central research question, “How do K-8 Christian school teachers describe PD activities that develop their BW?” Four themes developed and described BW PD and included the following: intentional design, personal responsibility, opportunities for application, and intrinsic development

The effects of organic farming on the soil physical environment

The aim of this research was to investigate the effects of organic farming practices on the development of soil physical properties, and in particular, soil structure in comparison with conventional agricultural management. The soil structure of organically and conventionally managed soils at one site was compared in a quantitative manner at different scales of observations using image analysis. Key soil physical and chemical properties were measured as well as the pore fractal geometry to characterise pore roughness. Organically managed soils had higher organic matter content and provided a more stable soil structure than conventionally managed soils. The higher porosity (%) at the macroscale in soil under conventional management was due to fewer larger pores while mesoand microscale porosity was found to be greater under organic management. Organically managed soils typically provided spatially well distributed pores of all sizes and of greater roughness compared to those under conventional management. These variations in the soil physical environment are likely to impact significantly on the performance of these soils for a number of key processes such as crop establishment and water availabilit

Highly electronegative metallic contacts to semiconductors using polymeric sulfur nitride

The Schottky barriers formed on n‐ZnS and n‐ZnSe by polymeric sulfur nitride have been compared to barriers formed by Au. Barrier energies as determined by photoresponse, current‐voltage, and capacitance‐voltage methods show that (SN)_x is approximately 1.0 eV higher than Au on n‐ZnS and 0.3–0.4 eV higher than Au on n‐ZnSe. We believe that this is the first report of any metallic contact more electronegative than Au

Developing Data Literacies for Graduate Students in the Social Sciences

What competencies in working with data do graduate students in the Social Sciences need to acquire before they graduate? What roles can librarians and other information professionals play in teaching these competencies to graduate students? This paper will report on preliminary findings from an investigation into the data management competencies and skill gaps of graduate students in the social sciences. Building from the work of the Data Information Literacy (DIL) project (http://datainfolit.org), this study uses an interview-based approach to discern how competencies in working with data are understood and valued by graduate students and their faculty advisors. The DIL project identified and employed 12 data competencies as starting points for interviews and for developing educational programming on data literacies for graduate students. As the original DIL project focused on students in five different STEM fields, this extended study into the social sciences (DIL-SS) will allow for comparisons of perceptions and practices between these disciplines. In addition, DIL-SS presents an opportunity to further develop the 12 DIL competencies and test their relevance to educational needs in the social sciences. Our findings will inform the work of librarians and others involved in offering data management education and consulting services in academic settings

Assessing the influence of the rhizosphere on soil hydraulic properties using X-ray Computed Tomography and numerical modelling

Understanding the dynamics of water distribution in soil is crucial for enhancing our knowledge of managing soil and water resources. The application of X-ray Computed Tomography (CT) to the plant and soil sciences is now well established. However, few studies have utilised the technique for visualising water in soil pore spaces. Here we utilise this method to visualise the water in soil in situ and in three-dimensions at successive reductive matric potentials in bulk and rhizosphere soil. The measurements are combined with numerical modelling to determine the unsaturated hydraulic conductivity, providing a complete picture of the hydraulic properties of the soil. The technique was performed on soil cores that were sampled adjacent to established roots (rhizosphere soil) and from soil that had not been influenced by roots (bulk soil). A water release curve was obtained for the different soil types using measurements of their pore geometries derived from CT imaging and verified using conventional methods e.g. pressure plates. The water, soil and air phases from the images were segmented and quantified using image analysis. The water release characteristics obtained for the contrasting soils showed clear differences in hydraulic properties between rhizosphere and bulk soil, especially in clay soil. The data suggests that soils influenced by roots (rhizosphere soil) are less porous due to increased aggregation when compared to bulk soil. The information and insights obtained on the hydraulic properties of rhizosphere and bulk soil will enhance our understanding of rhizosphere biophysics and improve current water uptake models

Improved aviation readiness and inventory reductions through repair cycle time reductions using modeling and simulation

This thesis research focuses on improved aviation readiness and reductions in pipeline inventory investment through repair Turn Around Time reductions related to the component repair processes internal to the Naval Aviation Depot (NADEP). Specific emphasis was given to the repair flow of a specific component from induction into the Depot for repair to the ultimate availability for sale to customers in a ready-for-issue status. The research models the current NADEP repair process flow and simulates enhancements to the process flow. These enhancements identify savings of over $52,000 in repair pipeline inventory investment for the candidate item. Our model and associated simulations provide NADEP with graphical and quantitative feedback which demonstrates the impact of process flow enhancements on repair Turn Around Time and Work in Process inventory efficiency.http://archive.org/details/improvedviationr1094531922NANAU.S. Navy (U.S.N.) authors.Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited

Three dimensional quantification of soil hydraulic properties using X-ray Computed Tomography and image based modelling

We demonstrate the application of a high-resolution X-ray Computed Tomography (CT) method to quantify water distribution in soil pores under successive reductive drying. We focus on the wet end of the water release characteristic (WRC) (0 to -75 kPa) to investigate changes in soil water distribution in contrasting soil textures (sand and clay) and structures (sieved and field structured), to determine the impact of soil structure on hydraulic behaviour. The 3D structure of each soil was obtained from the CT images (at a 10 µm resolution). Stokes equations for flow were solved computationally for each measured structure to estimate hydraulic conductivity. The simulated values obtained compared extremely well with the measured saturated hydraulic conductivity values. By considering different sample sizes we were able to identify that the smallest possible representative sample size which is required to determine a globally valid hydraulic conductivity