The role of Internet-specific epistemic beliefs in laypersons’ source evaluations and decisions during Web search on a medical issue

This study investigated the predictive value of epistemic beliefs about knowledge and knowing on the Web for source evaluations and post-search decisions when university students (n = 79) searched the Web to make an informed decision about a conflicting and unfamiliar medical issue. Epistemic beliefs were assessed with the Internet-Specific Epistemological Questionnaire (ISEQ) and processing of source information was measured through eye tracking, log files, and verbal protocols. Furthermore, Web users’ post-search decisions and their basis for those decisions were assessed. Results from multiple regression analyses indicated that beliefs in the Web as a reliable resource of accurate knowledge and detailed facts were related to decreased verbal reflection on the credibility and type of sources and decreased attention to the URLs of the search results, as well as a greater certainty in the post-search decision. In addition, doubts about the need to check knowledge claims on the Web against other sources, reason, and prior knowledge were related to a more one-sided representation of the conflicting issue. In conclusion, the findings suggested that Internet-specific certainty, source, and structure beliefs primarily play a role in source evaluation, while Internet-specific beliefs about the justification for knowing primarily play a role in constructing a complete representation of document contents.     

基于行动导向的《计算机应用基础》教学设计与实施

对行动导向教学理论进行了研究,并应用于《计算机应用基础》课程中。教师深入企业,从职业群中提炼典型工作任务,并按照工作流程创设相应的学习情景,充分发挥导演的角色,让学生在完成学习任务的过程中,熟悉工作流程并掌握知识和技能。实践证明,行动导向教学设计提高了学习的主动性、积极性,使教学质量和教学效果得到了大幅度的提升。     

Using an adapted,task-level technology acceptance model to explain why instructors in higher education intend to use some learning management system tools more than others

Instructors in higher education perform some instructional tasks much more often using a learning management system (LMS) tool than other tasks. In studies that aim to explain these differences, the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) perspective is missing. In this study, an adapted, task-level TAM questionnaire was used to measure task importance, task performance, LMS usefulness, LMS ease of use, and intention to use an LMS for 18 different instructional tasks among 180 instructors at a Dutch research university. The results show that low intention to use an LMS can be explained by (1) low task importance or performance, and/or (2) low LMS usefulness, and/or (3) low LMS ease of use level. The LMS tools and tasks within each of the three groups were not related substantively. This raises a question regarding whether an instructor's LMS intention level can best be explained by the combination of a specific tool, a specific instructional task, and a specific user interface.     

支持多应用任务的WSNs中间件的设计与实现

无线传感器网络作为物联网的基础设施,需要同时运行多种应用任务来满足不同用户的复杂需求。现有的无线传感器网络中间件主要是为某一类应用领域而设计和开发的,其上运行的是单一应用任务。设计了一种支持多应用任务的无线传感器网络中间件架构,并根据此架构设计与实现了整个系统与各个功能组件,整个中间件可以根据不同需求承载多种应用任务,并且通过模拟网络的实验验证了该中间件系统具有较好的可行性和实用性。     

Recording concerns in source code using annotations

A concern can be characterized as a developer׳s intent behind a piece of code, often not explicitly captured in it. We discuss a technique of recording concerns using source code annotations (concern annotations). Using two studies and two controlled experiments, we seek to answer the following 3 research questions: (1) Do programmers׳ mental models overlap? (2) How do developers use shared concern annotations when they are available? (3) Does using annotations created by others improve program comprehension and maintenance correctness, time and confidence? The first study shows that developers׳ mental models, recorded using concern annotations, overlap and thus can be shared. The second study shows that shared concern annotations can be used during program comprehension for the following purposes: hypotheses confirmation, feature location, obtaining new knowledge, finding relationships and maintenance notes. The first controlled experiment with students showed that the presence of annotations significantly reduced program comprehension and maintenance time by 34%. The second controlled experiment was a differentiated replication of the first one, focused on industrial developers. It showed a 33% significant improvement in correctness. We conclude that concern annotations are a viable way to share developers׳ thoughts.     

Exploring metaskills of knowledge-creating inquiry in higher education

The skills of knowledge-creating inquiry are explored as a challenge for higher education. The knowledge-creation approach to learning provides a theoretical tool for addressing them: In addition to the individual and social aspects in regulation of inquiry, the knowledge-creation approach focuses on aspects related to advancing shared objects of inquiry. The development of corresponding metaskills is suggested as an important long-term goal for higher education; these pertain, simultaneously to the individual, collective, and object-oriented aspects of monitoring inquiry. Taking part in collaborative inquiry toward advancing a shared knowledge object is foreseen as a means to facilitate the development of metaskills; the present study examines one undergraduate university course in psychology with that aim. The data consisted of a database discourse and students’ self-reflections after the course, examined by qualitative content analysis. Three analyses investigated discourse evolution, knowledge advancement, and the challenge of the inquiry practices. The student-groups differed markedly in their engagement in the inquiry efforts. The study gave insights concerning novel challenges evoked by knowledge-creating inquiry, relating in particular to commitment, epistemic involvement, dealing with confusion, and the iterative nature of knowledge advancement. We propose the following implication for educational practices: Although dealing with uncertainty and areas beyond one’s expertise, as well as engaging in self-directed collaborative inquiry, may seem overly demanding for students, such experiences are decisive for developing one’s skills in dealing with open-ended knowledge objects in a longer time frame.     

Probability box as a tool to model and control the effect of epistemic uncertainty in multiple dependent competing failure processes

Engineering components and systems are often subject to multiple dependent competing failure processes (MDCFPs). MDCFPs have been well studied in literature and various models have been developed to predict the reliability of MDCFPs. In practice, however, due to the limited resource, it is often hard to estimate the precise values of the parameters in the MDCFP model. Hence, the predicted reliability is affected by epistemic uncertainty. Probability box (P-box) is applied in this paper to describe the effect of epistemic uncertainty on MDCFP models. A dimension-reduced sequential quadratic programming (DRSQP) method is developed for the construction of P-box. A comparison to the conventional construction method shows that DRSQP method reduces the computational costs required for P-box constructions. Since epistemic uncertainty reflects the unsureness in the predicted reliability, a decision maker might want to reduce it by investing resource to more accurately estimate the value of each model parameter. A two-stage optimization framework is developed to allocate the resource among the parameters and ensure that epistemic uncertainty is reduced in a most efficient way. Finally, the developed methods are applied on a real case study, a spool valve, to demonstrate their validity.     

资源动态组织支持的网格依赖任务重调度机制

针对网格依赖任务重调度所面临的效率低与触发频繁的问题,提出资源动态组织支持的网格依赖任务调度机制.该机制以资源的动态组织为核心,基于资源动态性度量结果对资源进行性能聚类分析,并过滤性能相似资源中的强动态性资源,以在减少资源数量的同时提高重调度备选资源的稳定性.实验表明基于该机制的重调度算法保持了静态调度策略在动态网格环境下相对于动态调度策略的性能优势,从而验证了该机制解决网格依赖任务重调度所面临问题的有效性.     

基于 WebGL 的多AGV物流调度仿真系统的研究与应用

针对K公司汽车总装生产线中多AGV(Automated Guided Vehicle)电量分配不均、路径冲突、AGV利用率低等物流调度问题,为了提高K公司生产线中多AGV物流调度的效率,设计了一种多AGV物流调度仿真系统;利用WebGL(Web Graphics Library) 技术建立了整个生产线场景的三维模型;系统能够自动给AGV分配任务,在AGV执行任务时,将AGV的电池电量和AGV路径规划问题考虑到物流调度系统中;该系统实现了对物流调度系统中AGV运输任务的合理分配,提高了物流调度的效率;经实际应用满足了K公司汽车总装生产线多AGV物流调度工程上的应用。     

Multiple task assignments for cooperating uninhabited aerial vehicles using genetic algorithms

A problem of assigning cooperating uninhabited aerial vehicles to perform multiple tasks on multiple targets is posed as a new combinatorial optimization problem. A genetic algorithm for solving such a problem is proposed. The algorithm allows us to efficiently solve this NP-hard problem that has prohibitive computational complexity for classical combinatorial optimization methods. It also allows us to take into account the unique requirements of the scenario such as task precedence and coordination, timing constraints, and trajectory limitations. A matrix representation of the genetic algorithm chromosomes simplifies the encoding process and the application of the genetic operators. The performance of the algorithm is compared to that of deterministic branch and bound search and stochastic random search methods. Monte Carlo simulations demonstrate the viability of the genetic algorithm by showing that it consistently and quickly provides good feasible solutions. This makes the real time implementation for high-dimensional problems feasible.     

融合句法指导与字符注意力机制的案情阅读理解方法

案情阅读理解是机器阅读理解在司法领域的具体应用.案情阅读理解通过计算机阅读裁判文书,并回答相关问题,是司法智能化的重要应用之一.当前机器阅读理解的主流方法是采用深度学习模型对文本词语进行编码,并由此获得文本的向量表示.模型建立的核心问题是如何获得文本的语义表示,以及问题与上下文的匹配.考虑到句法信息有助于模型学习句子主...     

高效计算因果网中的干预

在因果网中,对和积问题因果效果的计算是其首要问题,从有向无环图的角度,研究者们发现每一个因果网都有一个与之对应的贝叶斯网络,干预是因果网的一个基本操作.类似于贝叶斯网络中的剪枝策略,在剪枝掉所有无效结点后,文中设计了一种优化的算法OFDo来计算对因果网中每个结点的完全原子干预.文中接着研究多干预操作,发现多干预操作具有...     

Workforce planning and deployment for a hospital reservation call center with abandonment cost and multiple tasks

We consider a hospital reservation call center where operators handle multiple tasks. We take into account operator labor costs, caller waiting costs, and abandonment costs for lost calls. Instead of relying on the traditional method of queueing theory for call center management, we present a method that obtains expected caller waiting time and expected abandonment rate directly by introducing the inbound-load parameter. We develop a framework that combines workforce planning and operator deployment for a mixed call center in a single mathematical programming model. This paper also demonstrates how the proposed methodology can be applied in practice, with a case study based on actual operational data. Our primary conclusion is that the method presented in this research can significantly reduce both expected total cost (by 55.1% in our case study) and abandonment rate (from 15% to 2.1% in our case study). In addition, we demonstrate, using a sensitivity analysis, that our methodology will be more effective in an environment where the unit penalty cost of an abandoned call is relatively high among competitive hospitals.     

表格结构识别的自动性能评估

评估算法的性能需要反复大量的测试。人工评估既难以保证评价标准的一致,又无法保证测试的速度和规模,只有自动的性能评估才能解决上述问题。表格结构识别是进一步理解表格内容的前提。在定义通用表格结构描述的基础上,提出了基于表格线的表格结构识别的性能评估方法。自动评估系统能够指出识别结果与基准数据的区别,平均每秒比较38.6个表格,远超过人工评估的效率。     

一个工业控制系统中的实时通信研究

文章介绍了在一个工业控制系统中的实时通信设计方案及其实现。该实时通信系统基于TCP/IP协议,应用了Socket编程接口,并采用多任务协同实现进程间通信。     

基于多重约束的OpenXML复合文档内容源数据区容错定界算法

在高误码率条件下,接收到的OpenXML复合文档往往因数据含错而无法打开,而在文档修复过程中,对信源中每个源文件内容源数据区的定界经常容易出错,针对该问题,提出了一种基于多重约束的OpenXML复合文档内容源数据区容错定界算法。通过对文档协议冗余的分析与归类,将内容源数据区定界问题转化为对起始位置序列的最佳估计问题。在通过适当放宽匹配条件完成粗定界的基础上,利用冗余信息中的约束关系构建代价函数对观测数据进行筛选,有效地剔除“虚警”情况,进而实现对内容源数据区起始位置序列的最佳估计。仿真结果表明,在参数设置合理的情况下,该方法具有较好的容错定界能力。     

2018机器阅读理解技术竞赛总体报告

机器阅读理解是自然语言处理和人工智能领域的前沿课题,“2018机器阅读理解技术竞赛”旨在推动相关技术研究和应用的发展。竞赛发布了最大规模的中文阅读理解数据集,提供了先进的开源基线系统,采用改进的自动评价指标,吸引了国内外千余支队伍参与,参赛系统效果提升显著。该文详细介绍技术竞赛的总体情况、竞赛设置、组织流程、评价结果,并对参赛系统结果进行了分析。     

Modeling Elementary Cognitive Abilities for Adaptive Hypermedia Presentation

The adaptation of hypermedia can be carried out at three levels, namely the content, navigation and presentation level. The presentation level is the least studied of the three, apparently because it refers to user properties that are not easy to model. In this paper, we present a new approach to modeling cognitive abilities that relies on basic mental functionalities. We describe the Cognitive User Modeling for Adaptive Presentation of Hyper-Documents (CUMAPH) environment, which mainly provides an authoring tool and an adaptation engine. The aim of this environment is to adapt a hyper-document presentation by selecting the elements that best fit the user cognitive profile. Its architecture is based on four main components: a cognitive user model, a hyper-document builder, an adaptation engine and a generic style sheet. To validate our approach, we designed an innovative protocol and conducted an experimental study involving 39 students. The first results show that an adaptive presentation can significantly increase the efficiency of hypermedia presentations.