Technology-assisted learning: a longitudinal field study of knowledge category, learning effectiveness and satisfaction in language learning

Abstract   A field experiment compares the effectiveness and satisfaction associated with technology-assisted learning with that of face-to-face learning. The empirical evidence suggests that technology-assisted learning effectiveness depends on the target knowledge category. Building on Kolb's experiential learning model, we show that technology-assisted learning improves students' acquisition of knowledge that demands abstract conceptualization and reflective observation but adversely affects their ability to obtain knowledge that requires concrete experience. Technology-assisted learning better supports vocabulary learning than face-to-face learning but is comparatively less effective in developing listening comprehension skills. In addition, according to empirical tests, perceived ease of learning and learning community support significantly predict both perceived learning effectiveness and learning satisfaction. Overall, the results support our hypotheses and research model and suggest instructors should consider the target knowledge when considering technology-assisted learning options or designing a Web-based course. In addition, a supportive learning community can make technology-assisted learning easier for students and increase their learning satisfaction.     

Detailed Real-Time Urban 3D Reconstruction from Video

The paper presents a system for automatic, geo-registered, real-time 3D reconstruction from video of urban scenes. The system collects video streams, as well as GPS and inertia measurements in order to place the reconstructed models in geo-registered coordinates. It is designed using current state of the art real-time modules for all processing steps. It employs commodity graphics hardware and standard CPU’s to achieve real-time performance. We present the main considerations in designing the system and the steps of the processing pipeline. Our system extends existing algorithms to meet the robustness and variability necessary to operate out of the lab. To account for the large dynamic range of outdoor videos the processing pipeline estimates global camera gain changes in the feature tracking stage and efficiently compensates for these in stereo estimation without impacting the real-time performance. The required accuracy for many applications is achieved with a two-step stereo reconstruction process exploiting the redundancy across frames. We show results on real video sequences comprising hundreds of thousands of frames.     

基于多类别支持向量机的城市交通网络模式分类研究

在网络层次上进行区域交通信号控制、交通分配和路径诱导是缓解交通堵塞的有效途径之一。为进一步提高城市交通网络分类检测的准确性,将支持向量机（Support Vector Machine）应用于交通事件的模式分类研究。通过提出一种基于多类别支持向量机的交通模式分类方法,设计了适合该检测系统的网络结构。仿真结果表明：相对于其他算法,城市交通网络的状态可分为数量有限且不同类型的模式,并且这些模式不断重复出现,当系统识别出网络处于某种模式时,就可参照事先确定的优化参数及策略进行交通控制和诱导,以缓解交通拥塞,提高交通系统的运行效率。该网络结构对于小样本数据具有检测率高、误报率低的优点,完全适用于城市交通的模式分类,同时也存在不足之处,指出了今后进一步研究的方向。     

An economic input-output analysis for urban stormwater quality planning

A new approach using input-output techniques is proposed for the analysis of urban stormwater pollution caused by urban land development. The input-output model provides projections of sectoral outputs within an urban region. By defining land as an input to production, these output projections may be translated into projections of commercial and industrial land development. Furthermore, the closed version of the input-output model is used to project residential land development as a function of projected wage income. The pollutant generation in urban stormwater is related to the quantity of each category of land development by a pollutant coefficient matrix. Thus, the model can be used to predict the impact of various economic growth scenarios on pollution loadings in runoff water. This will help planners in assessing the environmental costs of various scenarios, and in preparing for remedial actions. A numerical example is provided to illustrate the applications of the model.     

Effects of parallelogram-shaped pavement markings on vehicle speed and safety of pedestrian crosswalks on urban roads in China

The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of parallelogram-shaped pavement markings on vehicle speed and crashes in the vicinity of urban pedestrian crosswalks. The research team measured speed data at twelve sites, and crash data at eleven sites. Observational cross-sectional studies were conducted to identify if the effects of parallelogram-shaped pavement markings on vehicle speeds and speed violations were statistically significant. The results showed that parallelogram-shaped pavement markings significantly reduced vehicle speeds and speed violations in the vicinity of pedestrian crosswalks. More specifically, the speed reduction effects varied from 1.89 km/h to 4.41 km/h with an average of 3.79 km/h. The reduction in the 85th percentile speed varied from 0.81 km/h to 5.34 km/h with an average of 4.19 km/h. Odds ratios (OR) showed that the parallelogram-shaped pavement markings had effects of a 7.1% reduction in the mean speed and a 6.9% reduction in the 85th percentile speed at the pedestrian crosswalks. The reduction of proportion of drivers exceeding the speed limit varied from 8.64% to 14.15% with an average of 11.03%. The results of the crash data analysis suggested that the use of parallelogram-shaped pavement markings reduced both the frequency and severity of crashes at pedestrian crosswalks. The parallelogram-shaped pavement markings had a significant effect on reducing the vehicle–pedestrian crashes. Two crash prediction models were developed for vehicle–pedestrian crashes and rear-end crashes. According to the crash models, the presence of parallelogram-shaped pavement markings reduced vehicle–pedestrian crashes at pedestrian crosswalks by 24.87% with a 95% confidence interval of [10.06–30.78%]. However, the model results also showed that the presence of parallelogram-shaped pavement markings increased rear-end crashes at pedestrian crosswalks by 5.4% with a 95% confidence interval of [0–11.2%].     

A hybrid approach based on SERVQUAL and fuzzy TOPSIS for evaluating transportation service quality

Managing service quality is vital to retain customer satisfaction and augment revenues for any business organization. Often it is difficult to assess service quality due to lack of quantifiable measures and limited data. In this paper, we present a hybrid approach based on SERVQUAL and fuzzy TOPSIS for evaluating service quality of urban transportation systems. The proposed approach consists of three steps. The first step involves development of a SERVQUAL based questionnaire to collect data for measuring transportation service quality. The participants provide linguistic assessments to rate the service quality criteria and the alternatives. In step 2, the linguistic ratings are combined through fuzzy TOPSIS to generate an overall performance score for each alternative. The alternative with the highest score is finally chosen. In step 3, sensitivity analysis is conducted to evaluate the influence of criteria weights on the decision making process.The strength of the proposed approach is its practical applicability and ability to provide solution under partial or lack of quantitative information. An application of the proposed approach for evaluation of service quality of metro in Montreal is provided.     

基于Jena的城市交通领域本体推理和查询方法

通过对城市交通信息进行抽象和分析,建立了城市交通领域本体库,并持久化存储到关系数据库。对比分析了基于Jena的语义推理机制及其所涉及的问题。构造交通信息的推理规则并在Jena平台下实现该领域基于语义的检索和路径查询功能,得出潜在的语义查询结果,给出了实现算法的描述和实验结果。为交通领域提高信息检索的查准率和查全率提供了一个有效的方法。     

Large-area assessment of impervious surface based on integrated analysis of single-date Landsat-7 images and geospatial vector data

Driven by a constantly accelerating increase of urban population in recent decades urban sprawl has become one of the most dynamic processes in the context of global land use transformations. The expansion of urban agglomerations is closely associated with a substantial increase of impervious surface. In Europe, methods for an accurate, fast and cost-effective mapping and assessment of impervious surface on a state-wide or national scale have not been established so far. This study presents an approach for estimating the impervious surface based on a combined analysis of single-date Landsat images and road network and railway vector data using Support Vector Machines and functionalities of geographic information processing. The modeling aims at the provision of data on the impervious surface for the total of residential, industrial and transportation-related areas. The derived information is provided for the administrative units of communities. The output of the procedure is a vector data file providing the ‘percent impervious surface of built-up areas’ (PIS_B) and the ‘percent impervious surface of the total of built-up and transportation-related areas’ (PIS_BT) for the administrative units of communities. The developed method is tested for a study area covering almost one third of the German territory. The results prove the suitability of the approach for a widely automated and area-wide mapping of impervious surfaces. Using reference data sets of three cities (Leipzig, Ludwigshafen, Passau) we realized a mean absolute error of 19.8% and an average error of 6.4% for the percent impervious surface modeled on the basis of the Landsat images. The final product resulting from a combination of the imperviousness raster derived from the satellite images with the transportation-related vector information showed a mean difference of 1% to 4% compared to corresponding reference data and results of previous studies. For the year 2000 our research shows that 45.3% of the area occupied by settlements and transport infrastructure in the German federal state of Bavaria, 44.6% in the state of Baden-Württemberg and 42.6% in the state of Saxony was covered by impervious surface.     

Characterising and exploiting workloads of highly interactive video-on-demand

This paper presents a detailed characterisation of user behaviour for a series of interactive video experiments over a 12 month period, in which we served popular sporting and musical content. In addition to generic VCR-like features, our custom-built video-on-demand application provides advanced interactivity features such as bookmarking. The dramatic impact of such functionality on how users consume content is studied and analysed. We discuss in detail how this user behaviour can be exploited by content distributors to improve user experience. Specifically, we study how simple dynamic bookmark placement and interactivity-aware content pre-fetching and replication can reduce the impact of highly interactive media on CDN performance.     

A Reducing Saturation Method for DMSP/OLS Nighttime Light Image Combining Landsat Data

Defense Meteorological Satellite Program/Operational Linescan System(DMSP/OLS)is one of the data sources,which can effectively reflect human activities of earth surfaces.During the past decade,DMSP/OLS had been extensively applied in urban extraction and extension study.In the recent year,the Vegetation Adjusted NTL Urban Index(VANUI)has been proposed and had proven to be a simple,convenient and high precision desaturation index to extract urban area.In VANUI method,negative values of imagery were directly eliminated to remove water body,which not only removed the bridge over the river and building but also extracted the aquaculture areas along the coast,thus,this method reduced the extraction accuracy.This paper proposed a new index\|RwNTLI,combining DMSP/OLS nighttime light data and the vegetation index (NDVI)and water index (MNDWI)which were constructed by Landsat data.In this study,Guangzhou was taken as experimental area.By comparing the VANUI index with the ability to identify ground objects as well as the ability to alleviate saturation regions,the result showed RwNTLI index could effectively solve the problem of VANUI as well as eliminate saturation effect of nighttime light imagery.Among them,the correlation between RwNTLI index and RCNTL is better than that of VANUI index and RCNTL.Therefore,RwNTLI index is a simple and effective index of luminous desaturation,which has more advantages than VANUI index in describing the characteristics of night lights of urban areas and will have higher application value in urban built\|up areas in the future.