Cognitive abilities,digital games and arithmetic performance enhancement: A study comparing the effects of a math game and paper exercises

Besides entertainment, games have shown to have the potential to impact a broader variety of cognitive abilities. Research has consistently shown that several aspects in cognition such as visual short-memory, multitasking and spatial skills can be enhanced by game play. In a previous study, it was found that playing Monkey Tales, a game aimed at training arithmetic skills, helped second grade pupils to increase their accuracy in mental calculation as compared to paper exercises. In this follow up study we explore whether traditional methods and game training differ in terms of the cognitive processes that both are able to impact. We incorporated standardized measures of working memory and visuo-motor skills. Additionally, the mathematics game was modified and its contents extracted to allow precise comparison between the gaming and paper exercises condition. Thus each single math exercise, type of question (e.g., multiple choice), quantity and order was perfectly matched in the game training and the traditional training conditions. Gains in arithmetical performance, and self-reported measures of enjoyment were also investigated. We found some evidence suggesting that arithmetic performance enhancement induced by game play and paper exercises differ not only in terms of enjoyment but also of working memory capacity improvements.     

Semantically enriched Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) platform

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are becoming an essential source of information for both students and teachers. Noticeably, MOOCs have to adapt to the fast development of new technologies; they also have to satisfy the current generation of online students. The current MOOCs’ Management Systems, such as Coursera, Udacity, edX, etc., use content management platforms where content are organized in a hierarchical structure. We envision a new generation of MOOCs that support interpretability with formal semantics by using the SemanticWeb and the online social networks. Semantic technologies support more flexible information management than that offered by the current MOOCs’ platforms. Annotated information about courses, video lectures, assignments, students, teachers, etc., can be composed from heterogeneous sources, including contributions from the communities in the forum space. These annotations, combined with legacy data, build foundations for more efficient information discovery in MOOCs’ platforms. In this article we review various Collaborative Semantic Filtering technologies for building Semantic MOOCs’ management system, then, we present a prototype of a semantic middle-sized platform implemented at Western Kentucky University that answers these aforementioned requirements.     

Resistive switching characteristics of ZnO–graphene quantum dots and their use as an active component of an organic memory cell with one diode-one resistor architecture

We investigated the resistive switching characteristics of a polystyrene:ZnO–graphene quantum dots system and its potential application in a one diode-one resistor architecture of an organic memory cell. The log–log I–V plot and the temperature-variable I–V measurements revealed that the switching mechanism in a low-current state is closely related to thermally activated transport. The turn-on process was induced by a space-charge-limited current mechanism resulted from the ZnO–graphene quantum dots acting as charge trap sites, and charge transfer through filamentary path. The memory device with a diode presented a ∼10³ I_ON/I_OFF ratio, stable endurance cycles (10² cycles) and retention times (10⁴ s), and uniform cell-to-cell switching. The one diode-one resistor architecture can effectively reduce cross-talk issue and realize a cross bar array as large as ∼3 kbit in the readout margin estimation. Furthermore, a specific word was encoded using the standard ASCII character code.     

Extending SSD Lifespan with Comprehensive Non-Volatile Memory-Based Write Buffers

Journal of Computer Science and Technology - New non-volatile memory (NVM) technologies are expected to replace main memory DRAM (dynamic random access memory) in the near future. NAND flash...     

Model Selection for Unsupervised Learning of Visual Context

This study addresses the problem of choosing the most suitable probabilistic model selection criterion for unsupervised learning of visual context of a dynamic scene using mixture models. A rectified Bayesian Information Criterion (BICr) and a Completed Likelihood Akaike’s Information Criterion (CL-AIC) are formulated to estimate the optimal model order (complexity) for a given visual scene. Both criteria are designed to overcome poor model selection by existing popular criteria when the data sample size varies from small to large and the true mixture distribution kernel functions differ from the assumed ones. Extensive experiments on learning visual context for dynamic scene modelling are carried out to demonstrate the effectiveness of BICr and CL-AIC, compared to that of existing popular model selection criteria including BIC, AIC and Integrated Completed Likelihood (ICL). Our study suggests that for learning visual context using a mixture model, BICr is the most appropriate criterion given sparse data, while CL-AIC should be chosen given moderate or large data sample sizes.     

一种可替代漂珠的低密度材料

漂珠低密度水泥浆由于密度低、强度高、体系稳定而在油田低压易漏层及低压油气层长封固段固井作业中获得了广泛的应用。但近年来,由于漂珠的产量越来越少,油田低成本要求急需开发代替漂珠的新型减轻材料,以满足配制低密度水泥浆的需求。开发了BCL-10S低密度混合减轻材料,其物化性能与漂珠相当,用它作减轻剂配制的低密度水泥浆性能与用漂珠作减轻剂配制的低密度水泥浆性能相媲美,并已经在长庆油田获得了应用。     

Cued recall from image and sentence memory: A shift from episodic to identical elements representation.

The applicability of the identical elements (IE) model of arithmetic fact retrieval (T. C. Rickard, A. F. Healy, & L. E. Bourne, 1994) to cued recall from episodic (image and sentence) memory was explored in 3 transfer experiments. In agreement with results from arithmetic, speedup following even minimal practice recalling a missing word from an episodically bound word triplet did not transfer positively to other cued recall items involving the same triplet. The shape of the learning curve further supported a shift from episode-based to IE-based recall, extending some models of skill learning to cued recall practice. In contrast with previous findings, these results indicate that a form of representation that is independent of the original episodic memory underlies cued-recall performance following minimal practice. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

湘中海相浅层湘冷1井酸压工艺研究及应用

湘冷1井具有气层埋藏浅（400m-500m）、纵向上裂隙发育的特点，属低孔、低渗的含泥质灰岩致密储层。大量室内实验和研究采用“前置液酸压＋闭合酸化”工艺技术，并优选了相应降阻酸和闭合酸配方。通过酸压实现了该井工业油气流的突破，取得了明显的增产效果，为新区海相浅层气的开发探索出了一套成熟的改造增产措施。     

Performance and Commercial Application of the Promoter LCC-A for Maximization of Propylene Yield

1 Introduction Propylene as an important feedstock for organic chemicals is mainly originated from steam cracking and catalytic cracking processes. During the FCC process the propylene content varies with the FCC catalyst and process technology adopted, resulting in significant difference in propylene concentration in the cracked product——LPG. The conventional FCC pro- cess generally gives a propylene yield of around 4%, while the FCC process with maximization of propylene yield can in…     

嵌人式与独立存储器设计上的差异分析和研究

进入21世纪,随着集成电路的发展,SoC(System on Chip)片上系统应运而生。而作为SoC重要组成部分的嵌入式存储器,在SoC中所占的比重正逐步增加,并起着越来越重要的作用,那么嵌入式存储器与独立的存储器芯片在设计上存在着哪些差异?对此本文将以NOR型闪存为例在制造工艺的选取、衍生产品的设计、功耗与噪声、后端功能仿真、测试与修复等方面进行分析和研究。