1,240 research outputs found
Evaluating Citebase, an open access Web-based citation-ranked search and impact discovery service
No full textCitebase is a new citation-ranked search and impact discovery service that measures citations of scholarly research papers which are openly accessible on the Web, i.e. papers that are assessable continuously online. Other services, such as ResearchIndex, have emerged in recent years to offer citation indexing of Web research papers. In the first detailed user evaluation of an open access Web citation indexing service, Citebase has been evaluated by nearly 200 users from different backgrounds. The paper details the procedures used in the evaluation, and analyses the results of this study, which took place between June and October 2002. It was found that within the scope of its primary components, the search interface and services available from its rich bibliographic records, Citebase can be used simply and reliably for the purpose intended, and that it compares favourably with other bibliographic services. It is shown tasks can be accomplished efficiently with Citebase regardless of the background of the user. More data need to be collected and the process refined before it is as reliable for measuring citation impact of indexed papers. Better explanations and guidance are required for first-time users. Coverage is seen as a limiting factor, even though Citebase indexes over 200,000 papers from arXiv. Non-physicists were frustrated at the lack of papers from other sciences. The principle of citation searching of open access archives has thus been demonstrated and need not be restricted to current users. Since the evaluation, Citebase has become a featured service of the ArXiv physics eprint archives
Accepting Optimally in Automated Negotiation with Incomplete Information (abstract)
No full textIntelligent SystemsElectrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Scienc
Player agency in interactive narrative: audience, actor & author
No full textThe question motivating this review paper is, how can
computer-based interactive narrative be used as a constructivist learn-
ing activity? The paper proposes that player agency can be used to
link interactive narrative to learner agency in constructivist theory,
and to classify approaches to interactive narrative. The traditional
question driving research in interactive narrative is, ‘how can an in-
teractive narrative deal with a high degree of player agency, while
maintaining a coherent and well-formed narrative?’ This question
derives from an Aristotelian approach to interactive narrative that,
as the question shows, is inherently antagonistic to player agency.
Within this approach, player agency must be restricted and manip-
ulated to maintain the narrative. Two alternative approaches based
on Brecht’s Epic Theatre and Boal’s Theatre of the Oppressed are
reviewed. If a Boalian approach to interactive narrative is taken the
conflict between narrative and player agency dissolves. The question
that emerges from this approach is quite different from the traditional
question above, and presents a more useful approach to applying in-
teractive narrative as a constructivist learning activity
Nostalgia: content, triggers, functions
No full textSeven methodologically diverse studies addressed 3 fundamental questions about nostalgia. Studies 1 and 2 examined the content of nostalgic experiences. Descriptions of nostalgic experiences typically featured the self as a protagonist in interactions with close others (e.g., friends) or in momentous events (e.g., weddings). Also, the descriptions contained more expressions of positive than negative affect and often depicted the redemption of negative life scenes by subsequent triumphs. Studies 3 and 4 examined triggers of nostalgia and revealed that nostalgia occurs in response to negative mood and the discrete affective state of loneliness. Studies 5, 6, and 7 investigated the functional utility of nostalgia and established that nostalgia bolsters social bonds, increases positive self-regard, and generates positive affect. These findings demarcate key landmarks in the hitherto uncharted research domain of nostalgi
Jere Nash Interview with Thomas H. Walman
No full textInterview conducted by author Jere Nash with former Mississippi legislator Thomas H. Walman in the process of writing Mississippi Politics: The Struggle for Power, 1976-2006. Walman was vice-chair of the Education Committee during the passage of the 1982 education reform legislation. Topics covered include educational reform; Walman\u27s elections to the state legislature; Walman\u27s family and background; Buddie Newman; network created by University of Mississippi law school alumnus; William Winter; rules changes in the House; Tim Ford; House Ways and Means Committee; John Hampton Stennis; reapportionment; Sonny Meredith; gambling legislation for casinos; Ray Mabus; and Walman as mayor of McComb, Mississippi
Acceptance conditions in automated negotiation
No full textIn every negotiation with a deadline, one of the negotiating parties has to accept an offer to avoid a break off. A break off is usually an undesirable outcome for both parties, therefore it is important that a negotiator employs a proficient mechanism to decide under which conditions to accept. When designing such conditions one is faced with the acceptance dilemma: accepting the current offer may be suboptimal, as better offers may still be presented. On the other hand, accepting too late may prevent an agreement from being reached, resulting in a break off with no gain for either party. Motivated by the challenges of bilateral negotiations between automated agents and by the results and insights of the automated negotiating agents competition (ANAC), we classify and compare state-of-the-art generic acceptance conditions. We focus on decoupled acceptance conditions, i.e. conditions that do not depend on the bidding strategy that is used. We performed extensive experiments to compare the performance of acceptance conditions in combination with a broad range of bidding strategies and negotiation domains. Furthermore we propose new acceptance conditions and we demonstrate that they outperform the other conditions that we study. In particular, it is shown that they outperform the standard acceptance condition of comparing the current offer with the offer the agent is ready to send out. We also provide insight in to why some conditions work better than others and investigate correlations between the properties of the negotiation environment and the efficacy of acceptance conditions.MediamaticsElectrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Scienc
Tim\u27s Legacy
No full textMy son Tim attended VA Tech as a member of the Corps of Cadets. He graduated and was commissioned as second lieutenant in 2002. Attended Military Police Officers Basic course at FT Leonard Wood, MO. Reported to permanent duty station in Giessen, GA. Served as a platoon leader with 527th MP Company in Baghdad, Iraq during OIF 1. Three months after redeploying to Germany, volunteered to return to Baghdad to replace poor leader with 127th MP Company during OIF 2. KIA, Baghdad, Iraq 7SEP04, shot by a sniper.
Articles, stories, and other compositions in this archive were written by participants in the Mighty Pen Project. The program, developed by author David L. Robbins, and in partnership with Virginia Commonwealth University and the Virginia War Memorial in Richmond, Virginia, offers veterans and their family members a customized twelve-week writing class, free of charge. The program encourages, supports, and assists participants in sharing their stories and experiences of military experience so both writer and audience may benefit
Thánatos Forever Alive. Tim Burton and His (Undying) Adventure with Death
No full textIn the article Thánatos Forever Alive. Tim Burton and His (Undying) Adventure with Death Adam H.A. Michniewicz presents images of death in the works of Tim Burton, as well as in the works of several of his successors. In these movies, death is shown differently than in other works of contemporary popular culture. Terms such as death, illness, and old age have been repressed by society—but not by Burton, whose films remind us that talking about difficult subjects is not only important, but also necessary. To convey this message, the director uses a wide range of methods. He makes use of cultural heritage of various religions and civilizations. In conclusion, the author proves that Burton does not want to terrify the audience, but rather to encourage reflection on the meaning of death
Tanatos wiecznie żywy. Tim Burton i jego (dozgonna) przygoda ze śmiercią
No full textIn the article Thánatos Forever Alive. Tim Burton and His (Undying) Adventure with Death Adam H.A. Michniewicz presents images of death in the works of Tim Burton, as well as in the works of several of his successors. In these movies, death is shown differently than in other works of contemporary popular culture. Terms such as death, illness, and old age have been repressed by society—but not by Burton, whose films remind us that talking about difficult subjects is not only important, but also necessary. To convey this message, the director uses a wide range of methods. He makes use of cultural heritage of various religions and civilizations. In conclusion, the author proves that Burton does not want to terrify the audience, but rather to encourage reflection on the meaning of death
Phase contrast tomography of the mouse cochlea at microfocus x-ray sources
No full textWe present phase contrast x-ray tomography of functional soft tissue within the bony cochlear capsule of mice, carried out at laboratory microfocus sources with well-matched source, detector, geometry, and reconstruction algorithms at spatial resolutions down to 2 mu m. Contrast, data quality and resolution enable the visualization of thin membranes and nerve fibers as well as automated segmentation of surrounding bone. By complementing synchrotron radiation imaging techniques, a broad range of biomedical applications becomes possible as demonstrated for optogenetic cochlear implant research. (C) 2013 Author(s). All article content, except where otherwise noted, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License
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