A Computer-Assisted Writing Tool for an Extended Variety of Leichte Sprache (Easy-to-Read German)

Leichte Sprache (LS; easy-to-read German) defines a variety of German characterized by simplified syntactic constructions and a small vocabulary. It provides barrier-free information for a wide spectrum of people with cognitive impairments, learning difficulties, and/or a low level of literacy in the German language. The levels of difficulty of a range of syntactic constructions were systematically evaluated with LS readers as part of the recent LeiSA project (Bock, 2019). That study identified a number of constructions that were evaluated as being easy to comprehend but which fell beyond the definition of LS. We therefore want to broaden the scope of LS to include further constructions that LS readers can easily manage and that they might find useful for putting their thoughts into words. For constructions not considered in the LeiSA study, we performed a comparative treebank study of constructions attested to in a collection of 245 LS documents from a variety of sources. Employing the treebanks TüBa-D/S (also called VERBMOBIL) and TüBa-D/Z, we compared the frequency of such constructions in those texts with their incidence in spoken and written German sources produced without the explicit goal of facilitating comprehensibility. The resulting extension is called Extended Leichte Sprache (ELS). To date, text in LS has generally been produced by authors proficient in standard German. In order to enable text production by LS readers themselves, we developed a computational linguistic system, dubbed ExtendedEasyTalk. This system supports LS readers in formulating grammatically correct and semantically coherent texts covering constructions in ELS. This paper outlines the principal components: (1) a natural-language paraphrase generator that supports fast and correct text production while taking readership-design aspects into account, and (2) explicit coherence specifications based on Rhetorical Structure Theory (RST) to express the communicative function of sentences. The system’s writing-workshop mode controls the options in (1) and (2). Mandatory questions generated by the system aim to teach the user when and how to consider audience-design concepts. Accordingly, users are trained in text production in a similar way to elementary school students, who also tend to omit audience-design cues. Importantly, we illustrate in this paper how to make the dialogues of these components intuitive and easy to use to avoid overtaxing the user. We also report the results of our evaluation of the software with different user groups.

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An Analysis of the Demand for Reporting on Internal Control

Accounting Horizons ◽

10.2308/acch.2000.14.3.325 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 14 (3) ◽

pp. 325-341 ◽

Cited By ~ 58

Author(s):

Heather M. Hermanson

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Financial Reporting ◽

Internal Control ◽

Operational Definition ◽

Financial Statement ◽

Individual Investors ◽

Internal Auditors ◽

Additional Information ◽

User Groups ◽

Definition Of

The purpose of this study is to analyze the demand for reporting on internal control. Nine financial statement user groups were identified and surveyed to determine whether they agree that: (1) management reports on internal control (MRIC) are useful, (2) MRICs influence decisions, and (3) financial reporting is improved by adding MRICs. In addition, the paper examined whether responses varied based on: (1) the definition of internal control used (manipulated as broad, operational definition vs. narrow, financial-reporting definition) and (2) user group. The results indicate that financial statement users agree that internal controls are important. Respondents agreed that voluntary MRICs improved controls and provided additional information for decision making. Respondents also agreed that mandatory MRICs improved controls, but did not agree about their value for decision making. Using a broad definition of controls, respondents strongly agreed that MRICs improved controls and provided a better indicator of a company's long-term viability. Executive respondents were less likely to agree about the value of MRICs than individual investors and internal auditors.

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A Methodology for Redesigning Networks by Using Markov Random Fields

Mathematics ◽

10.3390/math9121389 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (12) ◽

pp. 1389

Author(s):

Julia García Cabello ◽

Pedro A. Castillo ◽

Maria-del-Carmen Aguilar-Luzon ◽

Francisco Chiclana ◽

Enrique Herrera-Viedma

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Random Fields ◽

Markov Random Fields ◽

Application Performance ◽

Cross Border ◽

Markov Random ◽

User Groups ◽

Universal Definition ◽

Definition Of ◽

Decision Making Model

Standard methodologies for redesigning physical networks rely on Geographic Information Systems (GIS), which strongly depend on local demographic specifications. The absence of a universal definition of demography makes its use for cross-border purposes much more difficult. This paper presents a Decision Making Model (DMM) for redesigning networks that works without geographical constraints. There are multiple advantages of this approach: on one hand, it can be used in any country of the world; on the other hand, the absence of geographical constraints widens the application scope of our approach, meaning that it can be successfully implemented either in physical (ATM networks) or non-physical networks such as in group decision making, social networks, e-commerce, e-governance and all fields in which user groups make decisions collectively. Case studies involving both types of situations are conducted in order to illustrate the methodology. The model has been designed under a data reduction strategy in order to improve application performance.

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Co-occurrence subgroups of child sexual abuse, health risk behaviors and their associations among secondary school students in China

BMC Public Health ◽

10.1186/s12889-021-11199-5 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Yan Zhang ◽

Xiayun Zuo ◽

Yanyan Mao ◽

Qiguo Lian ◽

Shan Luo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sexual Abuse ◽

Child Sexual Abuse ◽

Secondary School ◽

Health Risk ◽

Risk Behaviors ◽

Latent Variable ◽

Secondary School Students ◽

Latent Class ◽

Computer Assisted ◽

School Students

Abstract Background Little is known on the co-occurrence and heterogeneity of child sexual abuse (CSA) or health risk behavior (HRB) prevalence nor the associations among the victims. Objectives To detect the prevalence and subgroups of adolescents reporting CSAs or HRBs, and to examine the association between the subgroups. Methods Participants were secondary school students in a national survey in China (N = 8746). Self-reported CSA and HRB experiences were collected through a computer assisted questionnaire. Prevalence and confidence intervals were calculated. Multigroup latent class analysis (LCA) was used to examine latent subgroups of CSA and HRB. Dual latent class regression analysis was used to examine the association between CSA and HRB classes. Results A total of 8746 students participated in our study. The prevalence of having ever experienced any of the reported seven CSA items was 12.9%. The preferred LCA model consisted of a three-class CSA latent variable, i.e. “Low CSAs”(95.7% of the total respondents), “Verbal or exhibitionism CSAs”(3.3%), and “high multiple CSAs” (1.1%); and a three-class HRB latent variable, i.e. “Low HRBs”(70.5%), “externalizing HRBs” (20.7%), and “internalizing HRBs” (8.7%). Students in the “Verbal or exhibitionism CSAs” or “high multiple CSAs” classes had higher probabilities of being in “externalizing HRBs” or “internalizing HRBs” classes. The probabilities were higher in “high multiple CSAs” class(male externalizing OR 4.05, 95%CI 1.71–9.57; internalizing OR 11.77, 95%CI 4.76–29.13; female externalizing OR 4.97, 95%CI 1.99–12.44; internalizing OR 9.87, 95%CI 3.71–26.25) than those in “Verbal or exhibitionism CSA”(male externalizing OR 2.51, 95%CI 1.50–4.20; internalizing OR 3.08, 95%CI 1.48–6.40; female externalizing OR 2.53, 95%CI 1.63–3.95; internalizing OR 6.05, 95%CI 3.73–9.80). Conclusions Prevalence of CSA items varies. Non-contact CSAs are the most common forms of child sexual abuse among Chinese school students. There are different latent class co-occurrence patterns of CSA items or HRB items among the respondents. CSA experiences are in association with HRB experiences and the associations between latent classes are dose-responded. Multi-victimization has more significantly negative effects. The results could help identify high-risk subgroups and promote more nuanced interventions addressing adverse experiences and risk behaviors among at-risk adolescents.

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Kunst kui tundenakkus: Lev Tolstoi kunstidefinitsioon analüütilises perspektiivis / Art as emotional infectiousness: Lev Tolstoy’s definition of art in the analytical perspective

Methis Studia humaniora Estonica ◽

10.7592/methis.v15i19.13440 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 15 (19) ◽

Author(s):

Marek Volt

Keyword(s):

Art Criticism ◽

Necessary Conditions ◽

Wide Spectrum ◽

Religious Knowledge ◽

Action Mechanisms ◽

Art Works ◽

Analytical Perspective ◽

Anglo American ◽

Definition Of ◽

Insight Into

Artiklis käsitlen Lev Tolstoi kunstiteooria retseptsiooni anglo-ameerika esteetikas. Esiteks formuleerin Tolstoi kunstidefinitsiooni ja selle põhimõistete kanoonilise tõlgenduse. Seejärel analüüsin määratlust ekstensionaalse adekvaatsuse alusel, keskendudes nii tavapäraste kui võimalike uute etteheidete paikapidavuse uurimisele. Kolmandaks püstitan küsimuse, kas Tolstoi kunstidefinitsiooni kriitika ekstensionaalse adekvaatsuse alusel on üldse õigustatud. Väidan, et kuigi senistel Tolstoi meta-esteetilise rehabiliteerimise katsetel esineb puuduseid, paljastab Tolstoi kunstiteooria immanentne kriitika – teooria vaagimine eeldustelt, millelt see kritiseerib oponeerivaid teooriaid –, et ekstensionaalsest adekvaatsusest lähtuv kriitika on õigustatud. My article discusses Tolstoy’s theory of art in the context of Anglo-American aesthetics. Although Tolstoy’s What is Art touches upon a very wide spectrum of subjects (the place of art in the world, justification of sacrifices made for completing art works, criticism of previous theories of aesthetics, especially of the theory of beauty, defining of art as the expression of feelings, judging of art as such based on the religious knowledge of the era, action mechanisms of beauty/pleasure-centred art, consequences, conditions of the value of art, the relations between art and science, etc.), it has mainly been examined from the aspects of judging and defining of art.The article focuses on Tolstoy’s definition of art and consists of three notional parts. First, I present the canonical formulation of Tolstoy’s definition of art – something is a work of art if and only if the person, who lives through the feeling(s), causes by external signs that the recipients live through the same feelings. I also present the canonical interpretation of its main concepts – the conditions for creation, transmitting and reception.Second, I have an analytical insight into the criticism of the canonical treatment, displaying and commenting on, but also responding and complementing the presented arguments. The extensional adequacy-based analysis of Tolstoy’s definition of art shows that although it is possible to eliminate some of the typical criticisms, none of the three necessary conditions was necessary by itself, nor were all three of them sufficient when taken together.As Tolstoy’s definition of art has sometimes earned quite serious criticism, then, as my third point, I also examine some possibilities for rehabilitating Tolstoy’s theory of art: whether and in what sense can the extensional adequacy-based analysis of Tolstoy’s definition of art be justified at all? So far, the attempts of meta-aesthetic rehabilitation of Tolstoy (e.g., Mounce centrism) have not achieved the expected result. Furthermore, the immanent criticism of Tolstoy’s theory of art (criticism of the theory, based on the prerequisites it uses to criticize its opposing theories) reveals that the extensional adequacy-based criticism of Tolstoy’s definition of art is justified, but it is not necessarily the only yardstick for the theory.

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Fast Activity Evoked by Intracranial 50 Hz Electrical Stimulation as a Marker of the Epileptogenic Zone

International Journal of Neural Systems ◽

10.1142/s0129065715500227 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 25 (05) ◽

pp. 1550022 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Elisa Bellistri ◽

Ivana Sartori ◽

Veronica Pelliccia ◽

Stefano Francione ◽

Francesco Cardinale ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Visual Analysis ◽

Activity Patterns ◽

Frequency Component ◽

High Frequency Stimulation ◽

Computer Assisted ◽

Epileptogenic Zone ◽

Fast Activity ◽

Frequency Stimulation ◽

Definition Of ◽

Assisted Analysis

Epilepsy is a disease characterized by aberrant connections between brain areas. The altered activity patterns generated by epileptic networks can be analyzed with intracerebral electrodes during pre-surgical stereo-electroencephalographic (EEG) monitoring in patients candidate to epilepsy surgery. The responses to high frequency stimulation (HFS) at 50Hz performed for diagnostic purposes during SEEG were analyzed with a new algorithm, to evaluate signal parameters that are masked to visual inspection and to define the boundaries of the epileptogenic network. The analysis was focused on 60–80 Hz activity that represented the largest frequency component evoked by HFS. The distribution of HFS-evoked fast activity across all (up to 162) recording contacts allowed to define different clusters of contacts that retrospectively correlated to the epileptogenic zone identified by the clinicians on the basis of traditional visual analysis. The study demonstrates that computer-assisted analysis of HFS-evoked activities may contribute to the definition of the epileptogenic network on intracranial recordings performed in a pre-surgical setting.

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АНАЛІЗ СПІВРОБІТНИКІВ КОМПАНІЇ ЯК НОСІЇВ КОРПОРАТИВНОЇ КУЛЬТУРИ

Bulletin of the Kyiv National University of Technologies and Design Series Economic sciences ◽

10.30857/2413-0117.2018.4.6 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 125 (4) ◽

pp. 62-68

Author(s):

Олена Миколаївна Афанасьєва ◽

Валерія Вячеславівна Кошарна

Keyword(s):

Staff Development ◽

Corporate Culture ◽

Social Life ◽

Wide Spectrum ◽

Equity Capital ◽

Key Factors ◽

Factors Affecting ◽

Remuneration Policy ◽

Business Structures ◽

Definition Of

The paper explores the key factors affecting the corporate culture formation and development. Recently, the issues of corporate culture, especially in large organizations, trigger the focused attention of a number of management theorists and practitioners. It is a relatively new and insufficiently researched concept, both in this country and abroad. People make the foundation of any company, conversely any organization directs its activities towards a person fostering a multifaceted diversity of organizational culture brought in by each employee. This wide spectrum of variety is shaped by the uniqueness of each individual. Each person’s genetic background is exceptional which stems from people’s diversity of the universe. Ukrainian national individualism specified by the nature of social life plays a dual role in building a corporate culture domain of domestic business structures. Given the equity capital formation under the indirect ownership-based principle of “from individual to collective”, this feature of a national character contributes to corporate philosophy tailoring. The paper suggests a definition of the “corporate culture” concept as a set of values, beliefs, opinions, perceptions, expectations, symbols as well as behavior norms and patterns, traditions, rituals, etc. that have developed in the organization or its divisions during its life cycle and which are accepted by the majority of employees. The system of leadership based on encouraging practices is proved to be most effective. Diligent, initiative performance of management instructions, hard creative work in this case depend on the remuneration policy. Thus, incentives should be meaningful for a performer and feasible for a firm. Insights to a range of theoretical and practical aspects in building employee’s corporate culture are provided. The personnel particular role in facilitating the enterprise performance efficiency is revealed. The paper verifies the need to implement coaching in terms of effective training practices for staff development.

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The conception of substitution of the equals sign plays a unique role in students' algebra performance

Journal of Numerical Cognition ◽

10.5964/jnc.v5i1.147 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 5 (1) ◽

pp. 24-37 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Emine Simsek ◽

Iro Xenidou-Dervou ◽

Ilyas Karadeniz ◽

Ian Jones

Keyword(s):

Secondary School ◽

Secondary School Students ◽

The Other ◽

School Students ◽

Unique Role ◽

School Year ◽

Equals Sign ◽

Definition Of ◽

Unique Predictor ◽

Algebra Learning

Students’ conceptions of the equals sign are related to algebraic success. Research has identified two common conceptions held by children: operational and relational. The latter has been widely operationalised in terms of the sameness of the values on each side of the equals sign, but it has been recently argued that the substitution component of relational equivalence should also be operationalised (Jones, Inglis, Gilmore, & Dowens, 2012, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2012.05.003). In this study, we investigated whether students’ endorsement of the substitution definition of the equals sign is a unique predictor of their algebra performance independent of the other two definitions (operational and sameness). Secondary school students were asked to rate the ‘cleverness’ of operational, sameness, and substitution definitions of the equals sign and completed an algebra test. Our findings demonstrate that endorsement of substitution plays a unique role in explaining secondary school students’ algebra performance above and beyond school year and the other definitions. These findings contribute new insights into how students’ algebra learning relates to their conceptions of the equals sign.

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Enhancing Ability of Mathematical Discovery using Computer-assisted Instruction of Junior High School Students

Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Advanced Multidisciplinary Research (ICAMR 2018) ◽

10.2991/icamr-18.2019.87 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Joko Suratno

Keyword(s):

High School ◽

High School Students ◽

Junior High School ◽

Junior High ◽

Junior High School Students ◽

Computer Assisted Instruction ◽

Computer Assisted ◽

School Students ◽

Assisted Instruction ◽

Mathematical Discovery

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FAIRS OF SCIENCE AS ENCOURAGEMENT TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PERCEPTION OF ELEMENTARY AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

HOLOS - ISSN 1807-1600 ◽

10.15628/holos.2016.3902 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 4 ◽

pp. 299

Author(s):

Mauro Silva Ruiz ◽

Cristiano Capellani Quaresma ◽

Ayron Barbosa dos Santos ◽

Igor Ogashawara ◽

Maurício Lamano Ferreira ◽

...

Keyword(s):

High School Students ◽

Secondary Students ◽

Quantitative Research ◽

Environmental Problems ◽

Environmental Perception ◽

School Students ◽

Science And Engineering ◽

Raising Awareness ◽

Definition Of ◽

Brazilian Science

The definition of environment, which disregard the changes resulting from historical progressive rupture of man in relation to his surroundings, is one of the conceptual errors that hinder the understanding and solution of environmental problems of the present. Such difficulties are deepened by the extreme specialization of knowledge that undermined the understanding of environmental problems, making critical analysis urgent and able to integrate different areas of knowledge. Science and technology fairs can be seen as important initiatives to this integration. Thus, this study aimed to verify the perception of students participating in Febrace (Brazilian Science and Engineering Fair) in relation to the environment and the impacts of this fair in raising awareness about that issue. This is a quali-quantitative research based on bibliographic and documentary surveys and interviews with primary and secondary students who were responsible for the projects presented in that fair. The results showed that the majority of respondents (over 74%) have a more elaborate and globalizing vision of the concept of environment. It was also found that, in general, interviewed students could observe positive influences of the fair on their environmental perception and felt more interested and motivated to understand and discuss environmental problems.

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