Search results for "Sample"

Influence of Teacher and Family Support on University Student Motivation and Engagement

2021

Although many studies endorse the notion that the way students perceive support influences their engagement, very few have explored the possible mediator role of intention to learn between these variables. The present work provides new evidence to the existing literature because it analyses the work of intention to learn (measured with expectancy–value beliefs and achievement goals) as a mediating motivational variable in the relation between university students’ external support (teacher and family) and their engagement. The Educational Situation Quality Model (MOCSE, its acronym in Spanish) has employed as a theoretical framework to perform this analysis. A sample of 267 Spanish universit…

NEW FRAMES OF ARCHAEOMETRICAL DESCRIPTION OF SPINDLE WHORLS: A CASE STUDY OF THE LATE ENEOLITHIC SPINDLE WHORLS FROM THE 1C SITE IN GRÓDEK, DISTRICT …

2010

The essential role of yarn spinning in textile production is indisputable. In this context, spindle whorls, the basic spinning accessories that can be found in the archaeological record, are commonly discussed. Even though the importance of the technical specification of spindle whorls has been already recognized by some authors, their functional characteristics are usually limited to the basic parameters affecting their usage range (i.e., weight, diameter and height). And since the mass moment of inertia of spindle whorls is considered to be a salient index when discussing their technical variability, the descriptions are deficient. With this short study, we intend to implement further res…

Economic Feasibility of Measures for Energy Efficiency

2014

In this chapter the economic impact of some measures for energy efficiency, both using automation of technical infrastructures (according to EN 15232) as well as implementing passive measures concerning the use of building materials and techniques (according to EN 15271), is studied. The chapter is organized as follows. First, a technical-economical study on the evaluation of the impact on residential buildings of Building Automation Control, BAC, and Technical Building Management, TBM, systems is presented. Then the same assessment of some passive measures that can be employed is carried out using the Passive House Standard for Mediterranean warm climates is shown. Numerical elaborations h…

Modeling the insect mushroom bodies: application to a delayed match-to-sample task.

2013

Despite their small brains, insects show advanced capabilities in learning and task solving. Flies, honeybees and ants are becoming a reference point in neuroscience and a main source of inspiration for autonomous robot design issues and control algorithms. In particular, honeybees demonstrate to be able to autonomously abstract complex associations and apply them in tasks involving different sensory modalities within the insect brain. Mushroom Bodies (MBs) are worthy of primary attention for understanding memory and learning functions in insects. In fact, even if their main role regards olfactory conditioning, they are involved in many behavioral achievements and learning capabilities, as …

Impact of a Social Constructivist Instructional Strategy on Performance in Algebra with a Focus on Secondary School Students

2020

There have been perennial concerns on the low academic performance of students among researchers and other education stakeholders. Innovative teaching strategies have, therefore, gained prominence in the field of mathematics education. The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of a social constructivist instructional strategy on students’ performance in algebra. The present study is quasi-experimental, and its type is a posttest control group involving 154 secondary school students that are randomly selected across four intact classes. The random selection of students to treatment and control controls is assumed to improve the validity of the results. Two research questions are…

Simultaneous segmentation and beam-hardening correction in computed microtomography of rock cores

2013

We propose a post-reconstruction correction procedure for the beam-hardening artifact that neither requires knowledge of the X-ray spectrum nor of the attenuation coefficients in multi-mineral geologic samples. The beam-hardening artifact in polychromatic X-ray computer tomography (CT) hampers segmentation of the phase assemblage in geologic samples. We show that in cylindrically shaped samples like rock cores, the X-ray attenuation value for a single phase depends mainly on the distance from the center of the cylinder. This relationship could be easily extracted from the CT data for every phase and used to infer the presence of these phases at all positions in the sample. Our new approach …

Increasing sample efficiency in deep reinforcement learning using generative environment modelling

2020

CostNet: An End-to-End Framework for Goal-Directed Reinforcement Learning

2020

Reinforcement Learning (RL) is a general framework concerned with an agent that seeks to maximize rewards in an environment. The learning typically happens through trial and error using explorative methods, such as \(\epsilon \)-greedy. There are two approaches, model-based and model-free reinforcement learning, that show concrete results in several disciplines. Model-based RL learns a model of the environment for learning the policy while model-free approaches are fully explorative and exploitative without considering the underlying environment dynamics. Model-free RL works conceptually well in simulated environments, and empirical evidence suggests that trial and error lead to a near-opti…

Outdoor, indoor and personal distribution of BTEX in pregnant women from two areas in Spain - Preliminary results from the INMA project

2010

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which are habitually found in both outdoor and indoor environments, may represent a significant health risk. In this context, pregnancy is a critical period since foetuses are more vulnerable than adults to exposure to toxic compounds. The objective of this study is to present the preliminary results of a series of measurements of outdoor (O), indoor (I) and personal exposure (P) to benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, o-xylene and m,p-xylene (BTEX) in 107 pregnant women from two areas in Spain, namely Valencia and Sabadell. BTEX samplers were installed for 48 hours both inside and outside of the women’s homes, along with personal samplers. In addition, the tes…

RADIONUCLIDE CONCENTRATIONS IN AIR PARTICULATE AT PALERMO (ITALY) FOLLOWING FUKUSHIMA ACCIDENT

2012

Following the Fukushima accident, a series of samplings were carried out with a daily frequency to detect the arrival of radioactive contamination in air at Palermo (Italy) and to follow its evolution during the time. Air particulate collection was performed by suction of atmospheric air through cellulose filter paper by means of a high-volume air sampler (∼15 000 m(3) d(-1)). Spectrometric analysis of the filters highlights the presence of (131)I, (134)Cs, (137)Cs and, only for a few samples, traces of (132)Te-(132)I and (136)Cs. Maximum airborne concentrations were 883 μBq m(-3) for (131)I (only particulate), 81 μBq m(-3) for (137)Cs and 70 μBq m(-3) for (134)Cs. From a dose to population…