This study attempted to test whether the use of computer-assisted language learning (CALL) and innovative collaborative learning could be more effective than the use of traditional collaborative learning in improving students’ English proficiencies. A true experimental design was used in the study. Four randomly-assigned groups participated in the study: a traditional collaborative learning gro...

Using survey data for call centre establishments in eight countries, we examine the relationship between wages and human resource practices. High-involvement work design and the use of performance-based pay are significantly positively related to wages, whereas intensive use of performance monitoring is negatively associated with wages. These relationships are larger among liberal economies com...

Longitudinal research projects into social practices are both subject to and capture changes in society, meaning that research is conducted in a fluid context and that new research questions appear during the project’s life cycle. In the present study emerging new performances and uses of ICT are examined and the relation between network society competences, learners’ informal learning strategi...

I present a novel low-tech multidimensional gestural controller, based on the resistive properties of a 2D field of pencil markings on paper. A set of movable electrodes (+, -, ground) made from soldered stacks of coins create a dynamic voltage potential field in the carbon layer, and another set of movable electrodes tap voltages from this field. These voltages are used to control complex soun...

The role of waveform design is central to effective radar resource management for state-of-the art radar systems. The waveform shape employed by any radar system has always been a key factor in determining the performance and application. The design of radar waveform to minimize mean square error (MSE) in estimating the target impulse response is based on power allocation using waterfilling. ...

Today parametric associative CAD systems must help companies to create more efficient virtual development processes. While dealing with complex parts (e.g. the number of surfaces of the solid) no CAD modeling methodology is existing. Based on the analysis of industrial designers’ practices as well as student practices on CAD, we identified key factors that lead to better performance. Our object...

Component-Based software engineering provides an opportunity for better quality and increased productivity in software development by using reusable software components [10]. One of the most critical aspects of the quality of a software system is its performance. The systematic application of software performance engineering techniques throughout the development process can help to identify des...

The present work is aimed at assessing the impact of strong column-weak beam (SCWB) criterion on seismic performance of optimally designed steel moment frames. To this end, different SCWB ratios are considered for steel special moment resisting frame (SMRF) structures and performance-based design optimization process is implemented with the aid of an efficient metaheuristic. The seismic collaps...

This paper proposes a framework for ontology-based design support systems, called DRIFT (Design Rationale Integration Framework of Three layers), which records, structures and retrieves reflective operations and their relationships in design process. Although an ontology can provide concepts of static knowledge, such as knowledge about first principles of physical phenomena or prescription of s...