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In this paper, we provide an overview of the sixth annual edition of the CLEF eHealth evaluation lab. CLEF eHealth 2018 continues our evaluation resource building efforts around the easing and support of patients, their next-of-kins, clinical staff, and health scientists in understanding, accessing, and authoring eHealth information in a multilingual setting. This year’s lab offered three tasks: Task 1 on multilingual information extraction to extend from last year’s task on French and English corpora to French, Hungarian, and Italian; Task 2 on technologically assisted reviews in empirical medicine building on last year’s pilot task in English; and Task 3 on Consumer Health Search (CHS) in mono- and multilingual settings that builds on the 2013–17 Information Retrieval tasks. In total 28 teams took part in these tasks (14 in Task 1, 7 in Task 2 and 7 in Task 3). Herein, we describe the resources created for these tasks, outline our evaluation methodology adopted and provide a brief summary of participants of this year’s challenges and results obtained. As in previous years, the organizers have made data and tools associated with the lab tasks available for future research and development.

Actors in a large scale Online Intercultural Exchange (OIE) (O’Dowd, 2016) known as Clavier (MacKinnon, 2016) took time to reflect on their personal experiences of an OIE Network (OIEN) through creating auto ethnographic accounts (Nunan & Choi, 2010). Data reflect different contexts, roles and identities. The data were analysed using a grounded theory method to explore the various perspectives, convergences, and divergences. Through this analysis, “[t]he researcher creates an explication, organisation and presentation of the data rather than discovering order within the data. The discovery process consists of discovering the ideas the researcher has about the data after interacting with it” (Charmaz, 1990, p. 1169, cited in Willig, 2013, p. 77, emphasis in original). This ‘discovery process’ was followed by a series of online discussions where we grappled with the question of how best to present this complex picture with its many facets given the short period of presentation time in the conference. An account emerged of the transformative nature of connected practice. The process of preparing this performance for the UNICollaboration conference in Krakow took the actors to a new point in their professional lives.\ud \ud

We prove that dnnfs can be simulated by Non-deterministic Read-Once Branching Programs (nrobps) of quasi-polynomial size. As a result, all the exponential lower bounds for nrobps immediately apply for dnnfs.

From a modeling point of view, the inclusion of adequate physical phenomena is mandatory when analyzing the behavior of new transistor architectures. In particular, the high electric field across the ultra-thin insulator in aggressively scaled transistors leads to the possibility for the charge carriers in the channel to tunnel through the gate oxide via various gate leakage mechanisms (GLMs). In this work, we study the impact of trap number on gate leakage using the GLM model, which is included in a Multi-Subband Ensemble Monte Carlo (MS-EMC) simulator for Fully-Depleted Silicon-On-Insulator (FDSOI) field effect transistors (FETs). The GLM code described herein considers both direct and trap-assisted tunneling. This work shows that trap attributes and dynamics can modify the device electrostatic characteristics and even play a significant role in determining the extent of GLMs.

Mobile devices can now support a wide range of applications, many of which demand high computational power. Backed by the virtually unbounded resources of cloud computing, today’s mobile-cloud (MC) computing can meet the demands of even the most computationally and resource intensive applications. However, many existing MC hybrid applications are inefficient in terms of achieving objectives like minimizing battery power consumption and network bandwidth usage, which form a tradeoff. To counter this problem we propose a technique that: 1) measures, at run time, how well the MC application meets these two objectives; and 2) allows arbitrary configurations to be applied to the MC application in order to optimize the efficiency tradeoff. Our experimental evaluation considers two MC hybrid applications. We modularized them first, based on computationally-intensive tasks, and then executed them using a simple MC framework while measuring the power and bandwidth consumption at run-time. Analysis of results shows that efficient configurations of the apps can be obtained in terms of minimizing the two objectives. However, there remain challenges such as scalability and automation of the process, which we discuss.

The purpose of this paper is to report upon how an engineering mathematics class was used to provide a vehicle for students to develop mathematical competencies and hence higher order thinking skills within the broader field of engineering education. Specifically it provided students with the opportunities to think mathematically, reason mathematically, pose and resolve mathematical problems, to use technology to model resolutions, interpret and handle mathematical symbolism and to communicate their resolutions to peers and staff. Using the report produced by the Mathematics Working Group of SEFI (European Society for Engineering Education), which details a framework for mathematics curricula in engineering education (SEFI, 2013), a methodology was identified. This methodology was also based on work previously undertaken by the author (Peters, 2017; Peters, 2015). In section 2.1 (p 13) the report lists and describes a set of eight mathematical competencies: (1) Thinking mathematically, (2) reasoning mathematically, (3) posing and solving mathematical problems, (4) modelling mathematically, (5) representing mathematical entities, (6) handling mathematical symbols and formalism, (7) communicating in, with, and about mathematics and, (8) making use of aids and tools. The report also points out the importance of developing assessment procedures pertinent to competency acquisition (p7). The evidence from this investigation concludes that the majority of students found the experience challenging but worthwhile. They considered they had learnt important skills including the ability to form assumptions, persistence, time management, project management and an enhancement of their mathematical skills in relation to engineering.

Concerted effort is currently ongoing to open up the Epoch of Reionization (z ∼15-6) for studies with IR and radio telescopes. Whereas IR detections have been made of sources (Lyman-α emitters, quasars and drop-outs) in this redshift regime in relatively small fields of view, no direct detection of neutral hydrogen, via the redshifted 21-cm line, has yet been established. Such a direct detection is expected in the coming years, with ongoing surveys, and could open up the entire universe from z ∼6-200 for astrophysical and cosmological studies, opening not only the Epoch of Reionization, but also its preceding Cosmic Dawn (z ∼30-15) and possibly even the later phases of the Dark Ages (z ∼200-30). All currently ongoing experiments attempt statistical detections of the 21-cm signal during the Epoch of Reionization, with limited signal-to-noise. Direct imaging, except maybe on the largest (degree) scales at lower redshifts, as well as higher redshifts will remain out of reach. The Square Kilometre Array (SKA) will revolutionize the field, allowing direct imaging of neutral hydrogen from scales of arc-minutes to degrees over most of the redshift range z ∼6-28 with SKA1-LOW, and possibly even higher redshifts with the SKA2-LOW. In this SKA will be unique, and in parallel provide enormous potential of synergy with other upcoming facilities (e.g. JWST). In this chapter we summarize the physics of 21-cm emission, the different phases the universe is thought to go through, and the observables that the SKA can probe, referring where needed to detailed chapters in this volume. This is done within the framework of the current SKA1 baseline design and a nominal CD/EoR straw-man survey, consisting of a shallow, medium-deep and deep survey, the latter probing down to ∼1 mK brightness temperature on arc-minute scales at the end of reionization. Possible minor modifications to the design of SKA1 and the upgrade to SKA2 are discussed, in addition to science that could be done already during roll-out when SKA1 still has limited capabilities and/or core collecting area.

Using Aston-made special design polarizing grating, we have implemented a stretchpulse mode locked erbium fiber laser. The laser has a simple and efficient all-fiber configuration with 90 fs output pulse duration and1.68 nJ pulse energy.

specific themes in Energy, Health Technologies and Finance via KTP (6), CASE (18), Placement (6) and Voucher (3) projects across the themes. Through the analysis of responses to an assessment questionnaire, reports from and interviews with a number of researchers, academics and industry sponsors engaged in KTP, CASE, and Placement projects we attempt to identify, analyse and assess the impact of these research projects. We adopt the Research Councils UK (RCUK) definition of research impact as 'the demonstrable contribution that excellent research makes to society and the economy'. In addition to identifying academic impact, we identify evidence of social and economic impact, for example, that it has been taken up and used by policy makers, and practitioners and has led to improvements in services or business. Helpful and un-helpful factors, identified during the execution of the research projects, are also considered.