Background: The present study aims to investigate which variables affect English as a foreign language (EFL) students’ listening comprehension test performance. It examines two types of variables: (1) test formats and (2) test materials. Methods: First, three types of test formats are investigated: (1) questions are not written but given orally only once in English and in the students’ first la...

In statistical machine translation, phrase-based translation (PBT) models lead to a significantly better translation quality over single-word-based (SWB) models. PBT models translate whole phrases, thus considering the context in which a word occurs. In this work, we propose a model which further extends this context beyond phrase boundaries. The model is compared to a PBT model on the IWSLT 20...

On the basis of original design Ruck Bridge by Mr. Lin Tongyan, this paper modifies single-amplitude curved cable-stayed bridge to be an elliptical ring main beam two-amplitude deck, with a duck-egg-shaped arch tower and spatial cable net four planes, form four-cable-plane two-amplitude-curve for canyon-river topography, so as improve structural stress performance curved-beam bridge, promote tr...

When depth of flow past a river bridge exceeds opening under the bridge, the flow under the bridge becomes pressurized. The water is directed downward and under the bridge deck, causing increase in velocity and shear stress on the bed thereby increasing bed scour. This is termed as Pressure Flow Scour. The present study investigates the phenomenon of pressure flow scour resulting from a submerg...

Biodegradable elastomers are a popular choice for tissue engineering scaffolds, particularly in mechanically challenging settings (e.g. the skin). As the optimal rate of scaffold degradation depends on the tissue type to be regenerated, next-generation scaffolds must demonstrate tuneable degradation patterns. Previous investigations mainly focussed on the integration of more or less hydrolysabl...

Postural Balance Training (PBT) can be used as a rehabilitation training method for athletes after injury. The theory behind PBT is that the athletes’ bodies will become more stable and thereby better able to withstand impacts from external forces, which would otherwise increase the risk of reinjuries. Although the advantages of PBT are generally accepted, and it is seen as a training method to...

In recent years several depth cameras have emerged on the consumer market, creating many interesting possibilities for both professional and recreational usage. One example of such a camera is the Microsoft Kinect sensor originally used with the Microsoft Xbox 360 game console. In this master thesis a system is presented that utilizes this device in order to create an as accurate as possible 3D...

We present a translation model based on dependency trees. The model adopts a treeto-string approach and extends PhraseBased translation (PBT) by using the dependency tree of the source sentence for selecting translation options and for reordering them. Decoding is done by translating each node in the tree and combining its translations with those of its head in alternative orders with respect t...

Guaranteed cost control for uncertain non-linear systems with timevarying delays using T-S fuzzy model Yi-You Hou a; Teh-Lu Liao b; Jun-Juh Yan c; Chang-Hua Lien d a Industrial Technology Research Institute, Medical Electronics and Device Technology Centre, Hsin Chu, Taiwan, ROC b Department of Engineering Science, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan, ROC c Department of Computer and...