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This paper investigates the relationship between mapping style and device roadmap in Resistive Random Access Memory (ReRAM) architectures for neuromorphic computing. The study leverages simulations using DNN+NeuroSim to evaluate the impact of different parameters on chip performance, including latency, energy consumption, and overall system efficiency. The results demonstrate that novel mapping techniques and a high-performance (HP) device roadmap are optimal if energy and speed considerations are weighted equally. This is because as the study demonstrates, HP devices provide a latency cut that outsizes the energy cost. Additionally, adopting novel mapping in the device cuts latency by nearly 30% while being slightly more energy efficient. The findings highlight the importance of considering mapping style and device roadmap in optimizing ReRAM architectures for neuromorphic computing, which may contribute to advancing the practical implementation of ReRAM in computational systems.

The strong coupling between molecules and photons in resonant cavities offers a new toolbox to manipulate photochemical reactions. While the quenching of photochemical reactions in the strong coupling regime has been demonstrated before, their enhancement has proven to be more elusive. By means of a state-of-the-art approach, here we show how the \iso{trans}{cis} photoisomerization quantum yield of azobenzene embedded in a realistic environment can be higher in polaritonic conditions than in the cavity-free case. We characterize the mechanism leading to such enhancement and discuss the conditions to push the photostationary state towards the unfavoured reaction product. Our results provide a signature that the control of photochemical reactions through strong coupling can be extended from selective quenching to improvement of the quantum yields, Comment: Final accepted version. Final published version is available at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chempr.2019.11.001

The formation of hybrid light-molecule states (polaritons) offers a new strategy to manipulate the photochemistry of molecules. To fully exploit its potential, one needs to build a toolbox of polaritonic phenomenologies that supplement those of standard photochemistry. By means of a state-of-the-art computational photochemistry approach extended to the strong-coupling regime, here we disclose various mechanisms peculiar of polaritonic chemistry: coherent population oscillations between polaritons, quenching by trapping in dead-end polaritonic states and the alteration of the photochemical reaction pathway and quantum yields. We focus on azobenzene photoisomerization, that encompasses the essential features of complex photochemical reactions such as the presence of conical intersections and reaction coordinates involving multiple internal modes. In the strong coupling regime, a polaritonic conical intersection arises and we characterize its role in the photochemical process. Our chemically detailed simulations provide a framework to rationalize how the strong coupling impacts the photochemistry of realistic molecules, Comment: Published by Springer-Nature publisher group under a CC BY 4.0 license

The Third Infoscape refers to the information and knowledge generated through the myriads of micro-histories, through the progressive, emergent and polyphonic sedimentation of the expressions of the daily lives of city dwellers. To all effects, with the development of wireless sensors, of smart dust1, and with the possibility to engage human beings in urban sensing processes, the dimension of virtuality collapses. Heading towards a state which is basically comparable to the one of telepathy (among human beings, human beings and machines, machines and machines...), reconfiguring urban ecologies so that mapping virtuality or physicality would not be needed anymore, and replacing this need with the possibility to create recombinant inventories of the telepathic migration of dusts, of the myriads of pulverized sensors which are disseminated, diffused. We can imagine information mutating into landscape, delineating an urban space which is not determined by distance and time, but from the transformation of densities and presences.

Different people and cultures associate different emotional states to different parts and spaces of cities. These vary according to individuals, their cultures and also to the time of day, day of week, season, special occasions and more. Recurring patterns may occur in correspondence of the places in which people work, study, entertain themselves, consume, relate, wait or just take a break. What can we learn from these patterns? Trying to find possible answers to this question passes through the possibility to visualize and represent the configurations of emotional expressions in urban spaces, across time, geography, theme, cultures and other dimensions. We have developed ways in which it is possible to harvest people's geo-located (or geo-locatable) emotional expressions from major social networks and to visualize them according to a variety of different modalities. In this paper we will present a series of these types of visualizations, and the ways in which they can be used to gain better understandings of these emotional patterns as they arise, from points of view which derive from anthropology, urbanism, sociology, politics and also arts and poetics. The paper will focus on the ways in which the data is harvested from different social networks, then categorized and annotated with meta-data describing the emotional states, the languages in which people express themselves, the geographic locations, the themes expressed. A methodology for representing this information across a variety of domains (time, space, emotion, theme) will then be presented in detail. A reflection on possible usage cases for anthropology, urbanism, policy-making, arts and design will end the contribution, as well as the description of series of open issues and the indication of possible next-steps for research., Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures, IV2014 Conference Proceedings

This paper tackles the problem of understanding whether Self-Regulated Learning (SRL) is taking place and whether students are developing SRL abilities in a Computer Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) environment. To this end, the authors propose a taxonomy of indicators based on Zimmerman's learning cycle model, with several adaptations derived from subsequent research on SRL in Technology Enhanced Learning Environments. These indicators support the identification of SRL-related events in CSCL processes and have been tested in an experimental setting (the online component of a blended course for teachers) to analyse the messages exchanged by the learners. Content analysis was carried out manually by two coders on a sample of messages. The results of this descriptive, exploratory study are illustrated and compared with those previously obtained with different methods. (Contains 4 figures and 2 tables.)

As we move through cities in our daily lives, we are in a constant state of transformation of the spaces around us. The form and essence of urban space directly affects people's behavior, describing in their perception what is possible or impossible, allowed or prohibited, suggested or advised against. We are now able to fill and stratify space/time with digital information layers, completely wrapping cities in a membrane of information and of opportunities for interaction and communication. Mobile devices, smartphones, wearables, digital tags, near field communication devices, location based services and mixed/augmented reality have gone much further in this direction, turning the world into an essentially read/write, ubiquitous publishing surface. The usage of mobile devices and ubiquitous technologies alters the understanding of place. In this process, the definition of (urban) landscape powerfully shifts from a definition which is purely administrative (e.g.: the borders of the flower bed in the middle of a roundabout) to one that is multiplied according to all individuals which experience that location; as a lossless sum of their perceptions; as a stratification of interpretations and activities which forms our cognition of space and time. In our research we investigated the possibilities to use the scenario which sees urban spaces progressively filling with multiple layers of real-time, ubiquitous, digital information to conceptualize, design and implement a series of usage scenarios. It is possible to create multiple layers of narratives which traverse the city and which allow us to read them in different ways, according to the different strategies and methodologies enabling us to highlight how cities express points of view on the environment, culture, economy, transports, energy and politics., Comment: 19 pages, 6 figures, presented at Information Visualization 12, Montpellier, France

The problem of nonlocality in the dynamical three-body Casimir-Polder interaction between an initially excited and two ground-state atoms is considered. It is shown that the nonlocal spatial correlations of the field emitted by the excited atom during the initial part of its spontaneous decay may become manifest in the three-body interaction. The observability of this new phenomenon is discussed., Comment: 17 pages, 1 figure, sub. to Phys. Rev. A

We consider three two-level atoms inside a one-dimensional cavity, interacting with the electromagnetic field in the rotating wave approximation (RWA), commonly used in the atom-radiation interaction. One of the three atoms is initially excited, and the other two are in their ground state. We numerically calculate the propagation of the field spontaneously emitted by the excited atom and scattered by the second atom, as well as the excitation probability of the second and third atom. The results obtained are analyzed from the point of view of relativistic causality in the atom-field interaction. We show that, when the RWA is used, relativistic causality is obtained only if the integrations over the field frequencies are extended to $-\infty$; on the contrary, noncausal tails remain even if the number of field modes is increased. This clearly shows the limit of the RWA in dealing with subtle problems such as relativistic causality in the atom-field interaction., Comment: 13 pages, 6 figures

We consider the three-body Casimir-Polder interaction between three atoms during their dynamical self-dressing. We show that the time-dependent three-body Casimir-Polder interaction energy displays nonlocal features related to quantum properties of the electromagnetic field and to the nonlocality of spatial field correlations. We discuss the measurability of this intriguing phenomenon and its relation with the usual concept of stationary three-body forces., Comment: 4 pages

The three-body Casimir-Polder potential between one excited and two ground-state atoms is evaluated. A physical model based on the dressed field correlations of vacuum fluctuations is used, generalizing a model previously introduced for three ground-state atoms. Although the three-body potential with one excited atom is already known in the literature, our model gives new insights on the nature of non-additive Casimir-Polder forces with one or more excited atoms., Comment: 9 pages

We have considered the interaction of a pair of spatially separated two-level atoms with the electromagnetic field in its vacuum state and we have analyzed the amount of entanglement induced between the two atoms by the non local field fluctuations. This has allowed us to characterize the quantum nature of the non local correlations of the electromagnetic field vacuum state as well as to link the induced quantum entanglement with Casimir-Polder potentials., Comment: Published on Europhysics Letters 78 (2007) 30003

We consider the Casimir-Polder interaction between two atoms, one in the ground state and the other in its excited state. The interaction is time-dependent for this system, because of the dynamical self-dressing and the spontaneous decay of the excited atom. We calculate the dynamical Casimir-Polder potential between the two atoms using an effective Hamiltonian approach. The results obtained and their physical meaning are discussed and compared with previous results based on a time-independent approach which uses a non-normalizable dressed state for the excited atom., Comment: 11 pages

We calculate the Casimir-Polder intermolecular potential using an effective Hamiltonian recently introduced. We show that the potential can be expressed in terms of the dynamical polarizabilities of the two atoms and the equal-time spatial correlation of the electric field in the vacuum state. This gives support to an interesting physical model recently proposed in the literature, where the potential is obtained from the classical interaction between the instantaneous atomic dipoles induced and correlated by the vacuum fluctuations. Also, the results obtained suggest a more general validity of this intuitive model, for example when external boundaries or thermal fields are present., Comment: 7 pages

A time-dependent Casimir-Polder force is shown to arise during the time evolution of a partially dressed two-level atom. The partially dressed atom is obtained by a rapid change of an atomic parameter such as its transition frequency, due to the action of some external agent. The electromagnetic field fluctuations around the atom, averaged over the solid angle for simplicity, are calculated as a function of time, and it is shown that the interaction energy with a second atom yields a dynamical Casimir-Polder potential between the two atoms.

We use linked birth and education records from Florida to investigate how the identification of childhood disabilities varies by race and school racial composition. Using a series of decompositions, we find that black and Hispanic students are identified with disabilities at lower rates than are observationally similar white students. Black students are over-identified in schools with relatively small shares of minorities and substantially under-identified in schools with large minority shares. We find similar gradients among Hispanic students but opposite patterns among white students. We provide suggestive evidence that these findings are unlikely to stem from differential resource allocations, economic characteristics of students, or achievement differences. Instead, we argue that the results are consistent with a heightened awareness among school officials of disabilities in students who are racially and ethnically distinct from the majority race in the school.

We examine the effect of school traffic pollution on student outcomes by leveraging variation in wind patterns for schools the same distance from major highways. We compare within-student achievement for students transitioning between schools near highways, where one school has had greater levels of pollution because it is downwind of a highway. Students who move from an elementary/middle school that feeds into a "downwind" middle/high school in the same zip code experience decreases in test scores, more behavioral incidents, and more absences, relative to when they transition to an upwind school. Even within zip codes, microclimates can contribute to inequality.

A project was conducted to identify the major conceptual problems associated with secondary cooperative vocational education (CVE) programs, develop a model that accurately depicts the CVE process, and develop a comprehensive set of measures for quality CVE programs. Based on their review of the related literature, the researchers concluded that an information system is an integral part of the effort to justify and improve CVE programs. They then developed a model that characterized the elements of a CVE program in terms of inputs, processes, and outcomes. According to the model, inputs and processes were divided into three categories: school, job, and linkage. In each category a number of elements were then identified as necessary for an effective CVE program. Having refined this schema of quality indicators, the researchers then drafted a CVE program evaluation model that encompassed the following activities: clarification of key CVE program outcomes valued by local leaders, establishment of local standards for CVE program outcomes, preparation of instruments to obtain outcome and input indicator data, establishment of a system for analysis and reporting of information, analysis of the outcomes of CVE programs by comparing program results to outcome standards, and dissemination of local program information. (MN)

The present study examines the reactions to injustice between individuals as a function of the race and sex of the subject. Two contrasting hypotheses derived from research on altruism and personality differences indicate that white females/black males and white males/black females differ in their response to inequity. The study supports the hypothesis based on personality differences; that black females and white males take greater action to correct an inequity when compared to both white females and black males. The implications of these results are discussed. (Author)

A study investigated whether instructors in schools with formal staff development programs were more technologically up to date than instructors in schools with less formal programs. The study used existing data from program evaluations of five postsecondary technical institute (TI) instructors. A survey instrument collected data from 120 (of a sample of 153) postsecondary TI instructors. Findings indicated that formalized staff development programs were not identified within the TIs. Respondents rated workshops, conferences, and seminars sponsored by business and industry as the most effective updating activity. Other activities in descending order of rated effectiveness were work-experience internships, activities sponsored by professional and trade organizations, and industry observation and visits. Forty hours appeared to be the upper limit on time committed to an individual staff development activity. Instructors rated "not enough time in schedule" as the most substantial barrier to being technologically current. They indicated a "high need" for updating. Instructor-suggested criteria for assessing the technical currency of an instructor fell into typical categories: knowledge, work activity, updating activity, attitude/motivation, external evaluations, teaching activities, and performance test. (The instrument and 24 references are appended.) (YLB)

The practice of interviewing individuals rather than groups has been based largely upon methodological concerns for preventing contamination of data. The assumptions that (1) the data provided by individuals can, in aggregate, yield social truth; (2) individuals are conscious of social phenomena; and (3) the whole of social reality is equal to the sum of its parts all bear critical examination. The prevailing assumptions about the source of social knowledge, the nature of knowledge itself, and appropriate research methods have been shaped by the philosophy of individualism. Groups are frequently the only appropriate source of social knowledge. Because the results of group interviews are interactive, they will produce meanings that are social products and that probably will be quite different from the prior, socially untested perceptions of any single individual. Group interviews allow the researcher to observe the ways in which interview participants stimulate each other and provide clues to the language, terms, and codes that participants share. Case studies of a program evaluation, a peer group self-analysis, and an assessment of women's perceptions of barriers in job training programs for nontraditional occupations illustrate the role of the group interview in participatory research groups and Freirean study circles where the group factor is significant in and of itself. (MN)

Examines the methodological common denominator among several models for courseware development and discusses in detail both the design and the validation phases. Emphasizes the need for a systematic approach in which multiple authors' skills are exploited and the cost-benefit ratio is kept at an acceptable level. (AEF)

Discusses summative and formative evaluation methods used and problems encountered in the study of LOGICLANDIA, a courseware package for the teaching and learning of predicate logic in Italian secondary schools. The evaluation process had three phases: subjective, in-house prototypes, and field testing. Results produced revisions in courseware material, in the effectiveness of educational objectives, and in student satisfaction. (Author/LAM)

Summarizes a workshop exploring quality in education and training. Describes a role-playing exercise in which small groups of teacher participants planned and delivered a short teaching and learning session, observed and reported on the planning process and differences in learner and teacher expectations, and derived a list of points to ensure quality. (PEN)

Outlines a workshop to develop and discuss strategies for formative evaluation of courseware and to create evaluation tools appropriate to those strategies. After watching a software demonstration, small groups devised evaluation strategies. Two approaches were identified: one to evaluate the software and printed material separately and together, the other to collect information on its use. (PEN)