Knowledge tracing is concerned with tracking a student’s knowledge as she/he engages with exercises in an (online) learning platform. A commonly used state-of-theart knowledge tracing model is Deep Knowledge Tracing (DKT) which models the time dimension as a sequence of completed exercises per student by using a Long Short-Term Memory Neural Network (LSTM). However, a common problem in this sequence-based model is too much instability in the time dimension of the modelled knowledge of a student. In other words, the student’s knowledge on a skill changes too quickly and unreliably. We propose dynamic student embeddings as a stable method for encoding the time dimension of knowledge tracing systems. In this method the time dimension is encoded in time slices of a fixed size, while the model’s loss function is designed to smoothly align subsequent time slices. We compare the dynamic student embeddings to DKT on a large-scale real-world dataset, and we show that dynamic student embeddings provide a more stable knowledge tracing while retaining good performance. / Kunskapsspårning handlar om att modellera en students kunskaper då den arbetar med uppgifter i en (online) lärplattform. En vanlig state-of-the-art kunskapsspårningsmodell är Deep Knowledge Tracing (DKT) vilken modellerar tidsdimensionen som en sekvens av avslutade uppgifter per student med hjälp av ett neuronnät kallat Long Short-Term Memory Neural Network (LSTM). Ett vanligt problem i dessa sekvensbaserade modeller är emellertid en för stor instabilitet i tidsdimensionen för studentens modellerade kunskap. Med andra ord, studentens kunskaper förändras för snabbt och otillförlitligt. Vi föreslår därför Dynamiska Studentvektorer som en stabil metod för kodning av tidsdimensionen för kunskapsspårningssystem. I denna metod kodas tidsdimensionen i tidsskivor av fix storlek, medan modellens förlustfunktion är utformad för att smidigt justera efterföljande tidsskivor. I denna uppsats jämför vi de Dynamiska Studentvektorer med DKT i en storskalig verklighetsbaserad dataset, och visar att Dynamiska Studentvektorer tillhandahåller en stabilare kunskapsspårning samtidigt som prestandan bibehålls.

[ES] Se espera que las futuras comunicaciones móviles experimenten una revolución técnica que vaya más allá de las velocidades de datos de Gbps y reduzca las latencias de las velocidades de datos a niveles muy cercanos al milisegundo. Se han investigado nuevas tecnologías habilitadoras para lograr estas exigentes especificaciones. Y la utilización de las bandas de ondas milimétricas, donde hay mucho espectro disponible, es una de ellas. Debido a las numerosas dificultades técnicas asociadas a la utilización de esta banda de frecuencias, se necesitan complicados modelos de canal para anticipar las características del canal de radio y evaluar con precisión el rendimiento de los sistemas celulares en milimétricas. En concreto, los modelos de propagación más precisos son los basados en técnicas de trazado de rayos deterministas. Pero estas técnicas tienen el estigma de ser computacionalmente exigentes, y esto dificulta su uso para caracterizar el canal de radio en escenarios interiores complejos y dinámicos. La complejidad de la caracterización de estos escenarios depende en gran medida de la interacción del cuerpo humano con el entorno radioeléctrico, que en las ondas milimétricas suele ser destructiva y muy impredecible. Por otro lado, en los últimos años, la industria de los videojuegos ha desarrollado potentes herramientas para entornos hiperrealistas, donde la mayor parte de los avances en esta emulación de la realidad tienen que ver con el manejo de la luz. Así, los motores gráficos de estas plataformas se han vuelto cada vez más eficientes para manejar grandes volúmenes de información, por lo que son ideales para emular el comportamiento de la propagación de las ondas de radio, así como para reconstruir un escenario interior complejo. Por ello, en esta Tesis se ha aprovechado la capacidad computacional de este tipo de herramientas para evaluar el canal radioeléctrico milimétricas de la forma más eficiente posible. Esta Tesis ofrece unas pautas para optimizar la propagación de la señal en milimétricas en un entorno interior dinámico y complejo, para lo cual se proponen tres objetivos principales. El primer objetivo es evaluar los efectos de dispersión del cuerpo humano cuando interactúa con el canal de propagación. Una vez evaluado, se propuso un modelo matemático y geométrico simplificado para calcular este efecto de forma fiable y rápida. Otro objetivo fue el diseño de un reflector pasivo modular en milimétricas, que optimiza la cobertura en entornos de interior, evitando la interferencia del ser humano en la propagación. Y, por último, se diseñó un sistema de apuntamiento del haz predictivo en tiempo real, para que opere con el sistema de radiación en milimétricas, cuyo objetivo es evitar las pérdidas de propagación causadas por el cuerpo humano en entornos interiores dinámicos y complejos. / [CA] S'espera que les futures comunicacions mòbils experimenten una revolució tècnica que vaja més enllà de les velocitats de dades de Gbps i reduïsca les latències de les velocitats de dades a nivells molt pròxims al milisegundo. S'han investigat noves tecnologies habilitadoras per a aconseguir estes exigents especificacions. I la utilització de les bandes d'ones millimètriques, on hi ha molt espectre disponible, és una d'elles. A causa de les nombroses dificultats tècniques associades a la utilització d'esta banda de freqüències, es necessiten complicats models de canal per a anticipar les característiques del canal de ràdio i avaluar amb precisió el rendiment dels sistemes cellulars en millimètriques. En concret, els models de propagació més precisos són els basats en tècniques de traçat de rajos deterministes. Però estes tècniques tenen l'estigma de ser computacionalment exigents, i açò dificulta el seu ús per a caracteritzar el canal de ràdio en escenaris interiors complexos i dinàmics. La complexitat de la caracterització d'estos escenaris depén en gran manera de la interacció del cos humà amb l'entorn radioelèctric, que en les ones millimètriques sol ser destructiva i molt impredicible. D'altra banda, en els últims anys, la indústria dels videojocs ha desenrotllat potents ferramentes per a entorns hiperrealistes, on la major part dels avanços en esta emulació de la realitat tenen a veure amb el maneig de la llum. Així, els motors gràfics d'estes plataformes s'han tornat cada vegada més eficients per a manejar grans volums d'informació, per la qual cosa són ideals per a emular el comportament de la propagació de les ones de ràdio, així com per a reconstruir un escenari interior complex. Per això, en esta Tesi s'ha aprofitat la capacitat computacional d'este tipus de ferramentes per a avaluar el canal radioelèctric millimètriques de la manera més eficient possible. Esta Tesi oferix unes pautes per a optimitzar la propagació del senyal en millimètriques en un entorn interior dinàmic i complex, per a la qual cosa es proposen tres objectius principals. El primer objectiu és avaluar els efectes de dispersió del cos humà quan interactua amb el canal de propagació. Una vegada avaluat, es va proposar un model matemàtic i geomètric simplificat per a calcular este efecte de forma fiable i ràpida. Un altre objectiu va ser el disseny d'un reflector passiu modular en millimètriques, que optimitza la cobertura en entorns d'interior, evitant la interferència del ser humà en la propagació, per a així evitar pèrdues de propagació addicionals. I, finalment, es va dissenyar un sistema d'apuntament del feix predictiu en temps real, perquè opere amb el sistema de radiació en millimètriques, l'objectiu del qual és evitar les pèrdues de propagació causades pel cos humà en entorns interiors dinàmics i complexos. / [EN] Future mobile communications are expected to experience a technical revolution that goes beyond Gbps data rates and reduces data rate latencies to levels very close to a millisecond. New enabling technologies have been researched to achieve these demanding specifications. The utilization of mmWave bands, where a lot of spectrum is available, is one of them. Due to the numerous technical difficulties associated with using this frequency band, complicated channel models are necessary to anticipate the radio channel characteristics and to accurately evaluate the performance of cellular systems in mmWave. In particular, the most accurate propagation models are those based on deterministic ray tracing techniques. But these techniques have the stigma of being computationally intensive, and this makes it difficult to use them to characterize the radio channel in complex and dynamic indoor scenarios. The complexity of characterizing these scenarios depends largely on the interaction of the human body with the radio environment, which at mmWaves is often destructive and highly unpredictable. On the other hand, in recent years, the video game industry has developed powerful tools for hyper-realistic environments, where most of the progress in this reality emulation has to do with the handling of light. Therefore, the graphic engines of these platforms have become more and more efficient to handle large volumes of information, becoming ideal to emulate the radio wave propagation behavior, as well as to reconstruct a complex interior scenario. Therefore, in this Thesis one has taken advantage of the computational capacity of this type of tools to evaluate the mmWave radio channel in the most efficient way possible. This Thesis offers some guidelines to optimize the signal propagation in mmWaves in a dynamic and complex indoor environment, for which three main objectives are proposed. The first objective has been to evaluate the scattering effects of the human body when it interacts with the propagation channel. Once evaluated, a simplified mathematical and geometrical model has been proposed to calculate this effect in a reliable and fast way. Another objective has been the design of a modular passive reflector in mmWaves, which optimizes the coverage in indoor environments, avoiding human interference in the propagation, in order to avoid its harmful scattering effects. And finally, a real-time predictive beam steering system has been designed for the mmWaves radiation system, in order to avoid propagation losses caused by the human body in dynamic and complex indoor environments. / Romero Peña, JS. (2022). Human Body Scattering Effects at Millimeter Waves Frequencies for Future 5G Systems and Beyond [Tesis doctoral]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/191325

Global awareness of governments’ abuse of the Constitutional State of Emergency “CSoE” took place after the COVID-19 pandemic, although it is not a new phenomenon and is widely used, especially by hybrid autocratic regimes. However, few studies have studied its impact on social movements’ Political Collective Action “PCA” and were limited to the analysis of single deviant cases. In order to fill the gap, the research is aimed to investigate how, if at all, social movements in hybrid regimes overcome the PCA challenges under the CSoE? As a corollary, the study will examine the four PCA challenges -organization, interest, demands, and mobilization- in the context of Egypt, with emphasis on the “legal” procedures deployed by hybrid regimes via the highlight of social movement repression.The findings of the comparison conducted is consistent with the proposed causal mechanism, as it implies that when social movement overcome PCA challenges, their level of threat increases, placing a significant cost on the government, which increases the likelihood of the repression.

yes / [Introduction]International commitments and measures to prevent, reduce and combat uncontrolled or illicit small arms and light weapons (SALW) holdings and flows are widely understood to encompass not only the weapons but also their ammunition. This is obviously necessary. Thus the UN Programme of Action to Prevent Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects (PoA) includes many commitments that apply to ammunition as well as to small and light weapons. Progress in implementing the PoA includes many measures concerning ammunition, including: controls on transfers; preventing diversion to illicit trade; marking, record-keeping and tracing; weapons collection; secure storage; and destruction.1 Unfortunately, progress in implementing the PoA in relation to ammunition remains particularly patchy and inadequate. This is partly because it has too often been considered as a residual category. Negotiations and programmes to control SALW have tended in the first instance to focus on the weapons systems, and have then been deemed to apply, `as appropriate¿, also to ammunition. But control and reduction of ammunition raise their own distinct and challenging issues. Without focused attention, and clarification of what is meant by `appropriate¿, controls and measures on ammunition have often been neglected or mishandled.[Executive summary] The 2001 United Nations Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects (PoA) and other associated Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) international commitments and measures are widely understood to encompass not only the weapons but also their ammunition. Unfortunately, progress in implementing the PoA in relation to ammunition remains particularly patchy and inadequate. This is partly because it has too often been considered as a residual category. But control and reduction of ammunition raise their own distinct and challenging issues. This relative neglect is resulting in large numbers of avoidable deaths and injuries.

Traditional methods in optical design like ray tracing suffer from slow convergence and are not constructive, i.e., each minimal perturbation of input parameters might lead to “chaotic” changes in the output. However, so-called inverse methods can be helpful in designing optical systems of reflectors and lenses. The equations in R2 become ordinary differential equations, while in R3 the equations become partial differential equations. These equations are then used to transform source distributions into target distributions, where the distributions are arbitrary, though assumed to be positive and integrable. In this project, we derive the governing equations and solve them numerically, for the systems presented by our instructor Martijn Anthonissen [Anthonissen et al. 2021]. Additionally, we show how point sources can be derived as a special case of a interval source with di- rected source interval, i.e., with each point in the source interval there is also an associated unit direction vector which could be derived from a system of two interval sources in R2. This way, it is shown that connecting source distributions with target distributions can be classified into two instead of three categories. The resulting description of point sources as a source along an interval with directed rays could potentially be extended to three dimensions, leading to interpretations of point sources as directed sources on convex or star-shaped sets.:1 Abstract 4 2 Notation And Conventions 4 3 Introduction 5 4 ECMI Modeling Week Challenges 5 4.1 Problem 1 - Parallel to Near-Field Target 5 4.1.1 Description 5 4.1.2 Deriving The Equations 5 4.2 Problem 2 - Parallel Source To Two Targets 8 4.3 Problem 3 - Point Source To Near-Field Target 9 4.3.1 Deriving The Equations 9 4.4 Problem 4 - Point Source To Two Targets 11 5 Validation - Ray tracing 13 5.1 Splines 13 5.1.1 Piece-Wise Affine Reflectors 13 5.1.2 Piece-Wise Cubic Reflectors 14 5.2 Error Estimates For Spline Reflectors 14 5.2.1 Lemma: A Priori Feasibility Of Starting Values For Near-Field Problems 15 5.2.2 Estimates for single reflector, near-field targets 16 5.3 Ray Tracing Errors - Illumination Errors 17 5.3.1 Definition: Axioms For Errors 18 5.3.2 Extrapolated Ray Tracing Error (ERTE) 18 5.3.3 Definition: Minimal Distance Ray Tracing Error (MIRTE) 19 5.3.4 Lemma: Continuity Of The Ray Traced Reflection Projection Of Smooth Reflectors 19 5.3.5 Theorem: Convergence Of The MIRTE 20 5.3.6 Convergence Of The ERTE 21 5.3.7 Application 21 6 Numerical Implementation 21 6.1 The DOPTICS Library 21 6.2 Pseudocode Of The Implementation 21 6.2.1 Solutions Of The Problems 22 6.2.2 Ray Tracing And Ray Tracing Error 22 6.3 ERTE Implementation 25 7 Results 26 7.1 Problem 1: Results 26 7.2 Problem 2: Results 26 7.3 Problem 3: Results 27 7.4 Problem 4: Results 27 8 Generalizations In Two Dimensions 29 8.1 Directed Densities 29 8.2 Generalized, Orthogonally Emitting Sources in R2 30 8.2.1 Point Light Sources As Orthogonally Emitting Sources 30 9 Conclusion and Future Research 32 10 Group Dynamic 32 References 32

This paper sets out to evaluate the influence of Russia’s increasing levels of hegemonic masculinity upon the erosion of the nuclear taboo in relation to increased threatening rhetoric, military preparedness, targeting of nuclear facilities, and withdrawal from existing arms control legislation which indicates potential first-use employment of nuclear weapons against Ukraine. Utilizing a dual research methodology of comparative process tracing and critical discourse analysis, gender theory is applied to assess various critical junctures and political focal points that contributed to a dual-partite path dependency of increasing hegemonic masculinity, coupled with the feminized securitization of Ukraine, and retaliatory masculinity as performed via state-sponsored employment of conflict-related sexual violence and nuclear posturing against Ukraine. The alternative explanation of “Escalate to De-escalate” is critically investigated; however, the empirical analysis provided by this paper suggests that the lack of gender-sensitive evaluation within this explanation fails to adequately account for the effect of increasing domestic hegemonic masculinity within Russia. Increased perception of an existential threat against Russian masculinity was found to contribute to an increased dependency on nuclear weapons. Ultimately, this paper forwards a novel explanatory causal mechanism, providing one of the first analyses of the nuclear taboo in relation to a gender-sensitive lens.

El concentrador solar Fixed Mirror Solar Concentrator (FMSC) apareció en los años 70 con la finalidad de reducir costes en la producción de energía termoeléctrica. Este diseño consiste en un concentrador de reflector estacionario y foco móvil, presenta buena integrabilidad en cubiertas, y es capaz de alcanzar temperaturas entre 100 y 200ºC manteniendo una eficiencia aceptable. En esta tesis se expone una metodología para determinar el comportamiento del FMSC. Se ha desarrollado una herramienta de cálculo basada en el método de ray-tracing, que simula el trazado de los rayos solares en el sistema óptico. Con esta herramienta se ha analizado el comportamiento óptico y térmico del FMSC, y de la versión con espejos curvos Curved Slats Fixed Mirror Solar Concentrator (CSFMSC). Se ha realizado un análisis paramétrico para conocer la influencia de los distintos parámetros en el modificador de ángulo (IAM), y para obtener los diseños óptimos a una temperatura de 200ºC para tres climas en diferentes latitudes. Se han comparado los valores teóricos obtenidos mediante ray-tracing con dos prototipos ensayados, obteniendo un buen ajuste en ambos casos. Los ensayos han sido utilizados para determinar la curva de rendimiento de uno de los prototipos. Se ha hecho uso del método propuesto en la norma EN-12975-2:2006, combinado con valores de IAM obtenidos mediante ray-tracing. Se prueba que esta combinación puede ser útil para obtener la curva de rendimiento de colectores complejos con un modelo biaxial para el IAM. / The Fixed Mirror Solar Concentrator (FMSC) appeared during the 70s with the aim of reducing costs in the production of electricity in solar thermal power plants. This design consists of a concentrator with fixed reflector and moving receiver, has a very good integrability into building roofs and can reach temperatures between 100 and 200ºC with an acceptable efficiency. In this Thesis a methodology is presented for the determination of the behaviour of the FMSC. A simulation tool based on the forward ray-tracing method has been developed. The optical and thermal behaviour of the FMSC and its curved mirror variation called the Curved Slats Fixed Mirror Solar Concentrator (CSFMSC), have been analyzed with this tool. A parametric analysis has been carried out in order to determine the influence of the different parameters on the Incidence Angle Modifier (IAM) and to determine the optimal designs at a temperature of 200ºC for three different climates at different latitudes. The theoretical values obtained from the ray-tracing code have been compared with two experimental prototypes. The experimental and numerical results obtained show a good fit. The efficiency curve of one of the prototypes has been determined from the experimental tests. The methodology proposed in the norm EN-12975-2:2006 has been used in combination with IAM values obtained by ray-tracing. It has been shown that this combination can be effectively used to obtain the efficiency curve of complex collectors with a bi-axial IAM model.

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Master of Visual Arts / This Dissertation explores the metaphor of Ariadne’s thread in terms of interconnection, when an element from the everyday is used as a locus linking broader concepts of time and space. Such experiences and associations are reflected in the work of Louise Bourgeois, Eva Hesse, Doris Salcedo, Lucio Fontana, Richard Tuttle, Mona Hatoum, Simone Mangos, Anya Gallaccio and Yoshihiro Suda. In relation to my own work, the metaphor of interconnecting thread allows a sense of freedom and journey of discovery. My studio and related research are closely aligned in developing my understanding of interconnection, through my studio process of making and continuing experiences of looking at and interpreting others artists’ work.