Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Continuous-Service M/M/1 Queuing Systems

In this paper, we look into a novel notion of the standard M/M/1 queueing system. In our study, we assume that there is a single server and that there are two types of customers: real and imaginary customers. Real customers are regular customers arriving into our queueing system in accordance with a Poisson process. There exist infinitely many imaginary customers residing in the system. Real customers have service priority over imaginary customers. Thus, the server always serves real (regular) customers one by one if there are real customers present in the system. After serving all real customers, the server immediately serves, one at a time, imaginary customers residing in the system. A newly arriving real customer presumably does not preempt the service of an imaginary customer and hence must wait in the queue for their service. The server immediately serves a waiting real customer upon service completion of the imaginary customer currently under service. All service times are identically, independently, and exponentially distributed. Since our systems are characterized by continuous service by the server, we dub our systems continuous-service M/M/1 queueing systems. We conduct the steady-state analysis and determine common performance measures of our systems. In addition, we carry out simulation experiments to verify our results. We compare our results to that of the standard M/M/1 queueing system, and draw interesting conclusions.
Evidence for a major gene for cortical cataract.

PURPOSE To examine the possible presence of a major gene determining susceptibility to cortical cataract. METHODS The percentage of the lens area involved with cortical opacity, summed over both eyes, was evaluated in 1275 individuals from the Beaver Dam Eye Study. After adjusting for the effects of age and sex, these measures of cortical cataract were subjected to sibling correlational analysis, commingling analysis, and segregation analysis. The Box and Cox power transformation was applied to the data for the commingling and segregation analyses. Using regressive models, four modes of transmission were examined, and under each mode three hypotheses and a general model were fitted by maximum likelihood and compared. RESULTS Sister-sister and brother-brother correlations of the adjusted measures of cortical cataract are significant and similar; the brother-sister correlation is not significantly different either from these correlations or from zero. Two commingled distributions give the best fit to the data, especially after power transformation. Under each of four modes of transmission, the hypothesis that best fits the data is one in which there are only two distributions (and, hence, dominance under mendelian transmission), the power transformation parameter is fixed at the estimate obtained from commingling analysis, and there is residual sibling correlation. The data thus suggest the existence of a major effect for cortical cataract. Random environmental influences can be rejected as a cause of this major effect. Our analysis indicates the existence of a significant effect of sex on the residual variance. Allowing for this, the data suggest transmission of a single major gene, though this may not be the sole cause of the commingled distributions. CONCLUSIONS Assuming a common variance for the two sexes, a single major gene can account for 58% of the variability of age- and sex-adjusted measures of cortical cataract. With the variance sex dependent, a major gene can account for 75% and 45% of the total variability among males and females, respectively.
Prominence and Movement Constructions

One of the key requirements in understanding a text is deciding how successive utterances relate to one another. Anaphors help in this respect by picking out entities already existing in the discourse and indicating the referent to which the new information encoded in the utterance should be attached. Sometimes, the interpretation of an anaphor is determined entirely by the morphosyntactic features of the anaphor itself which fully constrain its interpretation (e.g., reflexives). However, at other times, the choice of a referent for an anaphor is free and listeners must rely on other factors to determine its interpretation. Current theories of pronominal resolution (McKoon et al., 1993; Grosz and Sidner, 1986; Grosz et al., 1995; Lappin and Leass, 1994; Kennedy and Boguraev, 1996) hold that in such cases, the pronoun is assigned (if possible) the best-matching most prominent referent in a list of discourse-prominent entities–that is, a list of entities invoked in the current discourse and ranked according to discourse prominence. Should later information prove that this assignment was incorrect, reanalysis may be necessary and certain consequences may result such as degraded discourse coherence. Hence, the process by which discourse entities are ranked is therefore a critical feature for pronominal resolution. In this paper, I examine two previously uninvestigated features—one syntactic, the other semantic—which may influence this ranking process. All else being equal, entities realized as syntactic subjects are preferred referents for pronominal resolution. This is illustrated by the difference in discourse coherence between (1) and (2).
Neural Network Recognizer for Hand-Written Zip Code Digits

This paper describes the construction of a system that recognizes handprinted digits, using a combination of classical techniques and neural-net methods. The system has been trained and tested on real-world data, derived from zip codes seen on actual U.S. Mail. The system rejects a small percentage of the examples as unclassifiable, and achieves a very low error rate on the remaining examples. The system compares favorably with other state-of-the art recognizers. While some of the methods are specific to this task, it is hoped that many of the techniques will be applicable to a wide range of recognition tasks.
Promises and pitfalls of a Pannexin1 transgenic mouse line

Gene targeting strategies have become a powerful technology for elucidating mammalian gene function. The recently generated knockout (KO)-first strategy produces a KO at the RNA processing level and also allows for the generation of conditional KO alleles by combining FLP/FRT and Cre/loxP systems, thereby providing high flexibility in gene manipulation. However, this multipurpose KO-first cassette might produce hypomorphic rather than complete KOs if the RNA processing module is bypassed. Moreover, the generation of a conditional phenotype is also dependent on specific activity of Cre recombinase. Here, we report the use of an efficient molecular biological approach to test pannexin1 (Panx1) mRNA expression in global and conditional Panx1 KO mice derived from the KO-first mouse line, Panx1tm1a(KOMP)Wtsi. Using qRT-PCR, we demonstrate that tissues from wild-type (WT) mice show a range of Panx1 mRNA expression levels, with highest expression in trigeminal ganglia, bladder and spleen. Unexpectedly, we found that in mice homozygous for the KO-first allele, Panx1 mRNA expression is not abolished but reduced by 70% compared to that of WT tissues. Thus, Panx1 KO-first mice present a hypomorphic phenotype. Crosses of Panx1 KO-first with FLP deleter mice generated Panx1f/f mice. Further crosses of the latter mice with mGFAP-Cre or NFH-Cre mice were used to generate astrocyte- and neuron-specific Panx1 deletions, respectively. A high incidence of ectopic Cre expression was found in offspring of both types of conditional Panx1 KO mice. Our study demonstrates that Panx1 expression levels in the global and conditional Panx1 KO mice derived from KO-first mouse lines must be carefully characterized to ensure modulation of Panx1 gene expression. The precise quantitation of Panx1 expression and its relation to function is expected to provide a foundation for future efforts aimed at deciphering the role of Panx1 under physiological and pathological conditions.
Predicting Student Retention in Massive Open Online Courses using Hidden Markov Models

Permission to make digital or hard copies of all or part of this work for personal or classroom use is granted without fee provided that copies are not made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage and that copies bear this notice and the full citation on the first page. To copy otherwise, to republish, to post on servers or to redistribute to lists, requires prior specific permission. Acknowledgement I would like to thank Derrick Coetzee, for being an extremely thought-provoking research partner and for guiding me with the formulation of this report. I would also like to thank Professor Armando Fox for his guidance during my Master's program, and Professor John Canny for all his help in discussing and refining our research methodologies. Last, but never the least, I would like to thank my friends and family for their never-ending encouragement without which this would not have been nearly as rewarding.
Continuous Long-Range Thunderstorm Monitoring by a VLF Receiver Network. Part II: Cloud-to-Ground and Intra-Cloud Detection Efficiency

The cloud-to-ground (CG) and intra-cloud (IC) lightning detection efficiency of an experimental long-range Very Low Frequency (VLF) lightning network named Sferics Timing and Ranging Network (STARNET) is examined using as reference the more definitive measurements from the National Lightning Detection Network (NLDN) and the Lightning Detection and Ranging (LDAR) systems. Furthermore, bulk IC:CG relative ratio statistics over the continental US are derived using LDAR, NLDN and STARNET measurements. The STARNET CG detection efficiency (DE) derived theoretically and experimentally using NLDN shows exponential range dependence that varies from 100%, within the network (East Coast of US), down to about 20% at distances over 4,000 km. Day and night DE differences are negligible. The STARNET’s CG (IC) DE evaluated using LDAR data over a limited area in Florida-US is shown to vary from 57% (7%) to 70% (19%). During daytime (nighttime) period the CG and IC DE ranged from 68% (49%) to 78% (67%) and 4% (9%) to 9% (29%), respectively. The bulk IC:CG ratio values derived using STARNET and NLDN over the continental US showed a range of 0-4. In a finer scale resolution, over Florida-US and for selected storm cases, the 0-4 IC:CG range is shown to account for ~50% of the observed values. At this scale LDAR estimates show IC:CG ratios ranging up to 15.
Effect on Silicon Nitride thin Films Properties at Various Powers of RF Magnetron Sputtering

Silicon nitride thin films have numerous applications in microelectronics and optoelectronics fields due to their unique properties. In this work, silicon nitride thin films were produced using radio frequency (R.F.) magnetron sputtering technique at various sputtering powers. The prepared thin films were characterized with XRD, FE-SEM, FTIR, surface profiler, AFM and spectral reflectance techniques for structure, surface morphology, chemical bonding information, growth rate, surface roughness and optical properties. The results showed that silicon nitride thin films were amorphous in nature. The films were smooth and densely packed with no voids or cracks at the surface. FTIR characterization informed about Si-N bonding existence which confirmed the formation of silicon nitride films. The sputtering power showed the impetus effect on growth rate, surface roughness and optical properties of produced films.
A Survey on Topology issues in Wireless Sensor Network

Topology issues have received more and more attentions in Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN). While WSN applications are normally optimized by the given underlying network topology, another trend is to optimize WSN by means of topology control. A number of approaches have been invested in this area, such as topology directed routing, cooperating schemes, sensor coverage based topology control and network connectivity based topology control. Most of the schemes have proven to be able to provide a better network monitoring and communication performance with prolonged system lifetime. In this survey paper, we provide a full view of the studies in this area. By summarizing previous achievements and analyzing existed problems, we also point out possible research directions for future work .
Cannabis and Brain: Disrupting Neural Circuits of Memory

Cannabis is a federally controlled substance, it’s very familiar to many but its neurobiological substrates are not well-characterized. In the brain, most areas prevalently having cannabinoid receptors have been associated with behavioral control and cognitive effects due to cannabinoids. Study over the last several decades suggested cannabinoids (CBs) exert copious oftentimes opposite effects on countless neuronal receptors and processes. In fact, owing to this plethora of effects, it’s still cryptic how CBs trigger neuronal circuits. Cannabis use has been revealed to cause cognitive deficits from basic motor coordination to more complex executive functions, for example, the aptitude to plan, organize, make choices, solve glitches, remember, and control emotions as well as behavior. Numerous factors like age of onset and duration of cannabis use regulate the severity of the difficulties. People with the cannabis-linked deficiency in executive functions have been found to have trouble learning and applying the skills requisite for fruitful recovery, setting them at amplified risk for deterioration to cannabis use. Exploring the impacts of cannabis on the brain is imperative. Therefore the intention of this study was to analyze the neuropsychological effects and the impact of CBs on the dynamics of neural circuits, and its potential as the drug of addiction.
Religion, Discourse and Power: A Contribution towards a Critical Sociology of Religion

This article discusses critical discourse analysis CDA) as a framework for a critical agenda in the sociology of religion. CDA uniquely brings together discursive and critical (broadly Marxist) approaches to religion, both of which have been underrepresented in current mainstream scholarship. The article argues that a CDA perspective has a lot to offer to the sociology of religion both by sensitizing scholars to the significance of discourse in creating hegemonic understandings of religion and religions in everyday social interaction dominated by the media; and by offering a framework through which to analyse the discursive construction, reproduction and transformation of inequality in the field of religion. The article discusses the concept of discourse and its different meanings, examines what being ‘critical’ means in the context of discourse analysis and constructs a framework for doing practical CDA. Finally, CDA is discussed as a foundation for a critical sociology of religion.
A Novel Attack Graph Posterior Inference Model Based on Bayesian Network

Network attack graphs are originally used to evaluate what the worst security state is when a concerned net-work is under attack. Combined with intrusion evidence such like IDS alerts, attack graphs can be further used to perform security state posterior inference (i.e. inference based on observation experience). In this area, Bayesian network is an ideal mathematic tool, however it can not be directly applied for the following three reasons: 1) in a network attack graph, there may exist directed cycles which are never permitted in a Bayesian network, 2) there may exist temporal partial ordering relations among intrusion evidence that can-not be easily modeled in a Bayesian network, and 3) just one Bayesian network cannot be used to infer both the current and the future security state of a network. In this work, we improve an approximate Bayesian posterior inference algorithm–the likelihood-weighting algorithm to resolve the above obstacles. We give out all the pseudocodes of the algorithm and use several examples to demonstrate its benefit. Based on this, we further propose a network security assessment and enhancement method along with a small network scenario to exemplify its usage.
Changes in Muscular Activity while Imagining Weight Lifting Using Stimulus or Response Propositions

Investigating emotional imagery, Lang (1977, 1979) proposed a dichotomy between stimulus and response propositions. In this study, Lang’s model is applied to movement images of lifting of 4.5 and 9 kg weights. Twenty-two male and 17 female students participated in the study. During the imaginary lifting of the weights, the electromyographical activity (EMG) of both biceps brachii muscles were assessed. Imagery ability was measured with the Movement Imagery Questionnaire (MIQ) and another self-report rating scale. When response propositions were emphasized in the script, imaginary weight lifting resulted in greater muscle activity than when stimulus propositions were emphasized. During imagined lifting, EMG activity of the active arm was greater than that of the passive arm. In addition, in the active arm, a significant difference in EMG activity was found between 9 kg and 4.5 kg. It was concluded that Lang’s model is also applicable to emotionally neutral movement Imagery.
CONSTRAINING COSMOLOGY WITH HIGH-CONVERGENCE REGIONS IN WEAK LENSING SURVEYS

We propose to use a simple observable, the fractional area of “hot spots” in weak gravitational lensing mass maps, which are detected with high significance, to determine background cosmological parameters. Because these high-convergence regions are directly related to the physical nonlinear structures of the universe, they derive cosmological information mainly from the nonlinear regime of density fluctuations. We show that in combination with future cosmic microwave background anisotropy measurements, this method can place constraints on cosmological parameters that are comparable to those from the redshift distribution of galaxy cluster abundances. The main advantage of the statistic proposed in this paper is that projection effects, normally the main source of uncertainty when determining the presence and the mass of a galaxy cluster, here serve as a source of information.
Decline across different domains of cognitive function in normal ageing: results of a longitudinal population‐based study using CAMCOG

Dementia is an important cause of disability in the elderly. There is evidence that cognitive impairment in dementia is on a continuum with cognitive impairment in the non‐demented elderly. In order to investigate this possibility, we need detailed knowledge about the population distribution of cognitive function and change in cognitive function. The aim of this study is to describe the change in different domains of cognitive function over 4 years in a population‐based sample of non‐demented elderly people, and to investigate the effect of sociodemographic variables and baseline cognitive function on change in each of the cognitive domains. Respondents from two group general practice lists (n=503) were interviewed using the Cambridge Cognitive Examination (CAMCOG) at the incidence wave of the Cambridge City Over‐75 Cohort Study and after a mean time period of 3.9 years. One hundred and thirty five of 212 non‐demented subjects seen at follow‐up completed the CAMCOG at both interviews. The annual rate of change in total CAMCOG score was −1.6 points per year (p<0.001). There was statistically significant decline in all of the CAMCOG subscales. Greater decline in the Memory subscale was associated with less education (p=0.03). Greater decline in the Attention/Calculation subscale was associated with manual social class (p=0.05). Greater decline in the Perception subscale was associated with older age (p=0.03). Decline in specific cognitive domains may indicate a reversible phase of cognitive impairment and deserves further investigation. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Preparing to teach English language learners: effect of online courses in changing mainstream teachers’ perceptions of English language learners

ABSTRACT The number of English language learners (ELLs) is increasing rapidly at US schools. Mainstream teachers have an important role in academic success of these students because ELLs spend most of their school time in mainstream classes, and pulled-out a few hours in a school day for ELL services. However, research on mainstream teachers and ELL education highlights that mainstream teachers may have negative perceptions of ELLs, and they may use wrong accommodations to teach these students due to their lack of knowledge in ELL education. This study aims to understand how taking two online classes on ELL education changes mainstream teachers’ perceptions of this student group. The results showed that mainstream teachers changed their perceptions of ELLs greatly when they took these two online classes, and online discussions had a great role in this perception change. Some implications to develop online ELL education courses for pre-service and in-service teachers are also provided.
Adopters and non-adopters of internet stock trading in Singapore

This study examines the attitudes of adopters and non-adopters toward Internet stock trading in Singapore. Data were collected using a web-based questionnaire survey. Usable responses totaled 208 for adopters and 222 for non-adopters. This study examines the demographic profiles of adopters and non-adopters, stock trading frequency, and preferred stock trading method. It also examines the attitudes towards Internet stock trading in terms of security, economics of cost, importance of investment services, willingness to pay for financial services, percentage of stock trades transacted through the Internet, and change in trading behaviour due to the Internet. Implications of the results are discussed.
Chinese EFL Teachers' Social Interaction and Socio-Cognitive Presence in Synchronous Computer-Mediated Communication.

The present study examines the professional growth of three Chinese English teachers by analyzing their interactional patterns and their social and cognitive presence in an online community. The data from social network analysis (SNA) and content analysis revealed that computer-mediated communication (CMC) created new opportunities for teachers to interact personally, socially and professionally with other fellow teachers with whom they would otherwise not have contact in their working milieu. At the initial stage of their online communication, newcomers to the forum were more likely to rely on vertical relationships, preferring to communicate with people with more expertise or power in the community. New horizontal, peer-to-peer relationships emerged with their increasing involvement in online discussion. Moreover, codes of social presence were frequently used by the participants, especially by the peripheral members in the community. “Elucidating” was the most frequent category of cognitive presence codes used by all the participants while the codes of the other three phases varied with individual teachers. No significant change was observed in the development of cognitive presence likely due to the effect of the time variable. The study has some practical implications for the professional development of language teachers in an online community.