Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Labor of Fun

Video games are often framed as sites of play and entertainment. Their transformation into work platforms and the staggering amount of work that is being done in these games often go unnoticed. Users spend on average 20 hours a week in online games, and many of them describe their game play as obligation, tedium, and more like a second job than entertainment. Using well-known behavior conditioning principles, video games are inherentlywork platforms that train us to become better gameworkers. And thework that is being performed in video games is increasingly similar to the work performed in business corporations. The microcosm of these online games may reveal larger social trends in the blurring boundaries between work and play.
Contrast limiting factors of optical fiber bundles for flexible endoscopy

Medical endoscopy constitutes a basic device for the development of minimally invasive procedures for a wide range of medical applications, involving diagnosis, treatment and surgery, as well as biopsy sampling. Its minimally invasive nature results in no surgery, or only small incisions, which involves a minimal hospitalization time. The medical relevance of endoscopes relies on the fact that they are one of the most effective means of early stages of cancer diagnosis, with the subsequent improvement in the patient's quality of life. Flexible endoscopy by means of coherent optical fiber bundles shows both flexibility and a high active area. However, the parallel arrangement of the fibers within the bundle produces interference phenomena between them, which results in optical crosstalk. As a consequence, there is a power exchange between contiguous fibers, producing a worsening in the contrast of the image. In this work, this quality limiting factor is deeply studied. We quantitatively analyze crosstalk, performing several studies that show the limitations imposed to the endoscopic system. Finally, we propose some solutions by an analytical method to accurately determine the appropriate optical fibers for each particular design. The method is also applied to endoscopic OCT.
Teaching Statistics With Student Survey Data: A Pedagogical Innovation in Support of Student Learning

Abstract Business statistics courses are not typically popular, and students often find the examples and textbook problems tedious and irrelevant. In this article, the author describes a pedagogy project that keeps students interested and working effectively in a large class. Through a student survey, the author gathered data on students' university experience and demographics. The class used the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) data set for demonstration of a range of statistical techniques. The student survey instrument and data set provided examples and problems for each of the major topics of the course. Student comments and performance demonstrated the project's positive results.
PCI Express-Based NVMe Solid State Disk

This paper presents a new architecture SSD based on NVMe (Non-Volatile Memory express) protocol. The NVMe SSD promises to solve the conventional SATA and SAS interface bottleneck. Its aimed to present a PCIe NAND Flash memory card that uses NAND Flash memory chip as the storage media. The paper analyzes the PCIe protocol and the characteristics of SSD controller, and then gives the detailed design of the PCIe SSD. It mainly contains the PCIe port and Flash Translation Layer.
Written Corrective Feedback: Focused and Unfocused

Finding the effects of Focused and Unfocused written corrective feedback is one of the commonest issues influencing the feedback methods currently in vogue. Broadly speaking, the way the instructors provide feedback is of great significance in terms of the improvement the students may make as a result of the supervision they are offered. This study tries to take a look at the major lines of research regarding the effects of focused and unfocused written corrective feedback as well as other studies which have focused on feedback provision in English as a foreign language context. The paper raises a number of questions the answers to which might pave the ground for further research on the nature of feedback and the potential effects they may have on the students’ improvement.
Factors That Influence the Use of Electronic Networks by Science and Engineering Faculty at Small Institutions. Part I. Queries

Adoption of an NSFnet connection at an institutional level is a costly undertaking. The decision to connect requires a hierarchy of subordinate decisions relating to the network connection. If any group of faculty resist adopting and using the network, the potential benefits of the network and its services will not be realized for the institution as a whole. A study was undertaken to explore factors that influence the adoption and use of electronic networks and network services by science and engineering faculty in small universities and colleges. Adoption was measured by the dichotomous variable of use and non-use for the network and for five individual services. Intensity of use was selected as a measure of use. In general, factors found to influence the adoption of the network are different from those that influence the intensity of use and the number of services used. For this reason, different actions are necessary to enhance adoption and increase use. Physical access to a networked workstation seems to be the biggest determinant to adoption of the network. Expanding training programs to include a broader audience and a broader scope will increase use. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Freeway automatic incident detection using learning models – backpropagation, SVM and FuzzyARTMAP

The cost of delays caused by incidents is significant and a traffic management center needs to quickly detect and remove them from the freeway to reduce the impact of an incident. A study on quick and efficient automatic incident detection has been an important field of transportation research and many algorithms based on loop detector data have been developed for automatic incident detection on freeways. However, several simple and familiar algorithms, such as the California algorithms, the McMaster algorithm, and the Minnesota algorithm, have had limited success in their overall performance in terms of detection rate, false alarm rate, and mean time to detect an incident. Recently, detection algorithms based on the neural network models are known as the one of the most popular and efficient approaches for real-time automatic incident detection. Moreover, many researchers have shown that the neural network models were much more efficient than various other previous models. However, various types of neural network models and learning mechanisms have been developed and it is an important task to choose the best model in order to achieve the best performance in automatic incident detection. In a previous study, support vector machine (SVM), which is based on statistical learning theory, has been shown to be more efficient than Backpropagation algorithm, easily the most useful and popular neural network. In this paper, FuzzyARTMAP, which is a combination of fuzzy logic and adaptive resonance theory, has been used for automatic incident detection. Experiments have been carried out using real world freeway incident and incident-free data collected on freeway segments located in Seoul, Korea. A comparative study with three models, Backpropagation, SVM, and FuzzyARTMAP, has been conducted to assess the incident detection performance in terms of detection rate and false alarm rate. Experimental results in this study showed that FuzzyARTMAP might provide better performance than the Backpropagation and SVM models for automatic incident detection.
The Playing of an Accent – Preliminary Observations from Temporal and Kinematic Analysis of Percussionists*

The movements and timing when playing an interleaved accent in drumming were studied for three professionals and one amateur. The movement analysis showed that the subjects prepared for the accented stroke by raising the drumstick up to a greater height. The movement strategies used, however, differed widely in appearance. The timing analysis showed two basic features, a slow change in tempo over a longer time span (“drift”), and a short term variation between adjacent intervals (“flutter”). Cyclic patterns, with every fourth interval prolonged, could be seen in the flutter. The lengthening of the interval, beginning with the accented stroke, seems to be a common way for the player to give the accent more emphasis. A listening test was performed to investigate if these cyclic patterns conveyed information to a listener about the grouping of the strokes. Listeners identified sequences where the magnitude of the inter-onset interval fluctuations were large during the cyclic patterns.
Using neural networks to select wavelet features for breast cancer diagnosis

This study focuses on improving microcalcification classification by establishing an efficient computer-aided diagnosis system that extracts Daubechies-4 and biorthogonal wavelet features. These wavelets were chosen because they have been used in military target recognition and fingerprint recognition research with images characterized by low contrast, similar to mammography. Feature selection techniques are employed to further increase classification performance. The artificial neural network feature selection techniques are complemented by a conventional decision boundary-based feature selection method. The results using the wavelet features are compared to more conventional measures of image texture, angular second moment, and Karhunen Loeve coefficients. The use of alternative signal processing to compare wavelet and neural techniques allows for a measure of the problem difficulty. It is concluded that advances and contributions have been made with the introduction of two novel feature extraction methods for breast cancer diagnosis, wavelets and eigenmasses. Additionally, feature selection techniques are demonstrated, compared, and validated, transforming adequate discrimination power into promising classification results.
Do Off-Campus Students Use E-Books?

ABSTRACT The number of electronic books (e-books) that are available is increasing rapidly. Libraries are acquiring them individually, in large groups, and as part of collections. Off-campus librarians perceive them to be the best solution to the problems and expenses related to loaning and shipping print books to off-campus students. This study looks at the usage of e-books by off-campus students at Central Michigan University (CMU) to see if usage patterns can assist librarians with e-book collection development to support off-campus programs.
Bibliographic records editor in XML native environment

In this paper, we examine the possibilities of XML native database usage in the construction of library information systems. We describe modelling and implementation of an editor designed for the processing of bibliographic matter in the form of UNIMARC XML bibliographic records. Modelling processes are described using UML notation. Java programming language and Tamino XML native database environment are used for the implementation of the editor. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
IPA for Continuous Petri Nets with Threshold-Based Flow Control

Abstract This paper considers an application of the Infinitesimal Perturbation Analysis (IPA) gradient-estimation technique to a class of continuous Petri nets. In particular, it proposes a systematic approach for computing the derivatives of the sample performance functions with respect to structural and control parameters. The resulting algorithms are recursive in both time and network flows, and their steps are computed in response to the occurrence and propagation of certain events in the network. Such events correspond to discontinuities in the network flow-rates, and their special characteristics are due to the properties of continuous transitions and fluid places. Following a general outline of the framework we focus on a simple yet canonical example, and investigate throughput and workload-related performance criteria as functions of a threshold control variable. Simulation experiments support the analysis and testify to the potential viability of the proposed approach.
Acquisition of L2 Mandarin Chinese tones with learner-created tone visualizations

This paper reports on a study of 35 Mandarin Chinese learners who (1) created pitch curves of their spoken word tones and (2) compared their pitch curves with those of native speakers while practicing pronunciation. Following a pretest, the learners received training for 20–25 minutes weekly over nine weeks and took a posttest. Two types of data analyses were performed. First, native speakers of Mandarin auditorily rated the pretests and posttests. The ratings revealed that learners’ pronunciation of tones improved between pretest and posttest. Second, acoustic analyses of the learners’ recordings were conducted, and the learners’ production was compared with that of native speakers. Results indicated that students’ pronunciation of some tones improved in the posttest. The postsurveys indicated that two-thirds of the participants found viewing pitch curves helpful. This study confirms previous research but suggests that acoustic analyses complement auditory analyses with more precise indications of L2 learners’ tonal difficulties.
Identifying Systematic Land-Cover Transitions Using Remote Sensing and GIS: The Fate of Forests inside and outside Protected Areas of Southwestern Ghana

We use remote sensing and GIS to map changes in land cover and to identify systematic land-cover transitions in Southwestern Ghana. Landsat Thematic Mapper satellite imagery of 1990 and 2000 is used to create two land-cover classifications, and the two maps are then compared to produce transition matrices both for protected and for unprotected areas. These matrices are analyzed according to their various components to identify systematic landscape transitions based on deviations between the transitions observed and the transitions expected owing to random processes of change. The results show that closed forest regions inside the protected area transition systematically to bare ground or bush fire, but closed forest outside the protected area transitions systematically to open cultivated woodland. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that logging is the main cause of the loss of closed forest inside the protected areas whereas farming is the main cause of the loss of closed forest outside the protected areas. The research highlights the need for the implementation of this methodological approach to landscape change. Identification of strong signals of forest transformation is particularly important in the light of efforts by policy makers to curb deforestation in Ghana.
MicroRNA Set: A Novel Way to Uncover the Potential Black Box of Chronic Heart Failure in MicroRNA Microarray Analysis

As the prime criminal among all the cardio-vascular diseases, chronic heart failure (CHF) is still far from being fully understood after decades of study by researchers. The booming bioinformatics studies, especially the microRNA (miRNA) microarray analysis, have significantly accelerated the uncovering of underlying mechanisms of human diseases. However, these miRNA researches mainly focus on single miRNA, paying less attention to the group characteristics of miRNAs, which may ignore the group characteristics of miRNAs. Here we introduce a novel miRNA set concept incorporation with a group analysis method of CHF miRNA microarray expression. Our results show great accordance with previous studies, and also reveal potential characteristics of miRNAs in CHF. Furthermore, this novel miRNA set approach may give us new insights into other diseases studies as well.
A Highly Robust Audio Fingerprinting System With an Efficient Search Strategy

Imagine the following situation. You’re in your car, listening to the radio and suddenly you hear a song that catches your attention. It’s the best new song you have heard for a long time, but you missed the announcement and don’t recognize the artist. Still, you would like to know more about this music. What should you do? You could call the radio station, but that’s too cumbersome. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could push a few buttons on your mobile phone and a few seconds later the phone would respond with the name of the artist and the title of the music you’re listening to? Perhaps even sending an email to your default email address with some supplemental information. In this paper we present an audio fingerprinting system, which makes the above scenario possible. By using the fingerprint of an unknown audio clip as a query on a fingerprint database, which contains the fingerprints of a large library of songs, the audio clip can be identified. At the core of the presented system are a highly robust fingerprint extraction method and a very efficient fingerprint search strategy, which enables searching a large fingerprint database with only limited computing resources.
The interpreter advantage hypothesis: Preliminary data patterns and empirically motivated questions

The ‘interpreter advantage hypothesis’ posits that task-specific cognitive skills developed by professional interpreters (PIs) generalize to more efficient linguistic and executive abilities in non-interpreting tasks. This paper reviews relevant studies in order to establish preliminary data patterns and outline new research questions. Though not entirely consistent, the evidence suggests that interpreting expertise enhances aspects of semantic processing, working memory, and cognitive flexibility. The data also gives rise to new related queries: Are linguistic and executive enhancements in PIs independent of each other? Are all the superior skills of PIs cumulatively enhanced by the double influence of bilingualism and interpreting experience? And how soon after the onset of formal training do these advantages appear? Tentative answers to these questions are also implied in the evidence considered.
Information literacy skills among female students in Kuwaiti high schools

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to measure the level of information literacy skills in Kuwaiti high schools.Design/methodology/approach – Survey method was used for this study. The population frame consisted of the female students in the 11th grade of the largest governorate in Kuwait “AL‐Asema” which reflected the conditions and environment of a majority of high schools in Kuwait. A cluster random sample was picked of 11th grade classes of girls’ schools in the governorate. The sample thus consisted of a total of 263 students in the randomly selected clusters. A questionnaire was designed and personally administered. Data thus collected were analyzed.Findings – It was found that a majority of Kuwaiti high school students lacked skills in catalog searching and use, selection of information sources, formulation of search strategies, and selection of pertinent sources. Similarly, a majority of them did not make effective use of their public or school libraries. Most of them had not borrowed a book fo.
The Use of Multi-Objective Parallel Genetic Algorithms to Aid Fluid Power System Design

This paper describes the use of parallel genetic algorithms to automate the component sizing stage of the design process. Experiences of applying the method to fluid power systems are discussed and problems encountered are highlighted. Refinements to the standard parallel genetic algorithm for use as a single objective optimizer and its adaptation for use as a method to locate Pareto optimal solutions of multi-objective optimization problems are described. The multi-objective algorithm is used to optimize a mathematical problem and two fluid power circuits.
Adjective-noun collocations in elicited and corpus data: Similarities, differences, and the whys and wherefores

Abstract This paper aims to provide a theory to help explain the similarities and differences between corpus and elicited data in the area of frequent adjective-noun collocations. The study begins with an overview of existing data and theories from word frequency estimation studies and word association studies. This is followed by a critical analysis of three explanations for elicited-corpus data differences (Sinclair, Corpus, Concordance, Collocation, Oxford University Press, 1991; Bybee and Hopper, Frequency and the Emergence of Linguistic Structure, John Benjamins, 2001; and Wray, Formulaic Language and the Lexicon, Cambridge University Press, 2002). I then report on an experiment designed to compare British National Corpus (BNC) data and English language teacher intuitions about the most frequent collocates of some very common adjectives in the English language. It is argued that the data provide support for the theory that a key factor affecting the ‘quality’ of lexical intuitions may be the employment of an availability heuristic in judgments of frequency. It is argued that in an elicitation task some collocates of words (particularly those typically occurring together with the stimulus word in a larger language chain) may be more hidden from memory searches than other collocates which tend to occur with the stimulus word as a ‘bare’ dyad in typical usage.
Use of job aid to promote systematic search under different levels of task complexity

Job aids of various kinds have improved visual‐inspection performance. In particular, these job aids include a dynamic pointer that traces a systematic scan path across a search field. The efficacy of this specific job aid, however, has only been verified under a limited set of conditions. Moreover, the effectiveness of this job aid is a function of the speed of the pointer. Thus, it remains to be determined what pointer speeds will yield the best performances under a wide range of conditions. These conditions are defined here by four of the following task‐complexity factors: background density, fault rate, target conspicuity, and fault mix; the performance measure used is search accuracy. In general, increasing either the speed of the cursor or task complexity degraded accuracy, and the optimal pointer speed was specific to the conditions. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
What can policy makers do to encourage integration of information and communications technology? evidence from the irish school system

Abstract While most countries have invested heavily in information and communications technology (ICT) in education in recent years, the progress with integration of ICT into the teaching of other subjects has often been disappointing. How to encourage integration remains a serious question for policy makers and teacher educators. This article proposes some answers to that question, based on examination of data from the Irish school system. It suggests that ICT integration is associated with two kinds of teacher professional development: postgraduate ICT courses, and short in-service courses focused on specific integrated uses of ICT. The data reveal a strong association between the use of ICT in the school and the ICT usage of the school principal. Finally, it calls into question the use of pilot projects as the agents of change.
Opportunities for older learners: Older students in the open university

This paper discusses research carried out by the Older Students' Research Group in the UK Open University between 1982–87. It examines the motivation, experience and performance of OU undergraduate students aged 60 and over and compares older OU students with the rest of the OU student body and with older students in a variety of other educational organisations. It argues that the success of older students in the Open University indicates that distance education has considerable potential as a mode of study for older people.