Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Optimal Routing and Scheduling of Deadline-Constrained Traffic over Lossy Networks

The traditionally wired automation infrastructure is quickly migrating to more flexible and scalable wireless solutions. To cope with the stringent requirements of process automation in terms of latency and reliability, the network resources must be optimized to ensure timely and reliable communication. This paper considers the joint routing and transmission scheduling problem for reliable real- time communication over lossy networks. Specifically, we impose a strict latency bound for packet delivery from source to destination, and devise optimal transmission scheduling policies that maximize the success probability of delivering the packet within the specified deadline. A solution to this problem allows to characterize the set of achievable latencies and packet reliability for a given network. We offer a complete understanding of the problem when erasure events on links are independent and follow a Bernoulli process. We consider both static and dynamic resource allocation policies, and compare them in numerical examples.
Modular Theories of Grammar

The theories of grammar discussed in this paper are based on the hypothesis that language is modular. A language (a "linguistic system") is construed as a system of rules and representations factorable into independent but interacting subsystems. Such theories conform to what Pylyshyn (30, p. 121) characterizes as "an extremely general scientific maxim, namely, that a central goal of explanatory theories is to factor a set of phenomena, a problem, or a system into the most general and perspicuous components, principles, or subsystems. " The modular theories of grammar presented here are Government and Binding (GB) theory (6, 7), Modular Grammer (MG) (9), and Lexical Functional Grammar (LFG) (2). One interesting defense of various hypotheses about grammatical structure is based on anaphora phenomena, specifically intuitions about coreference and disjoint reference of referring expressions (e.g. John, Mary, the man, etc), pronouns, and anaphors (e.g. himself, each other). ' Each of the three theories cited above offers partial answers to the question of how the linguistic system helps auditors to recognize the speaker's intents to refer. GB, MG, and LFG all offer a way of factoring the problem-i.e. of apportioning rules and principles to various components of the grammar. I here endeavor to acquaint the reader with these theories by showing how each treats reference. The discussion is not primarily critical, but it does confront several interesting questions. I first present a concise overview and critique of GB theory, since many of the problems discussed in the literature today were first defined in GB theory and its two predecessors, Standard Theory (3) and Extended Standard Theory
Data propagation: a necessity for CSCW in design

Collaboration in cooperative information systems, like concurrent design and engineering, exploits common work and information spaces. In this paper we present the TOGA service (transaction-oriented group and coordination service for data-centric applications) and the data propagator CHAMPAGNE that together realize a shared information space that is controlled by a basic collaboration service. Our approach enables: 1) the evolution of a set of separate applications to form a cooperative information system, i.e., it provides a technique towards component-oriented system engineering; and 2) it can be exploited as a basic service within collaboration frameworks to effectively manage common work and information spaces.
Prospective, Randomized Outcome Study of Endoscopy Versus Modified Barium Swallow in Patients With Dysphagia

Objective Aspiration pneumonia is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in both acute and long‐term care settings. While there are many reasons for patients to develop aspiration pneumonia, there exists a strong association between difficulty swallowing, or dysphagia, and the development of aspiration pneumonia. The modified barium swallow test (MBS) and endoscopic evaluations of swallowing are considered to be the most comprehensive tests used to evaluate and manage patients with dysphagia in an effort to reduce the incidence of pneumonia. The purpose of this study was to provide an initial investigation of whether flexible endoscopic evaluation of swallowing with sensory testing (FEESST) or MBS is superior as the diagnostic test for evaluating and guiding the behavioral and dietary management of outpatients with dysphagia. FEESST combines the standard endoscopic evaluation of swallowing with a technique that determines laryngopharyngeal sensory discrimination thresholds by endoscopically delivering air pulse stimuli to the mucosa innervated by the superior laryngeal nerve.
User-controlled construction of parallel coordinate plots

Parallel coordinate plots [7, 9] are useful for visualizing multidimensional data. There are many advantages to using parallel coordinate plots in data visualization: they can represent data across many dimensions, they are reasonably easy to interpret and do not require a great deal of expertise to use, they are not domain-specific and can be applied to almost any kind of data, and they can be plotted without requiring a great deal of computational resources. Despite the many positive aspects of parallel coordinates, they do have certain weaknesses. Firstly, as with many other visualizations of data, parallel coordinate plots can become cluttered. The lines used to represent relationships between points can cross and become difficult to follow. When there are a large number of points to be plotted, any relationship between two dimensions that is not universal becomes difficult to discern.
Social interaction, social context, and language: Essays in honor of Susan Ervin-Tripp . Dan Isaac Slobin, Julie Gerhardt, Amy Kyratzis, and Jiansheng Guo (Eds.). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum, 1996.

Over the last several decades, Susan Ervin-Tripp has been engaged in a wide range of disciplines, including psycholinguistics, sociolinguistics, child language, second language learning, and women's studies. In honoring her, Dan Isaac Slobin, Julie Gerhardt, Amy Kyratzis, and Jiansheng Guo, editors of Social Interaction, Social Context, and Language, acknowledge the progressive spirit she has brought to the linguist's role. Collecting essays from these.diverse areas, the editors have chosen to open the volume with brief descriptions of how their careers have been shaped through their interactions with Ervin-Tripp. Slobin started his collaboration with Ervin-Tripp in the field of child language in the early 1960s, whereas Gerhardt worked with Ervin-Tripp in examining the relationship between language and context in the late 1970s. Kyratzis and Guo are more recent collaborators with Ervin-Tripp, both in the late 1980s. Portraying Ervin-Tripp as an "ombudsperson in the intellectual world" (p. 5), the editors acknowledge that, over an extended period of time, she has played a crucial role in inspiring her contemporaries, helping younger generations of researchers, and even attempting to reconcile differing theories. As a linguist who entered the field in the 1950s, Ervin-Tripp is aware that language not only is a window onto the microcosm of the individual mind, but also reflects the larger social world. To borrow Slobin's description, Ervin-Tripp believes that "language could not be studied without attention to the social and interactive contexts in which it is learned and used" (p. ix). The title of the book is emblematic of Ervin-Tripp's belief. In line with this belief, the book contains 36 essays written by scholars who have been influenced by Ervin-Tripp at different times and in different capacities. The essays, according to the editors' categorization, fall into six sections, each of which provides an enriching framework for consideration of many important issues in relation to sociocultural contexts in language. It becomes increasingly apparent, however, that because many essays contained in the book cover multiple topics, they are not always confined by the categorizations that the editors have chosen. For example, differences in the ways men and women communicate in the workplace can be traced back to the differential treatment of male and female infants. In this sense, gender differences might be categorized as part of cross-cultural differences. Readers of this book will soon realize that, regardless of the editors' categorization, the view that language embodies a set of particular sociocultural practices stands out as the major focus throughout the volume.
Effects of Low-Dose Risperidone and Low-Dose Zuclopenthixol on Cognitive Functions in First-Episode Drug-Naïve Schizophrenic Patients

Abstract Background: Studies on the effects of antipsychotics on cognitive deficits in schizophrenia mostly suggest a superior effect of atypical over typical compounds, although findings are inconsistent and effect sizes small. Several methodological issues, such as heterogenous patient samples, incomparable drug doses, effects of prior medication, construct validity, and retest effects on neuropsychological tasks, confound most results and the comparability between studies. Consequently, the conclusion concerning effects of antipsychotics on cognition is still equivocal. Objective: The present randomized clinical trial examined the effects on cognition of comparatively low doses of a typical antipsychotic (zuclopenthixol) and an atypical antipsychotic (risperidone) in a homogenous group of drug-naïve first-episode schizophrenic patients in a longitudinal setting. Methods: First-episode schizophrenic patients who had never previously been exposed to antipsychotic treatment (N-25) were randomly allocated to treatment with flexible doses of zuclopenthixol or risperidone in an open-label design. Cognitive functions were examined both when patients were drug-naïve, and after 13 weeks of treatment. A comprehensive neuropsychological battery was used in order to optimize construct validity, and principal components of cognitive functions were extrapolated in order to reduce type I errors. A healthy control group was tested at baseline and after 13 weeks, in order to examine retest effects. The cognitive domains studied were executive functions, selective attention, and reaction time. Results: The patients showed considerable cognitive deficits when drug-naïve. There were few differential effects of risperidone and zuclopenthixol on cognitive deficits, except for a differential significance, respectively, tendency towards improved reaction and movement times in the risperidone group, and a lack of such in the zuclopenthixol group. These differences were no longer significant after covarying for extrapyramidal side effects and anticholinergic medication that were more prevalent in the zuclopenthixol group and the increases after medication were comparable with retest effects in controls. Conclusion: The study underscores the importance of examining impact of factors, such as clinical improvement, extrapyramidal side effects, anticholinergic medication and retest effects in longitudinal efficacy studies. This study does not support efficacy of either risperidone or zuclopenthixol on cognitive functions in drug-naïve schizophrenia patients after 3 months of medication, because neither could be distinguished from retest effects of the healthy control group.
Personality in learning and education: a review

The literature relevant to the combined area of personality and education and learning is summarized, covering almost a century of research and theorizing. Different topics considered important from the aspect of education and learning or from the aspect of personality are represented. For personality this means that broad domains such as motivation and disposition are represented, and that reference is made to topics such as achievement motivation, character education, and goal orientation. The first few decades of the century are coloured by the unitary character‐derived construct persistence of motives (Webb, 1915), which has an inherent connection to learning and education. The last three or four decades are characterized by a growing consensus in the personality field about basic constructs such as those represented by the Big‐Five factors. In addition, emerging issues covering the relationship between personality and intelligence and personality, motivation, and achievement‐orientation are described. This review is necessarily incomplete, but most of the central topics in the field of personality and education have been given a place.
Object Substitution: A New Form of Masking in Unattended Visual Locations

Can four dots that surround, but do not touch, a target shape act as a mask to reduce target discriminability? Although existing theories of metacontrast and pattern masking say “no,” we report this occurs when targets appear in unpredictable locations. In three experiments, a four-dot mask was compared with a standard metacontrast mask that surrounded the target. Although accuracy was predictably different for the two masks at a central display location in Experiment I, both masks had similar strong effects on accuracy in parafoveal locations. Experiment 2 revealed that both four-dot and metacontrast masking were insensitive to contour proximity in parafoveal display locations, and Experiment 3 showed that four-dot masking could occur even at a central location if attention was distributed among several targets. We propose that targets in unattended locations are coded with low spotiotemporal resolution, leaving them vulnerable to substitution by the four dots when attention is directed to them.
The role of neutrophils and G-CSF in DNFB-induced contact hypersensitivity in mice

Neutrophils are thought to play an important role during contact hypersensitivity (CHS) in mice, a notion which is supported by studies in which neutrophils are depleted by monoclonal antibodies (mAb). Here, we show that administration of the commonly used anti‐mouse Ly6G/C mAb (clone RB6.8C5) leads to depletion of not only neutrophils but also a population of monocytes and macrophages. In contrast, depletion using a Ly6G‐specific mAb (clone 1A8) only leads to depletion of neutrophils. We demonstrate that the anti‐Ly6G/C mAb suppresses the inflammatory response to a higher extent than the anti‐Ly6G mAb suggesting that the impact of neutrophil‐depletion in the CHS model may have been overstated when based on protocols using the anti‐Ly6G/C mAb. Still, the role of neutrophils in CHS is substantiated as we demonstrate that G‐CSF is an important regulator of neutrophil mobilization and effector function in CHS. Indeed, G‐CSF was detectable both in the inflamed tissue and in serum during the immune response and we show that blocking G‐CSF results in a reduced number of neutrophils in the blood and an attenuation of the ear‐swelling response in the tissue.
Gesinsbediening in ’n postmoderne kerk: Modelle en metodes

Family ministry in a postmodern church. The aim of the article is to reflect on the necessity for family ministry in the church today, and to explore different models and methods for doing it. This article must be understood against the backdrop of the challenges facing mainline churches, of which the decline in numbers, the lack of support for programmes and initiatives on behalf of families, and the apparent inability to minister effectively to young people, are the most pressing. Since the early church there has been a close relationship between church and home. Not only did rituals and liturgies spill from the gathered congregation into homes; metaphors from family life also provided images and language to the early church. In the last few decades there has been a rekindled interest in the home as the primary incubator for faith formation. Several books, articles, organisations, programs, consultants and churches have described their approach as ‘family ministry’. From a practical-theological viewpoint, there must be a set of criteria by which these approaches could be evaluated. This article aims to contribute in this regard, and to critique different approaches to family ministry.
Prediction of performance among West African male farmers: Natural and supernatural factors

The goal of the present study was to study the performance schema in a male farmer population with very limited contacts with Western media and living in the North of Burkina Faso. The methodology was an application of the theory of functional cognition. The first experiment was aimed at testing a device through which participants could express their quantitative judgements. The second experiment was aimed at uncovering the integration rule used. The data supported the independence schema already found in Indian and Chinese samples. Experiment 3 extended the performance schema by incorporating a new factor currently present in Burkinabe culture: supernatural power. Le but de ce travail est d'etudier le schema de performances dans une population d'agriculteurs vivant au Nord du Birkina Faso et n'entretenant que tres peu de contacts avec les media Occidentaux. Le cadre methodologique est la theorie fonctionnelle de la cognition. La premiere experience a teste le materiel employe, materiel destine a permettr.
The Influence of Urban Environments on Oxidative Stress Balance: A Case Study on the House Sparrow in the Iberian Peninsula

The House Sparrow is a globally distributed species and is closely associated with anthropised environments. They are well-adapted to urban life; therefore the decline of their populations in Europe represents an unexpected event that demands an investigation into its causes. Causes that have promoted this decline are not well known, but one of the highlighted hypotheses is an increase of oxidative stress linked to the toxicity of pollution in urban areas. From an ecophysiological perspective, oxidative damage, antioxidant defence and oxidative balance are considered reliable indicators of environmental stressors such as pollutants. To carry out this study, blood samples were collected from House Sparrows in three different habitats that varied in terms of urbanisation degree: urban, suburban and rural; during the winter and breeding season. According to our results, urban sparrows showed higher levels of oxidative damage and higher activity of antioxidant enzymes, but lower antioxidant capacity in comparison with the rural birds; and these differences especially increase during the breeding season. The maintenance of oxidative balance increases in an urban environment in comparison to a rural one; we suggest that the high level of pollution and the poor quality diet linked to urban environments. The breeding season is expected to be particularly challenging for the oxidative balance of urban birds, when the reallocation of resources between self-maintenance and reproduction may be critical due to the scarcity of antioxidants found in urban areas. This study may contribute to determining the causes of the population decrease of House Sparrows in cities.
A Prolegomenon to the Construct of the Native Speaker: Heritage Speaker Bilinguals are Natives Too!

This Forum challenges the generally accepted position in the linguistic sciences - conscious or not - that monolingualism and nativeness are essentially synonymous in an exclusive way. We discuss two consequences of our position that naturalistic bilinguals and multilinguals exposed to a language in early childhood are also native speakers: (i) that bi-/multilinguals have multiple native languages; and (ii) nativeness can be applicable to a state of linguistic knowledge that is characterized by significant differences to the monolingual baseline.
Comparison of Methods for Measuring the Ablation Efficacy of Erbium Dental Lasers

The ablation efficacy of hard dental tissue, in terms of ablated volume per laser energy, is one of the most commonly used parameters for comparing and optimizing Erbium dental lasers. A number of techniques have been applied to measure the ablation of crater volumes. Two of the most common methods use a focusing optical microscope and a laser triangulation technique. The laser triangulation technique measures the actual crater shapes while the microscope technique is based on an assumption that the crater is cylindrically shaped. This may lead to a discrepancy between published reports when different experimental methods are used. In this paper we report on a comparison of measured volumes as obtained with the microscope and the triangulation technique. An approximate relationship between the two volumes is obtained which allows for a comparison of published data regardless of the measurement technique used. Our measurements also show that the shapes of shallow craters are approximately conical, while the shapes of deeper craters are between a conical and a cylindrical shape.
An economic evaluation of a proprioceptive balance board training programme for the prevention of ankle sprains in volleyball

Objectives: To evaluate the cost effectiveness of a proprioceptive balance board training programme for the prevention of ankle sprains in volleyball. Methods: A total of 116 volleyball teams participated in this study which was carried out during the 2001–2002 volleyball season. Teams were randomly allotted to an intervention group (66 teams, 628 players) or a control group (52 teams, 494 players). Intervention teams followed a prescribed balance board training programme as part of their warm up. Control teams followed their normal training routine. An ankle sprain was recorded if it occurred as a result of volleyball and caused the subject to stop volleyball activity. The injured player completed a cost diary for the duration of the ankle sprain. Analyses were performed according to the intention to treat principle. Mean direct, indirect, and total costs were calculated and were compared between the two groups. Results: The total costs per player (including the intervention material) were significantly higher in the intervention group (€36.99 (93.87)) than in the control group (€18.94 (147.09)). The cost of preventing one ankle sprain was approximately €444.03. Sensitivity analysis showed that a proprioceptive balance board training programme aimed only at players with previous ankle sprains could be cost effective over a longer period of time. Conclusions: Positive effects of the balance board programme could only be achieved at certain costs. However, if broadly implemented, costs associated with the balance board programme would probably be lower.
The Evaluation of Principals: What and How Do States and Urban Districts Assess Leadership?

In this article we present results of a comprehensive review of principal leadership assessment practices in the United States. Our analyses of both the general content and the usage of 65 instruments, 56 at the district level and 9 at the state level, provided an in‐depth look at what and how districts and states evaluate principals. Using the learning‐centered leadership framework, we focused on identifying the congruence (or lack thereof) between documented assessment practices and the research‐based criteria for effective leadership that are associated with improved school performance. Using an iterative and deductive process for instrument content analysis, we found that states and districts focused on a variety of performance areas (e.g., management, external environment, or personal traits) when evaluating their principals, with different formats at various levels of specificity. We also found very limited coverage of leadership behaviors that ensure rigorous curriculum and quality instruction, which are linked with schoolwide improvement for the ultimate purpose of enhanced student learning. In seeking information on how principals are evaluated, we found that in most cases, the practices of leadership assessment lacked justification and documentation in terms of the utility, psychometric properties, and accuracy of the instruments.