Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Queues with skill based parallel servers and a FCFS infinite matching model

We consider the following skill based parallel service queue-ing system: Customers are of types C = {c1,. , cI }, servers are of types S = {s1,. , sJ }, and there is a bipartite graph G of compatiblities between C, S. The graph has arc (i, j) ∈ G if server type sj has the skill to serve customer type ci. Customers arrive in independent Poisson streams of rates λi, and have absolutely continuous patience distributions Fi. There are nj servers of type sj, and the service times are customer-server-type dependent, the service of a customer of type ci by a server of type sj has a random duration distributed as Gij, with average mij. We use the terminology of queueing theory throughout, but this type of system, with minor modifications, is useful in modeling call centers, manufacturing systems, organ transplants, multimedia servers, and cloud computing [8]. Performance of such systems is highly dependent on the operating policy. We focus here on first come first served (FCFS), where a server is assigned to the longest waiting compatible customer, coupled with assign longest idle server (ALIS), where a customer is assigned to the compatible server that has been idle for the longest time. FCFS-ALIS is widely used, because it is fair to both customers and servers, it is simple to implement, it requires little information about the parameters and the current state of the system, and it is robust under time varying conditions. Our goal here is to develop a structured method to support the design and efficient operation of skill based parallel service systems under FCFS. At this level of generality such systems are highly intractable, no analytic results are expected , and asymptotics, e.g. using many server scaling are called for [12, 10, 7, 13]. We suggest an approximation based on a simplified look at the process — if we discard all arrival *
Representing Rami cations in anEvent-based LanguageKristof

In the last couple of years, several high-level languages have been proposed for modeling actions and change, following the example of Gelfond and Lifschitz's A language. The goal of these languages is to analyse in a simpliied context the fundamental issues in reasoning about actions and the constructs required for dealing with them. In this paper we present a narrative-based language ER with a linear time structure, which is designed to deal with general uent dependencies, in particular ramiications, both of consecutive and simultaneous actions. We argue that a combination of state constraints, eeect propagation rules (causal laws) and action precondition rules is necessary to correctly represent all such dependencies. In particular we introduce causal laws involving complex uent formulae and show such laws to be useful for a compact representation of ramiications of both single and simultaneous actions. We motivate and deene a constructive semantics for causal laws based on the principle of inductive deenitions. In addition, we design ER to deal in a exible way with complete and incomplete knowledge on action occurrences, action ordering and the initial state of the world. We present a mapping of ER to Open Logic Programming using the Event Calculus, and prove its correctness. Two extensions to ER introduce constructs for dealing with nondeterminism and delayed ram-iications; the mapping to Open Logic Programming is extended accordingly. Finally we indicate how innuence information as introduced by Thielscher can be used for deriving causal laws from state constraints (semi-)automatically in the ER setting. We discuss how our approach compares with and diiers from Thielscher's.
Discretion, rules and volatility

E conomic models with multiple equilib-ria, such as Diamond and Dybvig (1983), have become increasingly useful in analyzing volatility in financial markets and in business cycles. In many of these models, indeterminacy is a result of incomplete financial markets or technological nonconvexities. Here we identify economic policy discretion to be another distinct cause of indeterminate equilibrium and examine how discretion affects the number of equilibria, as well as their volatility. By discretion, we mean institutions that assign to successive policymakers the freedom to change, without cost, the decisions of their predecessors. Policy making looks forward in environments of this type: Today's decisions depend on the expectations of how tomorrow's policymak-ers will react to situations they expect to prevail the day after tomorrow, and so on forever. Policy choice is indeterminate because there is no way to pin down the behavior of the policymaker at +∞. One possible class of equilibria under this institutional framework will display large swings in policy variables of the sort that Milton Friedman (1948 and 1968) and other monetarist writers identified as the source of many business cycles. As a counterpoint to discretion, we also study an environment dominated by constitutional rules, that is, institutions that restrict the freedom to alter policies inherited from the past. In particular, a constitution that gives current policymak-ers some veto power over changes in future policies endows public choices with an element of precommitment that makes current policy a genuine state variable. This setting makes future policies more predictable when one knows past policies. It also delivers two desirable properties claimed for rules by Friedman (1948 and 1968) and by Kydland and Prescott (1977): Fluctuations are completely eliminated from the set of equilibria, and all equilibrium allocations are social optima. The specific policy question we study is the evolution of social security transfers among finite-lived households in an infinite economy, where individual preferences over fiscal transfers are single-peaked, and policy conforms to the wishes of a well-defined median voter household. Analyzing social security naturally sheds light on a number of issues related to in-tergenerational resource transfers, for example , public debt, currency, and the gen-erational distribution of the tax burden. As we shall see later, the reasons why societies maintain a social security system stem in part from a social compact and, hence, apply with equal force to issues like defaulting on public debt and preserving the purchasing power of …
Question Asking During Tutoring

Whereas it is well documented that student question asking is infrequent in classroom environments, there is little research on questioning processes during tutoring. The present study investigated the questions asked in tutoring sessions on research methods (college students) and algebra (7th graders). Student questions were approximately 240 times as frequent in tutoring settings as classroom settings, whereas tutor questions were only slightly more frequent than teacher questions. Questions were classified by (a) degree of specification, (b) content, and (c) question-generation mechanism to analyze their quality. Student achievement was positively correlated with the quality of student questions after students had some experience with tutoring, but the frequency of questions was not correlated with achievement. Students partially self-regulated their learning by identifying knowledge deficits and asking questions to repair them, but they need training to improve these skills. We identified some ways that tutors and teachers might improve their question-asking skills.
Asymptotics of set-indexed conditional empirical processes based on dependent data

We study the asymptotic properties of the conditional empirical process based on b F n (Cjx) = n X t=1 ! n (X t ? x)I fYt2Cg indexed by C 2 C, where f(X t ; Y t); t = 1; : : :; ng are observations from a strong mixing stochas-tic process, f! n (X t ? x)g denote some kernel weights, and C is a class of sets. Under the assumption on the richness of the index class C in terms of metric entropy with bracketing, we have established uniform convergence, and asymptotic normality for b F n (jx). The key technical result gives rates of convergences for the sup-norm of the conditional empirical process over a sequence of classes C with decreasing maximum L 1-norm. The results are then applied to derive Bahadur-Kiefer type approximations for a generalized conditional quantile process which is closely related to the minimum volume sets. The potential applications in the areas of estimation of level sets and testing for unimodality of conditional distributions are discussed.
Right Atrial Pressure Affects the Interaction between Lung Mechanics and Right Ventricular Function in Spontaneously Breathing COPD Patients

Introduction It is generally known that positive pressure ventilation is associated with impaired venous return and decreased right ventricular output, in particular in patients with a low right atrial pressure and relative hypovolaemia. Altered lung mechanics have been suggested to impair right ventricular output in COPD, but this relation has never been firmly established in spontaneously breathing patients at rest or during exercise, nor has it been determined whether these cardiopulmonary interactions are influenced by right atrial pressure. Methods Twenty-one patients with COPD underwent simultaneous measurements of intrathoracic, right atrial and pulmonary artery pressures during spontaneous breathing at rest and during exercise. Intrathoracic pressure and right atrial pressure were used to calculate right atrial filling pressure. Dynamic changes in pulmonary artery pulse pressure during expiration were examined to evaluate changes in right ventricular output. Results Pulmonary artery pulse pressure decreased up to 40% during expiration reflecting a decrease in stroke volume. The decline in pulse pressure was most prominent in patients with a low right atrial filling pressure. During exercise, a similar decline in pulmonary artery pressure was observed. This could be explained by similar increases in intrathoracic pressure and right atrial pressure during exercise, resulting in an unchanged right atrial filling pressure. Conclusions We show that in spontaneously breathing COPD patients the pulmonary artery pulse pressure decreases during expiration and that the magnitude of the decline in pulmonary artery pulse pressure is not just a function of intrathoracic pressure, but also depends on right atrial pressure.
Power optimisation in MIMO ad hoc network

Among the promising solutions for improving the data rates of next generation wireless communication system working in frequency selective fading environments, we find Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) ad hoc networks. Many research results show that MIMO technology could be used to ameliorate the spectral efficiently compared with a Single Input Single Output (SISO) system. Also, ad hoc networks can benefit from MIMO system. One of the problems of mobile equipments is the MANET environment is the limitations of power supply. In this context, we are interested in determining the optimal transmit power. We have developed an analytical fast method based on the capacity. This approach is used to determine the optimal transmit power in MIMO ad hoc systems.
Adaptive Prediction and Estimation in Linear Regression with Infinitely Many Parameters

The problem of adaptive prediction and estimation in the stochastic linear regression model with infinitely many parameters is considered. We suggest a prediction method that is sharp asymptotically minimax adaptive over ellipsoids in 2 . The method consists in an application of blockwise Stein's rule with weakly geometrically increasing blocks to the penalized least squares fits of the first N coefficients. To prove the results we develop oracle inequalities for a sequence model with correlated data.
Lecture 11: Bandits with Knapsacks 2 General Framework: Bandits with Knapsacks (bwk)

The basic version of the dynamic pricing problem is as follows. A seller has B items for sale: copies of the same product. There are T rounds. In each round t, a new customer shows up, and one item is offered for sale. Specifically, the algorithm chooses a price p t ∈ [0, 1]. The customer shows up, having in mind some value v t for this item, buys the item if v t ≥ p t , and does not buy otherwise. The customers' values are chosen independently from some fixed but unknown distribution. The algorithm earns p t if there is a sale, and 0 otherwise. The algorithm stops after T rounds or after there are no more items to sell, whichever comes first; in the former case, there is no premium or rebate for the left-over items. The algorithm's goal is to maximize revenue. The simplest version B = T (i.e., unlimited supply of items) is a special case of bandits with IID rewards, where arms corresponds to prices. However, with B < T we have a " global " constraint: a constraint that binds across all rounds and all actions. In more general versions of dynamic pricing, we may have multiple products for sale, with a limited supply of each product. For example, in each round the algorithm may offer one copy of each product for sale, and assign a price for each product, and the customer chooses a subset of products to buy. What makes this generalization interesting is that customers may have valuations over subsets of products that are not necessarily additive: e.g., a pair of shoes is usually more valuable than two copies of the left shoe. Here " actions " correspond to price vectors, and we have a separate " global constraint " on each product. We introduce a general framework for bandit problems with " global constraints " such as supply constraints in dynamic pricing. We call this framework " Bandits with Knapsacks " because of an analogy with the well-known knapsack problem in algorithms. In that problem, one has a knapsack of limited size, and multiple items each of which has a value and takes a space in the knapsack. The goal is to assemble the knapsack: choose a subset of items that fits in the knapsacks so as to maximize the total value of these items. Similarly, in dynamic …
Modular fair exchange protocols for electronic commerce

Recently, research has focused on enabling fair exchange between payment and electronically shipped items. The reason for this is the growing importance of electronic commerce and the increasing number of applications in this area. Although a considerable number of fair exchange protocols exist, they usually have been defined for special scenarios and thus only work under particular assumptions. Furthermore, these protocols provide different degrees of fairness and cause different communication overhead. The purpose of the paper is to present a unifying solution to the problem. We do this by defining a suite of protocol modules which allow us to compose protocols where the achieved degree of fairness can be enhanced step by step. The advantage of the stepwise approach is that after each step one can decide if the provided degree of fairness is acceptable or if one is willing to spend more in order to reach a higher degree of fairness. We show the applicability of our approach by deriving a novel efficient fair exchange protocol.
Carnival—Combining Speech Technology and Computer Animation

Speech is powerful information technology and the basis of human interaction. By emitting streams of buzzing, popping, and hissing noises from our mouths, we transmit thoughts, intentions, and knowledge of the world from one mind to another. We're accustomed to thinking of speech as an acoustic, auditory phenomenon. However, speech is also visible. Although the primary function of speech is to manipulate air in the vocal tract to produce sound, this action has an ancillary effect of changing the face's appearance. In particular, the action of the lips and jaw during speech causes constant deformation of the facial surface, generating a robust visual signal highly correlated with the acoustic one1-that is, visual speech.
A randomized, multicenter, pilot study comparing the efficacy and safety of a bupivacaine-collagen implant (XaraColl®) with the ON-Q PainBuster® Post-op Pain Relief System following open gynecological surgery

Background XaraColl®, a collagen-based intraoperative implant that delivers bupivacaine to the site of surgical trauma, is under development for postoperative analgesia. We compared the efficacy and safety of XaraColl for the prevention of postsurgical pain versus a slow postoperative perfusion of bupivacaine to the wound environment via the ON-Q PainBuster® Post-op Pain Relief System (ON-Q). Methods We randomized 27 women undergoing open gynecological surgery to receive either three XaraColl implants (each containing 50 mg bupivacaine hydrochloride) or ON-Q (900 mg bupivacaine hydrochloride perfused over 72 hours) in a 1:1 ratio. Following surgery, patients had access to intravenous morphine via a patient-controlled analgesia pump as rescue analgesia for the first 24 hours and to oral opioid medication thereafter. Total use of opioid analgesia was compared through 24, 48, 72, and 96 hours after surgery. Patients also evaluated overall pain control over the 96-hour period using a five-point numeric rating scale. Safety was assessed for 30 days after surgery. Results XaraColl was non-inferior to ON-Q in total use of opioid analgesia for the first 24, 48, 72, and 96 hours after surgery, with a statistical trend towards reduced opioid use in favor of XaraColl over 24, 48, and 72 hours (P = 0.067, 0.100, and 0.089, respectively). The time to first use of opioid analgesia was also significantly delayed in patients treated with XaraColl (P = 0.024). There was no significant difference between groups in patients’ evaluation of pain control or their satisfaction with the treatment in general. Both treatments were considered safe and well tolerated. Conclusion Despite using only 17% of the ON-Q dose, XaraColl is as effective as ON-Q in providing postoperative analgesia for 4 days after open gynecological surgery. These preliminary findings suggest that XaraColl offers great potential for the management of postoperative pain and warrants further definitive studies.
Operated Ca 2 + Influx Induced Vasodilatation : Refilling of Intracellular Stores by − Mechanism of Nitric Oxide

The precise mechanisms by which nitric oxide (NO) decreases free [Ca ]i, inhibits Ca 21 influx, and relaxes vascular smooth muscle are poorly understood. In rabbit and mouse aorta, agonist-induced contractions and increases in [Ca]i were resistant to nifedipine, suggesting Ca 21 entry through non–L-type Ca 21 channels. Relaxations to NO were inhibited by thapsigargin (TG) or cyclopiazonic acid (CPA) indicating the involvement of sarcoplasmic reticulum ATPase (SERCA). Studies of the effect of NO on [Ca ]i and the rate of Mn 21 influx with fura-2 fluorometry in rabbit aortic smooth muscle cells in primary culture were designed to test how SERCA is involved in mediating the response to NO. When cells were stimulated with angiotensin II (AII), NO accelerated the removal of Ca 21 from the cytoplasm, decreased [Ca ]i, and inhibited Ca 21 and Mn influx. Inhibition of SERCA abolished all the effects of NO. In contrast, inhibition of the Na/Caexchanger or the plasma membrane Ca 21 ATPase had no influence on the ability of NO to decrease [Ca ]i. NO maximally decreased [Ca ]i within 5 s, whereas significant inhibition of AII-induced Ca 21 and Mn influx required more than 15 s. The inhibition of cation influx strictly depended on [Ca ]o nd functional SERCA, suggesting that during the delay before NO inhibits Ca 21 influx, the influx of Ca and the uptake into intracellular stores are required. In the absence of [Ca ]o, NO diminished the AII-induced [Ca ]i transient by a SERCA-dependent mechanism and increased the amount of Ca 21 in the stores subsequently released by ionomycin. The present study indicates that the initial rapid decrease in [Ca ]i caused by NO in vascular smooth muscle is accounted for by the uptake of Ca by SERCA into intracellular stores. It is proposed that the refilling of the stores inhibits store-operated Ca 21 influx through non–L-type Ca 21 conducting ion channels and that this maintains the decrease in [Ca ]i and NO-induced relaxation. (Circ Res. 1999;84:210-219.)
Eukaryotic Evolutionary Transitions Are Associated with Extreme Codon Bias in Functionally-Related Proteins

Codon bias in the genome of an organism influences its phenome by changing the speed and efficiency of mRNA translation and hence protein abundance. We hypothesized that differences in codon bias, either between-species differences in orthologous genes, or within-species differences between genes, may play an evolutionary role. To explore this hypothesis, we compared the genome-wide codon bias in six species that occupy vital positions in the Eukaryotic Tree of Life. We acquired the entire protein coding sequences for these organisms, computed the codon bias for all genes in each organism and explored the output for relationships between codon bias and protein function, both within- and between-lineages. We discovered five notable coordinated patterns, with extreme codon bias most pronounced in traits considered highly characteristic of a given lineage. Firstly, the Homo sapiens genome had stronger codon bias for DNA-binding transcription factors than the Saccharomyces cerevisiae genome, whereas the opposite was true for ribosomal proteins – perhaps underscoring transcriptional regulation in the origin of complexity. Secondly, both mammalian species examined possessed extreme codon bias in genes relating to hair – a tissue unique to mammals. Thirdly, Arabidopsis thaliana showed extreme codon bias in genes implicated in cell wall formation and chloroplast function – which are unique to plants. Fourthly, Gallus gallus possessed strong codon bias in a subset of genes encoding mitochondrial proteins – perhaps reflecting the enhanced bioenergetic efficiency in birds that co-evolved with flight. And lastly, the G. gallus genome had extreme codon bias for the Ciliary Neurotrophic Factor – which may help to explain their spontaneous recovery from deafness. We propose that extreme codon bias in groups of genes that encode functionally related proteins has a pathway-level energetic explanation.
On the optimality of ternary arithmetic for compactness and hardware design

In this paper, the optimality of ternary arithmetic is investigated under strict mathematical formulation. The arithmetic systems are presented in generic form, as the means to encode numeric values, and the choice of radix is asserted as the main parameter to assess the efficiency of the representation, in terms of information compactness and estimated implementation cost in hardware. Using proper formulations for the optimization task, the universal constant 'e' (base of natural logarithms) is proven as the most efficient radix and ternary is asserted as the closest integer choice.
International doctoral students’ experience of supervision: a case study in a Chinese university

ABSTRACT Internationalisation in higher education is now a worldwide phenomenon but there is little attention paid to internationalisation at doctoral level, although this phenomenon has grown exponentially in recent years. This study focuses on a university in China to examine how international doctoral students and their supervisors perceive supervision and the relations between supervisor and student. It describes and analyses the experiences of supervisors and students, and the concepts they used to articulate and reflect on them. Semi-formal interviews were conducted with six doctoral students and their supervisors. Analysis shows that, apart from formal supervision, informal enculturation through social and academic networks, the tongmen, plays an important role in supervision and in socialising the doctoral researchers into the community of practice. The study adds to the field a new case from a specific epistemological and intellectual tradition and challenges existing theories concerning methods and concepts of supervision.