Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
On the Asymptotic Optimality of First-Fit Storage Allocation

Suppose requests to store files arrive at a storage facility in a Poisson stream at rate 1. Each file is allocated storage space on arrival and each remains independently for an exponential time with mean l/p. The lengths of the files are assumed to be independent with common distribution F. Each file is placed in the lowest addressed contiguous sequence of locations large enough to accommodate the fre at its arrival time. This is the so-called first-fit storage discipline. We conjecture that first-fit is asymptotically optimal in the sense that the ratio of expected empty space to expected occupied space tends to zero as p → 0, i.e., as the occupied space tends to ∞. This conjecture seems very hard to prove, but it has been proved for constant file lengths [1], i.e., when F degenerates. We are unable to prove the conjecture but give a graphic display of the results of a Monte Carlo simulation which makes it very convincing.
Monotone Difference Approximations Of BV Solutions To Degenerate Convection-Diffusion Equations

We consider consistent, conservative-form, monotone difference schemes for nonlinear convection-diffusion equations in one space dimension. Since we allow the diffusion term to be strongly degenerate, solutions can be discontinuous and, in general, are not uniquely determined by their data. Here we choose to work with weak solutions that belong to the BV (in space and time) class and, in addition, satisfy an entropy condition. A recent result of Wu and Yin [ Northeastern Math J., 5 (1989), pp. 395--422] states that these so-called BV entropy weak solutions are unique. The class of equations under consideration is very large and contains, to mention only a few, the heat equation, the porous medium equation, the two phase flow equation, and hyperbolic conservation laws. The difference schemes are shown to converge to the unique BV entropy weak solution of the problem. In view of the classical theory for monotone difference approximations of conservation laws, the main difficulty in obtaining a similar convergence theory in the present context is to show that the (strongly degenerate) discrete diffusion term is sufficiently smooth. We provide the necessary regularity estimates by deriving and carefully analyzing a linear difference equation satisfied by the numerical flux of the difference schemes. Finally, we make some concluding remarks about monotone difference schemes for multidimensional equations.
Narrowing the broader autism phenotype

This study investigated whether the Communication Checklist — Adult (CC-A) could identify subtypes of social and communication dysfunction in autism probands and their parents. The CC-A is divided into subscales measuring linguistic ability as well as two aspects of social communication: the Pragmatic Skills subscale assesses the level of pragmatic oddities (e.g. excessive talking), while the Social Engagement subscale picks up on those behaviours that reflect a more passive communication style (e.g. failure to engage in social interactions). CC-A data were collected for 69 autism probands, 238 parents of autism probands and 187 typical participants. The CC-A proved sensitive to the communication difficulties of autism probands and a proportion of their parents. The majority of parents who demonstrated the broader phenotype scored poorly on either the Pragmatic Skills or Social Engagement scale only. The Social Engagement scale was particularly sensitive to the difficulties of the parents, indicating that social-communicative passivity may be an important part of the broader autism phenotype. The findings provide evidence for the existence of more constrained pragmatic phenotypes in autism. Molecular genetic studies in this area may benefit from stratifying samples according to these phenotypes.
Towards improved post‐processing of hydrologic forecast ensembles

Forecast ensembles of hydrological and hydrometeorologial variables are prone to various uncertainties arising from climatology, model structure and parameters, and initial conditions at the forecast date. Post‐processing methods are usually applied to adjust the mean and variance of the ensemble without any knowledge about the uncertainty sources. This study initially addresses the drawbacks of a commonly used statistical technique, quantile mapping (QM), in bias correction of hydrologic forecasts. Then, an auxiliary variable, the failure index (γ), is proposed to estimate the ineffectiveness of the post‐processing method based on the agreement of adjusted forecasts with corresponding observations during an analysis period prior to the forecast date. An alternative post‐processor based on copula functions is then introduced such that marginal distributions of observations and model simulations are combined to create a multivariate joint distribution. A set of 2500 hypothetical forecast ensembles with parametric marginal distributions of simulated and observed variables are post‐processed with both QM and the proposed multivariate post‐processor. Deterministic forecast skills show that the proposed copula‐based post‐processing is more effective than the QM method in improving the forecasts. It is found that the performance of QM is highly correlated with the failure index, unlike the multivariate post‐processor. In probabilistic metrics, the proposed multivariate post‐processor generally outperforms QM. Further evaluation of techniques is conducted for river flow forecast of Sprague River basin in southern Oregon. Results show that the multivariate post‐processor performs better than the QM technique; it reduces the ensemble spread and is a more reliable approach for improving the forecast. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Secure Multiparty Computation for Privacy-Preserving Data Mining

In this paper, we survey the basic paradigms and notions of secure mul- tiparty computation and discuss their relevance to the fleld of privacy-preserving data mining. In addition to reviewing deflnitions and constructions for secure mul- tiparty computation, we discuss the issue of e-ciency and demonstrate the di-cul- ties involved in constructing highly e-cient protocols. We also present common errors that are prevalent in the literature when secure multiparty computation techniques are applied to privacy-preserving data mining. Finally, we discuss the relationship between secure multiparty computation and privacy-preserving data mining, and show which problems it solves and which problems it does not.
In Quality We Trust; but Quality of Life or Quality of Care?

The ESRD program provides medical care to a diverse and medically complex patient population. The care for the ESRD patient population has become increasingly benchmarked with process of care measures. These measures include dialysis adequacy, anemia, nutrition, and vascular access outcomes. These process‐related dialysis measures may not improve the care of the individual patient as care relates to the individual's goals and values. There is also evidence that these process measures may not be causally related to quality of life, hospitalization, and survival. The adoption of patient‐reported outcomes may shift the balance toward more patient‐centered care. However, the extent to which mandated measures of health‐related quality of life and patient satisfaction result in improved outcomes remains unclear.
A Deletion in the Golgi α-Mannosidase II Gene of Caenorhabditis elegans Results in Unexpected Non-wild-type N-Glycan Structures*

The processing of N-linked oligosaccharides by α-mannosidases in the endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi is a process conserved in plants and animals. After the transfer of a GlcNAc residue to Asn-bound Man5GlcNAc2 by N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase I, an α-mannosidase (EC 3.2.1.114) removes one α1,3-linked and one α1,6-linked mannose residue. In this study, we have identified the relevant α-mannosidase II gene (aman-2; F58H1.1) from Caenorhabditis elegans and have detected its activity in both native and recombinant forms. For comparative studies, the two other cDNAs encoding class II mannosidases aman-1 (F55D10.1) and aman-3 (F48C1.1) were cloned; the corresponding enzymes are, respectively, a putative lysosomal α-mannosidase and a Co(II)-activated α-mannosidase. The analysis of the N-glycan structures of an aman-2 mutant strain demonstrates that the absence of α-mannosidase II activity results in a shift to structures not seen in wild-type worms (e.g. N-glycans with the composition Hex5-7HexNAc2-3Fuc2Me) and an accumulation of hybrid oligosaccharides. Paucimannosidic glycans are almost absent from aman-2 worms, indicative also of a general lack of α-mannosidase III activity. We hypothesize that there is a tremendous flexibility in the glycosylation pathway of C. elegans that does not impinge, under standard laboratory conditions, on the viability of worms with glycotypes very unlike the wild-type pattern.
International Commodity Prices, Growth and the Outbreak of Civil War in Sub-Saharan Africa

Para entender mejor los efectos de las condiciones economicas sobre las guerras civiles, examinamos si las guerras civiles en Africa Subsahariana han sido mas probables despues de caidas en los precios internacionales de los principales bienes de exportacion. Nuestras estimaciones indican un efecto robusto de las caidas de precios internacionales sobre el comienzo de las guerras civiles.
Regulation of SFRP-1 Expression in the Rat Dental Follicle

Tooth eruption requires osteoclastogenesis and subsequent bone resorption. Secreted frizzled-related protein-1 (SFRP-1) negatively regulates osteoclastogenesis. Our previous studies indicated that SFRP-1 is expressed in the rat dental follicle (DF), with reduced expression at days 3 and 9 close to the times for the major and minor bursts of osteoclastogenesis, respectively; but it remains unclear as to what molecules contribute to its reduced expression at these critical times. Thus, it was the aim of this study to determine which molecules regulate the expression of SFRP-1 in the DF. To that end, the DF cells were treated with cytokines that are maximally expressed at days 3 or 9, and SFRP-1 expression was determined. Our study indicated that colony-stimulating factor-1 (CSF-1), a molecule maximally expressed in the DF at day 3, down-regulated SFRP-1 expression. As to endothelial monocyte-activating polypeptide II (EMAP-II), a highly expressed molecule in the DF at day 3, it had no effect on the expression of SFRP-1. However, when EMAP-II was knocked down by siRNA, the expression of SFRP-1 was elevated, and this elevated SFRP-1 expression could be reduced by adding recombinant EMAP-II protein. This suggests that EMAP-II maintained a lower level of SFRP-1 in the DF. TNF-α is a molecule maximally expressed at day 9, and this study indicated that it also down-regulated the expression of SFRP-1 in the DF cells. In conclusion, CSF-1 and EMAP-II may contribute to the reduced SFRP-1 expression seen on day 3, while TNF-α may contribute to the reduced SFRP-1 expression at day 9.
Interference-Aware QoS Routing in Wireless Mesh Networks

Wireless interference can make a significant impact on the performance of a wireless network. The paper studies TDMA-based timeslot allocation to schedule links efficiently under RTS/CTS interference model of wireless networks, and presents an efficient centralized timeslot assignment algorithm. In addition, the paper presents an effective heuristic algorithm for calculating end-to-end bandwidth on a path, which is used together with AODV to setup QoS routes. Simulation results show that compared with the shortest path routing, our interference-aware QoS routing algorithm increases success ratio of finding a route with required bandwidth to destination node.
Keynes Meets Markowitz: The Tradeoff between Familiarity and Diversification

We develop a model of portfolio choice to nest the views of Keynes---who advocates concentration in a few familiar assets---and Markowitz---who advocates diversification across assets. We rely on the concepts of ambiguity and ambiguity aversion to formalize the idea of investor's ``familiarity" towards assets. The model shows that when investors are equally ambiguous about all assets, then the optimal portfolio corresponds to Markowitz's fully-diversified portfolio. In contrast, when investors exhibit different degrees of familiarity across assets, the optimal portfolio depends on (i)~the relative degree of ambiguity across assets and (ii)~the standard deviation of the estimate of expected return on each asset. If the standard deviation is low and the difference between the ambiguity about the familiar and unfamiliar assets is small, then the optimal portfolio is composed of a mix of both familiar and unfamiliar assets; moreover, an increase in correlation between assets causes investors to increase concentration in the assets with which they are familiar (flight to familiarity). Alternatively, if the standard deviation of the expected-return estimate is high and the difference between the ambiguity of familiar and unfamiliar assets is large, the optimal portfolio contains only the familiar asset(s) as Keynes would have advocated. In the extreme case in which the ambiguity about all assets and the standard deviation of the estimated mean are high, then no risky asset is held (non-participation). The model also has empirically testable implications for trading behavior: in response to a change in idiosyncratic risk the Keynesian portfolio always exhibits more trading than the Markowitz portfolio, while the opposite is true for a change in systematic volatility. In the equilibrium version of the model with heterogeneous agents who are familiar with different assets, we find that the risk premium of stocks depends on both systematic and idiosyncratic volatility, and that the equity risk premium is significantly higher than in the standard model without ambiguity.
Experimental Tests of Survey Responses to Expenditure Questions

This paper tests for a number of survey effects in the elicitation of expenditure items. In particular we examine the extent to which individuals use features of the expenditure question to construct their answers. We test whether respondents interpret question wording as researchers intend and examine the extent to which prompts, clarifications and seemingly arbitrary features of survey design influence expenditure reports. We find that over one quarter of respondents have difficulty distinguishing between "you" and "your household" when making expenditure reports; that respondents report higher pro-rata expenditure when asked to give responses on a weekly as opposed to monthly or annual time scale; that respondents give higher estimates when using a scale with a higher mid-point; and that respondents give higher aggregated expenditure when categories are presented in a disaggregated form. In summary, expenditure reports are constructed using convenient rules of thumb and available information, which will depend on the characteristics of the respondent, the expenditure domain and features of the survey question. It is crucial to further account for these features in ongoing surveys.
Secretion of cytokines and chemokines by polarized human epithelial cells from the female reproductive tract.

BACKGROUND Pro-inflammatory chemokines that attract and cytokines that activate immune cells contribute to normal physiological homeostasis in the female reproductive tract, and are needed to deal effectively with potential pathogenic microbes. Mucosal epithelial cells are capable of producing these factors that communicate with cells of the innate and adaptive immune systems. METHODS Epithelial cells from Fallopian tube, endometrium and endocervix were isolated and grown to high transepithelial resistance in cell inserts from seven patients who had hysterectomies. Interleukin (IL)-8, IL-6, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and macrophage inflammatory peptide-1beta (MIP-1beta) were assessed by Luminex bead analysis or enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in epithelial cell conditioned media from the apical and basolateral compartments. RESULTS With the exception of MCP-1, the seven chemokines/cytokines constitutively produced by the polarized epithelial cells were preferentially secreted apically. A concentration pattern was found in all cases, with IL-8 and IL-6 produced in the greatest quantity. CONCLUSIONS The concentrations of IL-8, IL-6, G-CSF and MCP-1 are similar to the levels found in reproductive tract fluids of patients with infection. The constitutive secretion and compartmentalization of large quantities of bioactive chemokines and cytokines provide additional evidence for the role of epithelial cells as gatekeepers of innate immune protection in the female reproductive tract.
Motivation : Exploring Multiple Methods of Assessing Youths ’ Most “ Influential ”

The present study examines the relative role of three distinct types of peer relationships (reciprocated friendships, frequent interactions, and shared group membership) in within-year changes in academic self-concept and engagement before and after the transition to middle school (fifth and seventh grade). In a series of linear regression analyses, main effects of each peer type’s academic self-concept and engagement on changes in youths’ academic characteristics were used to test socialization processes. Interactions of youths’ academic skills with those of each peer type were used to test social comparison processes influencing changes in academic self-concept. Results suggest unique roles of each peer relationship differentially influencing changes in youths’ academic adjustment as well as stronger influence effects during seventh than fifth grade. Implications are discussed in terms of distinct influence processes associated with each peer relationship type as well as potential developmental differences in the role that certain peer relationships play.
Fall in C-Peptide During First 2 Years From Diagnosis

Interpretation of clinical trials to alter the decline in β-cell function after diagnosis of type 1 diabetes depends on a robust understanding of the natural history of disease. Combining data from the Type 1 Diabetes TrialNet studies, we describe the natural history of β-cell function from shortly after diagnosis through 2 years post study randomization, assess the degree of variability between patients, and investigate factors that may be related to C-peptide preservation or loss. We found that 93% of individuals have detectable C-peptide 2 years from diagnosis. In 11% of subjects, there was no significant fall from baseline by 2 years. There was a biphasic decline in C-peptide; the C-peptide slope was −0.0245 pmol/mL/month (95% CI −0.0271 to −0.0215) through the first 12 months and −0.0079 (−0.0113 to −0.0050) from 12 to 24 months (P < 0.001). This pattern of fall in C-peptide over time has implications for understanding trial results in which effects of therapy are most pronounced early and raises the possibility that there are time-dependent differences in pathophysiology. The robust data on the C-peptide obtained under clinical trial conditions should be used in planning and interpretation of clinical trials.
DOWNSCALING NCC CGCM OUTPUT FOR SEASONAL PRECIPITATION PREDICTION OVER ISLAMABAD – PAKISTAN

This study investigates prospects of downscaling for seasonal precipitation prediction over Islamabad, Pakistan. In order to achieve this target large scale variables are taken from CGCM, developed by National Climate Center, CMA, China. NCEP Reanalysis dataset has also been taken into account for comparison. The correlation pattern between observed summer season (JJA) precipitation, over Islamabad, and each variable of CGCM has been obtained. The areas in the pattern, having correlation coefficient 0.4 < R < -0.4, were identified as predictor windows. Three large scale variables H500, T850 and SLP have been chosen as predictors, after comparing the correlation patterns, for downscaling. Two statistical downscaling models are used for seasonal precipitation prediction: 1- Coupled Pattern Projection Model (CPPM), in which coupled patterns have been achieved from the covariance between each predictor and predictand and projected onto the predictor field and then calculating the value of predictand on local scale using single variable predictor, 2- Multiple Linear Regression Model (MLRM), in which more than one predictor is used to have predicted time series. Twenty three years (1983 – 2006) observed precipitation data have been used to test these models. Procedures have been repeated for a large number of cases with different size and location of predictor window. CPPM showed good results for forecast verification period i.e. 2003 – 2005. Predicted values were close to reality in this period, but it yielded less agreement between observed and predicted time series for training period i.e. 1983 – 2006. The results of MLRM were found to be very good and were in well accordance with the observed time series of seasonal precipitation, with some exceptions of downscaled values of precipitation which have big difference with observed values. These outlying values may be reduced by further deep investigation in the input of NCC CGCM and the skill of statistical model in representing CGCM output more accurately. The optimum size and location of predictor window is found to lie over South Pacific Ocean for the predictors H500 and SLP, and over southwest Arabian Sea for T850, which yielded optimum result for seasonal precipitation prediction over Islamabad. Apparently, the predictor area over South Pacific Ocean does not have any thing to do with the rainfall over Islamabd but this area proved to be good for seasonal precipitation prediction when downscaling NCC CGCM output. This aspect of NCC CGCM also requires deep study in its internal structure to improve its ability to regenerate the global circulations close to reality.
Malaria in Korea.

Malaria was steadily decreasing in Korea except in certain counties of the mountainous and hilly areas, in the 1960s. Judging from the present epidemiological, social and economic conditions, it can be said with confidence that malaria with "unstable" characteristic in the Republic of Korea has already been disappeared. No doubt, the causes of the disappearance of malaria are complex. Certainly improved living conditions and life style; better medical and educational facilities in the wake of a rapid economic development could all have some role. On the other hand, the disappearance of malaria without large scale control operations could be ascribed to the two main factors: one is malaria case detection and simultaneous drug therapy available through the nation-wide passive case detection network during the 1960s and the other is rapidly improved farming practices begun in 1970s, which resulted in the use of a huge quantity of pesticides and other chemicals for agriculture, which, in turn, might affect local anopheline vectors which were originally not effective ones any way.