Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Opportunistic Scheduling for Next Generation Wireless Local Area Networks

(The final version of the chapter does not involve an abstract. Introduction is provided below.) Wireless access has been increasingly popular recently due to portability and low cost of wireless terminals and equipment. The emerging technologies for wireless local area networks (WLANs) are defined by the IEEE 802.11n standard, where physical layer data rates exceeding 200 Mbps are provisioned with multiple input multiple output antenna techniques. However, actual throughput to be experienced by WLAN users is considerably lower than the provided physical layer data rates, despite the link efficiency is enhanced via the frame aggregation concept of 802.11n. In a multi user communication system, scheduling is the mechanism that determines which user should transmit/receive data in a given time interval. Opportunistic scheduling algorithms maximize system throughput by making use of the channel variations and multi user diversity. The main idea is favouring users that are experiencing the most desirable channel conditions at each scheduling instant, i.e. riding the peaks. While maximizing capacity, such greedy algorithms may cause some users to experience unacceptable delays and unfairness, unless the users are highly mobile. In order to remedy this problem, we combine aggregation and opportunistic scheduling approaches to further enhance the throughput of next generation WLANs. We argue that aggregation can dramatically change the scheduling scenario: A user with a good channel and a long queue may offer a higher throughput than a user with better channel conditions but shorter queue. Hence, the statement that always selecting the user with the best channel maximizes throughput is not valid anymore. In this work, we first present our queue aware scheduling scheme that take into account the instantaneous channel capacities and queue sizes simultaneously, named as Aggregate Opportunistic Scheduling (AOS). Detailed simulations results indicate that our proposed algorithm offers significant gains in total system throughput, by up to 53%, as compared to opportunistic schedulers while permitting relatively fair access. We also improve AOS with the principle of relayed transmissions and show the improvements of opportunistic relaying. Later on, we propose another scheduler, which aims to maximize the network throughput over a long time scale. For this purpose, we estimate the statistical evolution of queue states and model the 802.11n MAC transmissions using queuing theory by extending the bulk service model. Utilizing the outcomes of the queuing model, we design Predictive Scheduling with time-domain Waterfilling (P-WF) algorithm. P-WF further improves the performance of our queue aware schedulers, as the throughput is maximized by applying the water filling solution to time allocations. This chapter includes an overview of existing literature on opportunistic scheduling for wireless networks in general and presents our proposed algorithms with comparative detailed performance analysis as they are applied into the next generation WLANs.
Hypergraph Acyclicity and Extension Preservation Theorems

A class of structures satisfies the extension preservation theorem if, on this class, every first order sentence is preserved under extension iff it is equivalent to an existential sentence. We consider different acyclicity notions for hypergraphs (\gamma, \beta and \alpha-acyclicity and also acyclicity on hypergraph quotients) and estimate their influence on the validity of the extension preservation theorem on classes of finite structures. More precisely, we prove that \gamma-acyclic classes satisfy the extension preservation theorem, whereas \beta-acyclic classes do not. We also extend the validity of the extension preservation theorem for a generalization of \gamma-acyclicity that we call \gamma-acyclic k-quotient. To achieve this, we make a reduction from finite structures to their k-quotients and we use combinatorial arguments on \gamma-acyclic hypergraphs.
Effect of Admission Hyperglycemia on 6-Month Functional Outcome in Patients with Spontaneous Cerebellar Hemorrhage

Background Cerebellar hemorrhage (CH) has a quite different treatment strategy and prognostic factors compared with supratentorial intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). The prognostic role of hyperglycemia has been discussed mainly in cases of supratentorial hemorrhage; it remains to be elucidated following CH. We aimed to determine the association of hyperglycemia on admission with 6-month functional outcome in CH patients. Material/Methods We retrospectively analyzed 77 patients with acute CH between September 2010 and April 2015 in West China Hospital. Blood glucose level was measured when the patients were admitted. Primary outcome was 6-month functional outcome, which could comprehensively reflect the patient’s recovery of physical and social ability after stroke and was assessed by the modified Rankin scale (mRS). Association of hyperglycemia with functional outcome was identified in logistic regression models. Results There were 50 (64.9%) patients with poor functional outcomes. Patients with poor outcome were much older (P<0.001) and had a significantly higher glucose level on admission (P<0.001), a lower Glasgow Coma Scale score (P<0.001), a larger hematoma (P=0.003), and a higher incidence of intraventricular extension (P=0.002), brainstem compression (P=0.013), and hydrocephalus (P=0.023). Multivariate analysis showed that hyperglycemia (OR 1.50, 95% CI 1.07–2.08, P=0.017 when glucose level was analyzed as a continuous variable; OR 7.46, 95% CI 1.41–39.51, P=0.018 when glucose level was dichotomized by the critical threshold of 6.78 mmol/L) emerged as an independent predictor for adverse functional outcome at 6 months. Conclusions To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study focusing on the relationship between hyperglycemia and long-term functional outcome after CH. The study combined with previous pertinent reports definitely indicates the poor effect of hyperglycemia on both supra- and infratentorial ICH independent of hemorrhage site. Therefore, further controlled trials are urgently needed to evaluate the benefits of glucose-lowing treatment.
Assessing substitution patterns, rates and homoplasy at HVRI of Steller sea lions, Eumetopias jubatus

Despite the widely recognized incidence of homoplasy characterizing this region, the hypervariable region I (HVRI) of the mitochondrial control region is one of the most frequently used genetic markers for population genetic and phylogeographic studies. We present an evolutionary analysis of HVRI and cytochrome b sequences from a range‐wide survey of 1031 Steller sea lions, Eumetopias jubatus, to quantify homoplasy and substitution rate at HVRI. Variation in HVRI was distributed across 41 variable sites in the 238‐bp segment examined. All variants at HVR1 were found to be transitions. However, our analyses suggest that a minimum of 101 changes have actually occurred within HVRI with as many as 18 substitutions occurring at a single site. By including this hidden variation into our analyses, several instances of apparent long‐range dispersal were resolved to be homoplasies and 8.5–12% of observed HVRI haplotypes were found to have geographic distributions descriptive of convergent molecular evolution rather than identity by descent. We estimate the rate of substitution at HVRI in Steller sea lions to be ∼24 times that of cytochrome b with an absolute rate of HVRI substitution estimated at 27.45% per million years. These findings have direct implications regarding the utility of HVRI data to generate a variety of evolutionary genetic hypotheses.
Entropy-biased models for query representation on the click graph

Query log analysis has received substantial attention in recent years, in which the click graph is an important technique for describing the relationship between queries and URLs. State-of-the-art approaches based on the raw click frequencies for modeling the click graph, however, are not noise-eliminated. Nor do they handle heterogeneous query-URL pairs well. In this paper, we investigate and develop a novel entropy-biased framework for modeling click graphs. The intuition behind this model is that various query-URL pairs should be treated differently, i.e., common clicks on less frequent but more specific URLs are of greater value than common clicks on frequent and general URLs. Based on this intuition, we utilize the entropy information of the URLs and introduce a new concept, namely the inverse query frequency (IQF), to weigh the importance (discriminative ability) of a click on a certain URL. The IQF weighting scheme is never explicitly explored or statistically examined for any bipartite graphs in the information retrieval literature. We not only formally define and quantify this scheme, but also incorporate it with the click frequency and user frequency information on the click graph for an effective query representation. To illustrate our methodology, we conduct experiments with the AOL query log data for query similarity analysis and query suggestion tasks. Experimental results demonstrate that considerable improvements in performance are obtained with our entropy-biased models. Moreover, our method can also be applied to other bipartite graphs.
Parental Influences on Hmong American Adolescents’ Ethnic–Racial Identity

This study examined associations between cultural socialization and Hmong American early adolescents’ (n = 93) ethnic–racial identity in the context of the overall parent–adolescent relationship. Findings suggested that cultural socialization was positively related to ethnic exploration and resolution but not to affirmation. Involved–supportive parenting was not related to adolescent ethnic–racial identity either directly or as a moderator. Acculturation gaps, on the other hand, were indirectly related to ethnic affirmation via intergenerational conflict. In addition, indirect associations linking higher levels of cultural socialization to affirmation via conflict were found, but only at high levels of acculturation gaps. Findings and their implications are discussed.
Analyzing Cognitive Conceptualizations Using Interactive Visual Environments

The conceptualization of spatio-temporal information is an interdisciplinary research area. The focus of this article is on human conceptualizations of spatio-temporal geographic phenomena (also referred to as events). Identifying and understanding human conceptualizations is a crucial component in defining the semantics of spatio-temporal information. However, most research focuses primarily on how humans imbue dynamic phenomena with meaning on a general level. In contrast, this article is concerned with contextual factors (specifically: individual differences) that are too often neglected in general theories and in the analysis of behavioral data. In other words, we are interested in individual or group strategies of participants that are not detected by classical analysis methods. Research on individual difference is gaining widespread attention in cognitive and spatial sciences and it is time to consider individual differences in the area of conceptualizing spatio-temporal information. To understand individual differences in behavioral data on how people conceptualize events, we have developed illustrative software and have combined them with established similarity measures. We demonstrate the feasibility of our approach, its usefulness in analyzing behavioral data, and results that can be obtained through this individualized analysis by reanalyzing four sets of experimental data we previously collected.
Objectivity and Subjectivity in Aesthetic Quality Assessment of Digital Photographs

Automatic prediction of the aesthetic quality of a photograph has been an important research problem in image processing and computer vision. While assessing the aesthetic quality of a photograph by human is highly subjective, most existing studies have considered only objective (or general) opinion of multiple viewers. In this paper, we provide a comprehensive investigation of the issue of subjectivity in aesthetic quality assessment using a large-scale database containing photos, user ratings, and user comments. First, we analyze how the mean aesthetic quality level and the level of subjectivity have evolved over time. Second, we examine the feasibility of automatic prediction of the level of subjectivity based on visual features, and identify which features are effective for the prediction. Third, we analyze the users’ comments given to photos to understand the sources of subjectivity of aesthetic quality rating. Our results show that several factors are simultaneously involved in determining the level of subjectivity of a photo, but it can be predicted with reasonable accuracy. We believe that our results provide insight toward personalized aesthetic photo applications.
A precarious hegemony: neo-liberalism, social struggles, and the end of Lulismo in Brazil

ABSTRACT Analysis of Brazil’s political and economic crisis tends to emphasize the economic ‘errors’ that President Dilma Rousseff’s Workers’ Party (PT) government inherited from her predecessor Luíz Inácio Lula da Silva. It is clear, however, that political regulation is too narrow a focus to understand the current crisis. Such an explanation is unable to reveal the changes in class structure that took place during the Lula era as well as the effects of the international economic crisis. This article identifies the limits of the Brazilian development model and the main features of Lula’s mode of regulation; analyses the conflicts produced by the neo-liberal regime of accumulation and the Lulista mode of regulation, emphasizing the role of precarious work in the current historical cycle of strikes and popular struggles in Brazil; and, finally, interprets the palace coup promoted by the social forces behind the impeachment of President Rousseff.
The WTO as a Mechanism for Securing Market Access Property Rights: Implications for Global Labor and Environmental Issues

Can the World Trade Organization (WTO) contribute to the attainment of sound labor and environmental policies? An answer requires an understanding of WTO rules. We argue that the purpose of WTO rules is to create a negotiating forum where governments can exchange secure market access commitments. From this perspective, we argue that supporters of sound trade, labor and environmental policies can benefit from a well-functioning WTO, because facilitating trade liberalization and preventing race-to-the-bottom/regulatory-chill problems go hand in hand, and each is accomplished by maintaining secure property rights over negotiated market access commitments.
Abdominal Adiposity Distribution in Diabetic/Prediabetic and Nondiabetic Populations: A Meta-Analysis

Excess fat in the abdomen can be classified generally as visceral and subcutaneous adiposity. Evidence suggests that visceral adiposity has greater implications for diabetes than other fat depots. The purpose of this study is to explore the disparities in the distribution of abdominal adiposity in diabetic/prediabetic and nondiabetic populations and to identify moderators that influence the pattern of central obesity via a meta-analysis technique. The Hedges' g was used as a measure of effect size and 95% confidence interval was computed. A total of 41 relevant studies with 101 effect sizes were retrieved. Pooled effect sizes for visceral and subcutaneous adiposity were 0.69 and 0.42, respectively. Diabetic/prediabetic populations exhibited greater visceral and subcutaneous adiposity compared to nondiabetic populations (Z = 10.35, P < 0.05). Significant moderator effects of gender (Z = −2.90) and assessment method of abdominal adiposity (Z = −2.17) were found for visceral fat (P < 0.05), but not for subcutaneous fat. Type of health condition influenced both visceral (Z = −5.10) and subcutaneous (Z = −7.09) abdominal adiposity volumes (P < 0.05). Abdominal adiposity distributions were significantly altered in the diabetic/prediabetic population compared to the nondiabetic population. Gender, assessment method of abdominal adiposity, and type of health conditions (diabetic/prediabetics) were identified as crucial moderators that influence the degree of abdominal adiposity.
Determinants of Internal Auditors Behavior in Whistle Blowing With Formal Retaliation And Structural Anonimity Line As Moderating Variables (Empirical Study At State-Owned Enterprises In Indonesia)

The research was aimed to test the determinant of auditors internal behavior in whistle blowing with formal retaliation and structural anonimity line as moderating variables. The population of research was 735 internal auditors of entire State-Owned Enterprises in Indonesia. Census methods was applied to collect the data and the samples were 197 among them. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) aided by Warp PLS 5,0 was used for data processing. The conclusion was that auditors attitude on whistle blowing, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control positively influenced whistle blowing intention. Whistle blowing intention positively influenced whistle blowing behavior. Structural anonimity line reinforced the relationship between whistle blowing intention and whistle blowing behavior. Formal retaliation weakened the relationship between whistle blowing intention and whistle blowing behavior
Dispositional mindfulness, rejection sensitivity, and behavioural responses to rejection: The role of emotion regulation

Objective Recent evidence suggests that individuals higher in dispositional mindfulness display less rejection sensitivity. However, less is known about the potential influence of dispositional mindfulness on behavioural responses to implied rejection, and the mechanisms underlying these associations. The present research was designed to address these questions. Method In a community sample of 219 young adults, we examined whether low dispositional mindfulness was associated with higher rejection sensitivity and maladaptive responses to implied rejection (retribution and withdrawal), and whether emotion regulation mediated these associations. Participants completed an online questionnaire battery assessing dispositional mindfulness, emotion regulation, rejection sensitivity, and behavioural responses to implied rejection. Results Results revealed that dispositional mindfulness was indirectly associated, through emotion regulation, with lower rejection sensitivity and less withdrawal following rejection. Mindfulness was also associated with less retribution following perceived rejection, although this association was not mediated by emotion regulation. Conclusions These results suggest that dispositional mindfulness may be protective against rejection sensitivity and maladaptive behavioural responses following rejection, and that capacity for regulating emotions may be implicated in the association between mindfulness and less rejection sensitivity and withdrawal following rejection.
Consumption and Investment Motives in Housing Wealth Accumulation of Spanish Households

The dual motives of housing behavior, consumption and investment make the analysis of housing purchases quite difficult. As a matter of fact, while a larger literature, theoretical and empirical, deals with housing tenure choice by modeling housing consumption demand, few studies have tried to analyze housing demand simultaneously with demand for other assets according to the portfolio choice theory. Fewer still have tried to consider simultaneously the two-dimensional aspect of housing, consumption and investment. Henderson and Ioannides [16] have built a model that is one of the first attempts to consider the two-dimensional aspect of housing. In the absence of institutional considerations, this model predicts that it is the difference between the investment demand for housing and the consumption demand that explains decisions to purchase dwellings for owner occupation and for renting out. We have tested the model on the Spanish Survey of Household Finances (EFF) conducted in 2002 by the Bank of Spain. Results show that even if the effect of some of the explanatory variables are consistent with those predicted by the model, the difference between the two demands is not statistically significant and it cannot in itself explain housing purchases. It seems that housing purchase is more a question of portfolio choices than of consumption of durable goods. Interestingly, we observe that Spanish households behave in a different way than French (Arrondel and Lefebvre [3]) and US (Ioannides and Rosenthal [20]) households: for them, the difference between the two demands for housing explains behavior and consumption motives dominate primary residence purchase. These results lead us to conclude that there is a “Spanish case” that is completely different and need to be analyzed in details.
Plasma Circulating Cell-free DNA Integrity as a Promising Biomarker for Diagnosis and Surveillance in Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma

The clinical significance of circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA) integrity as diagnostic and surveillance biomarker in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) was investigated and compared to that of alpha fetoprotein (AFP). Liver cancer patients had lower cfDNA integrity than those with benign diseases (P = 0.0167) and healthy individuals (P = 0.0025). Patients with HCC and non-HCC liver cancers (P = 0.7356), and patients with benign diseases and healthy individuals (P = 0.9138) had comparable cfDNA integrity respectively. cfDNA integrity increased after hepatectomy in cancer patients (P = 0.0003). The AUCs for detecting HCC by cfDNA integrity and AFP were 0.705 (P = 0.005) and 0.605 (P = 0.156), respectively. We found cfDNA integrity decreased in HCC patients and has the potential as promising biomarker for HCC diagnosis and treatment surveillance.
Chaos in ocular aberration dynamics of the human eye

Since the characterization of the eye’s monochromatic aberration fluctuations in 2001, the power spectrum has remained the most widely used method for analyzing their dynamics. However, the power spectrum does not capture the complexities of the fluctuations. We measured the monochromatic aberration dynamics of six subjects using a Shack-Hartmann sensor sampling at 21 Hz. We characterized the dynamics using techniques from chaos theory. We found that the attractor embedding dimension for all aberrations, for all subjects, was equal to three. The embedding lag averaged across aberrations and subjects was 0.31 ± 0.07 s. The Lyapunov exponent of the rms wavefront error was positive for each subject, with an average value of 0.44 ± 0.15 µm/s. This indicates that the aberration dynamics are chaotic. Implications for future modeling are discussed.
Corporate Equity Ownership and the Governance of Product Market Relationships

We assemble a sample of over 10,000 customer-supplier relationships and determine whether the customer owns equity in the supplier. We find that factors related to both contractual incompleteness and financial market frictions are important in the decision of a customer firm to take an equity stake in their supplier. Evidence on the variation in the size of observed equity positions suggests that there are limits to the size of optimal ownership stakes in many relationships. Finally, we find that relationships accompanied by equity ownership last significantly longer than other relationships, suggesting that ownership aids in bonding trading parties together. Copyright 2006 by The American Finance Association.