Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Medium Reservation Based MAC for Delay-Sensitive Wireless Sensor Network

In this paper, we present a new MAC protocol satisfying with both high energy efficiency and low transmission latency at the same time over wireless sensor network, named as medium reservation preamble based MAC (MRPM). The proposed MRPM is a synchronized duty cycle MAC protocol. MRPM has three main features. The first feature is that MRPM does not have separate time frames for Sync and data traffics. Both traffics are integrated in a short listen period. The second feature is the novel approach of medium reservation done by a transmitter. That is, the contention period precedes the listen period, and only transmitters wake up in this contention period and contend for medium reservation, avoiding the non-transmitters from idle listening. The above-mentioned two features have made MRPM to achieve listen period of very short length, which make our protocol energy efficient. As the final feature, MRPM uses carrier sensing information for advanced adaptive listening which makes packets travel multiple hops away in a single sleep/listen cycle. We compared MRPM with S-MAC and TEEM protocols through ns-2 simulation. The simulation results show that MRPM outperforms S-MAC and TEEM at both metrics of energy efficiency and latency.
Linking Macroscale Graph Analytical Organization to Microscale Neuroarchitectonics in the Macaque Connectome

Macroscale connectivity of the mammalian brain has been shown to display several characteristics of an efficient communication network architecture. In parallel, at the microscopic scale, histological studies have extensively revealed large interregional variation in cortical neural architectonics. However, how these two “scales” of cerebrum organization are linked remains an open question. Collating and combining data across multiple studies on the cortical cytoarchitecture of the macaque cortex with information on macroscale anatomical wiring derived from tract tracing studies, this study focuses on examining the interplay between macroscale organization of the macaque connectome and microscale cortical neuronal architecture. Our findings show that both macroscale degree as well as the topological role in the overall network are related to the level of neuronal complexity of cortical regions at the microscale, showing (among several effects) a positive overall association between macroscale degree and metrics of microscale pyramidal complexity. Macroscale hub regions, together forming a densely interconnected “rich club,” are noted to display a high level of neuronal complexity, findings supportive of a high level of integrative neuronal processes to occur in these regions. Together, we report on cross-scale observations that jointly suggest that a region's microscale neuronal architecture is tuned to its role in the global brain network.
The Information Content of REIT Credit Rating Actions and Transparency

We examine the short-run and long-run price reaction of equity real estate investment trust (REIT) shares following credit rating actions, testing the transparency of the REIT structure. Generally, the economic effect on the stock price is subdued for both upgrades and downgrades compared to prior literature examining the broader U.S. equity market. An examination of trading volume revealed a significant increase in trading in reaction to downgrade credit rating changes, with a more subdued response to upgrades. The findings support the notion that REITs are more publicly forthcoming about the expectation of positive news in comparison to negative news.
Volumetric Differences in Mapped Hippocampal Regions Correlate with Increase of High Alpha Rhythm in Alzheimer's Disease

Objective. The increase of high alpha relative to low alpha power has been recently demonstrated as a reliable EEG marker of hippocampal atrophy conversion of patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in Alzheimer's disease (AD). In the present study we test the reliability of this EEG index in subjects with AD. Methods. Correlation between EEG markers and volumetric differences in mapped hippocampal regions was estimated in AD patients. Results. Results show that the increase of alpha3/alpha2 power ratio is correlated with atrophy of mapped hippocampal regions in Alzheimer's disease. Conclusions. The findings confirm the possible diagnostic role of EEG markers.
Computing Association Rules from Incomplete Support-Counts

An important method of KDD involves the discovery of Association Rules in tabular data. The most computationally difficult part of this is the identification and counting support of the frequent sets of attribute-values from which potentially interesting rules can be derived. Algorithms for obtaining frequent sets have been a continuing topic for research, but as yet no wholly satisfactory methods exist to deal with very large databases with densely-populated records. This paper summarises a programme of work which is exploring ways of tackling the problem that begin with an incomplete summation of the necessary support-counts, placing these values in a set-enumeration tree structure. Further possible directions for research are discussed.
Experimental Identification of Rotorcraft Pilots' Biodynamic Response for Investigation of PAO Events

This work presents the results of an experimental campaign focused on the characterization of the passive behavior of rotorcraft pilots’ biomechanics. Human subjects were subjected to excitation spectra in a flight simulator, recording the motion induced by their limbs’ vibrations into the controls inceptors and the limbs’ accelerations. Independent excitations in the vertical and lateral direction have been considered. In the first case, measures were related to the motion of the collective lever and of the left arm, while in the second case they were related to the motion of the cyclic stick and of the right arm. The frequency response has been evaluated, and interesting behaviors discussed in view of their relevance in modeling the passive biomechanical behavior of pilots for coupled bio-aeroservoelastic analysis of rotorcraft.
Prevalent Use of Global System of Mobile Phone (GSM) for Communication in Nigeria: A Breakthrough in International Enhancement or a Drawback?

The main issue investigated in this study was what became of the interpersonal profile of the sampled population in view of their prevalent use of GSM phone, a communication enhancing technological device that came with the millennium encroachment of the global village. The dimensions of investigation covered interactional levels as existed between subjects and the significant others in their social space, value implication of GSM phone use on socio-cultural orientations, general survey of interactional patterns, and focus on gender as a possible predictor of the interaction between interpersonal competence and GSM phone use. Findings did not support any significant debilitating effect of the GSM phone use on interpersonal competence and appropriate socio-cultural norm compliance attitude among subjects, while the interpersonal disposition of respondents showed a positive bias for warmth and affiliation, significant traces of gender variations however existed when measured on certain criterion measures used in the study. On the aggregate, GSM phone use appeared to possess an interpersonal enhancing property which was able to reduce the effect of distance on communication values among social actors.
Detection of Warm Molecular Hydrogen in the Circumstellar Disk around the Herbig Ae Star HD 97048

We present high-resolution spectroscopic mid-infrared observations of the circumstellar disk around the Herbig Ae star HD 97048 with the VLT Imager and Spectrometer for the mid-InfraRed (VISIR). We detect the S(1) pure rotational line of molecular hydrogen (H 2) at 17.035 μm arising from the disk around the star. This detection reinforces the claim that HD 97048 is a young object surrounded by a flared disk at an early stage of evolution. The emitting warm gas is located within the inner 35 AU of the disk. The line-to-continuum flux ratio is much higher than expected from models of disks at local thermodynamic equilibrium. We investigate the possible physical conditions, such as a gas-to-dust mass ratio higher than 100 and different excitation mechanisms of molecular hydrogen (e.g., X-ray heating, shocks), that would explain the detection. We tentatively estimate the mass of warm gas to be in the range from 10-2 to nearly 1 MJup. Further observations are needed to better constrain the excitation mechanisms as well as the mass of gas.
Canonical analysis of cosmological topologically massive gravity at the chiral point

Wolfgang Kummer was a pioneer of two-dimensional gravity and a strong advocate of the first order formulation in terms of Cartan variables. In the present work we apply Wolfgang Kummer's philosophy, the `Vienna School approach', to a specific three-dimensional model of gravity, cosmological topologically massive gravity at the chiral point. Exploiting a new Chern-Simons representation we perform a canonical analysis. The dimension of the physical phase space is two per point, and thus the theory exhibits a local physical degree of freedom, the topologically massive graviton.
Why adductor magnus muscle is large: The function based on muscle morphology in cadavers

The aim of this study was to examine anatomical properties of the adductor magnus through a detailed classification, and to hypothesize its function and size to gather enough information about morphology. Ten cadaveric specimens of the adductor magnus were used. The muscle was separated into four portios (AM1–AM4) based on the courses of the corresponding perforating arteries, and its volume, muscle length, muscle fiber length and physiological cross‐sectional area were assessed. The architectural characteristics of these four portions of the adductor magnus were then classified with the aid of principal component analysis. The results led us into demarcating the most proximal part of the adductor magnus (AM1) from the remaining parts (AM2, AM3, and AM4). Classification of the adductor magnus in terms of architectural characteristics differed from the more traditional anatomical distinction. The AM2, AM3, and AM4, having longer muscle fiber lengths than the AM1, appear to be designed as displacers for moving the thigh through a large range of motion. The AM1 appears instead to be oriented principally toward stabilizing the hip joint. The large mass of the adductor magnus should thus be regarded as a complex of functionally differentiable muscle portions.
Parameterized context windows in Random Indexing

This paper introduces a parameterization for word embeddings produced by the Random Indexing framework. The parameterization introduces position specific weights in the context windows, and the approach is shown to improve the performance in both word similarity and sentiment classification tasks. We also demonstrate the relation between Random Indexing and Convolutional Neural Networks.
Bipolar cells of the mouse retina: A gene gun, morphological study

One of the key elements concerning our understanding of the organization of the mouse retina is the complete classification of the various types of bipolar cells. With the present study, we tried to contribute to this important issue. Unfortunately, most of the antibodies that stain specifically bipolar cells in the retina of other mammals hardly work for the retina of the mouse. We succeeded in overcoming this limitation by using a relatively novel technique based on the gene gun transfer of fluorescent dyes to cells. Hence, we were able to stain a considerable number of bipolar cells that could be characterized according to morphological and comparative criteria. We also performed a complete morphometric analysis of a subset of bipolar cells stained by anti–neurokinin‐3 receptor antibodies. We found nine types of cone bipolar cells and one type of rod bipolar cell; these data are consistent with the findings of previous studies on the retinas of other mammals, such as rabbits, rats, and monkeys and with a recent study based on the mouse retina (Ghosh et al. [ 2004 ] J Comp Neurol 469:70–82). Our results also confirm the existence of a common structural similarity among mammalian retinas. It remains to be elucidated what is exactly the functional role of the various types of cone bipolar cells and what is the specific contribution they provide to the perception of a given visual stimulus. Most probably, each bipolar cell type constitutes a specialized channel for the computation of a selected component of the visual stimulus. More complex signal coding, involving the coordinated activity of various types of bipolar cells, could also be postulated, as it has been shown for ganglion cells (Meister [1996] Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 93:609–614). J. Comp. Neurol. 476:254–266, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Reinventing foreign aid

The urgency of reducing poverty in the developing world has been the subject of a public campaign by such unlikely policy experts as George Clooney, Alicia Keyes, Elton John, Angelina Jolie, and Bono. And yet accompanying the call for more foreign aid is an almost universal discontent with the effectiveness of the existing aid system. In Reinventing Foreign Aid, development expert William Easterly has gathered top scholars in the field to discuss how to improve foreign aid. These authors, Easterly points out, are not claiming that their ideas will (to invoke a current slogan) Make Poverty History. Rather, they take on specific problems and propose some hard-headed solutions. Easterly himself, in an expansive and impassioned introductory chapter, makes a case for the "searchers"—who explore solutions by trial and error and learn from feedback—over the "planners"—who throw an endless supply of resources at a big goal—as the most likely to reduce poverty. Other writers look at scientific evaluation of aid projects (including randomized trials) and describe projects found to be cost-effective, including vaccine delivery and HIV education; consider how to deal with the government of the recipient state (work through it or bypass a possibly dysfunctional government? ); examine the roles of the International Monetary Fund (a de facto aid provider) and the World Bank; and analyze some new and innovative proposals for distributing aid.
The experience of career success : an exploratory study among South African executives

The general objective of this study was to explore the concept of career success as it is experienced by South African executives. A non-probability voluntary sample of 24 participants, using objective career success criteria, was selected from two separate international financial institutions, situated in Johannesburg. A qualitative research design was utilised. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted and recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analysed using content analysis. Twelve main themes emerged from the data. These themes related to general conceptualisations of career success, factors influencing (contributing to or impeding) executives’ career success, personality attributes related to career success, the role of the organisation and prerequisites for attaining career success. Based on these findings some recommendations were made to both the organisation and future research regarding executives’ conceptualisation and experience of career success.
Transaction Costs and Price Volatility: Evidence From Commission Deregulation

Some researchers have recently suggested that lower transaction costs induce small (or noise) traders to trade more actively, thus increasing both the noise component and total volatility of asset prices. We empirically evaluate this conjecture by examining changes in volatility surrounding the abolition in 1975 of fixed brokerage fees on the NYSE. We use a control sample of NASDAQ issues that are unaffected by the abolition. Using a variety of tests, we find that the lowering of transaction costs is associated with a significant reduction in volatility for the aggregate NYSE portfolio and five size-ranked portfolios, even after accommodating market-wide conditional heteroskedasticity. In addition, prices are better characterized as random walks following the fixed fee abolition, a result that is due to a lower noise component in returns and more rapid price adjustment. We conclude that an increase in transaction costs could lead to higher volatility and less-informative prices.
MODELING AND ANALYSIS OF COMPLEX PRODUCTION SYSTEMS

In this paper, a system-theoretic method, referred to as overlapping decomposition, is presented to estimate the production rate of a complex production system with assembly, parallel, rework, feed-forward and scrap operations. The idea of the method is to decompose the system into overlapped serial lines, and to modify the parameters of overlapping machines to accommodate the effects of other lines. Convergent iteration procedures are introduced to estimate system performance and result in a high accuracy.
It Project portfolio Management - a Structured literature Review

Recent years have seen an increasing interest in IT project portfolio management. Consequently, a considerable number of respective practices and approaches have been published. However, these contributions are scattered through a large number of journals and conferences and address very different topics. Therefore, this contribution sets out to locate the relevant body of literature related to IT project portfolio management in a structured way and to integrate the existing findings. We discuss the relationship between IT project portfolio management and other kinds of project portfolio management in order to shape the profile of this field of research. In this context we highlight strong interdependencies and a specific governance context as key characteristics of IT project portfolio management. In order to identify success factors and contingency factors we analyze contributions of empirical nature. Additionally, we investigate mathematical approaches and decision support systems in regard to their potential to effectively support IT project portfolio management. Finally, we provide a research agenda with the intention of motivating and directing further contributions in this field.
Cross-lingual Dependency Parsing Based on Distributed Representations

This paper investigates the problem of cross-lingual dependency parsing, aiming at inducing dependency parsers for low-resource languages while using only training data from a resource-rich language (e.g. English). Existing approaches typically don’t include lexical features, which are not transferable across languages. In this paper, we bridge the lexical feature gap by using distributed feature representations and their composition. We provide two algorithms for inducing cross-lingual distributed representations of words, which map vocabularies from two different languages into a common vector space. Consequently, both lexical features and non-lexical features can be used in our model for cross-lingual transfer. Furthermore, our framework is able to incorporate additional useful features such as cross-lingual word clusters. Our combined contributions achieve an average relative error reduction of 10.9% in labeled attachment score as compared with the delexicalized parser, trained on English universal treebank and transferred to three other languages. It also significantly outperforms McDonald et al. (2013) augmented with projected cluster features on identical data.
Assessing sex-specific selection against deleterious alleles: males don’t pay for sex

Selection acting on males can reduce mutation load of sexual relative to asexual populations, thus mitigating the two-fold cost of sex. This requires that it seeks and destroys the same mutations as selection acting on females, but with higher efficiency, which could happen due to sexual selection-a potent evolutionary force that in most systems predominantly affects males. We used replicate populations of red flour beetles (Tribolium castaneum) to study sex-specific selection against deleterious mutations introduced with ionizing radiation. Additionally, we employed a novel approach to quantify the relative contribution of sexual selection to the overall selection observed in males. The induced mutations were selected against in both sexes, with decreased sexual competitiveness contributing, on average, over 40% of the total decline in male fitness. However, we found no evidence for selection being stronger in males than in females; in fact, we observed a non-significant trend in the opposite direction. These results suggest that selection on males does not reduce mutation load below the level expected under the (hypothetical) scenario of asexual reproduction. Thus, we found no support for the hypothesis that sexual selection contributes to the evolutionary maintenance of sex.
Zinc Triggers Microglial Activation

Microglia are resident immune cells of the CNS. When stimulated by infection, tissue injury, or other signals, microglia assume an activated, “ameboid” morphology and release matrix metalloproteinases, reactive oxygen species, and other proinflammatory factors. This innate immune response augments host defenses, but it can also contribute to neuronal death. Zinc is released by neurons under several conditions in which microglial activation occurs, and zinc chelators can reduce neuronal death in animal models of cerebral ischemia and neurodegenerative disorders. Here, we show that zinc directly triggers microglial activation. Microglia transfected with a nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) reporter gene showed a severalfold increase in NF-κB activity in response to 30 μm zinc. Cultured mouse microglia exposed to 15–30 μm zinc increased nitric oxide production, increased F4/80 expression, altered cytokine expression, and assumed the activated morphology. Zinc-induced microglial activation was blocked by inhibiting NADPH oxidase, poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP-1), or NF-κB activation. Zinc injected directly into mouse brain induced microglial activation in wild-type mice, but not in mice genetically lacking PARP-1 or NADPH oxidase activity. Endogenous zinc release, induced by cerebral ischemia–reperfusion, likewise induced a robust microglial reaction, and this reaction was suppressed by the zinc chelator CaEDTA. Together, these results suggest that extracellular zinc triggers microglial activation through the sequential activation of NADPH oxidase, PARP-1, and NF-κB. These findings identify a novel trigger for microglial activation and a previously unrecognized mechanism by which zinc may contribute to neurological disorders.