Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Social Stratification at the Top Rung

Drawing on 44 in-depth interviews with undergraduates, this research explores whether and how class background matters for students’ social experiences at an elite university. The findings reveal that, compared with upper-class students, both lower- and middle-class students are disadvantaged in their social integration due to a lack of resources (time and money) and a mismatch of cultural styles. Middle-class students tend to reference upward to their upper-class peers, developing a critical view of the campus social system. In contrast, lower-class students reference their less advantaged peers or family members who do not have access to elite spaces. Our findings suggest that the stratified social system on campus reduces lower- and middle-class students’ potential for upward mobility within a high-stakes setting. Thus, scholars and policymakers should pay attention not only to the experiences of lower-class students but also to the challenges confronting middle-class students at highly selective universities.
Initial Results with Structured Queries and Language Models on Half a Terabyte of Text

3. INDEXING ENVIRONMENT We indexed all of the GOV2 corpus documents, submitting complete documents to the indexer. We did no special processing for titles or other document structure. After running each document through Indri’s HTML parser and stripping out tags, terms were normalized by removing punctuation, converting to lowercase, and performing Krovetz stemming [6]. Indri has a utility to extract anchor text, but a working version of this was not available at the time of our experiments, so no anchor text (or other linkderived features) was included. We did not use an indextime stop list or acronym list. We partitioned the GOV2 corpus into six roughly equalsized pieces and built a separate index for each subset. There were two reasons for doing this. First, it was our intent to distribute retrieval for the corpus across multiple machines: Indri has a facility for transparently federating retrieval results across the network. Second, it helped reduce the time to find and fix problems with interim Indri releases (typically, pathological HTML cases that would cause the parser to crash).
TWO REMARKS ON THE DOMINATION NUMBER OF GRAPHS

This paper consists of two loosely related notes on the domination number of graphs. In the first part, we provide a new upper bound for the domination number of d-regular graphs. Our bound is the best known for d ≥ 6. In the second part, we compute the exact domination number and total domination number of certain Kneser graphs, and we provide some bounds on the domination number of other Kneser graphs.
Seven keys for implementing the self-evaluation, periodic evaluation and accreditation (AVA) method, to improve quality and student satisfaction in the Italian higher education system

Abstract This paper develops a theoretical framework that could facilitate the application of the Autovalutazione, Valutazione periodica, Accreditamento (AVA) method in Italian universities, trying to simplify the use of this approach, and to cover the existing gap between Italy and others European academic institutions. The new competitive environment in the academic system has created a reality where customers compare the ‘knowledge value’ that they are likely to receive in each academic institution. Quality in education is nowadays fundamental and student satisfaction is one of its main dimensions. There is an emphasis on service that meets the students’ needs and expectations, problem-solving processes based on facts, feedback systems and statistical methods and improvement of processes and systems by collaboration and involvement. Starting from 2013, all Italian universities are obliged by law to adopt the AVA method [Self-Evaluation, Periodic Evaluation and Accreditation], a system of activities carried out by the National Agency for the Evaluation of Universities and Research Institutes (ANVUR).
Two robust static output feedback H∞ control architectures for a Gun Launched Micro Aerial Vehicle

In this paper, the design process of two robust H∞ control architectures for a Gun Launched Micro Aerial Vehicle - GLMAV - is presented. The process starts with the developement of a nonlinear dynamic model reflecting the important elements of the GLMAV. This model is then linearized around hover and used for the design of static output feedback H∞ controllers for position and orientation control. Unlike the full-order H∞ controller synthesis case, the H∞ optimization problem of static output feedback (SOF) controllers cannot be parameterized as a convex optimization problem. The cone complementarity linearization algorithm is therefore used to overcome the nonconvexity problem due to the constraint on the controller order. Finally, numerical simulations show the efficiency of the designed controllers.
Interaction between polynomial congestion control algorithms MIMD-poly and PIPD-poly and other TCP variants in TCP/IP networks

This paper analyses the interaction between a class of non-linear congestion control algorithms called polynomial congestion control algorithms and other transmission control protocol (TCP) congestion control algorithms in TCP/IP networks. The proposed polynomial algorithms generalize the additive increase and multiplicative decrease (AIMD) algorithms used for the TCP/IP networks. These algorithms provide additive increase and multiplicative decrease using the polynomial of the current window size. Infinite numbers of TCP-friendly polynomial algorithms could be formulated by assuming polynomial of different order. This paper analyses the interaction between two models (named as MIMD-Poly and PIPD-Poly) of these generalized algorithms and the TCP variants in TCP/IP networks. TCP compatibility of these algorithms is evaluated using the simulations of the implementations of the proposed two models. Simulations are done using ns2, a discrete event simulator. The results of simulation are compared with that of the TCP variants such as TCP/Tahoe, TCP/Reno, TCP/NewReno, and TCP/Fast. The comparison shows that both the poly algorithms perform better in terms of long term throughput
Networked Control Under Random and Malicious Packet Losses

We study cyber security issues in networked control of a linear dynamical system. Specifically, the dynamical system and the controller are assumed to be connected through a communication channel that face malicious attacks as well as random packet losses due to unreliability of transmissions. We provide a probabilistic characterization for the link failures which allows us to study combined effects of malicious and random packet losses. We first investigate almost sure stabilization under an event-triggered control law, where we utilize Lyapunov-like functions to characterize the triggering times at which the plant and the controller attempt to exchange state and control data over the network. We then provide a look at the networked control problem from the attacker's perspective and explore malicious attacks that cause instability. Finally, we demonstrate the efficacy of our results with numerical examples.
SEMANTIC ANALYSIS OF NATURAL LANGUAGE AND DEFINITE CLAUSE GRAMMAR USING STATISTICAL PARSING AND THESAURI

Services that rely on the semantic computations of users’ natural linguistic inputs are becoming more frequent. Computing semantic relatedness between texts is problematic due to the inherit ambiguity of natural language. The purpose of this thesis was to show how a sentence could be compared to a predefined semantic Definite Clause Grammar (DCG). Furthermore, it should show how a DCG-based system could benefit from such capabilities.Our approach combines openly available specialized NLP frameworks for statistical parsing, part-of-speech tagging and word-sense disambiguation. We compute the semantic relatedness using a large lexical and conceptual-semantic thesaurus. Also, we extend an existing programming language for multimodal interfaces, which uses static predefined DCGs: COactive Language Definition (COLD). That is, every word that should be acceptable by COLD needs to be explicitly defined. By applying our solution, we show how our approach can remove dependencies on word definitions and improve grammar definitions in DCG-based systems.
Using community detection to support decision making process

In order to make right decision within organizations, individuals and teams need to be supported during decision making (DM) process. The aim in this paper is to support DM by finding out the right people that can be involved to make right decision in more effective and efficient way. In this paper, we explain how it is interesting to use community detection techniques to support DM process. The community can be detected in three phases: the problem formulation and/or the solutions generation and the decision making. To detect community, we propose a simple thresholding algorithm based on Structural/Attribute clustering.
The effect of grade repetition on school dropout . An identification based on differences among teachers

This paper investigates the connection between grade repetition and school dropout. Household data is matched against a panel of academic test scores and the school career of each child inferred from the combined dataset. The potential endogeneity of grade repetition is corrected for using the differences among teacher attitude to repetition as an instrument for grade repetition. The results show a negative effect of the grade repetition decision on the probability of being enrolled at school the next year. ∗I am grateful to Sylvie Lambert, Marc Gurgand, Luc Behaghel and Christelle Dumas for their very useful comments and help on earlier versions of this paper; and to Christopher Sutcliffe for grammatical corrections. †Paris School of Economics and Lea-Inra 48, bd Jourdan, 75014 Paris, France. Tel: (33) 1.43. 13.63. 64. Fax: (33) 1.43. 13.63. 62. E-mail: pierre.andre01@polytechnique.org
Annotating Mobile Multimedia Messages with Spatio-temporal Information

Abstract Mobile messaging started with Short Messaging Service (SMS). Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) was recently introduced, allowing users to send and receive messages composed of text, audio, images and even movie clips. In this paper, we propose a new step in the evolution of mobile messaging by introducing the Annotated Multimedia Messaging Service (AMMS). AMMS is in short an MMS document augmented with metadata that facilitates efficient structuring, storage, search and retrieval of mobile media content. We currently restrict the metadata to describe time and place, and show how to include this information in an MMS document by using the existing specification without changes. We suggest some applications that may be realized on the foundations of this simple, yet powerful, concept, both in the personal market and in the professional domain. A prototype framework called Been-There-Done-That has been implemented, where users can generate AMMS documents and upload them to an Internet server. The messages are accessible through a web based map application.
An interaction system using mixed hand gestures

This paper presents a mixed hand gesture interaction system in virtual environment, in which "mixed" means static and dynamic hand gestures are combined for both navigation and object manipulation. Firstly, a simple average background model and skin color are used for hand area segmentation. Then a state-based spotting algorithm is employed to automatically identify two types of hand gestures. A voting-based method is used for quick classification of static gestures. And we use the hidden Markov model (HMM) to recognize dynamic gestures. Since the training of HMM requires the consistency of the training data, outputted by the feature extraction, a data aligning algorithm is raised. Through our mixed hand gesture system, users can perform complicated operating commands in a natural way. The experimental results demonstrate that our methods are effective and accurate.
BINARY BLACK HOLE MERGER IN GALACTIC NUCLEI: POST-NEWTONIAN SIMULATIONS

This paper studies the formation and evolution of binary supermassive black holes (SMBHs) in rotating galactic nuclei, focusing on the role of stellar dynamics. We present the first N-body simulations that follow the evolution of the SMBHs from kiloparsec separations all the way to their final relativistic coalescence, and that can robustly be scaled to real galaxies. The N-body code includes post-Newtonian corrections to the binary equations of motion up to order 2.5; we show that the evolution of the massive binary is only correctly reproduced if the conservative and terms are included. The orbital eccentricities of the massive binaries in our simulations are often found to remain large until shortly before coalescence. This directly affects not only their orbital evolution rates, but has important consequences as well for the gravitational waveforms emitted during the relativistic inspiral. We estimate gravitational wave amplitudes when the frequencies fall inside the band of the (planned) Laser Interferometer Space Antennae (LISA). We find significant contributions—well above the LISA sensitivity curve—from the higher-order harmonics.
Boosting SMT performance by speculation control

Simultaneous Multithreading (SMT) is a technique that permits multiple threads to execute in parallel within a single processor. Usually, an SMT processor uses shared instruction queues to collect instructions from the different threads. Hence, an SMT processor's performance depends on how the instruction fetch unit fills these instruction queues. On each cycle the fetch unit must judiciously decide which threads to fetch instructions from. This paper proposes a new instruction fetch scheme that uses both fetch prioritizing and fetch gating for SMR processors. Fetch prioritizing sets up fetch priority for each thread based on the number of unresolved low-confidence branches from the thread, while fetch gating prevents fetching from a thread once it has a stipulated number of out-standing low-confidence branches. Based on the fetch priority of each thread, our fetch scheme finds threads that are most likely to be in their correct paths. This improves the overall throughput of an SMT processor by reducing the number of wrong-path instructions in the pipeline. Our experimental evaluation shows that, on the average, our fetch scheme provides 14.9% speedup over ICOUNT, which is the best fetch policy reported so far for SMT.
Retracing and rewriting Hooke’s Micrographia book for teaching history of science

Abstract The history of science is an important component to acquire for achieving scientific literacy. In this study, a collaborative activity was applied in which the students were presented with the historical context in which Robert Hooke lived and developed the first register of the microscopic world. Furthermore, the students explored the environment using a microscope made by themselves, employing PET bottles and lenses obtained from CD or DVD readers and, finally, they drew and described selected objects, and collaboratively rewrote a ‘new version’ of Hooke’s classical book ‘Micrographia’. The study was performed in a secondary school, with 12- to 15-year-old students, and the hypothesis was that the planned intervention could enlarge students’ perception of historical aspects of the scientific discovery of the microscopic world, to a greater extent than traditional classes involving lectures and textbooks. The comparison was evaluated using a quantitative tool, called the History-Word-Association test (HWAT), which aims to evaluate the general vision of students regarding the agents, historical period and sociocultural circumstance involved in the issue addressed. The students that participated in the planned didactic activity showed a significant improvement in identification and retention of ideas associated with the history of the discovery of the microscopic world.
New Yorkers Commute More Everywhere: Contrast Effects in the Field

Previous experimental research has shown that people's decisions can be influenced by options they have encountered in the past. This paper uses PSID data to study this phenomenon in the field, by observing how long people commute after moving between cities. It is found, as predicted, that (i) people choose longer commutes in a city they have just moved to, the longer the average commute was in the city they came from, and (ii) when they move again within the new city, they revise their commute length, countering the effect their origin city had on their initial decision.
Social participation of people with disabilities in boxing and capoeira: a comparative ethnographic multi-sited focus

Abstract This research focuses on the social participation of people with disabilities practising capoeira in Brazil and boxing in France. From a multi-sited ethnographic research, we observed that disability did not prevent social participation. On the one hand, capoeira and boxing are based on cultural values through which vulnerability and alterity are seen positively. On the other hand, the degree of socio-political participation is higher in boxing, because disabled boxers have had to stand up for disability rights in order to be officially recognized within the federal boxing system. Conversely, in capoeira, disabled capoeiristas have to follow the path of the master to be accepted, which gives them position for potential increase in the social participation of disabled people.
Optimal Investment in Alternative Portfolio Strategies Preliminary and Incomplete

What percentage of their portfolio should investors allocate to alternative investment vehicles? The only available answers to the above question are set in a static meanvariance framework, with no explicit accounting for uncertainty on the active manager’s ability to generate abnormal return. In this paper we consider the problem of an investor who can choose between the riskfree security and two risky securities: a passive fund that tracks the market and a hedge fund. The hedge fund might o¤er a positive abnormal expected return or alpha (excess risk-adjusted expected return). The investor has power utility and is uncertain about both the expected return of the index and the alpha of the hedge fund, but upgrades beliefs in a Bayesian way. We derive analytic expressions for the optimal investment policy of the investor and calibrate our model to a database of hedge funds. Our results have important implications for investors who consider including alternative investment vehicles in their portfolios. In particular, they suggest that low beta hedge funds may serve as natural substitutes for a signi.cant portion of an investor risk-free asset holdings. ¤Jaksa Cvitanic (cvitanic@math.usc.edu) is with the Departments of Economics and Mathematics at the University of Southern California. Ali Lazrak (ali.lazrak@commerce.ubc.ca) is with the Département de Mathématiques, Université d’Evry Val d’Essonne, and is currently visiting the Finance Department at the University of British Columbia. Lionel Martellini (martelli@usc.edu) and Fernando Zapatero (fzapatero@marshall.usc.edu) are with the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California.
Fast scene recognition based on saliency region and SURF

Scene recognition is a hot topic in the field of computer vision, a fast scene recognition method based on saliency region and SURF (speeded up robust features) is proposed in this paper. This method adopts PFT (phase fourier transform) to construct saliency map, on the basis the algorithm of top-ranking extreme points selection based neighborhood entropy is used get saliency region information. Finally scene recognition is implemented using SURF of the saliency region. The method effectively improves real-time of scene recognition and the capability of scene analysis. Compared with other scene recognition methods, it has a better invariance in image rotation, scaling, translation and a substantial range of affine distortion, meanwhile having better real-time. The results of experiments with university of Southern California scene database demonstrate that the method performed well in recognition result, computational speed and robustness.
Missing feature mask generation in BSS outputs using pitch frequency

This paper proposes a new method to generate missing feature mask based on pitch frequency in Blind Source Separation (BSS) outputs. Missing feature theory is a promising approach to improve noise-robustness of automatic speech recognition. The most critical issue in the missing feature theory is automatic generation of the mask. Since frequency of BSS output remains fixed during the mixing and the separating procedures, the proposed method relies on mask generation based on the pitch frequency in BSS outputs to determine unreliable time-frequency components which are destroyed due to crosstalk. Simulation results show that the proposed method outperforms the state-of-the-art algorithms in terms of word accuracy.
"IT WASN' T ME, IT WAS THEM!" A STUDY OF SOCIAL INFLUENCE IN RISKY BEHAVIOUR BY ADOLESCENTS

Institutional information does not seem to prevent drug experimentation. We use Add Health panel data (1994-1996) to examine risky behaviour by adolescents (the consumption of tobacco, alcohol and marijuana). We find that such behaviours are correlated with the (lagged) behaviour of three peer groups: others in the same school year; others one school year higher than the individual in the same school; and the individual's friends. Peer group effects are strongest within sexes. However girls do also follow boys, while boys are only little affected by their female peers. We also find evidence of non-linearities in peer group effects.
Footprint searching and trajectory design of a humanoid robot

This paper proposes a footstep-planning algorithm for humanoid robots in 3D environments by taking height, horizontal coordinates, and possible footsteps into account. The feasibility of locomotion with planning footsteps is further refined by adopting re-planning scheme on locomotion generator and the modification of momentum compensation for irregular footsteps or tuning motions. The performance of the proposed algorithm and modifications are verified through simulations. The simulation results are quite satisfactory and hence justify the proposed algorithm.