Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Impact of transient CSMA/CA access delays on active bandwidth measurements

WLAN devices based on CSMA/CA access schemes have become a fundamental component of network deployments. In such wireless scenarios, traditional networking applications, tools, and protocols, with their built-in measurement techniques, are usually run unchanged. However, their actual interaction with the dynamics of underlying wireless systems is not yet fully understood. A relevant example of such built-in techniques is bandwidth measurement. When considering WLAN environments, various preliminary studies have shown that the application of results obtained in wired setups is not straightforward. Indeed, the contention for medium sharing among multiple users inherent to CSMA/CA access schemes has remarkable consequences on the behavior of and results obtained by bandwidth measurement techniques. In this paper, we focus on evaluating the effect of CSMA/CA-based contention on active bandwidth measurement techniques. As a result, it presents the rate response curve in steady state of a system with both FIFO and CSMA/CA-based contending cross-traffic. We also find out that the distribution of access delay shows a transient regime before reaching a stationary state. The duration of such transient regime is characterized and bounded. We also show how dispersion-based measurements that use a short number of probing packets are biased measurements of the achievable throughput, the origin of this bias lying on the transient detected in the access delay of probing packets. Overall, the results presented in this paper have several consequences that are expected to influence the design of bandwidth measurement tools as well as to better understand the results obtained with them in CSMA/CA links.
A Spectral Line Survey of IRAS 17470-2853 from 86.1 to 92.1 GHz

Abstract We present results from a spectral line survey of the young stellar object IRAS 17470-2853, undertaken to examine chemical changes during the evolution from hot molecular cores to ultracompact HII regions. Observations were carried out with the Mopra 22 m radio telescope in the frequency range from 86.1 to 92.1 GHz. A total of 21 lines from 9 molecules were detected. Except for CH3CN they are all simple molecules. We compare the results to the ultracompact HII region G34.3+0.15, where spectral line surveys in the frequency range 80–115 GHz and 330–360 GHz have been performed. While the molecular lines detected are similar, their widths and intensities are somewhat narrower and lower, respectively, in IRAS 17470-2853. The typical line width of ˜5 km s−1 indicates relatively quiet or quasi-thermal emission. On the other hand, a significant difference in T A* (HNC)/T A*(HCN) has been found: 0.8 for IRAS 17470-2853 compared to 2.6 for G34.3+0.15. The broad line width of SiO (υ=0, J=2–1), ˜9 km s−1, suggests that IRAS 17470-2853 is experiencing a shock generated by the embedded object. Column densities, or lower limits to them, are derived for observed molecules.
Value of long‐term streamflow forecasts to reservoir operations for water supply in snow‐dominated river catchments

We present a forecast‐based adaptive management framework for water supply reservoirs and evaluate the contribution of long‐term inflow forecasts to reservoir operations. Our framework is developed for snow‐dominated river basins that demonstrate large gaps in forecast skill between seasonal and inter‐annual time horizons. We quantify and bound the contribution of seasonal and inter‐annual forecast components to optimal, adaptive reservoir operation. The framework uses an Ensemble Streamflow Prediction (ESP) approach to generate retrospective, one‐year‐long streamflow forecasts based on the Variable Infiltration Capacity (VIC) hydrology model. We determine the optimal sequence of daily release decisions using the Model Predictive Control (MPC) optimization scheme. We then assess the forecast value by comparing system performance based on the ESP forecasts with the performances based on climatology and perfect forecasts. We distinguish among the relative contributions of the seasonal component of the forecast versus the inter‐annual component by evaluating system performance based on hybrid forecasts, which are designed to isolate the two contributions. As an illustration, we first apply the forecast‐based adaptive management framework to a specific case study, i.e., Oroville Reservoir in California, and we then modify the characteristics of the reservoir and the demand to demonstrate the transferability of the findings to other reservoir systems. Results from numerical experiments show that, on average, the overall ESP value in informing reservoir operation is 35% less than the perfect forecast value and the inter‐annual component of the ESP forecast contributes 20–60% of the total forecast value.
Development of an Ultrahigh Resolution Block Detector Based on 0.4 mm Pixel Ce:GAGG Scintillators and a Silicon Photomultiplier Array

Ce doped Gd3Al2Ga3O12 (Ce:GAGG) is a newly developed single-crystal scintillator which has a large light output and longer emission light wavelength. The longer wavelength of the scintillation photons will produce a larger signal when coupled to typical silicon photomultiplier (Si-PM) as the quantum efficiency of semiconductor based photodetector is generally higher for light with longer wavelength. A block detector with higher spatial resolution may thus be realized by combining Ce:GAGG with Si-PM arrays. To achieve the highest possible spatial resolution for PET and SPECT detectors, we developed an ultrahigh resolution block detector using 0.4 mm × 0.4 mm × 5 mm Ce:GAGG pixels assembled to form a 24 × 24 matrix that is coupled to an Si-PM array and evaluated the performance. All Ce:GAGG pixels were separated in the 2-dimensional position histograms for Cs-137 (662 keV) gamma photons with an average peak-to-valley (P/V) ratio of 2.4. The energy resolution was 21.6% FWHM for Cs-137 (662 keV) and 23.8% for Co-57 (122 keV) gamma photons. Since Ce:GAGG does not contain naturally occurring radioisotope (Lu), beta-gamma true coincidences can be avoided and randoms are reduced when used for PET detectors. Furthermore, this property, together with its high light output and good intrinsic energy resolution, make the scintillator suited for SPECT detectors. An ultrahigh resolution PET/SPECT hybrid system might be an interesting application using Ce:GAGG/Si-PM block detectors.
Automatic generation of software behavioral models

Dynamic analysis of software systems produces behavioral models that are useful for analysis, verification and testing. The main techniques for extracting models of functional behavior generate either models of constraints on data, usually in the form of Boolean expressions, or models of interactions between components, usually in the form of finite state machines. Both data and interaction models are useful for analyzing and verifying different aspects of software behavior, but none of them captures the complex interplay between data values and components interactions. Thus related analysis and testing techniques can miss important information. In this paper, we focus on the generation of models of relations between data values and component interactions, and we present GK-tail, a technique to automatically generate extended finite state machines (EFSMs) from interaction traces. EFSMs model the interplay between data values and component interactions by annotating FSM edges with conditions on data values. We show that EFSMs include details that are not captured by either Boolean expressions or (classic) FSM alone, and allow for more accurate analysis and verification than separate models, even if considered jointly.
The Paradox of Multistakeholder Collaborative Roundtables

This study examines the outcomes of a large-scale Multistakeholder Collaborative Roundtable (MCR) on environmental protection. The findings shed a considerably more realistic light on the concrete outcomes of MCRs than does the image portrayed by the literature and some practitioners. We observed that consensus was achieved, albeit on general principles only. Various types of learning did occur, but they were limited to networking competencies. Problem solving was detected, albeit in the form of incremental innovation only. Overall, the major result of the MCR studied was that it contributed “small wins” to its initial grand objective. The case illustrates the paradox of MCRs. It teaches us that we should be cautious about their real potential to help solve complex collective problems. Yet, it shows that MCRs do serve a useful purpose, that of giving direction to “metaproblems, ” a result that apparently can hardly be attained otherwise.
Design Optimization of Wireless Access Virtualization Based on Cost & QoS Trade-Off Utility Maximization

Wireless access virtualization is an emerging avenue for research for future 5G networks. For its ability to augment network sharing and its subsequent impact on reducing network setup and operational costs, network virtualization is greatly sought after by telecommunications operators all over the world. This paper classifies virtual wireless access into three possible PHY-MAC models that differ in terms of the degree of segregation of baseband signal processing and radio access units. One of the models uses special purpose hardware while another leverages software defined networking (SDN) and cloud computing technologies for implementing virtual wireless access using general purpose hardware. The proposed models differ in terms of their associated network operational cost as well as in terms of the level of QoS they can provide. A new multi-criteria utility function is hence proposed in order to assess the tradeoffs between network cost & QoS of these models from a PHY-MAC layer perspective. The new utility function provides guidelines for a network designer to choose the optimal virtualization model that best fits an operator's budget constraint as well as the QoS requirement of the intended service. Analytical results show that a novel hybrid model that properly combines both special purpose and SDN & cloud computing technologies maximizes the newly introduced utility function by attaining the best balance between overall network cost and QoS. This occurs in most expected practical cases where precisely, one of the two does not relatively outweigh the other and viceversa.
Shallow Discourse Parsing Using Convolutional Neural Network

This paper describes a discourse parsing system for our participation in the CoNLL 2016 Shared Task. We focus on the supplementary task: Sense Classiﬁcation, especially the Non-Explicit one which is the bottleneck of discourse parsing system. To improve Non-Explicit sense classiﬁcation, we propose a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) model to determine the senses for both English and Chinese tasks. We also explore a traditional linear model with novel dependency features for Explicit sense classiﬁcation. Compared with the best system in CoNLL-2015, our sys-tem achieves competitive performances. Moreover, as shown in the results, our sys-tem has higher F1 score on Non-Explicit sense classiﬁcation.
The UGDP study.

ABSTRACT To the Editor. — It would appear from the Cornfield-Schor exchange (217:1671-1687, 1971) that the major statistical controversy over the UGDP study is whether there is enough evidence of an imbalance between the placebo and tolbutamide patient groups at baseline to account for the imbalance in death patterns that appeared after five years. Schor has examined the published data and believes that the baseline characteristics were sufficiently different. Cornfield has examined both the published data and additional material in the study files and says they were not.I would like to point out that Cornfield has displayed highly significant evidence in favor of Schor's hypothesis.It is fairly easy to pursue "imbalances" in patient populations that have been randomly assigned to different treatments. One can always find some peculiar ancillary statistic (like the ages at death of the patients' grandmothers) for which the study was not balanced. However, there are
Aiding Labor: Foreign Aid and the Promotion of Labor Rights in LDCs

Recent research examines the influence of trade and capital liberalization on states’ and private corporations’ respect for labor rights in developing countries. This literature, however, generally overlooks the potential role of development aid on these rights. Herein I argue that official development assistance—specifically aid to civil society programs and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs)—helps improve core labor standards. Such aid promotes labor rights through strengthening labor organizations, related civil society groups, and NGOs and improving their capacity to mobilize and bargain with the state and capital. Development aid likewise indirectly promotes respect for labor rights through a diffusion process from donor states with superior labor rights standards to recipients. I test hypotheses drawn from the arguments via quantitative analysis, employing new data on labor rights practices as well as disaggregated foreign aid data.
When Russians learn English: How the semantics of causation may change*

We examined how the semantics of causal expressions in Russian and English might differ and how these differences might lead to changes in the way second language learners understand causal expressions in their first language. According to the dynamics model of causation (Wolff, 2007), expressions of causation based on CAUSE verbs (make, force) differ from expressions based on ENABLE verbs (let, help, allow) primarily in terms of the causee's inherent tendency toward an endstate, that is, the causee's physical or intentional inclination for a particular state of affairs. In Russian, the tendency appears to be based on internally derived forces, whereas in English, the tendency may be based on either internally or externally derived forces. In two experiments, English and Russian monolinguals and bilinguals described animations in which the causee's tendency was systematically varied. When the causee's tendency was ambiguous, English and Russian monolinguals’ descriptions differed, suggesting that the causal expressions differ in meaning across languages. Of primary interest, Russian–English and English–Russian bilinguals’ causal descriptions differed from those of monolingual speakers of their first language, and in the direction of the second language, even though they performed the task in the first language. This L2 → L1 transfer is explained in terms of the memory phenomenon of retrieval-induced reconsolidation.
Experiences in autotuning matrix multiplication for energy minimization on GPUs

In this paper, we report extensive results and analysis of autotuning the computationally intensive graphics processing units kernel for dense matrix–matrix multiplication in double precision. In contrast to traditional autotuning and/or optimization for runtime performance only, we also take the energy efficiency into account. For kernels achieving equal performance, we show significant differences in their energy balance. We also identify the memory throughput as the most influential metric that trades off performance and energy efficiency. As a result, the performance optimal case ends up not being the most efficient kernel in overall resource use. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A2a receptors mediate inhibitory effects of adenosine on colonic motility in the presence of experimental colitis

Background: Adenosine regulates immunity and inflammation, and acts also as a modulator of gut functions. In this study, we investigated the role of adenosine A2a receptors on colonic motility in a rat model of experimental colitis. Methods: Colitis was induced by 2,4‐dinitrobenzenesulfonic acid. The effects of ZM 241385 (A2a receptor antagonist) and CGS 21680 (A2a receptor agonist) were assayed on cholinergic contractions of colonic longitudinal muscle preparations evoked by transmural electrical stimulation (TES) or carbachol. A2a receptor expression in colonic neuromuscular layers was assessed by reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction. Results: ZM 241385 increased TES‐induced contractions in the absence or in the presence of colitis, the drug being more effective in colonic preparations from inflamed animals. The enhancing effects of ZM 241385 were unaffected by guanethidine or &agr;‐chimotrypsin, whereas being prevented by N&ohgr;‐propyl‐L‐arginine (neuronal nitric oxide synthase inhibitor) or adenosine 5′‐(&agr;,&bgr;‐methylene) diphosphate (ecto‐5′‐nucleotidase inhibitor). Upon exposure of colonic tissues from normal or inflamed rats to dipyridamole plus adenosine deaminase, to abate endogenous adenosine levels, CGS 21680 evoked concentration‐dependent reductions of contractile responses to TES, which were more intense in preparations from inflamed rats, and were antagonized by ZM 241385. Neither CGS 21680 nor ZM 241385 affected carbachol‐induced contractions. Reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction showed an increase in A2a receptor expression in colonic tissues isolated from inflamed animals. Conclusions: The adenosine system is involved in neuroplastic changes occurring in inflamed gut. A2a receptors modulate the activity of colonic excitatory cholinergic nerves via facilitatory control on inhibitory nitrergic pathways, and such a regulatory function is enhanced in the presence of bowel inflammation.
Cultural Transferability of Socially Responsible Leadership: Findings From the United States and Mexico

The purpose of this study was to examine similarities and differences in students' capacities for socially responsible leadership as well as significant predictors of its development at a higher education institution in Mexico as compared with US schools. Results revealed that Mexican students both entered and left college with significantly higher capacities than their US peers. The collegiate environment contributed significantly to explaining student capacity in both cultural contexts, and leadership efficacy explained a greater amount of the variance in scores among students at the Mexican institution than those at US institutions.
Hierarchical document clustering based on cosine similarity measure

Clustering is one of the prime topics in data mining. Clustering partitions the data and classifies the data into meaningful subgroups. Document clustering is a set of the document into groups such that two groups show different characteristics with respect to likeness. In this paper, an experimental exploration of similarity based method, HSC for measuring the similarity between data objects particularly text documents is introduced. It also provides an algorithm which has an incremental approach and evaluates cluster likeness between documents that leads to much improved results over other traditional methods. It also focuses on the selection of appropriate similarity measure for analyzing similarity between the documents.
Contemporary Sociological Theory: Continuing the Classical Tradition

Designed to teach the basic assumptions and concepts of sociological theory, this volume provides an examination of the theoretical perspectives in contemporary sociology and their roots in classical theory. It focuses specifically on the areas of functionalism, conflict theory, exchange theory, symbolic interactionism, and phenomenology, and describes the central ideas and arguments of contemporary and classical theorists working in these areas. This third edition includes new features including feminist contributions and critiques, sections on recent theories of rational choice, a social theory of emotion, and neofunctionalism, expanded discussions of Jurgen Habermas, the structuration theory of Anthony Giddens, and the contributions of Simmel, Durkheim, Thomas and Goffman. More extensive coverage of contemporary European theorists such as Bourdieu and Boudon is also included.
Two-Level Replacement Decisions in Paging Stores

One of the primary motivations for implementing virtual memory is its ability to automatically manage a hierarchy of storage systems with different characteristics. The composite system behaves as if it were a single-level system having the more desirable characteristics of each of its constituent levels. In this paper we extend the virtual memory concept to within the top level of a two-level hierarchy. Here, the top level is thought of as containing two additional levels within it. This hierarchy is not a physical one, but rather an artificial one arising from the employment of two different replacement algorithms. Given two replacement algorithms, one of which has good performance but high implementation cost and the other poor performance but low implementation cost, we propose and analyze schemes that result in an overall algorithm having the performance characteristics of the former and the cost characteristics of the latter. We discuss the suitability of such schemes in the management of storage hierarchies that lack page reference bits.
Fragmentation in the Twitter Following of News Outlets

In recent years, Twitter emerged as an important news driver as most major news organizations now provide newsfeeds via Twitter. We classified 34 South Korean news outlets based on the pattern of co-following among 709,586 Twitter users. We also had a rare opportunity to match their following behavior with individual-level attributes by relying on supplementary survey data on 1,811 members of an online survey panel. Our results reveal that partisan and generational selectivity sharply polarizes news following on Twitter, suggesting that Twitter is likely to reinforce the existing political divisions in society by reducing the likelihood of chance encounters with the disagreeable views.