Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Offloading in HetNet: A Coordination of Interference Mitigation, User Association, and Resource Allocation

The use of heterogeneous small cell-based networks to offload the traffic of existing cellular systems has recently attracted significant attention. One main challenge is solving the joint problems of interference mitigation, user association, and resource allocation. These problems are formulated as an optimization which is then analyzed using two different approaches: Markov approximation and log-linear learning. However, finding the optimal solutions of both approaches requires complete information of the whole network which is not scalable with the network size. Thus, an approach based on a Markov approximation with a novel Markov chain design and transition probabilities is proposed. This approach enables the Markov chain to converge to the bounded near optimal distribution without complete information. In the game-theoretic approach, the payoff-based log-linear learning is used, and it converges in probability to a mixed-strategy $\epsilon$ -Nash equilibrium. Based on the principles of these two approaches, a highly randomized self-organizing algorithm is proposed to reduce the gap between optimal and converged distributions. Simulation results show that all of the proposed algorithms effectively offload more than 90 percent of the traffic from the macrocell base station to small cell base stations. Moreover, the results also show that the algorithms converge quickly irrespective of the number of possible configurations.
A mechanistic model for spread of livestock-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (LA-MRSA) within a pig herd

Before an efficient control strategy for livestock-associated methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (LA-MRSA) in pigs can be decided upon, it is necessary to obtain a better understanding of how LA-MRSA spreads and persists within a pig herd, once it is introduced. We here present a mechanistic stochastic discrete-event simulation model for spread of LA-MRSA within a farrow-to-finish sow herd to aid in this. The model was individual-based and included three different disease compartments: susceptible, intermittent or persistent shedder of MRSA. The model was used for studying transmission dynamics and within-farm prevalence after different introductions of LA-MRSA into a farm. The spread of LA-MRSA throughout the farm mainly followed the movement of pigs. After spread of LA-MRSA had reached equilibrium, the prevalence of LA-MRSA shedders was predicted to be highest in the farrowing unit, independent of how LA-MRSA was introduced. LA-MRSA took longer to spread to the whole herd if introduced in the finisher stable, rather than by gilts in the mating stable. The more LA-MRSA positive animals introduced, the shorter time before the prevalence in the herd stabilised. Introduction of a low number of intermittently shedding pigs was predicted to frequently result in LA-MRSA fading out. The model is a potential decision support tool for assessments of short and long term consequences of proposed intervention strategies or surveillance options for LA-MRSA within pig herds.
Evolution of real contact area under shear and the value of static friction of soft materials

Significance We investigate the origin of static friction, the threshold force at which a frictional interface starts to slide. For rough contacts involving rubber or human skin, we show that the real contact area, to which static friction is proportional, significantly decreases under increasing shear, well before the onset of sliding. For those soft materials, our results will impact how we use and interpret current contact mechanics and friction models. The frictional properties of a rough contact interface are controlled by its area of real contact, the dynamical variations of which underlie our modern understanding of the ubiquitous rate-and-state friction law. In particular, the real contact area is proportional to the normal load, slowly increases at rest through aging, and drops at slip inception. Here, through direct measurements on various contacts involving elastomers or human fingertips, we show that the real contact area also decreases under shear, with reductions as large as 30%, starting well before macroscopic sliding. All data are captured by a single reduction law enabling excellent predictions of the static friction force. In elastomers, the area-reduction rate of individual contacts obeys a scaling law valid from micrometer-sized junctions in rough contacts to millimeter-sized smooth sphere/plane contacts. For the class of soft materials used here, our results should motivate first-order improvements of current contact mechanics models and prompt reinterpretation of the rate-and-state parameters.
Cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhea: An institutional perspective from Pakistan

Background: The management of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) rhinorrhea has evolved over the last two decades. We present here a review of our 11-year data on CSF rhinorrhea and its management at a tertiary care hospital in a developing country, with particular reference to the diagnosis, surgical management and outcome of the disease. Methods: The medical charts of all patients with a diagnosis of CSF rhinorrhea over an 11-year period were reviewed. The etiology of CSF rhinorrhea was classified into three categories: spontaneous, iatrogenic and traumatic. All the patients were divided into three categories based on the type of management as conservative, intracranial and transnasal endoscopic groups. Results: A total of 43 patients fulfilled our inclusion criteria and were included in the final analysis. Eleven of the 43 patients were managed conservatively, while 22 underwent intracranial repairs; 10 patients had transnasal endoscopic repairs. The primary success rate for the transnasal approach was 70% compared to 86% for the intracranial repair. Blood loss, special care unit (SCU) stay and total cost were found to be significantly less in the transnasal endoscopic group. Computed tomography (CT) cisternography was found to have the highest sensitivity and specificity. Further, no postoperative complications were found in the transnasal endoscopic group, while five patients from the intracranial group developed various complications. Conclusions: We conclude that the transnasal endoscopic approach has comparable success rates with the intracranial approach and significantly lower morbidity.
The Ten-Year Rule: Allocation of Emission Allowances in the EU Emission Trading System

In its guidance on National Allocation Plans (NAPs), the European Commission has discouraged Member States from adopting allocation methodologies that would provide incentives to firms affecting their compliance behavior. The purpose is to promote economic efficiency and to prevent strategic behavior that deviates from individual and collective cost-minimization. For example, some methodologies would reward one type of compliance investment over another. To discourage such actions, the EU Emission Trading System guidelines prohibit ex post redistribution of emission allowances within an allocation period based on behavior in that period. Similarly, the Commission has indicated that decisions about the initial distribution of allowances in the second phase (2008-2012) must depend on measures prior to 2005 so as not to give companies an incentive to adjust their behavior to receive a larger allowance allocation. However, two other aspects of the NAPs—the treatment of closures and new entrants—may also affect firm behavior. An undercurrent in these guidelines is the question of whether Member States should allow incumbent emitters to hold infinitely lived, once-and-for-all property rights to a share of the emission allowances in the future. This paper develops an approach for balancing efficiency considerations with perceived issues of fairness. We propose a ten-year rule to guide policy regarding closure of existing sources and the status of new sources and to guide the initial distribution of emission allowances in general. A ten-year rule would address issues of fairness and capture an important part of the potential gains that could be achieved through an efficient initial distribution of allowances.
A distance error based industrial robot kinematic calibration method

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present a distance accuracy-based industrial robot kinematic calibration model. Nowadays, the repeatability of the industrial robot is high, while the absolute positioning accuracy and distance accuracy are low. Many factors affect the absolute positioning accuracy and distance accuracy, and the calibration method of the industrial robot is an important factor. When the traditional calibration methods are applied on the industrial robot, the accumulative error will be involved according to the transformation between the measurement coordinate and the robot base coordinate. Design/methodology/approach – In this manuscript, a distance accuracy-based industrial robot kinematic calibration model is proposed. First, a simplified kinematic model of the robot by using the modified Denavit–Hartenberg (MDH) method is introduced, then the proposed distance error-based calibration model is presented; the experiment is set up in the next section. Findings – The experimental r.
Worksite Policies and Environments Supporting Physical Activity in Midwestern Communities

Purpose. To examine the association of worksite policies and environments to physical activity. Methods. Between 2001 and 2003, 977 adults from Missouri, Tennessee, and Arkansas participated in two random-digit-dialed telephone surveys regarding physical activity behaviors and worksite policies supporting physical activity. Logistic regression was used to investigate relationships between meeting national physical activity recommendations and supportive policies or environmental conditions (e.g., facilities, equipment, financial rewards) at worksites. Results. Having multiple policies at worksites was associated with meeting physical activity recommendations, specifically the provision of accessible stairways and personal services (e.g., fitness testing counseling). Meeting recommendations through walking was associated with having exercise facilities (e.g., gym, shower) and equipment (e.g., treadmill, weights). Discussion. This study highlights the importance of supplementing health promotion information in workplaces with policies and environmental interventions. Particular consideration should be given to accessible stairways for onsite exercise and provision of exercise facilities and equipment. Future interventions should combine policy change with program delivery.
Housing Income and Subsidies

One of the original, if unstated, objectives of the Housing Finance Review initiated in 1975 was to provide a systematic comparison of the distribution of housing subsidies across categories of households differentiated by tenure and other characteristics. However, the technical volumes which accompanied the Housing Policy green paper (HMSO, 1977) largely avoid this issue by concentrating on current financial flows rather than some more relevant concept of the impact of government intervention in the housing market. This is, perhaps, understandable since a consistent analysis of housing subsidies requires that we first define a 'neutral' system of taxation and housing finance as a baseline before proceeding to assess the effect of any particular set of policies.
Friday the 13th and the philosophical basis of financial economics

The Friday the 13th anomaly of Kolb and Rodriguez (1987) is revisited in an international context. Drawing on the philosophy of science approach of Lakatos (1978), the paper argues the importance of “anomalies” and the need for triangulation. Using the FTSE world indices over 1988–2000 for 19 countries, it is found that there is some evidence that returns on Friday the 13th are statistically different from, and generally greater than, returns on other Fridays. The paper concludes with a brief discussion of the possibility of an emergent paradigm incorporating work such as Jacobsen and Bouman (1998) and Kamstra, Kramer, and Levi (2000a).
Estimation of synchronous generator parameters using an adaptive parameter estimator

System identification in state space form, particularly when physical parameters of a system are required, has certain advantages. In this paper, nonlinear parameter estimation of synchronous generators using an adaptive parameter estimator is addressed. Although it is assumed that the model is linearized w.r. t. states, it still remains nonlinear and time-varying w.r. t. the parameters. The parameter estimation algorithm is based on gradient method in least squares and simultaneously uses Kalman filter to cope with the process noise. The proposed method is first applied to a third order nonlinear model of a synchronous generator and then it is used to identify the equivalent parameters of the external system as well. The parameters used in the simulation are those previously identified for a particular power system. In this study, the field voltage is considered as the input and the active output power and the terminal voltage are considered as the outputs of the synchronous generator.
StressRight: Finding the right stress for accurate in-development system evaluation

Computer architects use a variety of workloads to measure system performance. For many workloads, the workload configuration determines the stress applied to the system and the corresponding performance behavior. Therefore, architects must make great efforts to explore and find the correct workload configuration before performing detailed analysis. However, such explorations become impossible for indevelopment systems which exist only as a software model. The existing system modeling platforms are either accurate but too slow, or fast but inaccurate to get workload-reported performance metrics (e.g., latency and throughput) which are necessary for configuring workloads. In this paper, we propose StressRight, a method to quickly model the first-order performance of full-system workloads and reconstruct the workload-reported performance metrics. Stress-Right allows to explore how the workload configurations affect the stress and performance. The key idea is to execute workloads on a fast but timing-agnostic platform (e.g. emulators), and efficiently reconstruct the timing/performance details by analyzing only the unique code blocks. Our evaluation using memcached and PARSEC shows that StressRight achieves 8∼45x speedup compared to a cycle-level simulator while maintaining good accuracy.
Low power self-checking two-rail code checker design

Totally self-checking (TSC) system can execute on-line testing in normal operation mode and immediately detect the fault existing in a system to enhance reliability. In this paper, a novel non-tree structure two-rail code self-checking checker (denoted by TCC-P) is proposed. Based on TSMC 0.18um process technology, the real chip is designed and verified. The experiment results show that the proposed checker has reduced 39.30% power dissipation with the penalty of little area overhead as compared with the best one previous work. The feature of both lower power and the capability to work in both clock phases confirm our design is valid and efficient.
ADAMTS‐7: a metalloproteinase that directly binds to and degrades cartilage oligomeric matrix protein

Degradative fragments of cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP) have been observed in arthritic patients. The physiological enzyme(s) that degrade COMP, however, remain unknown. We performed a yeast two‐hybrid screen (Y2H) to search for proteins that associate with COMP to identify an interaction partner that might degrade it. One screen using the epidermal growth factor (EGF) domain of COMP as bait led to the discovery of ADAMTS‐7. Rat ADAMTS‐7 is composed of 1595 amino acids, and this protein exhibits higher expression in the musculoskeletal tissues. COMP binds directly to ADAMTS‐7 in vitro and in native articular cartilage. ADAMTS‐7 selectively interacts with the EGF repeat domain but not with the other three functional domains of COMP, whereas the four C‐terminal TSP motifs of ADAMTS‐7 are required and sufficient for association with COMP. The recombinant catalytic domain and intact ADAMTS‐7 are capable of digesting COMP in vitro. The enzymatic activity of ADAMTS‐7 requires the presence of Zn2+ and appropriate pH (7.5–9.5), and the concentration of ADAMTS‐7 in cartilage and synovium of patients with rheumatoid arthritis is significantly increased as compared to normal cartilage and synovium. ADAMTS‐7 is the first metalloproteinase found to bind directly to and degrade COMP.—Liu, C. , Kong, W. , Ilalov, K. , Yu, S. , Xu, K. , Prazak, L. , Fajardo, M. , Sehgal, B. , Di Cesare, P. E. ADAMTS‐7: a metalloproteinase that directly binds to and degrades cartilage oligomeric matrix protein. FASEB J. 20, E129–E140 (2006)
Choice of Accounting Method for Valuation of Investment Securities: Evidence from Hong Kong Firms

This study examines whether Hong Kong managers choose "benchmark" or "alternative" valuation method for investment securities, after the Hong Kong SSAP 24 became effective starting with fiscal-year ending December 31, 1999. Tests are conducted on a sample of 292 firms, out of which 155 Hong Kong firms reported unrealized gains and losses and 128 firms that did not report holding gains/losses, but reported investment securities. The findings indicate that firms with strong relative performance, i.e. current year's EPS higher than that of the last year, chose the alternative valuation method when the investment securities had holding gains and recognized the unrealized holding gains in the equity section of the balance sheet. This finding is consistent with the Cookie Jar hypothesis because these holding gains would be used in the income statement in future periods, when needed. With regard to firms with strong relative performance and holding losses, the findings indicate that the benchmark valuation was used. The losses were reported in the income statement to the extent that they did not reduce the EPS below that of the last year. This finding is consistent with the Income Smoothing Hypothesis, because the use of benchmark valuation reduced EPS of the current year to bring it in line with that of the last year. Evidence on firms with weak economic performance and holding gains or losses provided weak support to the Income Smoothing Hypothesis and Big Bath Hypothesis. Additionally, the results indicate that the firms with high debt-equity ratio preferred the benchmark method and recorded securities at cost. This treatment provided managers with an opportunity to liquidate or reclassify the securities in future periods and use the accrued gains, when needed. The findings are inconclusive with regard to the impact of bonus plan on the choice of valuation method.
Willingness to Pay for Broadband Access by Kentucky Farmers

Since the Internet's inception its impact has been felt across the United States, but the distribution and adoption of the Internet has not necessarily been uniform geographically. As more consumers and businesses rely on the Internet to access information, the data transmission requirements have also increased. Consequently, access to broadband has become increasingly more important since dial-up cannot realistically handle the increased requirements. The use of broadband in agriculture can provide better access to price, weather, and management information while also opening new markets. However, many rural communities lag behind urban areas in broadband access and adoption rates. This study evaluates, through the use of a producer survey, the level of broadband Internet use, motivations for its use, degree of access to broadband, and willingness-to-pay (WTP) to fund broadband infrastructure investments. Results from the producer survey suggested farmers utilize the Internet primarily for accessing weather reports, e-mail, market reports, and agricultural news. Notably, the survey's WTP questions allowed for the use of an interval regression to calculate producer WTP for varying demographics. The results suggested that producers who were younger, farmed larger farms, and those who currently use the Internet but do not have broadband access were WTP more in property taxes to support broadband infrastructure investments than those of a differing demographic. Because WTP levels varied drastically depending on the underlying demographics, it becomes difficult to pinpoint a WTP level for a one-time payment in property taxes that would be acceptable from a policy standpoint.
The Demand for CATV Services in Canada

The main determinants of demand are examined for CATV services offered by the sixteen largest cable television companies in Canada. The results obtained by estimating an explicitly formulated demand model explain 87 per cent of the variance in the dependent variable. Primary Canadian network programming service is the one most preferred by Canadians. The unavailability of us television stations over-the-air is one of the chief reasons for high market penetration. Sales promotion expenditures have almost twice the impact of live programming expenditures on the penetration ratio. Big city environments have significant negative effects on penetration ratio. Policy implications are discussed. La demande de services de tele'cable au Canada. Les auteurs examinent les facteurs determinants de la demande de services de telecable fournis par les 16 plus grandes compagnies specialisees au Canada. Le modele de demande utilise explique 87 pour cent de la variance de la variable dependante. Il semble que la programmation en provenance des reseaux canadiens est celle que preferent les consommateurs. Le fait que les consommateurs n'ont pas acces a la programmation americaine directement explique le fort coefficient de penetration du telecable. La publicite a presque deux fois plus d'impact sur le coefficient de penetration du telecable que l'effort de programmation directe par les compagnies. Il semble que le contexte de la grande ville avec son eventail de concurrents pour le telecable contribue 'a reduire le coefficient de penetration. Les auteurs examinent les implications de leur etude pour la definition des politiques appropriees.