Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Distributed Virtual Resource Allocation in Small-Cell Networks With Full-Duplex Self-Backhauls and Virtualization

Wireless network virtualization has attracted great attention from both academia and industry. Another emerging technology for next-generation wireless networks is in-band full-duplex (FD) communications. Due to its promising performance, FD communication has been considered to be an effective way of achieving self-backhauls for small cells. In this paper, we introduce wireless virtualization into small-cell networks and propose a virtualized small-cell network architecture with FD self-backhauls. We formulate the virtual-resource-allocation problem in virtualized small-cell networks with FD self-backhauls as an optimization problem. Since the formulated problem is a mixed combinatorial and nonconvex optimization problem, its computational complexity is high. Moreover, the centralized scheme may suffer from signaling overhead, outdated dynamics information, and scalability issues. To solve it efficiently, we divide the original problem into two subproblems. For the first subproblem, we transfer it to a convex optimization problem and then solve it by an efficient alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM)-based distributed algorithm. The second subproblem is a convex problem, which can be solved by each infrastructure provider. Extensive simulations are conducted with different system configurations to show the effectiveness of the proposed scheme.
XMLText: from XML schema to xtext

A multitude of Domain-Specific Languages (DSLs) have been implemented with XML Schemas. While such DSLs are well adopted and flexible, they miss modern DSL editor functionality. Moreover, since XML is primarily designed as a machine-processible format, artifacts defined with XML-based DSLs lack comprehensibility and, therefore, maintainability. In order to tackle these shortcomings, we propose a bridge between the XML Schema Definition (XSD) language and text-based metamodeling languages. This bridge exploits existing seams between the technical spaces XMLware, modelware, and grammarware as well as closes identified gaps. The resulting approach is able to generate Xtext-based editors from XSDs providing powerful editor functionality, customization options for the textual concrete syntax style, and round-trip transformations enabling the exchange of data between the involved technical spaces. We evaluate our approach by a case study on TOSCA, which is an XML-based standard for defining Cloud deployments. The results show that our approach enables bridging XMLware with modelware and grammarware in several ways going beyond existing approaches and allows the automated generation of editors that are at least equivalent to editors manually built for XML-based languages.
The WebQuest: Its impact on students’ critical thinking, performance, and perceptions in physics

This paper investigated the impact of WebQuest on students’ critical thinking, content-knowledge acquisition, task performance and perceptions in basic Physics. This study also determined which aspect of critical thinking was best or least demonstrated by the students, and examined the correlation between students ‘critical thinking and task performance and the relationship between students’ content-knowledge acquisition and perceptions. The study employed both descriptive and inferential data analysis procedures. More broadly, this study utilized a case study format. As such, through classroom observations, structured and unstructured interviews, the researcher gained a deeper understanding of the students’ views and experiences. The key findings of this study showed that participants had significant gains in both critical thinking and content-knowledge acquisition. As far as students’ perceptions were concerned, the analysis also showed that students responded positively on the use of WebQuest model in terms of collaboration, creativity, motivation, and knowledge enhancement but were not in time management. A low to moderate, correlation was found between critical thinking and task performance. In contrast, there was negligible correlation between students’ academic performance and perceptions. Thus, this study demonstrated that students viewed WebQuest favorably irrespective of their ability to learn and it suggests that WebQuest model can be a useful tool for student learning.
Power-of-two adaptive filters using tabu search

In a digital filter, when the coefficients assume power-of-two or a sum of power-of-two terms, the filter multiplier can be build using simple shift registers. In fact these filters are used in order to reduce both the VLSI silicon area and the computation time. In this paper power-of-two filters are extended to the case of adaptive filters. Due to the quantization and the non-uniform distribution in the coefficients domain, a classical gradient based approach, like LMS, cannot be successfully applied to perform the adaptation process. To overcome the problem of the filter adaptation a specific tabu search for time varying problems, suitable for real-time signal processing, is presented. Several experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.
A User's State and SINR -Based Handoff Algorithm in Hierarchical Cell Networks

Femtocell systems are providing cost-effective high-bandwidth service in wireless cellular systems under very low transmission power compared to macro-cell. Normally, conventional handoff algorithms can't well satisfy the mobility in hierarchy networks because of femtocell's characteristic. Therefore a user's state and SINR-based handoff (SINR-US) algorithm from macrocell to femtocell under the consideration of both large discrepancy in the transmit power of the cells and users' state is proposed, which combines SINR used instead of RSS and users' velocity, QoS requirement of users as decision criterion. Numerical results show that the proposed algorithm obviously increases the number of the handoff compared to conventional algorithm, as well as improving the utilization of Femtocells. Additionally it cuts down the unnecessary handoff that doesn't satisfy users' state requirement.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE HUMAN FACTORS SOCIETY-30th ANNUAL MEETING-I986 EFFECTS OF STIMULUS CHARACTERISTICS AND TASK DEMANDS ON PILOTS' PERCEPTION OF DICHOTIC MESSAGES

The experiment is an initial investigation of pilot performance when auditory advisory messages are presented dichotically, either with or without a concurrent pursuit task requiring visual/motor dexterity. The dependent measures were percent correct and correct reaction times for manual responses to the auditory messages. Two stimulus variables which show facilitory effects in traditional dichotic-listening paradigms, differences in pitch and semantic content of the messages, were examined to determine their effectiveness during the functional simulation of helicopter pursuit. In an effort to further manipulate task demands competition between pairs of subjects was varied; subjects accumulated points for the advisory messages for accuracy alone or for both accuracy and reaction times which were faster than their opponent's. In general, the combined effects of the stimulus and task variables are additive. When interactions do occur they suggest that an increase in task demands can sometimes mitigate, but usually does not remove, any processing advantages accrued from stimulus characteristics. The implications of these results for cockpit displays are discussed.
Evidence of Authentic DNA from Danish Viking Age Skeletons Untouched by Humans for 1,000 Years

Background Given the relative abundance of modern human DNA and the inherent impossibility for incontestable proof of authenticity, results obtained on ancient human DNA have often been questioned. The widely accepted rules regarding ancient DNA work mainly affect laboratory procedures, however, pre-laboratory contamination occurring during excavation and archaeological-/anthropological handling of human remains as well as rapid degradation of authentic DNA after excavation are major obstacles. Methodology/Principal Findings We avoided some of these obstacles by analyzing DNA from ten Viking Age subjects that at the time of sampling were untouched by humans for 1,000 years. We removed teeth from the subjects prior to handling by archaeologists and anthropologists using protective equipment. An additional tooth was removed after standard archaeological and anthropological handling. All pre-PCR work was carried out in a “clean- laboratory” dedicated solely to ancient DNA work. Mitochondrial DNA was extracted and overlapping fragments spanning the HVR-1 region as well as diagnostic sites in the coding region were PCR amplified, cloned and sequenced. Consistent results were obtained with the “unhandled” teeth and there was no indication of contamination, while the latter was the case with half of the “handled” teeth. The results allowed the unequivocal assignment of a specific haplotype to each of the subjects, all haplotypes being compatible in their character states with a phylogenetic tree drawn from present day European populations. Several of the haplotypes are either infrequent or have not been observed in modern Scandinavians. The observation of haplogroup I in the present study (<2% in modern Scandinavians) supports our previous findings of a pronounced frequency of this haplogroup in Viking and Iron Age Danes. Conclusion The present work provides further evidence that retrieval of ancient human DNA is a possible task provided adequate precautions are taken and well-considered sampling is applied.
Design of a multi-input-multiple-output visible light communication system for transport infrastructure to vehicle communication

The Visible Light Communication systems have been recently developed based on the advances in lighting semiconductor devices and added 300THz communication bandwidth to the current short-range wireless technologies family. They have a great potential for indoor as well as outdoor applications, the area of interest for our work being the communication between traffic signal infrastructure and vehicle. This paper proposes a novel architecture for a multiple-input-multiple-output visible light communication system that shares information from the traffic center to the vehicles on roads.
DISTRIBUTED DENIAL OF SERVICE ATTACKS: ANALOGY BETWEEN INTERNET AND MANET

Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks have become a large problem for users of computer systems connected to the Internet. DDoS attackers hijack secondary victim systems using them to wage a coordinated large-scale attack against primary victim systems. With little or no advance warning, a DDoS attack can easily exhaust the computing and communication resources of its victim within a short period of time. This survey attempts a comprehensive scoping of the DDoS problem for both Internet and Non-Internet. It highlights the existing and new taxonomies to categorize DDoS attack networks, to classify the different techniques used in a DDoS attack. These taxonomies help us to understand the similarities and differences in DDoS attacks and the scope of the DDoS problem. In context to the survey, we present a striking analogy between different Ddos attacks in both internet and Non-Internet. Finally, this work is intended to stimulate research into creative, effective and efficient detection mechanisms for DDoS attacks, and to assist in creating comprehensive solutions that will provide a more generalized and effective approach in countering both known and derivative DdoS attacks on different types of network.
LINKING EMPLOYEE PERCEPTIONS OF SERVICE CLIMATE TO CUSTOMER SATISFACTION

Although a common theme in the service quality literature is that organizations must create and maintain a climate for service in order for employees to effectively deliver service, few studies exist that evaluate climate for service components against a criterion of customer satisfaction. The effectiveness of different aspects of a climate for service is evaluated by determining the relationships between service climate components and facets of customer satisfaction, as rated by 538 employees and 7,944 customers across 57 branches of a large bank. All service climate components were significantly related to at least one facet of customer satisfaction (e.g., teller service). Seeking and sharing information about customers' needs and expectations, training in delivering quality service, and rewarding and recognizing excellent service were the practices that were most highly related to satisfaction with service quality.
Projection approximation blind equalization for multicarrier CDMA systems with receiver diversity

In this paper we present a new set of blind equalization algorithms for multicarrier CDMA systems with receiver diversity. We first re-examine the cost function in the well-known subspace method and interpret it in terms of the noise projector, which can be effectively approximated by a special weighted spectral decomposition of the data autocorrelation matrix. By adding a user-specific cost term to the common cost function, we show that all user channel responses can be estimated in parallel. A block algorithm with lower complexity is derived first, followed by a recursive algorithm using RLS-type matrix updating. Our new approach treats additional antennas in the same way as a higher processing gain and provides a programmable structure to compromise between spectral and spatial diversity. Simulations show our method is near–far resistant, and our adaptive algorithm has fast convergence. Copyright © 2003 AEI
High-dose chemotherapy for high-risk primary and metastatic breast cancer: is another look warranted?

Purpose of review The controversy surrounding high-dose chemotherapy (HDC) for breast cancer seems to have given place to skepticism about its efficacy, regardless of regimen or schedule, for any subset of patients with high-risk primary breast cancer (HRPBC) or metastatic disease. We review here the main publications in this field since 2006, focusing on updates of randomized trials comparing HDC with standard-dose chemotherapy. Recent findings A meta-analysis of all 15 randomized HRPBC trials (n = 6102) has detected an absolute 13% event-free survival benefit in favor of HDC (P = 0.0001) at a median 6-year follow-up. The absolute differences in breast cancer-specific (7%) and overall survival (5%) did not reach statistical significance. Several retrospective subset analyses suggest that HDC may be particularly effective among patients with HER2-negative tumors, particularly if also hormone receptor negative (triple negative). Summary A global event-free survival advantage favoring HDC has been shown in HRPBC trials, which seems to affect particularly patients with triple negative tumors. Event-free survival is a clinically relevant endpoint in the adjuvant setting, in which the goal of any treatment should be cure. Therefore, it seems that the current broad skepticism about HDC is unduly dismissive of this benefit. HDC remains a valid research strategy in appropriate subpopulations such as triple-negative HRPBC or oligometastatic disease.
Obesity and its effect on survival in patients undergoing orthotopic liver transplantation in the United States

Studies assessing morbidity and mortality in obese patients undergoing orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) have produced conflicting results, mainly because of the small sample size. The objective of our study was to determine graft and patient survival in obese adults receiving OLT in the U.S. between 1988 through 1996 using the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) database. Among the 23,675 transplantations performed during the 9‐year study period, 18,172 (75%) patients fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Of these, 8,382 (46%) were nonobese (body mass index [BMI] < 25 kg/m2), 5,913 (33%) were overweight (BMI, 25.1‐30 kg/m2), 2,611 (14%) were obese (BMI, 30.1‐35 kg/m2), 911 (5%) were severely obese (BMI, 35.1‐40 kg/m2), and 355 (2%) were morbidly obese (BMI, 40.1‐50 kg/m2). The outcome measures assessed were immediate (30‐day), 1‐, 2‐, and 5‐year patient survival. Obese groups had a higher proportion of women, a greater prevalence of cryptogenic cirrhosis (P < .05) and diabetes (P < .05), and a higher serum creatinine. Primary graft nonfunction, and immediate, 1‐year, and 2‐year mortality were significantly higher in the morbidly obese group (P < .05). Five‐year mortality was significantly higher both in the severely and morbidly obese subjects (P < .05), mostly as a result of adverse cardiovascular events. Kaplan‐Meier survival was significantly lower in morbidly obese patients, and morbid obesity was an independent predictor of mortality. Obesity is associated with a significant increase in long‐term mortality, mostly as a result of cardiovascular events. Weight loss should be recommended for all patients awaiting a liver transplantation, especially if their BMI is more than 35 kg/m2.
A simple computational method for the identification of disease-associated loci in complex, incomplete pedigrees

We present an approach, called the "Shadow Method," for the identification of disease loci from dense genetic marker maps in complex, potentially incomplete pedigrees. "Shadow" is a simple method based on an analysis of the patterns of obligate meiotic recombination events in genotypic data. This method can be applied to any high density marker map and was specifically designed to exploit the fact that extremely dense marker maps are becoming more readily available. We also describe how to interpret and associate meaningful P-Values to the results. Shadow has significant advantages over traditional parametric linkage analysis methods in that it can be readily applied even in cases in which the topology of a pedigree or pedigrees can only be partially determined. In addition, Shadow is robust to variability in a range of parameters and in particular does not require prior knowledge of mode of inheritance, penetrance or clinical misdiagnosis rate. Shadow can be used for any SNP data, but is especially effective when applied to dense samplings. Our primary example uses data from Affymetrix 100k SNPChip samples in which we illustrate our approach by analyzing simulated data as well as genome-wide SNP data from two pedigrees with inherited forms of kidney failure, one of which is compared with a typical LOD score analysis.
Feature selection in Web applications by ROC inflections and powerset pruning

A basic problem of information processing is selecting enough features to ensure that events are accurately represented for classification problems, while simultaneously minimizing storage and processing of irrelevant or marginally important features. To address this problem, feature selection procedures perform a search through the feature power set to find the smallest subset meeting performance requirements. Major restrictions of existing procedures are that they typically explicitly or implicitly assume a fixed operating point, and make limited use of the statistical structure of the feature power set. We present a method that combines the Neyman-Pearson design procedure on finite data, with the directed set structure of the Receiver Operating Curves on the feature subsets, to determine the maximal size of the feature subsets that can be ranked in a given problem. The search can then be restricted to the smaller subsets, resulting in significant reductions in computational complexity. Optimizing the overall Receiver Operating Curve also allows for end users to select different operating points and cost functions to optimize. The algorithm also produces a natural method of Boolean representation of the minimal feature combinations that best describe the data near a given operating point. These representations are especially appropriate when describing data using common text-related features useful on the Web, such as thresholded TFIDF data. We show how to use these results to perform automatic Boolean query modification generation for distributed databases, such as niche metasearch engines.
Different Types of Sedentary Activities and Their Association With Perceived Health and Wellness Among Middle-Aged and Older Adults

Purpose: To assess the association between a variety of sedentary activities and self-reported wellness outcomes to provide a comprehensive perspective for future development of sedentary guidelines for middle-aged and older adults. Design: Cross-sectional population study. Setting: Canadian Community Health Survey (Healthy Aging Cycle, 2008–2009). Subjects: Middle-aged (45–60 years; n = 8161) and older adults (60 years and older; n = 9128) were used for analysis. Measures: Self-reported perceived health, sense of belonging to community, mood disorder, and satisfaction with life were used as outcomes. Sedentary activities were playing bingo, computer use, doing crosswords/puzzles, handicrafts, listening to radio/music, playing a musical instrument, reading, visiting others, and watching TV. Analysis: Chi-squares, t-tests and multivariable logistic regressions. Results: Among respondents not diagnosed with a mood disorder, positive associations were noted for crosswords/puzzles in older adults (odds ratio [OR]: 1.39, confidence interval [CI]: 1.01–1.91) and listening to radio/music or playing an instrument in middle-aged adults (OR: 1.43, CI: 1.16–1.75; OR: 2.14, CI: 1.17–3.81). Satisfaction with life was positively associated with computer use in middle-aged (OR: 1.53, CI: 1.07–2.20) and older adults (OR: 1.42, CI: 1.09–1.84). Sense of belonging was consistently positively associated with sedentary activities. Conclusion: Several sedentary activities were found to be positively associated with self-reported measures of psychosocial wellness in middle-aged and older adults. These findings identify potential opportunities for sedentary time interventions and dual-task physical activity promotion.
Constituents Versus Fat Cats

Studies of interest groups and Congress generate conflicting perspectives about the influence of campaign contributions on legislative decisions. In choosing between constituent and donor interests, electorally minded legislators always (a) pay attention to their campaign contributors and (b) attend “slavishly” to constituents. But do donor “fat cats” indeed get preferential treatment at the expense of constituents? I replicate an experimental design reported by Chin, Bond, and Geva (2000) to test whether organized groups with a history of high campaign contributions are more likely than groups with a history of low campaign contributions to gain access to members of the U.S. Congress. Ninety-six congressional staffers participated in this experiment. I find that members’ access decisions are influenced primarily by constituency status rather than an access-seeker’s contribution history or PAC status. There are no interactive effects between the PAC, constituency, or contribution history variables.
The effects of distinctiveness on the use of workspace and grabbing of other's documents

In this paper we describe the findings from experiments that were conducted to test two hypotheses on the behavior of designers when collaborating around an interactive tabletop. The experiments were conducted using the tabletop, DiamondTouch. In order to test the hypotheses, two conditions of the tabletop display were used -- distinctive and non-distinctive, which involved three different tasks within each condition. The findings support the hypotheses and interestingly revealed how the designers continuously restructured the organisation of the images on the workspace and created new external resources for action, which assisted their task significantly.