Utilizing Massive Spatiotemporal Samples for Efficient and Accurate Trajectory Prediction

Trajectory prediction is widespread in mobile computing, and helps support wireless network operation, location-based services, and applications in pervasive computing. However, most prediction methods are based on very coarse geometric information such as visited base transceiver stations, which cover tens of kilometers. These approaches undermine the prediction accuracy, and thus restrict the variety of application. Recently, due to the advance and dissemination of mobile positioning technology, accurate location tracking has become prevalent. The prediction methods based on precise spatiotemporal information are then possible. Although the prediction accuracy can be raised, a massive amount of data gets involved, which is undoubtedly a huge impact on network bandwidth usage. Therefore, employing fine spatiotemporal information in an accurate prediction must be efficient. However, this problem is not addressed in many prediction methods. Consequently, this paper proposes a novel prediction framework that utilizes massive spatiotemporal samples efficiently. This is achieved by identifying and extracting the information that is beneficial to accurate prediction from the samples. The proposed prediction framework circumvents high bandwidth consumption while maintaining high accuracy and being feasible. The experiments in this study examine the performance of the proposed prediction framework. The results show that it outperforms other popular approaches

A Fallacy of Division: The Failure of Market Concentration as a Measure of Competition in U.S. Banking

Empirical literature and related legal practice using concentration as a proxy for competition measurement are prone to a fallacy of division, as concentration measures are appropriate for perfect competition and perfect collusion but not intermediate levels of competition. Extending the classic Cournot-type competition model of Cowling and Waterson (1976) and Cowling (1976) used to derive the Hirschman-Herfindahl Index (HHI) of market concentration, we propose an adaptation of this model that allows collusive rents for all, none, or some of the firms in a market. Application of our model to data for U.S. commercial banks in the period 1984-2004 confirms that concentration measures are unreliable competition metrics. While collusion is prevalent in the banking industry at the state level, the critical market shares at which market power is achieved, rents earned from collusion, and collusive concentration levels vary widely across states. These and other results lead us to conclude that a fallacy of division exists in concentration-based competition tests.SCP hypothesis, competition, Cournot, conjectural variation, efficiency hypothesis

Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibition in type 2, diabetic patients – interaction with ACE insertion/deletion polymorphism

Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) insertion(I)/deletion (D) polymorphism may modify the effect of inhibition of the renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system (RAAS) on survival and cardiorenal outcomes in type 2, diabetes. A consecutive cohort of 2089 Chinese type 2 diabetic patients with mean (±standard deviation) age of 59.7±13.1 years were genotyped for this polymorphism by polymerase chain reaction method and were followed prospectively for a median period of 44.6 (interquartile range: 23.7, 57.5) months. Clinical outcomes, including all-cause mortality, cardiovascular and renal end points, were examined. The frequency for I allele was 67.1 and 32.9% for D allele, with observed genotype frequencies of 45.8, 42.6, and 11.6% for 3, DI and DD, respectively. ACE DD polymorphism was an independent predictor for renal end point with hazard ratio (HR) (95% confidence interval) of 1.72 (1.16, 2.56), but not for cardiovascular end point or mortality. After controlling for confounding factors, including ACE I/D genotype, the usage of RAAS inhibitors was associated with reduced risk of mortality (HR 0.34 (0.23, 0.50)) and renal end point (HR 0.55 (0.40, 0.75)). On subgroup analysis, the beneficial effects on survival (II vs DI vs DD: HR 0.29 (0.16, 0.51) vs 0.25 (0.14, 0.46) vs 1.33 (0.41, 4.31)) and renoprotection (II vs DI vs DD: 0.52 (0.30, 0.90) vs 0.43 (0.25, 0.72) vs 0.95 (0.43, 2.12)) were most evident in II and DI carriers. In conclusion, inhibition of RAAS was associated with reduced risk of mortality and occurrence of renal end point in Chinese type 2 diabetic patients. These benefits were most evident among II and DI carriers

Newtonian versus relativistic nonlinear cosmology

Both for the background world model and its linear perturbations Newtonian cosmology coincides with the zero-pressure limits of relativistic cosmology. However, such successes in Newtonian cosmology are not purely based on Newton's gravity, but are rather guided ones by previously known results in Einstein's theory. The action-at-a-distance nature of Newton's gravity requires further verification from Einstein's theory for its use in the large-scale nonlinear regimes. We study the domain of validity of the Newtonian cosmology by investigating weakly nonlinear regimes in relativistic cosmology assuming a zero-pressure and irrotational fluid. We show that, first, if we ignore the coupling with gravitational waves the Newtonian cosmology is exactly valid even to the second order in perturbation. Second, the pure relativistic correction terms start appearing from the third order. Third, the correction terms are independent of the horizon scale and are quite small in the large-scale near the horizon. These conclusions are based on our special (and proper) choice of variables and gauge conditions. In a complementary situation where the system is weakly relativistic but fully nonlinear (thus, far inside the horizon) we can employ the post-Newtonian approximation. We also show that in the large-scale structures the post-Newtonian effects are quite small. As a consequence, now we can rely on the Newtonian gravity in analyzing the evolution of nonlinear large-scale structures even near the horizon volume.Comment: 8 pages, no figur

What We Can Learn about Business Modeling from Homeostasis

Business modeling methods most often model an organization’s value provision to its customers followed by the necessary activities and structure to deliver this value. These activities and structure are seen as infinitely malleable; they can be specified and engineered at will. This is hardly in line with what even laymen can observe of organizations, that they are not easy to change and that their behavior often is not directly centered on providing value to customers. Homeostasis is an almost century old model that was developed in the field of physiology to explain how living beings survive by maintaining the constancy of their internal states. Homeostasis helps to explain both the inability of organizations to provide maximum value to their customers and their reluctance to change. From this point of view, resistance to change is not something to fight or to ignore but an essential force behind organizational behavior that can either enable or defeat new business models

Mixed configuration-interaction and many-body perturbation theory calculations of energies and oscillator strengths of J=1 odd states of neon

Ab-initio theory is developed for energies of J=1 particle-hole states of neutral neon and for oscillator strengths of transitions from such states to the J=0 ground state. Hole energies of low-Z neonlike ions are evaluated.Comment: 5 pages, 1 figure, 4 table

Possible origins of macroscopic left-right asymmetry in organisms

I consider the microscopic mechanisms by which a particular left-right (L/R) asymmetry is generated at the organism level from the microscopic handedness of cytoskeletal molecules. In light of a fundamental symmetry principle, the typical pattern-formation mechanisms of diffusion plus regulation cannot implement the "right-hand rule"; at the microscopic level, the cell's cytoskeleton of chiral filaments seems always to be involved, usually in collective states driven by polymerization forces or molecular motors. It seems particularly easy for handedness to emerge in a shear or rotation in the background of an effectively two-dimensional system, such as the cell membrane or a layer of cells, as this requires no pre-existing axis apart from the layer normal. I detail a scenario involving actin/myosin layers in snails and in C. elegans, and also one about the microtubule layer in plant cells. I also survey the other examples that I am aware of, such as the emergence of handedness such as the emergence of handedness in neurons, in eukaryote cell motility, and in non-flagellated bacteria.Comment: 42 pages, 6 figures, resubmitted to J. Stat. Phys. special issue. Major rewrite, rearranged sections/subsections, new Fig 3 + 6, new physics in Sec 2.4 and 3.4.1, added Sec 5 and subsections of Sec

Space-time inhomogeneity, anisotropy and gravitational collapse

We investigate the evolution of non-adiabatic collapse of a shear-free spherically symmetric stellar configuration with anisotropic stresses accompanied with radial heat flux. The collapse begins from a curvature singularity with infinite mass and size on an inhomogeneous space-time background. The collapse is found to proceed without formation of an even horizon to singularity when the collapsing configuration radiates all its mass energy. The impact of inhomogeneity on various parameters of the collapsing stellar configuration is examined in some specific space-time backgrounds.Comment: To appear in Gen. Relativ. Gra

Higgsino Dark Matter in a SUGRA Model with Nonuniversal Gaugino Masses

We study a specific SUGRA model with nonuniversal gaugino masses as an alternative to the minimal SUGRA model in the context of supersymmetric dark matter. The lightest supersymmetric particle in this model comes out to be a Higgsino dominated instead of a bino dominated lightest neutralino. The thermal relic density of this Higgsino dark matter is somewhat lower than the cosmologically favoured range, which means it may be only a subdominant component of the cold dark matter. Nonetheless, it predicts favourable rates of indirect detection, which can be seen in square-km size neutrino telescopes.Comment: Version to appear in Phys. Rev. D. A few references added in the bibliography and a comment added in Section 2. LaTex, 16 pages, 4 figure