Tadpole co-occurrence in ponds: When do guilds and time matter?

When do Numbers Really Matter?

Common wisdom has it that small distinctions in the probabilities quantifying a belief network do not matter much for the results of probabilistic queries. Yet, one can develop realistic scenarios under which small variations in network probabilities can lead to significant changes in computed queries. A pending theoretical question is then to analytically characterize parameter changes that do...

When Do Match-Compilation Heuristics Matter?

Modern, statically typed, functional languages define functions by pattern matching. Although pattern matching is defined in terms of sequential checking of a value against one pattern after another, real implementations translate patterns into automata that can test a value against many patterns at once. Decision trees are popular automata. The cost of using a decision tree is related to its s...

Multi-Domain Learning: When Do Domains Matter?

We present a systematic analysis of existing multi-domain learning approaches with respect to two questions. First, many multidomain learning algorithms resemble ensemble learning algorithms. (1) Are multi-domain learning improvements the result of ensemble learning effects? Second, these algorithms are traditionally evaluated in a balanced class label setting, although in practice many multido...

Contingent Democratization: When Do Economic Crises Matter?

This article argues that the effect of economic crises on democratic transition is contingent on economic structure. Specifically, a high level of state engagement in the economy makes social forces dependent on the ruling elites for patrimonial interests and, therefore, the authoritarian regime liable for economic failure. Moreover, when authoritarian elites own a high share of economic assets...

Dark Chocolate and Metabolic Syndrome; Do Polyphenols All that Matter?