Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Optimization and information retrieval techniques for complex networks

This study develops novel approaches to modeling real-world datasets arising in diverse application areas as networks and information retrieval from these datasets using network optimization techniques. Network-based models allow one to extract information from datasets using various concepts from graph theory. In many cases, one can investigate specific properties of a dataset by detecting special formations in the corresponding graph (for instance, connected components, spanning trees, cliques, and independent sets). This process often involves solving computationally challenging combinatorial optimization problems on graphs (maximum independent set, maximum clique, minimum clique partition, etc.). These problems are especially difficult to solve for large graphs. However, in certain cases, the exact solution of a hard optimization problem can be found using a special structure of the considered graph. A significant part of the dissertation focuses on developing network-based models of real-world complex systems, including the stock market and the human brain, which have always been of special interest to scientists. These systems generate huge amounts of data and are especially hard to analyze. This dissertation demonstrates that network-based models can be successfully applied to information retrieval from datasets, providing new insight into the structural properties and patterns underlying the corresponding complex systems. The developed network representations of the considered datasets are in many cases non-trivial and include certain statistical preprocessing techniques. In particular, the U.S. stock market is represented as a network based on cross-correlations of price fluctuations of the financial instruments, which are calculated over a certain number of trading days. This model (market graph) allows one to analyze the structure and dynamics of the stock market from an alternative perspective and obtain useful information about the global structure of the market, classes of similar stocks, and diversified portfolios. Similarly, a macroscopic network model of the human brain is constructed based on the statistical measures of entrainment between electroencephalographic (EEG) signals recorded from different functional units of the brain. Studying the evolution of the properties of these networks revealed some interesting facts about brain disorders, such as epilepsy.
Particle Swarm CMA Evolution Strategy for the optimization of multi-funnel landscapes

We extend the Evolution Strategy with Covariance Matrix Adaptation (CMA-ES) by collaborative concepts from Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO). The proposed Particle Swarm CMA-ES (PS-CMA-ES) algorithm is a hybrid real-parameter algorithm that combines the robust local search performance of CMA-ES with the global exploration power of PSO using multiple CMA-ES instances to explore different parts of the search space in parallel. Swarm intelligence is introduced by considering individual CMA-ES instances as lumped particles that communicate with each other. This includes non-local information in CMA-ES, which improves the search direction and the sampling distribution. We evaluate the performance of PS-CMA-ES on the IEEE CEC 2005 benchmark test suite. The new PS-CMA-ES algorithm shows superior performance on noisy problems and multi-funnel problems with non-convex underlying topology.
The Effect of Canal Dryness on Bond Strength of Bioceramic and Epoxy-resin Sealers after Irrigation with Sodium Hypochlorite or Chlorhexidine

Introduction: The aim of this in vitro study was to evaluate the effect of canal dryness on the push-out bond strength of two resin sealers (AH-Plus and Adseal) and a bioceramic sealer (Endosequence BC sealer) after canal irrigation with sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) and chlorhexidine (CHX). Methods and Materials: A total of 18 extracted human premolars were used. Canals were prepared and were divided to two groups based on irrigation solution (either NaOCl or CHX). The samples were again divided based on pre-obturation canal condition (wet, half-wet and dry). The samples were sub-divided into 3 groups based on the sealer type; the teeth were obturated with gutta-percha and test sealers (Adseal, AH-Plus or BC sealer). A total number of 18 groups were available to be cut into dentine disks (12 disks in each group). The type of bond failure was also assessed in each group. Data were analyzed using the 3-way ANOVA, post hoc Tukey’s tests, t-test and the Fisher’s exact test. The level of significance was set at 0.05. Results: The bond strength of Adseal was not affected by the canal condition or irrigation with either NaOCl or CHX. Although the bond strength of AH-Plus was not affected by the irrigant type, the highest bond strength was seen in dry canals. For Endosequence BC sealer, the canal conditions did not affect the bond strength; however, CHX reduced the bond strength. Conclusion: Bond strength of resin sealers was not affected by irrigation solution; however, canal moisture negatively affected the bond strength of AH-Plus. CHX reduced the bond strength of BC sealer.
Temporality, Migration and Unfree Labour: Migrant Garment Workers

This paper engages with current debates on unfree labour, migration and development through the experiences of Bolivian migrant workers in the garment sectors in Buenos Aires and S�o Paulo. We find evidence of unfreedoms some of which may be classified as trafficking or ? modern slavery? However, we suggest that such descriptions overlook temporality. We find that workers suffer a time-delimited period of unfreedom. Some are able to accomplish their goals, their accomplishments serving as an example for others in unfree labour. We therefore suggest that temporality sheds light on the resolutions of cases of unfreedom as well as why workers accept exploitative working conditions. We also consider migrant workers? negotiations over acceptable and fair conditions, particularly over food.
EID: the Exon?Intron Database?an exhaustive database of protein-coding intron-containing genes

To aid studies of molecular evolution and to assist in gene prediction research, we have constructed an Exon-Intron Database (EID) in FASTA format. Currently, the database is derived from GenBank release 112, and it contains 51 289 protein-coding genes (287 209 exons) that harbor introns, along with extensive descriptions of each gene and its DNA and protein sequences, as well as splice motif information. There is 17% redundancy inherited from GenBank-a purge at the 99% identity level reduced the database to 42 460 genes (243 589 exons). We have created subdatabases of genes whose intron positions have been experimentally determined. One such database, constructed by comparing genomic and mRNA sequences, contains 11 242 genes (62 474 exons). A larger database of 22 196 genes (105 595 exons) was constructed by selecting on keywords to eliminate computer-predicted genes. By examining the two nucleotides adjacent to the intron boundary, we infer that there is a 2% rate of errors or other deviations from the standard GTellipsisAG motif in nuclear genes. This criterion can be used to eliminate 4921 genes from the overall database. Various tools are provided to enable generation of user-specific subsets of the EID. The EID distribution can be obtained from http://mcb.harvard. edu/gilbert/EID
Turning Outrage into Disgust: The Emotional Basis of Democratic Backsliding in Hungary

Once a frontrunner of democratization in post-communist Europe, Hungary is backsliding. The 2010 election left the country with an unstable and polarized party system, and the population is quiescent as the Fidesz government dismantles the institutions of liberal democracy. Indeed, support for the very idea of democracy is weaker today in Hungary than it was at the transition. Democracy, it turns out, is not seen to be the only game in town for many Hungarians. Why would experience with democracy fail to yield support for the ideals and norms of democracy? Why do party systems in the young democracies of East Central Europe (ECE) remain highly volatile? Answering these questions requires attending to voters experiences with and feelings towards their democratic systems. This dissertation examines the emotional dynamics of political behavior in Hungary, revealing high levels of popular disgust towards politics driving an active rejection of competitive multiparty politics and engendering democratic backsliding. I show that policy constraint from the European Union limits the ability of mainstream political parties in post-communist Europe to differentiate themselves from one another concerning many of the key policy issues most important to voters. This leaves elites with little maneuvering room to make programmatic appeals, increasing the likelihood that they will leverage the power of populist outrage – a discourse of
Diversity Enhances NPP, N Retention, and Soil Microbial Diversity in Experimental Urban Grassland Assemblages

Urban grasslands, landscapes dominated by turfgrasses for aesthetic or recreational groundcovers, are rapidly expanding in the United States and globally. These managed ecosystems are often less diverse than the natural or agricultural lands they replace, leading to potential losses in ecosystem functioning. Research in non-urban systems has provided evidence for increases in multiple ecosystem functions associated with greater plant diversity. To test if biodiversity-ecosystem function findings are applicable to urban grasslands, we examined the effect of plant species and genotypic diversity on three ecosystem functions, using grassland assemblages of increasing diversity that were grown within a controlled environment facility. We found positive effects of plant diversity on reduced nitrate leaching and plant productivity. Soil microbial diversity (Mean Shannon Diversity, H’) of bacteria and fungi were also enhanced in multi-species plantings, suggesting that moderate increments in plant diversity influence the composition of soil biota. The results from this study indicate that plant diversity impacts multiple functions that are important in urban ecosystems; therefore, further tests of urban grassland biodiversity should be examined in situ to determine the feasibility of manipulating plant diversity as an explicit landscape design and function trait.
Humans as Animal Sentinels for Forecasting Asthma Events: Helping Health Services Become More Responsive

The concept of forecasting asthma using humans as animal sentinels is uncommon. This study explores the plausibility of predicting future asthma daily admissions using retrospective data in London (2005–2006). Negative binomial regressions were used in modeling; allowing the non-contiguous autoregressive components. Selected lags were based on partial autocorrelation function (PACF) plot with a maximum lag of 7 days. The model was contrasted with naïve historical and seasonal models. All models were cross validated. Mean daily asthma admission in 2005 was 27.9 and in 2006 it was 28.9. The lags 1, 2, 3, 6 and 7 were independently associated with daily asthma admissions based on their PACF plots. The lag model prediction of peak admissions were often slightly out of synchronization with the actual data, but the days of greater admissions were better matched than the days of lower admissions. A further investigation across various populations is necessary.
A model for integrated dictionaries of fixed expressions

This paper discusses a project for the creation of a theoretical model for integrated e-dictionaries, illustrated by means of an e-information tool for the presentation and treatment of fixed expressions using Afrikaans as example language. To achieve this a database of fixed expressions is compiled wherein data are treated in such a way that access can be provided through a variety of dictionaries for specific situations, based on specific lexicographic functions, e.g. the cognitive function as well as the communicative functions of text reception and text production. From one database, the user will have access to six monofunctional dictionaries of fixed expressions. Each one of these dictionaries provides a view on selected fields of the database, i.e. a search is carried out on selected fields in the database and only the data in specific fields that are relevant for the specific dictionary are displayed. There are unique user needs that may not necessarily be satisfied by means of these six dictionaries. Individualised search facilities will therefore be provided to enable a user to retrieve data from a single data field or a user-specified selection of data fields. Phase two will provide the option of setting up a user profile, an extension of data fields and linking to external data sources. The result of the project will therefore be a comprehensive database of Afrikaans fixed expressions that may be accessed through six monofunctional dictionaries, as well as individualised search options, user profiling and the possibility to display additional data on demand.
ERP Effects of Word Exposure and Orthographic Knowledge on Lexical Decisions in Spanish

Orthographic knowledge is affected by language processing, which is associated with word exposure. This study used event-related potentials (ERP) to explore this association in Spanish-speaking adults with different levels of orthographic competence (High Spelling Skills: HSS; Low Spelling Skills: LSS) while they performed a lexical decision task on previously exposed words (1 or 5 times). Both groups benefited from the exposure rate, but HSS reached significantly higher correct and faster responses, particularly with repeated words. Word recognition potential (RP) amplitude was higher bilaterally in HSS group, especially with repeated words, while P220 was found to be right-lateralized and sensitive to word exposure. Also, the amplitude of P600 varied as a function of word exposure and positively correlated with reading speed. Results suggest that LSS group is less sensitive to word exposure and fails to automatize strategies to word recognition that affect reading fluency.
Student Exam Participation and Performances in a Web-Enhanced Traditional and Hybrid Allied Health Biology Course

This study compares student exam participation, performances and withdrawal rates in a web-enhanced traditional and hybrid Anatomy and Physiology II class. Although hybrid students had the convenience of attempting online tests over a period of a week, there was no difference in exam participation relative to traditional students that did the exams during a regularly scheduled class. About half of hybrid students did not attempt the four hourly online exams a second time, and over three quarter of them did not use their third attempt. Students in the hybrid sections generally waited until the last day, or after reminders were posted a day or two earlier, to make their first attempt. Overall, there were no significant differences in student performances between the traditional and hybrid students. Hybrid students had slight, but insignificant, improvements in performance in the four hourly exams, most likely due to the few students attempting the exams more than once. In contrast, web enhanced traditional students performed slightly better in the comprehensive final exam conducted on campus for both groups. Overall, the grade distribution for the two groups was similar, especially for D and C students, with hybrid students having more withdrawals and a lower failure rate.
The COMOGA Method: Constrained Optimisation by Multi-Objective Genetic Algorithms

This paper describes a novel method for attacking constrained opti- misation problems with evolutionary algorithms, and demonstrates its effective- ness over a range of problems. COMOGA (Constrained Optimisation by Multi- Objective Genetic Algorithms) combines two evolutionary techniques for multi- objective optimisation with a simple regulatory mechanism to produce a constrained optimisation method. It shares the universal applicability of penalty-function ap- proaches, but requires significantly fewer free control parameters. COMOGA takes a dual perspective, considering a constrained optimisation problem sometimes as a constraint satisfaction problem, and sometimes as an un- constrained optimisation problem. These two formulations are treated simultane- ously, using a single population, by basing each selection decision on the basis of either constraint violation or function value. A simple adaptive feedback mech- anism couples the two formulations by adjusting the relative likelihood of these choices. Unlike penalty function approaches, COMOGA dynamically adapts the emphasis placed on constraint satisfaction and objective function value as the op- timisation proceeds, usually yielding final populations which are both feasible and highly fit. COMOGA has been successfully applied to real industrial problems with com- parable performance to highly tuned penalty function approaches. On a test suite of constrained problems previously studied by Michalewicz, application of CO- MOGA required minimal effort but proved superior to all previous evolutionary methods known to have been applied; indeed it was the only method which found feasible solutions in every run for every problem.
An examination of LGBTQ-inclusive strategies used by practicing music educators

The purpose of this research was to examine LGBTQ-inclusive strategies used by practicing music educators in the United States. Participants (N = 300) in a nonprobabilistic sample completed a survey inquiring as to their comfort using LGBTQ-inclusive strategies in a school music class, their perceptions of barriers to LGBTQ inclusion, and whether they had received training related to LGBTQ issues. Self-identified heterosexual respondents were requested to complete an additional set of questions to determine their attitudes toward lesbians and gay men. Additional questions were used to capture demographic data including (1) years of teaching experience, (2) school and community types, and (3) racial, ethnic, gender, and sexual identity. Results revealed that respondents self-identifying as heterosexual generally held positive attitudes toward lesbians and gay men. Results suggest that music teacher participants in this study were aware of heterosexist language in their learning environments and likely to discourage this type of classroom behavior. Overall, respondents appeared not to be worried about the various stakeholders (administrators, parents, and colleagues) in their educational environment. The majority of music teachers surveyed indicated that they received no pre-service training (91.3%, n = 274) and no in-service training (87.3%, n = 262) relevant to LGBTQ inclusion. Respondents who had received in-service training, however, were more comfortable discussing LGTBQ issues in their classrooms and promoting LGBTQ awareness in their schools. Findings from this study suggest that in-service professional development related to LGBTQ issues may increase the use of LGBTQ-inclusive strategies used in music classrooms.
Effects of Evaluative Feedback on Rate of Learning and Task Motivation: An Analogue Experiment.

The evaluative feedback teachers provide to learners may reference (a) individual learning progress (individual feedback), (b) social comparisons (social feedback), or (c) task criteria (criterial feedback). Various models have been proposed to explain the effects various forms of feedback have on learning and motivation with partly contradictory results. This study was designed to further examine which type of evaluative feedback best influences task performance, as defined (1) by the rate of learning and motivation and (2) by testing the hypothesis that feedback focusing on task completion (criterial feedback) is most beneficial, whereas individual and social feedback inhibits task performance. In this study, 140 university students were randomly assigned to four analogue experimental conditions: (1) individual, (2) social, (3) criterial and (4) no-feedback; furthermore, they were given a novel artificial language learning task to complete. Results showed that criterial feedback had the best results in task performance. Low-performing participants showed highest motivation in the criterial condition and lowest in social feedback, whereas their motivation in the individual feedback condition was average. Implications regarding the type of feedback that special education teachers provide are discussed.
Thanks to Platinum Supporters Nickel Supporters

The complexity of modern web applications makes it difficult for developers to fully understand the security implications of their code. The resulting security vulnerabilities are exploited by attackers to gain unauthorized access to the web application environment. Previous research into web application vulnerabilities has mostly focused on input validation flaws, such as cross-site scripting and SQL injection, while logic flaws have received comparably less attention. In this paper, we present a comprehensive study of a relatively unknown logic flaw in web applications, which we call Execution After Redirect, or EAR. A web application developer can introduce an EAR by calling a redirect method under the assumption that execution will halt. A vulnerability occurs when server-side execution continues after the developer’s intended halting point, which can lead to broken/insufficient access controls and possibly information leakage. We present an open-source, white-box, static analysis tool to detect EARs in Ruby on Rails web applications, which found 3,944 EAR instances in 18,127 open-source applications.
Choice overload in holiday destination choices

Purpose This research aims to investigates whether and why choice overload (CO) occurs when people select a vacation destination. Design/methodology/approach This is a two-group (large choice-set vs small choice-set) between-subject factorial design. Dependent variables representing CO-effects are post-choice satisfaction and regret. Choice confusion and choice uncertainty are mediators. Findings Relative to people choosing from a small destination portfolio, people who choose from a large portfolio are less satisfied and more regretful about their choice. Choosing from a large choice-set confuses people, which then makes them less certain about their choice, and subsequently, have less satisfaction and more regret about their decision. Practical implications A critical consideration is essential when providing a number of destination choices to tourists. A few destinations should be offered in a travel portfolio. If the number of destination offers must remain large, travel agents should cluster these offers based on a market segmentation analysis to ease the decision-making process for travellers. Originality/value The findings add to evidence of CO-effects to the current literature of travel destination choice, and contribute to CO literature by showing evidence of CO-effects in complex service contexts, especially in holiday destination choices. This study is the first to provide evidence of CO-effects at the early stages of the travel destination decision-making process; it uses hypothetical destinations to avoid potential confounds associated with real destinations; and it measures CO-effects via post-choice satisfaction and regret. In addition, while the only available study on CO in tourism (Park and Jang, 2013) does not explain why CO-effects occur, this research provides and explains the psychological underlying process of the CO phenomenon in destination choice-making.
Sensitivity Analysis for additive STDP rule

Spike Timing Dependent Plasticity (STDP) is a Hebbian like synaptic learning rule. The basis of STDP has strong experimental evidences and it depends on precise input and output spike timings. In this paper we show that under biologically plausible spiking regime, slight variability in the spike timing leads to drastically different evolution of synaptic weights when its dynamics are governed by the additive STDP rule.