Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparison of Recombination Operators in Panmictic and Cellular GAs to Solve a Vehicle Routing Problem

The Vehicle Routing Problem (VRP) deals with the assignment of a set of transportation orders to a fleet of vehicles and the sequencing of stops for each vehicle to minimize transportation costs. This paper presents two different genetic algorithm models (panmitic and cellular models) for providing solutions for the Capacitated VRP (CVRP), which is mainly characterized by using vehicles of the same capacity. We propose a new problem dependent recombination operator, called Best Route Better Adjustment recombination (BRBAX), which incorporates problem specific knowledge such as information about the routes constitution. A comparison of its performance is carried out with respect to classical recombination operators for permutations. A complete study of the influence of the recombination operators on the genetic search is presented. The results show that the use of our specialized BRBAX operator outperforms the others more generic operators for all problem instances under all metrics. The deviation between our best solution and the best-known one is very low, under 0.91%.
Disaggregating Behavioral and Psychological Components of Religious and Spiritual Development Across Adolescence: Variations by Geographic Location

Religious behavior and spirituality are associated with a variety of positive youth outcomes including higher levels of academic achievement and community service, and lower levels of illicit substance use. However, few studies have investigated whether religious behavior and spirituality are uniquely and interactively associated with adolescent outcomes or whether religious behavior and spirituality are differentially protective across rural and city contexts. Participants were 743 youth from a midsized university city community (n = 367) and a rural community (n = 376) in a mid-Atlantic state (Mage = 15.87, SD = 1.28). Religious behavior was positively associated with community service, but the association between religious behavior and adolescent grade point average was moderated by adolescent spirituality. Religious behavior was only associated with greater grade point average for youth who were high in spirituality. In addition, religious behavior was associated with reduced illicit substance use for rural youth, while spirituality was associated with reduced illicit substance use for city youth who reported high levels of religious behavior.
PHYTOCHEMICAL SCREENING AND ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITIES OF TWO SELECTED 'BIHI' FRUITS USED AS VEGETABLES IN DARJEELING HIMALAYA

The aim of this study was to determine the antioxidant activity as well as total phenol (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC) in two fruits, Solanum anguivi and Solanum incanum grown in Darjeeling Himalaya and used as vegetables in Nepali recipes. The antioxidant activities were examined by five different methods namely DPPH free radical scavenging activity, reducing power, iron chelation, anti-lipid peroxidation, and nitric oxide scavenging activity. The results showed that considerable amount of TPC and TFC was present in these fruit extracts as well as these vegetables contain a vast array of different phytochemicals in their dry form. Solanum incannum showed higher antioxidant activity than Solanum anguivi. Significant correlations were obtained between free-radical scavenging capacity and TFC, indicating that flavonol group of metabolites were the chief performers of antioxidant activity. Principle Component Analysis (PCA) indicated that polar metabolites along with hydrophilic radical scavengers contributed to the major variability in the antioxidant activity of the plants. Overall, the present results provided basic data for choosing these fruits with high antioxidant capacity for consumption or for the development of antioxidant based medicines as value-added products.
Periodic bursts of star formation in irregular galaxies

We present N-body/SPH simulations of the evolution of an isolated dwarf galaxy including a detailed model for the ISM, star formation and stellar feedback. Depending on the strength of the feedback, the modelled dwarf galaxy shows periodic or quasi-periodic bursts of star formation of moderate strength. The period of the variation is related to the dynamical timescale, of the order of 1.5 × 10 8 yr. We show that the results of these simulations are in good agreement with recent detailed observations of dwarf irregulars (dIrr) and that the peculiar kinematic and morphological properties of these objects, as revealed by high resolution HI studies, are fully reproduced. We discuss these results in the context of recent surveys of dwarf galaxies and point out that if the star formation pattern of our model galaxy is typical of dwarf irregulars this could explain the scatter of observed properties of dwarf galaxies. Specifically, we show that the time-sampled distribution of the ratio between the instanteneous star formation rate (SFR) and the mean SFR is similar to the distribution in observed samples of dwarf galaxies.
Numerical analysis on vibrational properties of vacancy-type disordered graphane

We theoretically explore the vacancy induced vibrational properties of graphane using the forced vibrational method. We find strong changes in the phonon density of states for vacancy-type disordered graphane, revealing the significant impacts on the electron transport properties. The phonon eigenvectors estimated for the K point in-plane transverse optical mode for the defective graphane show the strongly localized vibrations. The localization effects manifest themselves in the projected temperature behavior of the constant-volume specific heat capacity of pristine and disordered graphane samples.
Personal Attributes and Cognitive Heuristics on the Quality of Entrepreneurial Strategic Decision Making

Purpose: motivational and attitudinal characteristics, cognitive biases and heuristic and demographic factors on the quality of entrepreneurial strategic decision making. Design/methodology/approach: Research implication is derived from the implementation of structural equation modeling technique. The Samples were 110 Iranian prominent entrepreneurs during the period 2010Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs database. The Main data collection instrument was questionnaire. Structural equation modeling and confirmatory factor analysis methods were used to analyze model. Findings: Based on the findings obtained from confirmatory factor analysis, measurement model demonstrated an acceptable fit to the data and the mediating indicators properly measure variables in the integrated model. According to structural equation modeling, entrepreneurs' attitudinal characteristics have negative effects on the quality of entrepreneuri al strategic decision making, while the effects of entrepreneurs' motivational characteristics on the quality of entrepreneuri al strategic decision making are positive. Furthermore, the effects of demographic factors and overconfidence bias on the quality of entrepreneuri al strategic decision making are positive, however representation bias has a negative effect on it. Originality/value: Each of the previous studies endeavored to measure the effects of one or more variables on the quality of entrepreneuri al strategic decision making. While the main implication of this study is to collect all related variables in an integrated model and to investigate cumulative effects of these variables on the quality of entrepreneuri al strategic decision making. Thus, present findings are based on the heuristics on the quality of entrepreneuri al strategic decision making which have not been investigated in previous study yet.
Study of the Galactic Interstellar Medium from High-Resolution X-Ray Spectroscopy: X-Ray Absorption Fine Structure and Abundances of O, Mg, Si, S, and Fe

We study the composition of the Galactic interstellar medium (ISM) toward the Galactic center region (5° < |l| < 20°) by utilizing X-ray absorption features of three bright low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs), GX 13+1, GX 5-1, and GX 340+0, observed with the Chandra HETGS. We detect X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) of the Si K edge, characterized by a narrow and a broad absorption feature at 1846 and ≈1865 eV, respectively. Comparison with ground experimental data indicates that most of the ISM Si exists in the form of silicates, although a composition of "pure" forsterite is ruled out. The XAFS spectra of the sulfur K edge indicate that a significant fraction of S exists in the gas phase. From each source, we derive the column densities of Mg, S, Si, and Fe from the K-edge depth and that of O (or H) from the absorption of the continuum. The elemental abundance ratios are found to be consistent between the three targets: the mean values of O/Si, Mg/Si, S/Si, and Fe/Si are determined to be 0.63 ± 0.17, 1.14 ± 0.13, 1.03 ± 0.12, and 0.97 ± 0.31 solar, respectively (90% error in the mean value). We discuss the origins of the overabundances of the heavy metals relative to O in the Galactic ISM by comparison with the abundance pattern of the intracluster medium in clusters of galaxies. Assuming that most of the Mg and Si atoms are depleted into silicates of either the proxine or olivine family, we estimate that the number ratio of Mg to Fe in olivine is ≳1.2 and that 15%-37% of the total O atoms in the ISM must be contained in silicate grains.
Effect of colchicine on rat mast cells

In the mast cell, a well-developed array of microtubules is centered around the centrioles. Complete loss of microtubules is observed when mast cells are treated with 10(-5) M colchicine for 4 h at 37 degrees C. The loss of ultrastructurally evident microtubules is associated with a marked change in the shape of mast cells from spheroids to highly irregular, frequently elongated forms with eccentric nuclei. In colchicine-treated cells the association of nucleus, Golgi apparatus, and centrioles is also lost. Mast cells exposed to 10(-5) M colchicine for 4 h at 37 degrees C retain 80% of their capacity to release histamine when stimulated by polymyxin B. Exocytosis is evident in stimulated cells pretreated with colchicine and lacking identifiable microtubules. When the conditions of exposure of mast cells to colchicine are varied with respect to the concentration of colchicine, the length of exposure, and the temperature of exposure, dissociation between deformation of cell shape and inhibition of histamine secretion is observed. These observations indicate that microtubules are not essential for mast cell histamine release and bring into question the assumption that the inhibitory effect of colchicine on mast cell secretion depends on interference with microtubule integrity.
AN ALGORITHMIC SOLUTION TO THE M/PH/ c QUEUE WITH BATCH ARRIVALS

This paper discusses algorithms for deriving the steady state features of the M/PH/c queue with batch arrivals. Many characteristic quantities such as the mean and variance of queue length in continuous time, the mean waiting time, the waiting probability, etc. are obtained in computationally tractable form. Numerical examples show that the effects of changing various parameters of queueing model may be examined at a small computational cost.
Achieving one-planet living through transitions in social practice: a case study of Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage

Abstract The per capita resource consumption for inhabitants of Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage (DR) is less than ten percent of the average American in most major categories, approximating “one planet” living in a nation that contributes disproportionately to global resource consumption. This article examines DR’s extraordinary energy and resource savings through the lens of social practice theory, which focuses on the meanings, competencies, and materials that individuals combine to form everyday practices. Participant observation and interviews with DR community members reveals how this rural ecovillage achieves remarkable energy and resource savings by transitioning away from the exclusive ownership of capital goods, investing in skills that facilitate the collective management of resources, and eliminating waste by taking advantage of locally available resources. Results suggest that local governments interested in sustainability and climate mitigation should encourage systems of collective resource management rather than maintaining a traditional focus on influencing changes in individual consumption choices.
Isolation and Identification of Phyllospheric Bacteria Possessing Antimicrobial Activity from Astragalus obtusifolius, Prosopis juliflora, Xanthium strumarium and Hippocrepis unisiliqousa

Background: The widespread utilization of antimicrobial compounds has caused emergence of resistant microorganisms in the world. Hence, the research to probe the products with antimicrobial features has led to finding natural habitats and discovering new pharmaceutical products. Methods: In this study, an attempt was made to explore the niche of novel habitat to isolate pyllospheric bacteria from the above ground parts (stems and leaves) of Astragalus obtusifolius, Prosopis juliflora, Xanthium strumarium, and Hippocrepis unisiliqousa to evaluate their antimicrobial features. The inhibitory effects of these strains on the growth of two fungi (Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus fumigatus), two yeasts (Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Candida albicans) and six bacteria (Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus subtilis, Salmonella typhi, Streptococcus pyogenes) were tested. Results: In total, 113 bacterial strains were isolated. Twenty five bacterial strains (B-1 to B-25) indicated promising antimicrobial (antibacterial and antifungal) activities against aforementioned pathogens. The identification of the bacterial strains was ascertained by morphological, physiological, biochemical tests and two strains with the strongest antimicrobial activities were further characterized based on 16s rRNA sequencing. These two strains were identified as Bacillus amyloliquefaciens. Conclusion: Our results provide evidence that phyllospheric microorganisms are capable of producing some compounds with antimicrobial properties.
Multipoint Filtering with Local Polynomial Approximation and Range Guidance

This paper presents a novel guided image filtering method using multipoint local polynomial approximation (LPA) with range guidance. In our method, the LPA is extended from a pointwise model into a multipoint model for reliable filtering and better preserving image spatial variation which usually contains the essential information in the input image. In addition, we develop a scheme with constant computational complexity (invariant to the size of filtering kernel) for generating a spatial adaptive support region around a point. By using the hybrid of the local polynomial model and color/intensity based range guidance, the proposed method not only preserves edges but also does a much better job in preserving spatial variation than existing popular filtering methods. Our method proves to be effective in a number of applications: depth image upsampling, joint image denoising, details enhancement, and image abstraction. Experimental results show that our method produces better results than state-of-the-art methods and it is also computationally efficient.
Nanoheating without Artificial Nanoparticles

Our aim is to describe the physical and physiological effects of local modulated electro-hyperthermia (mEHT). The method concentrates on the energy absorption of cluster rafts of the plasma membrane. The targeted cluster contains transmembrane proteins, which can form coherent working voltage-gated ion channels and/or TRP receptors in one domain. This targeting is analogous to nanoparticle heating, except this uses readily available nanoparticles on the cell membrane instead of the artificially placed nano-object to induce selective energy absorption from the outside field. In the discussed non-artificial nanoparticle heating, selectivity is the consequence of the synergy of various interactions embedded into each other in their effective volume in macro-, micro- and nano-ranges.
Ridesharing on Timetabled Transport Services: A Multiagent Planning Approach

Ridesharing, that is, the problem of finding parts of routes that can be shared by several travelers with different points of departure and destinations, is a complex, multiagent decision-making problem. The problem has been widely studied but only for the case of ridesharing using freely moving vehicles not bound to fixed routes and/or schedules—ridesharing on timetabled public transport services has not been previously considered. In this article, we address this problem and propose a solution employing strategic multiagent planning that guarantees that for any shared journey plan found, each individual is better off taking the shared ride rather than traveling alone, thus providing a clear incentive to participate in it. We evaluate the proposed solution on real-world scenarios in terms of the algorithm’s scalability and the ability to address the inherent trade-off between cost savings and the prolongation of journey duration. The results show that under a wide range of circumstances our algorithm finds attractive shared journey plans. In addition to serving as a basis for traveler-oriented ridesharing service, our system allows stakeholders to determine appropriate pricing policies to incentivize group travel and to predict the effects of potential service changes.
Texture classification using dominant gradient descriptor

Texture classification is an important part of many object recognition algorithms. In this paper, a new approach to texture classification is proposed. Recently, local binary pattern (LBP) has been widely used in texture classification. In conventional LBP, directional statistical features and color information are not considered. To extract color information of textures, we have used color LBP. Also, to consider directional statistical features, we proposed the concept of histogram of dominant gradient (HoDG). In HoDG, the image is divided into blocks. Then the dominant gradient orientation of each block of image is extracted. Histogram of dominant gradients of blocks is used to describe edges and orientations of the texture image. By coupling the color LBP with HoDG, a new rotation invariant texture classification method is presented. Experimental results on the CUReT database show that our proposed method is superior to comparable algorithms.
Comparative Analysis of Behavioral Engagement and Transferable Skills in Conventional and Montessori Schools.

While the existing research reveals that engagement is an important factor contributing to students’ success, recent studies offer a limited range of work addressing students’ engagement across different types of elementary schools. This study explores and compares levels of behavioral engagement and the development of transferable skills among elementary students attending a public conventional school (PCS), a public Montessori school (PuMS), and a private Montessori school (PrMS). Since research involving Montessori schools reveals positive outcomes for the students, the purpose of this work is to determine whether alternative schools, such as Montessori schools, foster students’ behavioral engagement more effectively than conventional schools do and whether those alternative schools ultimately provide for a greater development of transferable skills. A total of 63 elementary school children attending three different types of elementary schools (PCS, PuMS, PrMS) participated in the study. Data on students’ behavioral engagement were collected at each site through observations and specifically designed assessments. Data on transferable skills were collected at each site through teacher and parents’ surveys. The primary analysis of On/Off Task and Non-Academic Engagement assessment as well as the teachers’ answers to survey items found a significant difference between students’ levels of engagement and transferable skills across these three schools confirming the research inquiry. These findings provide an insight regarding the current status of engagement and development of transferable skills among students attending different types of elementary schools, help us to identify the areas for potential improvement in our educational approaches, and open discussions exploring new methods of teaching which address the fullest potential of children in the 21 st century.
Implementing Tablet-Based Devices to Improve Communication Skills of Students With Autism

Students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have difficulties in communication that limit their opportunities to participate in daily living and educational activities. Augmentative alternative communication is one of the strategies used to strengthen the communication skills of students with limited communication skills. Students with ASD commonly use handheld devices for communication. This article provides guidelines for special education teachers to support the implementation of tablet-based speech-generating devices in their classrooms. These guidelines may help special education teachers through the process of creating a student’s profile, conducting preference assessments, programming devices, and providing instruction in natural contexts.
High-sensitivity phase-contrast tomography of rat brain in phosphate buffered saline

We report advances and complementary results concerning a recently developed method for high-sensitivity grating-based x-ray phase-contrast tomography. In particular we demonstrate how the soft tissue sensitivity of the technique can be used to obtain in-vitro tomographic images of rat brain specimens. Contrary to our previous experiments with fixated specimen (chemically modified or formalin fixed), the present results on the rat's brain are closer to the in-vivo situation. The findings are particularly important from a clinical point of view, since a similar approach using three gratings can be implemented with more readily available x-ray sources, such as standard x-ray tubes.
The Processing of Three-Dimensional Shape from Disparity in the Human Brain

Three-dimensional (3D) shape is important for the visual control of grasping and manipulation and for object recognition. Although there has been some progress in our understanding of how 3D shape is extracted from motion and other monocular cues, little is known of how the human brain extracts 3D shape from disparity, commonly regarded as the strongest depth cue. Previous fMRI studies in the awake monkey have established that the interaction between stereo (present or absent) and the order of disparity (zero or second order) constitutes the MR signature of regions housing second-order disparity-selective neurons (Janssen et al., 2000; Srivastava et al., 2006; Durand et al., 2007; Joly et al., 2007). Testing the interaction between stereo and order of disparity in a large cohort of human subjects, revealed the involvement of five IPS regions (VIPS/V7*, POIPS, DIPSM, DIPSA, and phAIP), as well as V3 and the V3A complex in occipital cortex, the posterior inferior temporal gyrus (ITG), and ventral premotor cortex (vPrCS) in the extraction and processing of 3D shape from stereo. Control experiments ruled out attention and convergence eye movements as confounding factors. Many of these regions, DIPSM, DIPSA, phAIP, and probably posterior ITG and ventral premotor cortex, correspond to monkey regions with similar functionality, whereas the evolutionarily new or modified regions are located in occipital (the V3A complex) and occipitoparietal cortex (VIPS/V7* and POIPS). Interestingly, activity in these occipital regions correlates with the depth amplitude perceived by the subjects in the 3D surfaces used as stimuli in these fMRI experiments.