Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
APPLICATION OF ANT ALGORITHM TO PIPE NETWORK OPTIMIZATION

The application of ant algorithms, as any other evolutionary optimisation method, requires a number of controlling parameters to be known a priori. These parameters are often determined by sensitivity analysis as their values dramatically affect the performance of the methods. In addition to these parameters, a penalty parameter is usually to be defined for constrained optimisation problems. An ant algorithm with a minimum number of controlling parameters is introduced in this paper for pipe network optimisation problems. This method uses the interrelation between pheromone change and initial pheromone strength to initialize the pheromone trail strength at the start of the computation. Ant algorithms with an elitist strategy of pheromone updating are known for premature convergence leading to suboptimal solutions. Such suboptimal solutions are avoided by using the concept of pheromone strength limiter introduced in the literature for TSP. The introduction of this concept, however, requires the introduction of a new parameter adding to the number of controlling parameters of ant algorithms. A sensitivity analysis was carried out to find the proper value of the newly introduced parameter. The results suggest that a value in the range of 0.15-0.3 is the best value for the examples considered. The efficiency of the proposed ant algorithm is tested against two benchmark examples in the literature and the results are presented. This method is shown to be capable of locating the best ever solutions obtained for these problems. Keywords– Ant algorithm, pipe networks, optimal design
School principals’ collaborative leadership style and relation it to teachers’ self-efficacy

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between school principals’ collaborative leadership style and teachers’ self-efficacy. 196 subjects (82 female and 114 male) were selected by using Korjeci and Morgan’s (1970) sample size table. Sampling was stratified and simple. Tschannen-Moran and Woolfolk Hoy (2002) in term of self-efficacy questionnaire and Washington University Turning Point Collaborative Leadership Questionnaires (2012) was used to gather data. Frequency, mean, standard deviation, correlation and regression were used to analyze data. The findings showed significant correlation between school principals’ collaborative leadership style and teachers’ self-efficacy. There was a significant correlation between other dimensions of collaborative leadership including training environment, clarity, reliance, power sharing and teachers’ self-efficacy. The results also showed reliance has positive and predictable effect on teachers’ self-efficacy, in fact increasing reliance leads to teachers’ self-efficacy increment.
Fast and Robust Quadratic Placement Combined with an Exact Linear Net Model

This paper presents a robust quadratic placement approach, which offers both high-quality placements and excellent computational efficiency. The additional force which distributes the modules on the chip in force-directed quadratic placement is separated into two forces: hold force and move force. Both of these forces are determined without any heuristics. Based on this novel systematic force implementation, we show that our iterative placement algorithm converges to an overlap-free placement. In addition, engineering change order (ECO) is efficiently supported by our placer. To handle the important trade-off between CPU time and placement quality, a deterministic quality control is presented. In addition, a new linear net model is proposed, which accurately models the half-perimeter wirelength (HPWL) in the quadratic cost function of quadratic placement. HPWL in general is a linear metric for netlength and represents an efficient and common estimation for routed wirelength. Compared with the classical clique net model, our linear net model reduces memory usage by 75%, CPU time by 23% and netlength by 8%, which is measured by the HPWL of all nets. Using the ISPD-2005 benchmark suite for comparison, our placer combined with the new linear net model has just 5.9% higher netlength but is 16times faster than APlace, which offers the best netlength in this benchmark. Compared to Capo, our placer has 9.2% lower netlength and is 5.4times faster. In the recent ISPD-2006 placement contest, in which quality is mainly determined by netlength and CPU time, our placer together with the new net model produced excellent results
Molecular Evolution and Population Genetic Analysis of Candidate Female Reproductive Genes in Drosophila

Molecular analyses in several taxa have consistently shown that genes involved in reproduction are rapidly evolving and subjected to positive selection. The mechanism behind this evolution is not clear, but several proposed hypotheses involve the coevolution between males and females. In Drosophila, several male reproductive proteins (Acps) involved in male–male and male–female interactions show evidence of rapid adaptive evolution. What has been missing from the Drosophila literature is the identification and analysis of female reproductive genes. Recently, an evolutionary expressed sequence tag analysis of Drosophila female reproductive tract genes identified 169 candidate female reproductive genes. Many of these candidate genes still await further molecular analysis and independent verification of positive selection. Our goal was to expand our understanding of the molecular evolution of Drosophila female reproductive genes with a detailed polymorphism and divergence study on seven additional candidate female reproductive genes and a reanalysis of two genes from the above study. We demonstrate that 6 candidate female genes of the 9 genes surveyed show evidence of positive selection using both polymorphism and divergence data. One of these proteins (CG17012) is modeled to reveal that the sites under selection fall around and within the active site of this protease, suggesting potential differences between species. We discuss our results in light of potential function as well as interaction with male reproductive proteins.
UV and x-ray spectral lines of Fe XXIII ion for plasma diagnostics

We have calculated x-ray and UV spectra of Be-like Fe (Fe XXIII) ions in a collisional radiative model including all fine-structure transitions among the 2s2, 2s2p, 2p2, 2snl and 2pnl' levels where n = 3 and 4, adopting data for the collision strengths by Zhang and Sampson (1992) and by Sampson, Goett and Clark (1984). Some line intensity ratios can be used for temperature diagnostics. We show 5 ratios in the UV region and 9 ratios in the x-ray region as a function of electron temperature and density at 0.3 keV Te 10 keV and ne = 1 – 1025 cm−3. The effect of cascade in these line ratios and in the level population densities are discused.
Estrogen Biosynthesis and Action in Ovarian Cancer

Ovarian cancer is still the deadliest of all gynecologic malignancies in women worldwide. This is attributed to two main features of these tumors, namely, (i) a diagnosis at an advanced tumor stage, and, (ii) the rapid onset of resistance to standard chemotherapy after an initial successful therapy with platin- and taxol-derivatives. Therefore, novel targets for an early diagnosis and better treatment options for these tumors are urgently needed. Epidemiological data show that induction and biology of ovarian cancer is related to life-time estrogen exposure. Also experimental data reveal that ovarian cancer cells share a number of estrogen regulated pathways with other hormone-dependent cancers, e.g., breast and endometrial cancer. However, ovarian cancer is a heterogeneous disease and the subtypes are quite different with respect to mutations, origins, behaviors, markers, and prognosis and respond differently to standard chemotherapy. Therefore, a characterization of ovarian cancer subtypes may lead to better treatment options for the various subtypes and in particular for the most frequently observed high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma. For this intention, further studies on estrogen-related pathways and estrogen formation in ovarian cancer cells are warranted. The review gives an overview on ovarian cancer subtypes and explains the role of estrogen in ovarian cancer. Furthermore, enzymes active to synthesize and metabolize estrogens are described and strategies to target these pathways are discussed.
Finance and Income Inequality: Test of Alternative Theories

Although theoretical models make distinct predictions about the relationship between financial sector development and income inequality, little empirical research has been conducted to compare their relative explanatory power. The authors examine the relation between financial intermediary development and income inequality in a panel data set of 91 countries for the period 1960-95. Their results provide evidence that inequality decreases as economies develop their financial intermediaries, consistent with the theoretical models in Galor and Zeira (1993) and Banerjee and Newman (1993). Moreover, consistent with the insight of Kuznets, the relation between the Gini coefficient and financial intermediary development appears to depend on the sectoral structure of the economy: a larger modern sector is associated with a smaller drop in the Gini coefficient for the same level of financial intermediary development. But there is no evidence of an inverted-U-shaped relation between financial sector development and income inequality, as suggested by Greenwood and Jovanovic (1990). The results are robust to controlling for biases introduced by simultaneity.
Endogenous sex hormones and breast cancer in postmenopausal women: reanalysis of nine prospective studies.

BACKGROUND Reproductive and hormonal factors are involved in the etiology of breast cancer, but there are only a few prospective studies on endogenous sex hormone levels and breast cancer risk. We reanalyzed the worldwide data from prospective studies to examine the relationship between the levels of endogenous sex hormones and breast cancer risk in postmenopausal women. METHODS We analyzed the individual data from nine prospective studies on 663 women who developed breast cancer and 1765 women who did not. None of the women was taking exogenous sex hormones when their blood was collected to determine hormone levels. The relative risks (RRs) for breast cancer associated with increasing hormone concentrations were estimated by conditional logistic regression on case-control sets matched within each study. Linear trends and heterogeneity of RRs were assessed by two-sided tests or chi-square tests, as appropriate. RESULTS The risk for breast cancer increased statistically significantly with increasing concentrations of all sex hormones examined: total estradiol, free estradiol, non-sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG)-bound estradiol (which comprises free and albumin-bound estradiol), estrone, estrone sulfate, androstenedione, dehydroepiandrosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, and testosterone. The RRs for women with increasing quintiles of estradiol concentrations, relative to the lowest quintile, were 1.42 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.04 to 1.95), 1.21 (95% CI = 0.89 to 1.66), 1.80 (95% CI = 1.33 to 2.43), and 2.00 (95% CI = 1.47 to 2.71; P(trend)<. 001); the RRs for women with increasing quintiles of free estradiol were 1.38 (95% CI = 0.94 to 2.03), 1.84 (95% CI = 1.24 to 2.74), 2.24 (95% CI = 1.53 to 3.27), and 2.58 (95% CI = 1.76 to 3.78; P(trend)<. 001). The magnitudes of risk associated with the other estrogens and with the androgens were similar. SHBG was associated with a decrease in breast cancer risk (P(trend) =. 041). The increases in risk associated with increased levels of all sex hormones remained after subjects who were diagnosed with breast cancer within 2 years of blood collection were excluded from the analysis. CONCLUSION Levels of endogenous sex hormones are strongly associated with breast cancer risk in postmenopausal women.
VIRULENCE OF ESCHERICHIA-SHIGELLA GENETIC HYBRIDS FOR THE GUINEA PIG

Falkow, Stanley (Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Washington, D.C.), H. Schneider, L. S. Baron, and S. B. Formal. Virulence of Escherichia-Shigella hybrids for the guinea pig. J. Bacteriol. 86:1251–1258. 1963. —Genetic recombination studies between donor Escherichia coli and recipient Shigella flexneri 2a strains were employed to examine alterations in the virulence of Shigella hybrids for guinea pigs. The genetic studies indicated that several chromosomal regions of E. coli and S. flexneri are grossly homologous. The frequency of recombination between E. coli and Shigella was decreased, however, in comparison with E. coli × E. coli matings. Moreover, the predominant Shigella hybrid classes acquired only the selected genetic marker, and extensive transfer of the Escherichia genome was detected only occasionally. The virulence studies made use of hybrids with well-defined single markers as well as those with overlapping chromosomal regions. Analysis of over one-half of the chromosome revealed only one chromosomal region, located between the rha+ and xyl+ genes, which was essential for virulence. However, hybrids which had received the E. coli pili antigen and fuc+-nic+ determinants exhibited an intermediate virulence. Hybrids carrying a full complement of Shigella genes and the rha+-xyl+Escherichia region as a persistent exogenote (partial diploids) were of intermediate virulence. These partial diploids may return to complete virulence by elimination of the Escherichia chromosomal fragment or become avirulent by incorporation of this fragment.
Temperature-pulse-induced "memory" in Bacillus subtilis macrofibers and a role for protein(s) in the left-handed-twist state

Macrofibers in steady-state growth at one temperature were subjected to pulses of various durations at a temperature at which the opposite helix hand would form and then returned to the initial temperature. In an upshift pulse (20 to 48 degrees C), at least 3 min of incubation was required to induce a transient inversion that occurred later after return to 20 degrees C. Longer pulses resulted in shorter delays in onset of the transient inversion. This "memory" of a brief high-temperature pulse suggests that even a small amount of material can influence the twist of the entire macrofiber. Similar results were found for temperature downshift pulses corresponding to the opposite inversion. Adding chloramphenicol during the temperature pulse blocked the establishment of memory associated with the right-to-left inversion but not that associated with left-to-right inversion. In contrast, inhibiting peptidoglycan synthesis with D-cycloserine during the temperature pulse did not prevent establishment of memory. Inhibiting protein synthesis in mutants fixed as left-handed structures over the entire temperature range induced conversion to right-handedness but did not affect mutants fixed as right-handed structures. Adding protease to either live or formaldehyde-killed macrofibers always induced rotations of right-handed orientation. Steady-state growth in the presence of protease was found to shift the initial macrofiber twist towards the right-hand end of the twist spectrum. The phenomenon was observed in several mutants with different initial twists.
Positive student outcomes achieved within a large-cohort health foundation year course in the face of a changing and challenging educational environment

Successful outcomes (+3.7% improvement of average course grade) for large cohort physics teaching within a health foundation year were observed in conjunction with assessment modification based on reflective student feedback (resulting for example in formalized peer teaching and journal article-based laboratory report writing), and embedding student engagement and retention strategies within curriculum (such as the embedding of keys to student success and correlation data between course engagement and course success within a declaration to be signed by students). The changes were seemingly not due to random annual cohort performance variation given that the average course grade changes for all other foundation year courses, involving approximately the same cohort of students, combined was -0.22%. The physics teaching standard otherwise had remained consist prior to and during the period of comparison, as demonstrated by a consistency of teaching staff and core course material, student evaluation data, and consistently high learning outcomes for physics summer school teaching over the same comparison period. Also reinforced is that what works educationally for small groups of motivated students (i.e., within summer school teaching) will not necessarily be optimal for a large student cohort of wide ranging academic demographic.
Constraint satisfaction problems for reducts of homogeneous graphs

For $n\geq 3$, let $(H_n, E)$ denote the $n$-th Henson graph, i.e., the unique countable homogeneous graph with exactly those finite graphs as induced subgraphs that do not embed the complete graph on $n$ vertices. We show that for all structures $\Gamma$ with domain $H_n$ whose relations are first-order definable in $(H_n,E)$ the constraint satisfaction problem for $\Gamma$ is either in P or is NP-complete. We moreover show a similar complexity dichotomy for all structures whose relations are first-order definable in a homogeneous graph whose reflexive closure is an equivalence relation. Together with earlier results, in particular for the random graph, this completes the complexity classification of constraint satisfaction problems of structures first-order definable in countably infinite homogeneous graphs: all such problems are either in P or NP-complete.
Problem gambling, familial violence and alcohol misuse: exploring the triad for treatment-seekers

Research into the co-occurrence of problem gambling, familial violence, and alcohol misuse is limited. While these issues have been considered in combination (i.e. violence and alcohol misuse, problem gambling and alcohol misuse, problem gambling and violence), within Australia, in particular, there has been an absence of exploration of this triad. The current research attempts to fill the gap in the literature, to establish whether there is any difference between problem gamblers with co-occurring violence and problem gamblers who had not experienced violence in terms of their alcohol misuse and gambling behaviours. Interviews were conducted with 81 treatment-seeking problem gamblers to explore how a history of victimization only, perpetration only, victimization and perpetration, or no history of family violence impacted on gambling behaviours (including baseline Victorian Gambling Screen), as well as alcohol misuse. Results indicated that in this treatment-seeking sample there were no significant differences for gambling behaviours or alcohol misuse between problem gamblers with issues of violence and those without. Males demonstrated (on average) a greater tendency toward hazardous drinking or disordered alcohol use. It would be prudent for treatment services to routinely examine problem gamblers' history of violence and alcohol misuse until research verifies the nature of this triad.
Massive machine-type communication (mMTC) access with integrated authentication

We present a connection establishment protocol with integrated authentication, suited for Massive Machine-Type Communications (mMTC). The protocol is contention-based and its main feature is that a device contends with a unique signature that also enables the authentication of the device towards the network. The signatures are inspired by Bloom filters and are created based on the output of the MILENAGE authentication and encryption algorithm set, which is used in the authentication and security procedures in the LTE protocol family. We show that our method utilizes the system resources more efficiently, achieves lower latency of connection establishment for Poisson arrivals and allows a 87% signalling overhead reduction. An important conclusion is that the mMTC traffic benefits profoundly from integration of security features into the connection establishment/access protocols, instead of addressing them post-hoc, which has been a common practice.
An Estimated Dynamic Stochastic General Equilibrium Model of the Euro Area

This paper develops and estimates a dynamic stochastic general equilibrium (DSGE) model with sticky prices and wages for the euro area. The model incorporates various other features such as habit formation, costs of adjustment in capital accumulation and variable capacity utilisation. It is estimated with Bayesian techniques using seven key macro-economic variables: GDP, consumption, investment, prices, real wages, employment and the nominal interest rate. The introduction of ten orthogonal structural shocks (including productivity, labour supply, investment, preference, cost-push and monetary policy shocks) allows for an empirical investigation of the effects of such shocks and of their contribution to business cycle fluctuations in the euro area. Using the estimated model, the paper also analyses the output (real interest rate) gap, defined as the difference between the actual and model-based potential output (real interest rate).
A Bayesian Approach for Decision Making on the Identification of Genes with Different Expression Levels: An Application to Escherichia coli Bacterium Data

A common interest in gene expression data analysis is to identify from a large pool of candidate genes the genes that present significant changes in expression levels between a treatment and a control biological condition. Usually, it is done using a statistic value and a cutoff value that are used to separate the genes differentially and nondifferentially expressed. In this paper, we propose a Bayesian approach to identify genes differentially expressed calculating sequentially credibility intervals from predictive densities which are constructed using the sampled mean treatment effect from all genes in study excluding the treatment effect of genes previously identified with statistical evidence for difference. We compare our Bayesian approach with the standard ones based on the use of the t-test and modified t-tests via a simulation study, using small sample sizes which are common in gene expression data analysis. Results obtained report evidence that the proposed approach performs better than standard ones, especially for cases with mean differences and increases in treatment variance in relation to control variance. We also apply the methodologies to a well-known publicly available data set on Escherichia coli bacterium.
The effect of extracellular potassium on the intracellular potassium ion activity and transmembrane potentials of beating canine cardiac Purkinje fibers

We used open tip microelectrodes containing a K+-sensitive liquid ion exchanger to determine directly the intracellular K+ activity in beating canine cardiac Purkinje fibers. For preparations superfused with Tyrode's solution in which the K+ concentration was 4.0 mM, intracellular K+ activity (ak) was 130.0+/-2.3 mM (mean+/-SE) at 37 degrees C. The calculated K+ equilibrium potential (EK) was -100.6+/- 0.5 mV. Maximum diastolic potential (ED) and resting transmembrane potential (EM) were measured with conventional microelectrodes filled with 3 M KCl and were -90.6+/-0.3 and -84.4+/-0.4 mV, respectively. When [K+]o was decreased to 2.0 mM or increased to 6.0, 10.0, and 16.0 mM, ak remained the same. At [K+]o=2.0, ED was -97.3+/-0.4 and Em - 86.0+/-0.7 mV; at [K+]o=16.0, ED fell to -53.8+/-0.4 mV and Em to the same value. Over this range of values for [K+]o, EK changed from - 119.0+/-0.3 to -63.6+/-0.2 mV. These values for EK are consistent with those previously estimated indirectly by other techniques.