Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Representation and self-adaption in genetic algorithms

Representation and reproduction operators are important issues in Genetic Algorithms(GAs). When optimising numerical functions some researchers advocate using floating point representation instead of bit-string representation . Floating point representation is also used in Evolutionary Strategies(ESs) and Evolutionary Programming(EP) . We show that it is not the representation that is responsible for the improved performance, but the mutation operator. By using Gaussian mutation with bit-string representation we improve the performance of GAs. We then introduce self-adaption which raises the performance to that of ESs. We also show that keeping bit-string representation can have advantages to the efficiency of GAs.
Policing in Afghanistan-Reform that Respects Tradition: Need for a Strategic Shift

Abstract : Absent a strategic shift in the ongoing efforts to build an Afghan National Police (ANP) force, the USG and its coalition partners will continue to create an organization that is ineffective at both counterinsurgency and policing. The JAWP team recommends an adjusted approach less focused on the number of personnel trained and more focused on building a credible, professional, police force. To achieve overall sustainable security and justice, this force would need to be supported by a concurrently developed and balanced holistic justice system and complemented by the government-supported utilization of the traditional, customary rural justice and security systems.
Reversal of behavioral effects of pentylenetetrazol by the neuroactive steroid ganaxolone.

Neuroactive steroids are naturally occurring or synthetically derived compounds many of which have anticonvulsant, anesthetic, anxiolytic, analgesic or hypnotic properties. The major site of neuronal activity appears to be with a specific steroid-sensitive site on the gamma-aminobutyric acidA receptor/chloride ionophore complex. Ganaxolone (3 alpha-hydroxy-3 beta-methyl-5 alpha-pregnan-20-one) is a synthetic neuroactive steroid protected from metabolic attack of the 3 alpha position. Ganaxolone is an efficacious anticonvulsant agent in a variety of acute seizure models, as well as in electrical and chemical kindling models, and is currently under Phase II clinical investigation for epilepsy. A prior observation that ganaxolone appeared to reverse the marked behavioral changes induced by the convulsant pentylenetetrazol (PTZ) was systematically examined in the present study. A model to quantify PTZ-induced behaviors is described and used to evaluate ganaxolone in comparison with the anticonvulsants valproate, ethosuximide, clonazepam, diazepam and phenobarbital. All compounds were compared using dose equivalents based on their respective ED50 values in preventing convulsions induced by 70 mg/kg PTZ. The ED50 and lower doses of ganaxolone prevented the observed behavioral effects of PTZ as well as its depressant effects on locomotor activity and rearing of mice. In contrast, the other anticonvulsants, if effective, were much less potent. Strikingly, most of the other anticonvulsants were incapable of preventing all the behavioral effects of PTZ. Only phenobarbital prevented all the behavioral effects of PTZ and only at doses 4 to 8 times the anticonvulsant ED50. Rather than normalizing behavior as ganaxolone did, however, phenobarbital resulted in supranormal behavioral responses (e.g., increases in activity). Repeated administration of PTZ did not decrease the protective efficacy of ganaxolone. The results document the unique pharmacological profile of ganaxolone and suggest additional potential benefits from its use as an antiepileptic. Furthermore, because behavioral effects of PTZ have been used to model anxiety and anxiety associated with withdrawal from drugs of abuse, ganaxolone may find additional therapeutic application in those areas.
Competitive Division of a Mixed Manna

A mixed manna contains goods (that everyone likes), bads (that everyone dislikes), as well as items that are goods to some agents, but bads or satiated to others. If all items are goods and utility functions are homothetic, concave (and monotone), the Competitive Equilibrium with Equal Incomes maximizes the Nash product of utilities: hence it is welfarist (determined utility-wise by the feasible set of pro les), single-valued and easy to compute. We generalize the Gale-Eisenberg Theorem to a mixed manna. The Competitive division is still welfarist and related to the product of utilities or disutilities. If the zero utility pro le (before any manna) is Pareto dominated, the competitive pro le is unique and still maximizes the product of utilities. If the zero pro le is unfeasible, the competitive pro les are the critical points of the product of disutilities on the eciency frontier, and multiplicity is pervasive. In particular the task of dividing a mixed manna is either good news for everyone, or bad news for everyone. We re ne our results in the practically important case of linear preferences, where the axiomatic comparison between the division of goods and that of bads is especially sharp. When we divide goods and the manna improves, everyone weakly bene ts under the competitive rule; but no reasonable rule to divide bads can be similarly Resource Monotonic. Also, the much larger set of Non Envious and Ecient divisions of bads can be disconnected so that it will admit no continuous selection.
Is there an SEO Puzzle

Previous studies have documented that firms participating in Seasoned Equity Offerings (SEOs) show substantial long-run stock underperformance. This finding poses one of the strongest challenges to the Efficient Market Hypothesis (EMH). However, other studies argue that these empirical studies are plagued by the inability of the matching techniques to control properly for all risk factors, and therefore the resulting evidence may not be reliable. This study contributes to the literature by implementing the propensity score matching method, which reduces the matching problem from multiple dimensions to one dimension and is thus able to match multiple firm characteristics simultaneously. We show that criticisms of previous studies are valid because traditional matching methods are not able to balance ex ante variables well due to the “curse of dimensionality. ” We investigate various market and accounting variables and find that size, book-to-market ratio and past returns are the main factors affecting both firms’ SEO decision and their long-run stock performance. We estimate propensity scores conditional on these important factors and apply propensity score matching to SEO data during the period from 1986 to 1998. We find that even with the event-time, equal-weight and buy-and-hold method, SEO firms do not behave differently from similar firms that are small in size, have low book-to-market ratios and high recent returns. JEL Classification Code: G14 Keyword: Seasoned equity offering, long-term performance, propensity score matching ∗ We gratefully acknowledge the helpful advice and comments from Rene Stulz and John Ham. We thank Oyvind Norli for providing the sample used in an earlier version of this study. We also thank Laurence Booth, Patricia Reagan and Kai Li, as well as participants at the Midwest Econometrics 2002 Annual Meetings and workshops at The Ohio State University and Kent State University, for their helpful comments. However, all errors are ours. ☆ Corresponding author. Tel. : 330-672-1213; Fax: 330-672-9806.
The Roles of Habit, Self-Efficacy, and Satisfaction in Driving Continued Use of Self-Service Technologies

Recent years have witnessed increased use of self-service technologies (SSTs) across the services sector, which has dramatically changed the nature of the service delivery process. Although an abundance of research has investigated how customers evaluate a new SST and what drives the initial adoption, little is known about how customers interact with, and adapt to, an SST after their first experience. Thus, this study focuses on the dynamic and complex process through which customers move from initial adoption to continued use, after repeated interactions with an SST. A three-wave longitudinal study examines how habit, self-efficacy, and satisfaction affect SST usage over time in a retailing context. The results indicate that as learning occurs and experience accumulates, customers’ continued use of an SST is initially largely rational driven (self-efficacy), then largely emotional driven (satisfaction), and, finally, habitual (habit). Over time, habit completely mediates the impact of intentions on future usage. The article concludes with a discussion of the managerial implications and directions for further research.
Prognostic Significance of the Combined Score of Endothelial Expression of Nucleolin and CD31 in Surgically Resected Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Nucleolin is implicated to play a role in angiogenesis, a vital process in tumor growth and metastasis. However, the presence and clinical relevance of nucleolin in human non small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains largely unknown. In this study, we explored the expression and prognostic implication of nucleolin in surgically resected NSCLC patients. A cohort of 146 NSCLC patients who underwent surgical resection was selected for tissue microarray. In this tissue microarray, nucleolin expression was measured by immunofluorescence. Staining for CD31, a marker of endothelial cells, was performed to mark blood vessels. A Cox proportional hazards model was used to assess the prognostic significance of nucleolin. Nucleolin expression was observed in 34.2% of all patients, and 64.1% in high CD31 expression patients. The disease-free survival (DFS) was significantly shorter in patients with high nucleolin (CD31hiNCLhi) compared to patients with low tumor blood vessels (CD31loNCLlo) (5 ys of DFS 24% vs 64%, p = 0.002). Such a difference was demonstrated in the following stratified analyses: stage I (p<0.001), squamous cell carcinoma and adenosquamous cell carcinoma (p = 0.028), small tumor (<5 cm, p = 0.008), and surgery alone (p = 0.015). Multivariate analysis further revealed that nucleolin expression independently predicted for worse survival (p = 0.003). This study demonstrates that nucleolin is associated with the clinical outcomes in postoperative NSCLC patients. Thus, the expression levels of nucleolin may provide a new prognostic marker to identify patients at higher risk for treatment failure, especially in some subgroups.
Post traumatic stress disorder among former child soldiers attending a rehabilitative service and primary school education in northern Uganda.

BACKGROUND This study was prompted by the psychiatric hospitalization of 12 former child soldiers of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) at a rehabilitation school in northern Uganda with a case of mass psychotic behavior. OBJECTIVES To report the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder, depressed mood, and associated risk factors. METHODS Data on post-traumatic stress disorder, depressed mood, physical disabilities, socio-demographic variables, and the children's war experiences were collected in face-to-face interviews using the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire (HTQ), a modified Hopkins Symptoms Check-List (HSCL), and a 15-item War Trauma Experience Check-list (WTECL-15). Data was analyzed with SPSS version 11.0. RESULTS There were 58 girls and 44 boys. Eighty nine children (87.3%) reported having experienced ten or more war-related traumatic psychological events; 55.9% of the children suffered from symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, 88.2%, symptoms of depressed mood and 21.6% had various forms of physical disability. Nearly half of the children (42.2%) reported a positive family history of severe mental illness; 10.8%, a family history of suicide; 22.5%, a family history of suicide attempt; and 45.1%, a family history of alcohol abuse. Children who experienced 10 or more traumatic war events were more likely than the rest to experience depressed mood. Return through a reception center or through a cleansing ritual did not protect against depression. DISCUSSION Post-traumatic stress disorder among former LRA child soldiers at a rehabilitation centre in northern Uganda is presented. The report highlights the huge unmet need for psychological services among former child soldiers of the LRA.
Curvature-based curb detection method in urban environments using stereo and laser

This paper addresses the problem of curb detection for ADAS or autonomous navigation in urban scenarios. The algorithm is based on clouds of 3D points. It is evaluated using 3D information from a pair of stereo cameras and a LIDAR. Curbs are detected based on road surface curvature. The curvature estimation requires a dense point cloud, therefore the density of the LIDAR cloud has been augmented using Iterative Closest Point (ICP) based on the previous scans. The proposed algorithm can deal with curbs of different curvature and heights, from as low as 3 cm, in a range up to 20 m (whenever that curbs are connected in the curvature image). The curb parameters are modeled using straight lines and compared to the ground-truth using the lateral error as the key parameter indicator. The ground-truth sequences were manually labeled on urban images from the KITTI dataset and made publicly available for the scientific community.
Age-related accumulation and spatial distribution of lipofuscin in RPE of normal subjects.

PURPOSE To characterize the age-related accumulation of lipofuscin in a population of normal subjects, resolve differences in estimated accumulation rates obtained in previous studies, and characterize the spatial distribution of lipofuscin in the normal fundus. METHODS Spectrophotometric measurements were made at the fovea and 7 degrees temporal to the fovea in 145 normal subjects (age range, 15-80 years). Spatial distribution along the four cardinal meridians was measured in selected subjects by both spectrophotometry and autofluorescence imaging. To minimize contributions of extraneous fluorophores, macular pigment, and melanin, all measurements used excitation at 550 nm, integrating emission between 650 and 750 nm. RESULTS Lipofuscin fluorescence increased linearly until age 70, then declined. The rate of accumulation was significantly slower in the fovea than at the temporal site; accumulation rates in vivo were greater than previously observed in microscopic studies. Fluorescence was approximately 40% lower in the fovea than at 7 degrees eccentricity and was asymmetrically distributed around the fovea. The fluorescence was maximal at approximately 11 degrees temporally, approximately 7 degrees nasally, approximately 13 degrees superiorly, and approximately 9 degrees inferiorly. At the same eccentricity, fluorescence was always less along the inferior meridian than along any other. CONCLUSIONS Light absorption by RPE melanin can explain differences between the in vivo and ex vivo estimates of the rate of lipofuscin accumulation. Declining fluorescence at old age may represent removal of atrophic RPE cells. The spatial distribution of lipofuscin generally matches that of rods and reflects, rather than predicts, the pattern of age-related loss of rod photoreceptors.
What Is the Effect of Small-Scale Schooling on Student Achievement? ERIC Digest.

What Is the Effect of Small-Scale Schooling on Student Achievement? ERIC Digest. 2 WHAT IS SMALL-SCALE SCHOOLING? 2 WHY IS SMALL SCALE-SCHOOLING A TRADITIONAL CONCERN OF EDUCATORS? 2 OLDER STUDIES OF SMALL-SCALE SCHOOLING AND ACHIEVEMENT MORE RECENT STUDIES OF SMALL-SCALE SCHOOLING AND ACHIEVEMENT UNANSWERED QUESTIONS 4 REFERENCES 5 OF THE LITERATURE ON SCHOOL ENVIRONMENTS AND STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT. 6
Patriarchal Ideology and Discourses of Sexuality in Nigeria

Single error correction in digital memory modules is simply accomplished at any time by dividing the memory module into segments, writing data into the memory module, testing the memory module after a period of time and, on the occurrence of a single error, data correction is entered. This process is repeated until no single error is found. Such single error correction is fast a single error correction is possible without the need for external memory.
Informal Employment in Latin America and the Caribbean: Causes, Consequences and Policy Recommendations

The expansion of the informal sector in the last decades has been accompanied by a lack of almost every form of social protection and low-productivity/low-wage employment. This report summarizes the characteristics of the informal sector and provides policy recommendations to tackle it. Section 2 illustrates the size and trend of the informal sector in the region. It also describes the employment and wage characteristics of informal workers. Sections 3 and 4 review the causes and consequences of informality. Finally, section five concludes and provides policy recommendations.
Cosine Modulated and Offset QAM Filter Bank Multicarrier Techniques: A Continuous-Time Prospect

Prior to the discovery of the celebrated orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM), multicarrier techniques that use analog filter banks were introduced in the 1960s. Moreover, advancements in the design of perfect reconstruction filter banks have led to a number developments in the design of prototype digital filters and polyphase structures for efficient implementations of the filter bank multicarrier (FBMC) systems. The main thrust of this paper is to present a tutorial review of the classical works on FBMC systems and show that some of the more recent developments are, in fact, reinventions of multicarrier techniques that have been developed prior of the era of OFDM. We also review the recent novel developments in the design of FBMC systems that are tuned to cope with fast fading wireless channels.
Cell Wall Structure of a Mutant of Mycobacterium smegmatis Defective in the Biosynthesis of Mycolic Acids*

A mutant strain of Mycobacterium smegmatis defective in the biosynthesis of mycolic acids was recently isolated (Liu, J., and Nikaido, H. (1999) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 96, 4011–4016). This mutant failed to synthesize full-length mycolic acids and accumulated a series of long chain β-hydroxymeromycolates. In this work, we provide a detailed characterization of the localization of meromycolates and of the cell wall structure of the mutant. Thin layer chromatography showed that the insoluble cell wall matrix remaining after extraction with chloroform/methanol and SDS still contained a large portion of the total meromycolates. Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization and electrospray ionization mass spectroscopy analysis of fragments arising from Smith degradation of the insoluble cell wall matrix revealed that the meromycolates were covalently attached to arabinogalactan at the 5-OH positions of the terminal arabinofuranosyl residues. The arabinogalactan appeared to be normal in the mutant strain, as analyzed by NMR. Analysis of organic phase lipids showed that the mutant cell wall contained some of the extractable lipids but lacked glycopeptidolipids and lipooligosaccharides. Differential scanning calorimetry of the mutant cell wall failed to show the large cooperative thermal transitions typical of intact mycobacterial cell walls. Transmission electron microscopy showed that the mutant cell wall had an abnormal ultrastructure (without the electron-transparent zone associated with the asymmetric mycolate lipid layer). Taken together, these results demonstrate the importance of mycolic acids for the structural and functional integrity of the mycobacterial cell wall. The lack of highly organized lipid domains in the mutant cell wall explains the drug-sensitive and temperature-sensitive phenotypes of the mutant.
Sources of Mental Contamination: Comparing the Effects of Self-Generated versus Externally Provided Primes☆

Social cognition research has closely examined the processes that are involved in the correction for contaminating influences on judgment. Little is known, however, about how a contaminating influence is detected in the first place. To remedy this shortcoming, we propose a source-monitoring perspective on the detection of bias. This framework suggests that contamination is more likely to occur if its source is similar to the target source. Because judgment processes often involve elaborate internal processing of information, knowledge that is internally generated rather than externally provided is less likely to be seen as contaminating. As a consequence, judgments are more likely to be consistent with the implications of internally generated than externally provided knowledge. The results of two studies using different self-generation procedures (i.e., generating antonyms and solving anagrams) are consistent with this prediction. They demonstrate that in a blatant priming paradigm, judges only correct for the influence of externally provided primes (which yields contrast) but not self-generated primes (which yields assimilation). The implications of these findings are discussed in light of the literature on knowledge-accessibility effects, source monitoring, and judgmental correction.
Targeted inhibition of the extracellular signal-regulated kinase kinase pathway with AZD6244 (ARRY-142886) in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common malignancy in Asia and Africa. We previously reported that overexpression of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) kinase 1/2 (MEK1/2) and ERK1/2 was detected in HCC, and that their activation was required for liver cancer cell proliferation and survival. In the present study, we determined the efficacy of a specific MEK1/2 inhibitor AZD6244 (ARRAY-142886) in treatment of HCC. Treatment of primary HCC cells with AZD6244 led to growth inhibition, elevation of the cleavage of caspase-3 and caspase-7, and cleaved poly(ADP)ribose polymerase, but inhibition of ERK1/2 and p90RSK phosphorylation. Studying the protein expression profile of seven HCC xenografts revealed that their growth rate was positively correlated with the levels of phosphorylated MEK. AZD6244, when given p.o. to mice bearing these xenografts, resulted in a dose-dependent inhibition of tumor growth. AZD6244-induced growth suppression was associated with inactivation of ERK1/2 and p90RSK, and up-regulation of activated caspase-3 and caspase-7, and cleaved poly(ADP)ribose polymerase. Our data suggest that the MEK-ERK pathway plays an important role in the growth and survival of liver cancer cells and that the HCC xenograft models are excellent tools for screening preclinical drugs. Targeted inhibition of the MEK-ERK pathway with AZD6244 may represent an alternative approach for the treatment of this disease. [Mol Cancer Ther 2007;6(1):138–45]
High-Power Low-Pass Harmonic Filters With Higher-Order ${\rm TE}_{{\rm n}0}$ and Non-${\rm TE}_{{\rm n}0}$  Mode Suppression: Design Method and Multipactor Characterization

In this paper, a method to design high-power low-pass harmonic filters in rectangular waveguide technology is proposed. The new filters consist of a collection of smooth E-plane bandstop elements along the propagation direction and a smooth variation of the filter width. This yields to a broad rejected band for the fundamental TE10 mode, together with higher-order ( TEn0 and non- TEn0) mode suppression. Two different examples with stringent requirements of the space industry are provided to demonstrate the capabilities of the new methodology. By means of high-power simulations and an extensive measurement campaign, it will be shown that the smoothness of the filter profile guarantees high-power operation even with small minimum mechanical gaps. Moreover, unlike classical techniques, our method is not restricted to filters with small gaps. Hence, filters with larger gaps (always fulfilling the demanding frequency specifications) are fabricated for even higher power-handling performance.