Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Optimized Ant Colony Algorithm by Local Pheromone Update

Ant colony algorithm, a heuristic simulated algorithm, provides better solutions for non-convex, non-linear and discontinuous optimization problems. For ant colony algorithm, it is frequently to be trapped into local optimum, which might lead to stagnation. This article presents the city-select strategy, local pheromone update strategy, optimum solution prediction strategy and local optimization strategy to optimize ant colony algorithm, provides ant colony algorithm based on local pheromone update, also inspects and verifies it by TSP problems. The results of the numeric experiments suggest that on some TSP problems, the optimized ant colony algorithm acquired more satisfied solutions than all that we have already known. DOI : http://dx.doi. org/10.11591/telkomnika.v12i2. 4211
Political commitment in organising municipal responses to climate adaptation: the dedicated approach versus the mainstreaming approach

We develop conceptual understanding of political commitment in two approaches to organising municipal responses to climate adaptation. The dedicated approach, based on direct political commitment to climate adaptation, implies political agenda setting, resource allocation, and clear policy objectives which are expected to facilitate rapid implementation due to political pressure and new structures. The mainstreaming approach is based on indirect political commitment: climate adaptation ‘piggybacks’ on the established commitment of policy domains in which it is integrated, and institutional entrepreneurs and framing are considered necessary to establish policy synergies and to mobilise actors and resources. An implication is that implementation may be erratic, as entrepreneurs have to pioneer within existing structures. The cases of two Dutch cities – Amsterdam and Rotterdam – help to illustrate and refine our propositions on the nature and implications of political commitment.
Assessing the Role of Nationalistic Feelings in Consumers' Willingness to Take Action Against Foreign Products: An Exploratory Study in Brazil

ABSTRACT This study draws on the social dominance theory and the intergroup relations theory to explore the impact of nationalistic feelings on consumers' willingness to take action against foreign products. This exploratory study was conducted in Brazil, using two countries as treatment conditions: Paraguay and the USA. Consistent with expectations, the mere existence of a commercial conflict involving the home country and a foreign nation seems to be sufficient to raise nationalistic feelings (a “them” against “us” feeling). The results also show that consumers' willingness to take action against products of the adversary country prompted by these nationalistic feelings might be mediated by their perception of group (nation) economic power (dominance). RESUMEN. Este estudio se basa en la teoría del dominio social y la teoría de las relaciones intergrupales para explorar el impacto que los sentimientos nacionalistas ejercen sobre la buena voluntar de los consumidores de actuar contra los productos extranjeros. Este estudio exploratorio fue realizado en el Brasil, usando dos países como condiciones de tratamiento: Paraguay y los Estados Unidos. De conformidad con las expectativas, la mera existencia de un conflicto comercial involucrando el país de origen y la nación extranjera parece ser suficiente para despertar sentimientos nacionalistas (un sentimiento de “ellos” contra “nosotros”). Los resultados también muestran la buena voluntad de los consumidores de tomar alguna acción contra los productos provenientes del país adversario, disparados por este sentimiento nacionalista que puede ser mediado por su percepción del poder (dominio) económico del grupo (nación). RESUMO. Este estudo utiliza a teoria do domínio social e das relações entre grupos, para explorar o impacto do sentimento nacionalista na vontade do consumidor de rejeitar produtos estrangeiros. Este estudo exploratório foi realizado no Brasil, utilizando dois países como base de consulta: o Paraguai e os Estados Unidos. De acordo com as expectativas, a mera existência de um conflito comercial, envolvendo o país de residência e um país estrangeiro, parece ser suficiente para elevar os sentimentos nacionalistas (um sentimento “deles” contra um “nosso”). Os resultados também demonstram que a vontade do consumidor de rejeitar os produtos do país adversário, estimulada por tais sentimentos nacionalistas, pode ser influenciada pela sua percepção de poder (domínio) do grupo (nação) econômico.
Natural history of functional decline in Alzheimer's disease: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND Knowledge of functional evolution in dementia is crucial for the patients and their families as well as the clinician. OBJECTIVE This review identifies scales and outcomes used to describe the natural history of functional decline and describes the natural history of functional decline in a representative clinical population sample of published studies of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). METHODS A search of three relevant databases was conducted and limited to articles published in English and French between 1998 to March 2012, using the keywords "Dementia", "Activities of Daily Living", "Instrumental Activities of Daily Living", "Functional Impairment", "Prognosis", and "Disease Progression". RESULTS The search strategy displayed 683 articles, 20 of which were found to be related to the functional evolution of AD. In these studies, different scales were used to describe the evolution of the functional decline, except for the decline of instrumental activities, for which the Lawton scale was used in all studies. Thus, it is difficult to represent the evolution of the functional decline from a clinical point of view. CONCLUSION Relatively little data are available to estimate the functional evolution of AD. A consensus with broadened thought is required to know if the progression of the incapacities in these scales is additive or hierarchical.
Participation and level of play in the UK National Lottery and correlation with spending on other modes of gambling

The paper analyses UK data, collected from the Family Expenditure Survey, for over 6000 households. The focus is on participation in, and level of expenditure on, the national lotto game. Controlling for standard demographic, socio-economic and income variables, and some non-standard lifestyle indicators, it examines correlation between lotto play and expenditure on six other forms of gambling as well as on alcohol and tobacco. Correlations with lotto participation and expenditure are found to be positive and strong in most cases. Implications for the regulation of the gambling sector and for taxation policy are outlined and discussed.
Price Trends for Agricultural Land in Ireland 1901-1986

This paper presents a new series of Irish agricultural land prices based on purchases of land in the Limerick area between 1901 and 1986. A derived index shows 'deflated' prices reaching a peak in 1920, falling to a low point in 1934 and rising steadily to the mid-1960's, after which they take off into historically high levels until 1980, when they begin to fall steeply for the following years. A series of short-term land rents (of less than 12 months), based on transactions in the Limerick area, is also presented and is used as a measure of the expected profitability of farming from year to year. Comparison is made with other land price indices and with an index of agricultural product prices. The study highlights the divergent trends between agricultural land prices on the one hand and rents and product prices on the other, which occurred in the mid-1950's through to the 1970's.
Serotonergic antidepressants and perioperative bleeding risk: a systematic review

Introduction: Serotonergic antidepressants (SAds) are known to increase bleeding events, with a number of recent studies investigating this risk in surgical settings. Our main objective was to synthesize the current evidence to evaluate the clinical importance of SAd-related bleeding risk in the perioperative period. Methods: A systematic review of MEDLINE, Embase and PsychINFO until November 2013 was conducted in compliance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses statement. We examined the risk of perioperative bleeding adverse events in SAd users in comparison to controls. Results: A total of 13 relevant studies were identified across a broad variety of surgical procedures. SAds were associated with an increased risk of perioperative bleeding (odds ratios [ORs] = 1.21 – 4.14) and blood transfusions (ORs = 0.93 – 3.71). Conclusions: SAds are associated with increased perioperative bleeding events, particularly abnormal bleeding and blood transfusions. From a clinical perspective, the potential bleeding risks of SAds in surgical settings need to be carefully weighed against their psychiatric benefits. Future research will need to investigate potential strategies to mitigate SAd-related bleeding risk in the surgical context.
Estimation of total and ionized magnesium and its correlation with the glycated hemoglobin in newly diagnosed subjects of type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Mg deficiency underlies the mechanism of insulin resistance of conditions associated with altered glucose tolerance, such as t2DM. Despite of many reports showing deranged magnesium level in t2DM, most of these studies have focused on level of t Mg in spite of the fact that iMg is the physiological form. Furthermore, data on iMg in newly diagnosed t2DM yet to start treatment is scarce. Therefore, this study was undertaken to evaluate both tMg and iMg level in newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus. This study was conducted to evaluate serum levels of tMg and iMg in 30 patients with newly diagnosed t2DM and 30 non-diabetic healthy controls, recruited from the out-patient department of Medicine, BPS Government Medical College for Women, KhanpurKalan, Sonepat, and Haryana. Fasting venous blood was drawn from each participant for the biochemical analysis of FBS, HbA1C, tMg and iMg. The results are Compared to controls, the FBS, HbA1C and tMg levels were significantly increased (1.17±0.50 vs. 0.86±0.10 ; p=0.002), whereas the iMg level was significantly decreased (0.52±0.04 vs. 0.55±0.06; p=0.02) in type 2 diabetic patients. The findings of significant association in non-diabetic control group(r=0.558, p=0.001) and no significant association between tMg and iMg in the patient group (r=0.245, p=0.192) strengthens the concept of altered Mg metabolism in diabetes. There were no significant associations of FBS and HbA1C with tMg and iMg in the diabetic patient group. In conclusion the observation of decreased physiologically active form of Mg (iMg), despite increased total Mg and loss of correlation between tMg and iMg, suggests that Mg metabolism in diabetes is significantly altered though without any relation to glycemic control.
A Modified 'Square Root' Process for Determining the Value of the Option to (Dis)Invest

Abstract: We determine optimal investment criteria for a capital project whose cash flows evolve in terms of a 'modified square root' process. The modified square root process has properties similar to the Cox, Ingersoll and Ross (1985) 'square root' process but in addition, encompasses the possibility of negative cash flows. Although closed form solutions for the valuation equations implied by the modified square root process are the exception rather than the rule we are able to show that analytic solutions, in the form of infinite power series expansions, will always exist. Furthermore, we also show that when a prescribed set of regularity conditions is satisfied, these power series expansions converge to closed form valuation functions. The optimality criteria for capital investment decisions are then simplified considerably. Copyright Blackwell Publishers Ltd, 2004.
The Impact of Training on Labour Mobility: Individual and Firm-level Evidence from Britain

We investigate the impact of different types of training on the mobility expectations of workers, using three surveys. Most training episodes produce some transferable skills, and most transferable training is paid for by employers. Overall, training has no impact on mobility in three out of every five cases; the remaining cases are split equally between those where training increases and those where it decreases mobility. We find that training is more likely to lead to lower mobility when it is less transferable to other firms, is sponsored by firms, and where its objectives include increasing the identification of employees with corporate objectives.
Public School Administration

The purpose of this article is to explore the open systems characteristics of public schools by applying James D. Thompson’s contingency theory to the study of school district central administration expenditures in Washington State. In this analysis, contingency theory appears to offer a fairly good explanation for central administrative expenditures. The model indicates that administrative expenditures are a function of the organizational environment and the stability of resource providers. Stable organizational environments and consistent resource providers are associated with smaller school administration, due to the more limited need for substantial organizational buffering.
TEMs but not DKK1 could serve as complementary biomarkers for AFP in diagnosing AFP-negative hepatocellular carcinoma

Background & aims Hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is prevalent worldwide. Despite its limitations, serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) remains the most widely-used biomarker for the diagnosis of HCC. This study aimed to assess whether measurement of peripheral plasma Dickkopf-1 (DKK1) and Tie2-expressing monocytes (TEMs) could overcome the limitations of AFP and improve the diagnostic accuracy of HCC. Methods Plasma DKK1 level and the percentage of TEMs in peripheral CD14+CD16+ monocytes from HCC patients (n = 82), HBV-related liver cirrhosis (LC) patients (n = 29), chronic hepatitis B (CHB) infected patients (n = 28) and healthy volunteers (n = 31) were analyzed by ELISA and flow cytometry. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to analyze a single biomarker, or a combination of two or three biomarkers. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to assess the significance of each marker in prediction of HCC and AFP-negative HCC from LC patients. Results The percentage of TEMs in peripheral CD14+CD16+ monocytes and plasma level of DKK1 in HCC group were significantly higher than those in LC, CHB and healthy control groups (all P-values <0.05). The percentage of TEMs alone was also significantly higher in AFP-negative HCC group than that in LC, CHB and healthy control groups (all P-values <0.05). Plasma DKK1 level alone could not distinguish between AFP-negative HCC and LC patients. ROC curves showed that the optimal diagnostic cutoff value was 550.93 ng/L for DKK1 and 4.95% for TEMs. There was no significant difference in AUC of DKK1, TEMs and AFP in HCC diagnosis between the four groups (all P>0.05). A combination of DKK1, TEMs and AFP measurements increased the AUC for HCC diagnosis as compared with either marker alone (0.833; 95%CI 0.768–0.886). The AUC for TEMs was 0.692 (95% CI 0.564–0.819) in differentiating AFP-negative HCC from LC, with a sensitivity of 80.0% and a specificity of 65.52%. Only TEMs prevailed as a significant predictor for AFP-negative HCC differentiating from LC patients in univariate and multivariate analyses (P = 0.016, P = 0.023). Conclusions TEMs and DKK1 may prove to be potential complementary biomarkers for AFP in the diagnosis of HCC. TEMs rather than DKK1 could serve as a complementary biomarker for AFP in the differential diagnosis of AFP-negative HCC versus LC patients.
Global Value Chains: A Survey of Drivers and Measures

Global value chains (GVCs) emerged as the paradigm for the international organization of production. For most goods and services production is nowadays vertically fragmented across different countries and this reality gave rise to a significant new strand of research in international trade. This article starts by discussing the major driving forces of GVCs in recent decades. Next, it surveys the main measures of GVCs, accounting for their different scopes and required data sets. The article highlights the timing of the contributions to the literature, signalling their sequential nature and the trend toward more accurate and data‐demanding indicators.
ACADEMIC DISHONESTY AND WORKPLACE DISHONESTY. AN OVERVIEW

It is known by many names.unethical behavior in higher education, academic fraud, academic misconduct. It takes many forms.plagiarism, cheating on tests or exams, cybercheating. But all describe the characteristics of the same phenomenon: academic dishonesty. It is met in all societies and in the academic environments since ancient times. The aim of this overview was to analyze the major studies and research having as central points of discussion academic dishonesty and workplace dishonesty. In this respect, a relationship between the two phenomena has been identified. The students who are engaged in unethical behaviours are more likely to behave in such manner also in the workplace.
Lateral entry compared with medial and lateral entry pin fixation for completely displaced supracondylar humeral fractures in children. A randomized clinical trial.

BACKGROUND Closed reduction and percutaneous pin fixation is the treatment of choice for completely displaced (type-III) extension supracondylar fractures of the humerus in children, although controversy persists regarding the optimal pin-fixation technique. The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy of lateral entry pin fixation with that of medial and lateral entry pin fixation for the operative treatment of completely displaced extension supracondylar fractures of the humerus in children. METHODS This prospective, randomized clinical trial had sufficient power to detect a 10% difference in the rate of loss of reduction between the two groups. The techniques of lateral entry and medial and lateral entry pin fixation were standardized in terms of the pin location, the pin size, the incision and position of the elbow used for medial pin placement, and the postoperative course. The primary study end points were a major loss of reduction and iatrogenic ulnar nerve injury. Secondary study end points included radiographic measurements, clinical alignment, Flynn grade, elbow range of motion, function, and complications. RESULTS The lateral entry group (twenty-eight patients) and the medial and lateral entry group (twenty-four patients) were similar in terms of mean age, sex distribution, and preoperative displacement, comminution, and associated neurovascular status. No patient in either group had a major loss of reduction. There was no significant difference between the rates of mild loss of reduction, which occurred in six of the twenty-eight patients treated with lateral entry and one of the twenty-four treated with medial and lateral entry (p = 0.107). There were no cases of iatrogenic ulnar nerve injury in either group. There were also no significant differences (p > 0.05) between groups with respect to the Baumann angle, change in the Baumann angle, humerocapitellar angle, change in the humerocapitellar angle, Flynn grade, carrying angle, elbow flexion, elbow extension, total elbow range of motion, return to function, or complications. CONCLUSIONS With use of the specific techniques employed in this study, both lateral entry pin fixation and medial and lateral entry pin fixation are effective in the treatment of completely displaced (type-III) extension supracondylar fractures of the humerus in children. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Therapeutic Level I. See Instructions to Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
Sources of income, wealth and the length of life: An individual level study of mortality

The relationship between income and mortality is explored by examining mortality in each income decile and income source (from earnings, government or capital). Swedish individual level income data was analysed for approximately 6.5 million adults. The quality of our data is unprecedented for this type of study, in terms of size and completeness of population coverage and death registration. The results suggest that inequalities in mortality are marked even in Sweden, one of the affluent countries where the effects of health inequalities are assumed to be lowest worldwide. The only income source that was associated with beneficial outcomes for all population groups was earnings. Welfare payments, often associated with illness, are associated with higher mortality, particularly for men. Capital income (our ‘wealth’ indicator) generally reduces the risk of mortality but increases the risk for some younger groups.
Germany as the EU's reluctant hegemon? Of economic strength and political constraints

This article explores the growing perception, prompted by the eurozone crisis, of Germany as a hegemonic power in the European Union. The article explores the realignments in the power balance within the European Union (EU) by making an original application of the insights from the literature on hegemony. It reviews the evidence for Germany playing a hegemonic role, but then emphasizes three sets of constraints. First, German pre-eminence is largely confined to the economic sphere. Even in this area Germany has not acted fully in line with the role ascribed by hegemonic stability theory. Second, its pre-eminence in the EU encounters problems of international legitimacy. Third, growing constraints arising from German domestic politics further hamper playing the role of hegemon. In consequence, Germany is intrinsically a reluctant hegemon: one whose economic leadership is recognized but politically contested. The conclusion considers the significance of these findings on the EU's most important member state.
Interleukin-1 is involved in mouse resistance to Mycobacterium avium

In this study, we examined the contribution of the monokine interleukin-1 (IL-1) in mouse resistance to the intracellular pathogen Mycobacterium avium. The effect of neutralizing endogenous IL-1 in mouse macrophage resistance to M. avium infection was investigated. Infection of mouse peritoneal macrophages with M. avium B101 was shown to result in significant IL-1 beta release by cells at 4 and 7 days postinfection. Addition of IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra) at doses of 5 micrograms daily, which neutralized endogenous IL-1, failed to significantly modify the intracellular growth of M. avium. Mice were injected with M. avium B101 by the intravenous route, and the growth of the mycobacteria was monitored in the organs of intact mice and in those of mice that received repeated high doses of IL-1ra. The infection with M. avium elicited the production of large amounts of IL-1 in the lungs, livers, and spleens. Repeated injections of IL-1ra into M. avium-infected mice resulted in moderately enhanced growth of the bacilli in the livers and spleens but in much enhanced growth in the lungs. The enhanced growth of M. avium in the lungs correlated with a diminished inflammatory influx of cells (particularly neutrophils) in the bronchoalveolar space. These data argue for a role for IL-1 in host resistance to M. avium infections.