Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Gender and Choice in Education and Occupation.

Despite many years of equality of choice, boys and girls continue to differ in both the subjects they study at school and later in the careers they decide to pursue. In this collection of papers by leading researchers from academic and practitioner backgrounds, the current evidence from a range of fields is reviewed. Drawing on both their own original research and that of others, the contributors consider topics as diverse as subject choice in secondary school, differences in brain functions between the sexes, the comparison of men and women in management and recruiting women to science and technology.
An Energy-Efficient Storage Strategy for Cloud Datacenters Based on Variable K-Coverage of a Hypergraph

Distributed storage systems, e.g., Hadoop Distributed File System (HDFS), have been widely used in datacenters for handling large amounts of data due to their excellent performance in terms of fault tolerance, reliability and scalability. However, these storage systems usually adopt the same replication and storage strategy to guarantee data availability, i.e., creating the same number of replicas for all data sets and randomly storing them across data nodes. Such strategies do not fully consider the difference requirements of data availability on different data sets. More servers than necessary should thus be used to store replicas of rarely-used data, which will lead to increased energy consumption. To address this issue, we propose an energy-efficient storage strategy for cloud datacenters based on a novel hypergraph coverage model. According to users’ requirements of data availability in different applications, our proposed algorithm can selectively determine the corresponding minimum hyperedge coverage, which represents the minimum set of data nodes required in the datacenter. Hence, some other data nodes can be turned off for the purpose of energy saving. We have also implemented our proposed algorithm as a dynamic runtime strategy in a HDFS based prototype datacenter for performance evaluation. Experimental results show that the variable hypergraph coverage based strategy can not only reduce energy consumption, but can also improve the network performance in the datacenter.
VeNICE: A very deep neural network approach to no-reference image assessment

Image Quality Assessment (IQA) remains a complex and challenging problem that has garnered great interest by the research community as well as industry. A majority of no-reference IQA metrics leverage handcrafted features which discriminates distortions from true image structures. Recently, deep neural networks (DNN) has been successfully applied on local image patches to estimate image quality, However, existing patch-based IQA approaches require manual patch selection processes as well as possesses high computational complexity. To mitigate such issues, this paper introduces a very-deep no-reference image condition evaluator (VeNICE), which leverages the power of deep learning using very deep neural networks to model the complex relationship between visual content and the perceived quality in a more global manner compared to existing patched-based methods. VeNICE leverages a very deep convolutional neural network architecture with intrinsic image decomposition capabilities, and is trained to learn to assess image quality based on training samples consisting of different distortions and degradation such as blur, Gaussian noise, and compression artifacts. Experimental results using the TID-2008 and LIVE r2 benchmark image quality datasets demonstrates that VeNICE was able to achieve strong quality prediction performance, being able to achieve similar performance as full-reference IQA methods.
Brain Cortical Thickness in ADHD

Objective: Longitudinal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies have shown reduced cortical thickness (CT) in individuals with ADHD, but this abnormality disappears with age, suggesting developmental delay. However, cross-sectional MRI studies have shown reduced CT, suggesting abnormal development. The aim of this study was to compare whole-brain CT in male and female children, adolescents, and adults with ADHD with whole-brain CT in matched control participants. Method: MRI scans were performed on ADHD and control participants. Results: CT data revealed differences in right hemisphere (RH) only. Reduced CT was observed predominantly in the frontoparietal region. However, increased CT was observed predominantly in the occipital lobe. The CT differences were correlated with severity of ADHD. Analysis of sex differences revealed that location, number, and magnitude of CT differences were different between males and females in each age group. Conclusion: These data support the hypothesis that anatomical abnormalities in ADHD represent abnormal development rather than developmental delay.
Do Inventory Disclosures Predict Sales and Earnings?

This study investigates what can be learned from inventory disclosures about future sales and earnings, that cannot be learned from current and past values of those same series. The findings indicate that inventory disclosures are incrementally useful in predicting sales and earnings, but that the implications of unexpected inventory vary according to the context. For manufacturers, especially those whose production is less variable relative to sales, unexpected changes in raw materials and work-in-process inventory (after controlling for current sales) are positive leading indicators of future sales, consistent with a “lead time” or “production smoothing” model of inventory. However, such changes are essentially neutral so far as earnings are concerned. In contrast, unexpected changes in manufacturers' finished goods inventory have little or no relation with future sales, and are negative leading indicators of future earnings, even after controlling for the impact of current sales on inventory levels; this is consistent with a “stockout model” of inventory. The behavior of inventory for retailers is also consistent with a stockout model. For retailers, unexpected changes in inventory are negative leading indicators of future earnings; although a positive relation with future sales exists, that effect is short-lived.
Alpha and Persistence in Real Estate Fund Performance

This paper investigates whether fund managers investing in the direct real estate market can systematically and persistently deliver superior risk-adjusted returns. The research that has been published has typically focused on the performance of managers trading public real estate securities. Our study draws on a unique data set of commercial real estate funds collated by the Investment Property Databank (IPD) in the United Kingdom, covering up to 280 funds over the period 1981 to 2006. The widespread finding is that very few managers appear to be able to generate excess risk-adjusted returns. Furthermore, there is little evidence of performance persistence in either fund returns or risk-adjusted fund returns.
A GPU-accelerated real-time implementation of TRINICON-BSS for multiple separation units

In this demonstration, a GPU-accelerated implementation of the second-order statistics version of the TRINICON (Triple-N independent component analysis for convolutive mixtures) blind source separation (BSS) algorithm is presented. The single-precision arithmetic separation performance is compared with a double-precision CPU (Central Processing Unit) reference implementation to establish the effect of parallel algorithms and the reduction of floating-point precision. Computational performance results are presented for a single 2-channel separation unit and multiple simultaneous 2-channel separation units to study the potential future use in a sensor array network with multiple 2-channel separation units.
Ethanol Suppresses Ureagenesis in Rat Hepatocytes

Background: Ethanol oxidation alters mitochondrial metabolism in rat hepatocytes. Results: Ethanol via acetaldehyde formation closes mitochondrial voltage-dependent anions channels (VDAC) and decreases outer membrane permeability. Conclusion: Acetaldehyde, derived from ethanol oxidation, suppresses ureagenesis by inhibiting exchange of mitochondrial substrates across the outer membrane. Significance: Acetaldehyde-mediated VDAC closure is an early adaptive event in ethanol metabolism that may contribute to alcoholic liver disease. We proposed previously that closure of voltage-dependent anion channels (VDAC) in the mitochondrial outer membrane after ethanol exposure leads to suppression of mitochondrial metabolite exchange. Because ureagenesis requires extensive mitochondrial metabolite exchange, we characterized the effect of ethanol and its metabolite, acetaldehyde (AcAld), on total and ureagenic respiration in cultured rat hepatocytes. Ureagenic substrates increased cellular respiration from 15.8 ± 0.9 nmol O2/min/106 cells (base line) to 29.4 ± 1.7 nmol O2/min/106 cells in about 30 min. Ethanol (0–200 mm) suppressed extra respiration after ureagenic substrates (ureagenic respiration) by up to 51% but not base line respiration. Urea formation also declined proportionately. Inhibition of alcohol dehydrogenase, cytochrome P450 2E1, and catalase with 4-methylpyrazole, trans-1,2-dichloroethylene, and 3-amino-1,2,3-triazole restored ethanol-suppressed ureagenic respiration by 46, 37, and 66%, respectively. By contrast, inhibition of aldehyde dehydrogenase with phenethyl isothiocyanate increased the inhibitory effect of ethanol on ureagenic respiration by an additional 60%. AcAld, an intermediate product of ethanol oxidation, suppressed ureagenic respiration with an apparent IC50 of 125 μm. AcAld also inhibited entry of 3-kDa rhodamine-conjugated dextran in the mitochondrial intermembrane space of digitonin-permeabilized hepatocytes, indicative of VDAC closure. In conclusion, AcAld, derived from ethanol metabolism, suppresses ureagenesis in hepatocytes mediated by closure of VDAC.
Managing human resources towards achieving organisational learning

The role of human resource management in learning organisations has been discussed by a number of researchers. However, there is a lack of empirical studies that explore the relationship between human resource practices and organisational learning. This paper aims to address this shortcoming. More specifically, the purpose of this paper is to analyse the relation between four HR practices (hiring, training, compensation and decision-making) and organisational learning. The hypotheses proposed are tested on a sample of 195 Spanish companies using the structural equation modelling technique. The results support the view that selective hiring, strategic training, contingent rewards and employee participation in the decision-making positively influence organisational learning.
Neural network classification of cerebral embolic signals

The presence of circulating cerebral emboli represents an increased risk of stroke. The detection of such emboli is possible with the use of a transcranial Doppler ultrasound (TCD) system. When a gaseous or particulate embolus passes through the TCD sample volume, it produces high intensity transient signals that are normally relatively easily detected. However, because most current TCD systems rely on human experts for the detection and classification of candidate events, this technique is not widely used. The appearance of a reliable automatic system, able to detect these signals and to classify them as originating from either a gaseous or solid source, would encourage the widespread utilization of this technique. This paper reports the application of new signal processing techniques to the analysis and classification of embolic signals. We applied a wavelet neural network algorithm to approximate the embolic signals, with the parameters of the wavelet nodes being used to train a neural network to classify these signals as resulting from normal flow, or from gaseous or solid emboli.
Parathyroid hormone promotes the disassembly of cytoskeletal actin and myosin in cultured osteoblastic cells: Mediation by cyclic AMP

Parathyroid hormone (PTH) alters the shape of osteoblastic cells both in vivo and in vitro. In this study, we examined the effect of PTH on cytoskeletal actin and myosin, estimated by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of Triton X‐100 (1%) nonextractable proteins. After 2–5 minutes, PTH caused a rapid and transient decrease of 50–60% in polymerized actin and myosin associated with the Triton X–100 nonextractable cytoskeleton. Polymerized actin returned to control levels by 30 min. The PTH effect was dose‐dependent with an IC50 of about 1 nM, and was partially inhibited by the (3–34) PTH antagonist. PTH caused a rapid transient rise in cyclic AMP (cAMP) in these cells that peaked at 4 min, while the nadir in cytoskeletal actin and myosin was recorded around 5 min. The intracellular calcium chelator Quin‐2/AM (10 μM) also decreased cytoskeletal actin and myosin, to the same extent as did PTH (100 nM). To distinguish between cAMP elevation and Ca++ reduction as mediators of PTH action, we measured the phosphorylation of the 20 kD (Pl 4.9) myosin light chain in cells preincubated with [32P]‐orthophosphate. The phosphorylation of this protein decreased within 2–3 min after PTH addition and returned to control levels after 5 min. The calcium ionophore A‐23187 did not antagonize this PTH effect. Visualization of microfilaments with rhodamine‐conjugated phalloidin showed that PTH altered the cytoskeleton by decreasing the number of stress fibers. These changes in the cytoskeleton paralleled changes in the shape of the cells from a spread configuration to a stellate form with retracting processes. The above findings indicate that the alteration in osteoblast shape produced by PTH involve relatively rapid and transient changes in cytoskeletal organization that appear to be mediated by cAMP.
A Fuzzy Nonlinear Programming Approach for Optimizing the Performance of a Four-Objective Fluctuation Smoothing Rule in a Wafer Fabrication Factory

In theory, a scheduling problem can be formulated as a mathematical programming problem. In practice, dispatching rules are considered to be a more practical method of scheduling. However, the combination of mathematical programming and fuzzy dispatching rule has rarely been discussed in the literature. In this study, a fuzzy nonlinear programming (FNLP) approach is proposed for optimizing the scheduling performance of a four-factor fluctuation smoothing rule in a wafer fabrication factory. The proposed methodology considers the uncertainty in the remaining cycle time of a job and optimizes a fuzzy four-factor fluctuation-smoothing rule to sequence the jobs in front of each machine. The fuzzy four-factor fluctuation-smoothing rule has five adjustable parameters, the optimization of which results in an FNLP problem. The FNLP problem can be converted into an equivalent nonlinear programming (NLP) problem to be solved. The performance of the proposed methodology has been evaluated with a series of production simulation experiments; these experiments provide sufficient evidence to support the advantages of the proposed method over some existing scheduling methods.
Chromosome 19 rearrangements in ovarian carcinomas: Zinc finger genes are particularly targeted

Chromosome 19 is frequently rearranged in ovarian carcinomas, but the pathogenetic consequences of this are not clearly understood. We performed microarray gene expression analysis on 12 ovarian carcinomas that carry a rearranged chromosome 19 in their karyotype. These aberrant chromosomes have previously been microdissected and analyzed by array‐based CGH. In the current study, we wanted to explore whether the genomic alterations thus detected correlated with changes in gene expression. The microarray gene expression analysis gave information on 407 genes mapping in gained genomic regions on chromosome 19, of which 92 showed association between DNA gain and upregulated expression. Of the genes showing this association, 39 (42%) showed gain in at least two samples. The majority of these 39 genes of interest (n = 24, 62%) encode zinc finger proteins, which otherwise make up only 15% of the approximately 1,400 genes on chromosome 19. The strongest association was found for ZNF223 which was upregulated in samples with genomic gain compared with samples without gain. We suggest that DNA copy number changes brought about by rearrangements of chromosome 19 contribute to ovarian carcinogenesis by leading to upregulation of ZNF223 and other zinc finger genes. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Neighborhood as a predictor of non-aggressive, but not aggressive, antisocial behaviors in adulthood

Background Prior meta-analytic work has highlighted important etiological distinctions between aggressive (AGG) and non-aggressive rule-breaking (RB) dimensions of antisocial behavior. Among these is the finding that RB is influenced by the environment more than is AGG. Relatively little research, however, has sought to identify the specific environmental experiences that contribute to this effect. The current study sought to do just this. Method We examined whether unrelated adults residing in the same neighborhood (n = 1915 participants in 501 neighborhoods) were more similar in their AGG and RB than would be expected by chance. Analyses focused on simple multi-level models, with the participant as the lower-level unit and the neighborhood as the upper-level unit. Results Results revealed little to no evidence of neighborhood-level variance in AGG. By contrast, 11+% of the variance in RB could be predicted from participant neighborhood, results that persisted even when considering the possibility of genetic relatedness across participants and neighborhood selection effects. Moreover, 17% of this neighborhood-level variance in RB was accounted for by neighborhood structural characteristics and social processes. Conclusions Findings bolster prior suggestions that broader contextual experiences, like the structural and social characteristics of one's neighborhood, contribute in a meaningful way to RB in particular. Our results also tentatively imply that this association may be environmental in origin. Future work should seek to develop additional, stronger designs capable of more clearly leveraging genetic un-relatedness to improve causal inferences regarding the environment.
Behavior-Specific Influences for Physical Activity Among African American Women

The purpose of this study was to describe physical activity (PA) behaviors and physical functioning of prehypertensive and Stage I hypertensive African American Women (AAW) and to examine the relationships between PA behavior, physical functioning, personal factors, and behavior-specific influences. Pender’s Health Promotion Model was the conceptual framework for the study. A cross-sectional design and convenience sample were used. The PA domain where the greatest amount of time was spent was in work-related activity, followed by household, leisure time, and transportation activity. Personal factors most strongly correlated to lower PA were greater body mass index and waist circumference. AAW perceived moderate barriers to PA and minimal family and friend social support for PA. Future interventions need to focus on removing barriers to and improving social support for PA among AAW.
The interrelationships among default risk, capital ratio and efficiency: Evidence from Indian banks

Purpose - – The purpose of this paper is to examine the interrelationships among default risk, capital and efficiency of the Indian banking system over 1990-2011. This study also took into account the impact of ownership on these interrelationships Design/methodology/approach - – This paper employed Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) Windows Analysis to estimate efficiency levels and trends of individual banks. This paper then used a model of seemingly unrelated regression equations (SURE) to examine the interrelationships among default risk, capital and efficiency. Findings - – This study found a two-way negative association between efficiency and default risk, and between capital ratio and default risk. However, this study found a two-way positive relationship between capital ratio and only profit efficiency. Public banks behaved differently from private banks regarding the association between capital and efficiency. Moreover, public banks had greater probability of default risk, lower capital ratio but higher efficiency level than private banks. Further, default risk, capital ratio and efficiency of the Indian banking system increased over time, but the two formers were driven by public banks while the latter was driven by private banks. Practical implications - – The findings of this study appear to favour capital ratio as an efficient tool to improve efficiency and reduce default risk of the Indian banking system. Originality/value - – This paper is the first investigating the interrelationships between bank risk, capital and efficiency of the Indian banking system, where bank risk is measured by
Resting state sensorimotor functional connectivity in multiple sclerosis inversely correlates with transcallosal motor pathway transverse diffusivity

Recent studies indicate that functional connectivity using low‐frequency BOLD fluctuations (LFBFs) is reduced between the bilateral primary sensorimotor regions in multiple sclerosis. In addition, it has been shown that pathway‐dependent measures of the transverse diffusivity of water in white matter correlate with related clinical measures of functional deficit in multiple sclerosis. Taken together, these methods suggest that MRI methods can be used to probe both functional connectivity and anatomic connectivity in subjects with known white matter impairment. We report the results of a study comparing anatomic connectivity of the transcallosal motor pathway, as measured with diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and functional connectivity of the bilateral primary sensorimotor cortices (SMC), as measured with LFBFs in the resting state. High angular resolution diffusion imaging was combined with functional MRI to define the transcallosal white matter pathway connecting the bilateral primary SMC. Maps were generated from the probabilistic tracking employed and these maps were used to calculate the mean pathway diffusion measures fractional anisotropy 〈FA〉, mean diffusivity 〈MD〉, longitudinal diffusivity 〈λ1〉, and transverse diffusivity 〈λ2〉. These were compared with LFBF‐based functional connectivity measures (Fc) obtained at rest in a cohort of 11 multiple sclerosis patients and ∼10 age‐ and gender‐matched control subjects. The correlation between 〈FA〉 and Fc for MS patients was r = −0.63, P < 0.04. The correlation between all subjects 〈λ2〉 and Fc was r = 0.42, P < 0.05. The correlation between all subjects 〈λ2〉 and Fc was r = −0.50, P < 0.02. None of the control subject correlations were significant, nor were 〈FA〉, 〈λ1〉, or 〈MD〉 significantly correlated with Fc for MS patients. This constitutes the first in vivo observation of a correlation between measures of anatomic connectivity and functional connectivity using spontaneous LFBFs. Hum Brain Mapp, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.