Memetic Multilevel Hypergraph Partitioning

Hypergraph partitioning has a wide range of important applications such as VLSI design or scientific computing. With focus on solution quality, we develop the first multilevel memetic algorithm to tackle the problem. Key components of our contribution are new effective multilevel recombination and mutation operations that provide a large amount of diversity. We perform a wide range of experiments on a benchmark set containing instances from application areas such VLSI, SAT solving, social networks, and scientific computing. Compared to the state-of-the-art hypergraph partitioning tools hMetis, PaToH, and KaHyPar, our new algorithm computes the best result on almost all instances

Anaplastic astrocytoma (AA) and glioblastoma (GBM): a real-life experience in Padua Neuro-Oncology Center

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Phase II study of Gemcitabine and Curcumin (Meriva®) as first line treatment for locally advanced or metastatic pancreatic cancer: preliminary results

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A one-dimensional Vlasov-Maxwell equilibrium for the force-free Harris sheet

In this paper the first non-linear force-free Vlasov-Maxwell equilibrium is presented. One component of the equilibrium magnetic field has the same spatial structure as the Harris sheet, but whereas the Harris sheet is kept in force balance by pressure gradients, in the force-free solution presented here force balance is maintained by magnetic shear. Magnetic pressure, plasma pressure and plasma density are constant. The method used to find the equilibrium is based on the analogy of the one-dimensional Vlasov-Maxwell equilibrium problem to the motion of a pseudo-particle in a two-dimensional conservative potential. This potential is equivalent to one of the diagonal components of the plasma pressure tensor. After finding the appropriate functional form for this pressure tensor component, the corresponding distribution functions can be found using a Fourier transform method. The force-free solution can be generalized to a complete family of equilibria that describe the transition between the purely pressure-balanced Harris sheet to the force-free Harris sheet.Comment: 10 pages, 2 figures, submitted to PRL, revised versio

'I never felt like she was just doing it for the money': Disabled men's intimate (gendered) realities of purchasing sexual pleasure and intimacy

Scholarly enquiry into the interrelationships of disability and commercial sex remains seriously under-represented within disability and sexuality research. This article, however, draws upon the sexual stories of heterosexual disabled men in order to explore their embodied realities of purchasing of sex, pleasure and intimacy from non-disabled female sex workers. A thematic analysis of these sexual stories revealed multiple and complex motivations for, and experiences of, purchasing of sex, pleasure and intimacy; a purchase ultimately shaped by men’s social and political positioning as disabled and, as with the motivations and experiences of heterosexual non-disabled men, by discourses of hegemonic masculinity and heteronormative sexuality. Given the dearth of research in this area, a number of questions are identified which make important contributions to transdisciplinary knowledges of disabled sexualities, commercial sex work and disabled sexual citizenship

Introducing Automated Reasoning in Network Management

This paper proposes the adoption of Artificial Intelligence techniques in the field of network management and monitoring. In order to allow automated reasoning on networking topics, we constructed an accurate ontological model capable of fitting as more as possible networking concepts. The thoroughly representation of the domain knowledge is used by a Logical Reasoner, which is an expert system capable of performing management tasks typically executed by human experts. The Logical Reasoner is integrated in a distributed multi-agent architecture for network management, which exploits the dynamic reasoning capabilities of the Situation Calculus formalism to provide a powerful system capable of performing high-level management tasks in order to deal with network fault situations. The system exploits programmable network technology to make possible the deployment of code which implements teleo-reactive agents, distributed across the whole network. The information related to network events, generated by programmable sensors deployed on the network devices, is collected by the logical entity where it is merged with general domain knowledge, with a view to identifying the root causes of faults, and to decide on reparative actions