Clone detection finds application in many software engineering activities such as comprehension and refactoring. However, the confounding configuration choice problem poses a widely-acknowledged threat to the validity of previous empirical analyses. We introduce desktop and parallelised cloud-deployed versions of a search based solution that finds suitable configurations for empirical studies. We evaluate our approach on 6 widely used clone detection tools applied to the Bellon suite of 8 subject systems. Our evaluation reports the results of 9.3 million total executions of a clone tool; the largest study yet reported. Our approach finds significantly better configurations (p < 0.05) than those currently used, providing evidence that our approach can ameliorate the confounding configuration choice problem.

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The objective of this study was to compare the effects of natural clinoptilolite and modified clinoptilolite on growth performance and antioxidant capacity in broiler chicks. Two hundred forty 1-day-old commercial Arbor Acres broilers were randomly distributed into three treatments, each of which had eight replicates. Each replicate contains 10 chicks. Control (CON) group fed with the basal diets, natural clinoptilolite (NCLI) group fed basal diets with 2 % natural clinoptilolite, and modified clinoptilolite (MCLI) group fed basal diets with 2 % modified clinoptilolite for 42 days. The results showed that the 2 % supplementation of natural clinoptilolite and modified clinoptilolite had no adverse effect on growth performance of broilers at 42 days of age. Relative weights of organs were not influenced by dietary treatments at 21 and 42 days. The activity of total nitric oxide synthase was significantly (P < 0.05) decreased in MCLI group than CON group at 21 days of age. At 21 and 42 days, the activities of glutathione peroxidase, catalase, total superoxide dismutase, total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) were significantly (P < 0.05) increased in NCLI and MCLI groups than the CON group while there was no difference in T-AOC between CON and NCLI groups. The malondialdehyde content was significantly (P < 0.05) decreased in NCLI and MCLI groups than the CON group. It was concluded that the addition of 2 % natural clinoptilolite and modified clinoptilolite to diet can improve antioxidant capacity in broilers, although their effects on growth performance was negligible.

A record‐breaking extreme rainfall event with a maximum rainfall amount over 24 h of 524.1 mm occurred in Guangzhou, China, on May 06–07, 2017. To study the impact of land surface processes on this extreme rainfall, two 21‐member convective‐permitting ensemble forecasts over South China were performed based on two land surface models (LSMs), Noah and Community Land Model (CLM), and 21 forecasting members of the Global Ensemble Forecast System (GEFS). The results showed that, in general, members using the Noah LSM could better simulate urban heat islands (UHIs) and urban convection than members using the CLM LSM in this case. By investigating the ensemble member that most resembled the observations, it was found that the high temperature center in the urban area caused a thermal low in the early stage. As the southerly winds strengthened, the low‐level convergence line continued moving northward and eventually triggered convection in the mountainous region. A sensitivity experiment showed that the impact of land surface heterogeneity on precipitation could be reflected on a finer scale, and heavy rainfall was very sensitive to the changes in small‐scale land surface forces, including terrain and land use. Slight variations in small‐scale land surface conditions caused great responses in the total precipitation, indicating that for the occurrence of such quasi‐stationary extreme rainfall, a subtle balance between different atmospheric and land surface factors may be required.