Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Dissecting the Heterogeneity of Circulating Tumor Cells in Metastatic Breast Cancer: Going Far Beyond the Needle in the Haystack

Although the enumeration of circulating tumor cells (CTC) defined as expressing both epithelial cell adhesion molecule and cytokeratins (EpCAM+/CK+) can predict prognosis and response to therapy in metastatic breast, colon and prostate cancer, its clinical utility (i.e., the ability to improve patient outcome by guiding therapy) has not yet been proven in clinical trials. Therefore, scientists are now focusing on the molecular characterization of CTC as a way to explore its possible use as a “surrogate” of tumor tissues to non-invasively assess the genomic landscape of the cancer and its evolution during treatment. Additionally, evidences confirm the existence of CTC in epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) characterized by a variable loss of epithelial markers. Since the EMT process can originate cells with enhanced invasiveness, stemness and drug-resistance, the enumeration and characterization of this population, perhaps the one truly responsible of tumor recurrence and progression, could be more clinically useful. For these reasons, several devices able to capture CTC independently from the expression of epithelial markers have been developed. In this review, we will describe the types of heterogeneity so far identified and the key role played by the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition in driving CTC heterogeneity. The clinical relevance of detecting CTC-heterogeneity will be discussed as well.
The Oxford Handbook of the Digital Economy

The economic analysis of the digital economy has been a rapidly developing research area for more than a decade. Through authoritative examination by leading scholars, this handbook takes a closer look at particular industries, business practices, and policy issues associated with the digital industry. The volume offers an up-to-date account of key topics, discusses open questions, and provides guidance for future research. It offers a blend of theoretical and empirical works that are central to understanding the digital economy. The chapters are presented in four sections, corresponding with four broad themes: 1) infrastructure, standards, and platforms; 2) the transformation of selling, encompassing both the transformation of traditional selling and new, widespread application of tools such as auctions; 3) user-generated content; and 4) threats in the new digital environment.The first section covers infrastructure, standards, and various platform industries that rely heavily on recent developments in electronic data storage and transmission, including software, video games, payment systems, mobile telecommunications, and B2B commerce. The second section takes account of the reduced costs of online retailing that threatens offline retailers, widespread availability of information as it affects pricing and advertising, digital technology as it allows the widespread employment of novel price and non-price strategies (bundling, price discrimination), and auctions. The third section addresses the emergent phenomenon of user-generated content on the Internet, including the functioning of social networks and open source. The fourth section discusses threats arising from digitization and the Internet, namely digital piracy, privacy, and security concerns.
On the Tracking Problem for Constrained Linear Systems

In the stabilization problem for systems with control and state constraints a domain of attraction is a set of initial states that can be driven to the origin by a feedback control without incurring in constraints violations. If the problem is that of tracking a reference signal, that converges to a constant constraint–admissible value, a tracking domain of attraction is a set of initial states from which the reference signal can be asymptotically approached without constraints violation during the transient. Clearly, since the zero signal is an admissible reference signal, any tracking domain of attraction is a domain of attraction. We show that the opposite is also true. For constant reference signals we establish a connection between the convergence speed of the stabilization problem and tracking convergence which turns out to be independent of the reference signal. We also show that the tracking controller can be inferred from the stabilizing (possibly nonlin-ear) controller associated with the domain of attraction.
Taps Delayed Lines Architecture Based on Linear Transmit Zero-Forcing Approach for Ultra-Wide Band MIMO Communication Systems

In this paper, a transmitter-based multipath processing and inter-channel interference (ICI) cancellation scheme for a ultra-wideband (UWB) spatial multiplexing (SM) multiple input multiple output (MIMO) system is presented. It consists of taps delayed lines and zero-forcing (ZF) filters in the transmitter and correlators in the receiver. For a UWB SM MIMO system with N transmit antennas, M receive antennas, and Q resolvable multipath components, the BER performance of a linear transmit ZF scheme is analyzed in a log-normal fading channel and also compared with that of a receiver-based ICI rejection approach. It is found that when M ≤ N , the transmit ZF processing approach outperforms the ZF receiver while making the mobile units low-cost and low-power.
The Structural Relationship Between Organisational-Information System Related Support, Technology Self-Efficacy, And End-User Satisfaction With E-HRM

The study investigated the structural relationships between organisational information system (IS)-related support and end-user satisfaction with electronic human resource management (E-HRM) in government agencies in Malaysia, called human resource management information system (HRMIS). The moderating effect of technology self-efficacy on the relationships was also examined. A purposive sampling technique specifically judgment sampling was used to recruit participants in 14 state governments and ministries. To collect data, 990 questionnaires were distributed, of which 490 were used for data analysis. The results showed that of four dimensions of organisational IS-related support, only literacy support, technical support, and technology involvement support had significant and positive relationships with end-user satisfaction with HRMIS. Innovation support did not show any significant contribution. Unexpectedly, technology self-efficacy did not demonstrate any moderating effect, suggesting that organisational IS-related support is more crucial than prior computer skill to ensure the effective implementation of HRMIS in government agencies in Malaysia. The theoretical and managerial implications of the results are discussed.
Anterior knee pain following total knee replacement correlates with the OARSI score of the cartilage of the patella

Background — Attempts to relate patellar cartilage involvement to anterior knee pain (AKP) have yielded conflicting results. We determined whether the condition of the cartilage of the patella at the time of knee replacement, as assessed by the OARSI score, correlates with postsurgical AKP. Patients and methods — We prospectively studied 100 patients undergoing knee arthroplasty. At surgery, we photographed and biopsied the articular surface of the patella, leaving the patella unresurfaced. Following determination of the microscopic grade of the patellar cartilage lesion and the stage by analyzing the intraoperative photographs, we calculated the OARSI score. We interviewed the patients 1 year after knee arthroplasty using the HSS patella score for diagnosis of AKP. Results — 57 of 95 patients examined had AKP. The average OARSI score of painless patients was 13 (6–20) and that of patients with AKP was 15 (6–20) (p = 0.04). Patients with OARSI scores of 13–24 had 50% higher risk of AKP (prevalence ratio = 1.5, 95% CI: 1.0–2.3) than patients with OARSI scores of 0–12. Interpretation — The depth and extent of the cartilage lesion of the knee-cap should be considered when deciding between the various options for treatment of the patella during knee replacement.
A Coalescent Model of a Sweep from a Uniquely Derived Standing Variant

The use of genetic polymorphism data to understand the dynamics of adaptation and identify the loci that are involved has become a major pursuit of modern evolutionary genetics. In addition to the classical “hard sweep” hitchhiking model, recent research has drawn attention to the fact that the dynamics of adaptation can play out in a variety of different ways, and that the specific signatures left behind in population genetic data may depend somewhat strongly on these dynamics. One particular model for which a large number of empirical examples are already known is that in which a single derived mutation arises and drifts to some low frequency before an environmental change causes the allele to become beneficial and sweeps to fixation. Here, we pursue an analytical investigation of this model, bolstered and extended via simulation study. We use coalescent theory to develop an analytical approximation for the effect of a sweep from standing variation on the genealogy at the locus of the selected allele and sites tightly linked to it. We show that the distribution of haplotypes that the selected allele is present on at the time of the environmental change can be approximated by considering recombinant haplotypes as alleles in the infinite alleles model. We show that this approximation can be leveraged to make accurate predictions regarding patterns of genetic polymorphism following such a sweep. We then use simulations to highlight which sources of haplotypic information are likely to be most useful in distinguishing this model from neutrality, as well as from other sweep models, such as the classic hard sweep, and multiple mutation soft sweeps. We find that in general, adaptation from a uniquely derived standing variant will be difficult to detect on the basis of genetic polymorphism data alone, and when it can be detected, it will be difficult to distinguish from other varieties of selective sweeps.
Parties and elections in new European democracies

The abrupt transformation of one-party Communist regimes into political systems holding competitive elections challenges theories of democracy by evolution. Part One develops an inter-active model of how the supply of parties by political elites shapes the responses of inexperienced electors, and what this means for the institutionalisation of party systems and party identification. The model is then applied to elections since 1990 in ten Central and East European democracies that are now members of the European Union. Part Two provides a definitive and up to date text of election results and the formation and disappearance of parties in these ten countries. In addition, there is a lengthy chapter on elections in Russia.
Basic psychological needs satisfaction and self-determined motivation among Canadian golf league members

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to examine basic need satisfaction and self-determined motivation of adult golf league participants in Canada. The sample of older adults (426; Mage = 62.08 years) was predominantly male (61.1%, n = 256) and White (95.7%, n = 399), with an income of $125,000 or higher (22.9%, n = 88). A MANOVA revealed significant differences in basic need satisfaction based on the sex, years in golf league and skill level of participants. Hierarchical regression analyses found that basic need satisfaction significantly explained (14.7%) of the variance in autonomous regulation after controlling for years in the league and handicap index. This model did not significantly explain variance in controlled regulation. Conclusions largely supported underpinnings of self-determination theory and also offer unique contributions to adult sport leisure providers.
The Nerves and Muscles of Medusae

1. The responses of Geryonia proboscidalis to electrical and mechanical stimulation have been studied with particular attention to the transmission of excitation. 2. There are two kinds of excitation transmitted across the undersurface of the bell; first, the symmetrical beat is co-ordinated by an isotropic conducting system which acts in a through-conducting, all-or-nothing manner, and produces brief contractions of the circular muscle; secondly, the movements of the manubrium are co-ordinated by a radial conducting system, which produces a maintained contraction of the radial muscles of the manubrium. 3. The independence of these two conducting systems is shown by the simultaneous and yet distinct transmission of the two kinds of excitation in different directions. 4. The contraction wave is not transmitted through the ring nerves faster than over the rest of the bell. 5. The manubrium bends towards a stimulated tentacle, and all the tentacles contract simultaneously, co-ordinated by a through-conducting pathway in the marginal nerve. There is evidence that a polarized pathway carries excitation from this system to the rhythmical marginal centres. 6. Observations of Geryonia held with the axis horizontal show that the steering action is due to an asymmetrical maintained contraction of the velum. 7. The known histological details of the nervous system are compared with the physiological pathways demonstrated by experiment. The differentiation of a primitive isotropic nerve net into distinct tracts with separate functions is essential for the several rapid feeding and swimming activities.
Feeling Marginalized: Turnover of Public-Sector It Professionals

Current market conditions are decreasing the desirability of IT jobs in the public-sector of the United States. Many IT workers in state and local government are facing layoffs, furloughs, loss of benefits and increased payroll deductions. The present circumstances challenge previous notions of support for those working in the public arena. This diminishes the primary incentives associated with public work. Is it also encouraging the best IT professionals to leave? In this empirical study, it is proposed that job satisfaction, perceived organizational support, affective commitment, perceived supervisor support, and organizational rewards will be inversely related to turnover intention when job embeddedness is low. These assertions were tested following a survey of 348 IT workers from 18 public-sector organizations. The results confirmed the hypotheses. Collectively, the predictors accounted for 57.8% of the variance in turnover intention in the research model. This research discusses the implications of these findings, and reviews limitations and future research directions.
Facility Location with Minimax Envy

We study the problem of locating a public facility on a real line or an interval, when agents' costs are their (expected) distances from the location of the facility. Our goal is to minimize the maximum envy over all agents, which we will refer to as the minimax envy objective, while at the same time ensuring that agents will report their most preferred locations truthfully. First, for the problem of locating the facility on a real line, we propose a class of truthful-in-expectation mechanisms that generalize the well-known LRM mechanism [Procaccia and Tennenholtz, 2009; Alon et al., 2009], the best of which has performance arbitrarily close to the social optimum. Then, we restrict the possible locations of the facility to a real interval and consider two cases; when the interval is determined relatively to the agents' reports and when the interval is fixed in advance. For the former case, we prove that for any choice of such an interval, there is a mechanism in the aforementioned class with additive approximation arbitrarily close to the best approximation achieved by any truthful-in-expectation mechanism. For the latter case, we prove that the approximation of the best truthful-in-expectation mechanism is between 1/3 and 1/2.
Modeling Latent Variable Uncertainty for Loss-based Learning

We consider the problem of parameter estimation using weakly supervised datasets, where a training sample consists of the input and a partially specified annotation, which we refer to as the output. The missing information in the annotation is modeled using latent variables. Previous methods overburden a single distribution with two separate tasks: (i) modeling the uncertainty in the latent variables during training; and (ii) making accurate predictions for the output and the latent variables during testing. We propose a novel framework that separates the demands of the two tasks using two distributions: (i) a conditional distribution to model the uncertainty of the latent variables for a given input-output pair; and (ii) a delta distribution to predict the output and the latent variables for a given input. During learning, we encourage agreement between the two distributions by minimizing a loss-based dissimilarity coefficient. Our approach generalizes latent svm in two important ways: (i) it models the uncertainty over latent variables instead of relying on a pointwise estimate; and (ii) it allows the use of loss functions that depend on latent variables, which greatly increases its applicability. We demonstrate the efficacy of our approach on two challenging problems--object detection and action detection--using publicly available datasets.
Numerical Investigation of a Stokes Model for Flow down a Fiber

We numerically solve a fourth order nonlinear partial differential equation derived by Craster and Matar [Craster and Matar, J. Fluid Mech. 553, 85 (2006)] that models a viscous fluid flowing down the outside of a vertical fiber in order to investigate the initial formation of perturbations along the fluid free surface. We compare numerical results of their model to existing experimental data [Smolka et al., Phys. Rev. E 77, 036301 (2008)]. In the simulations, perturbations consistently coalesced with neighboring perturbations during their initial formation, whereas in the experiments no coalescence was observed during this time period. We find that the amplitude growth follows two distinct exponential functions (referred to as phases I and II) in the initial formation of perturbations; in the experiments the data follows only one exponential function. The switch in growth rates from phase I to II is influenced by the coalescence of neighboring perturbations. The wavelength varies throughout the time that a perturbation forms so that the flow is unstable to a range of wavenumber. We compare the growth rates of several perturbations during phase II from the simulations to experimental data. Of the six data sets, the range of growth rate and wavenumber were in excellent agreement in two of the data sets and in fair to good agreement with two other data sets. For the last two data sets, there was no overlap in growth rate and little overlap in wavenumber. We find that linear stability results developed from Craster and Matar’s Stokes flow model are in excellent qualitative agreement with the growth of the perturbations measured during phase II in simulations for all six data sets. Finally, we find that data from simulations consistently overpredict the final perturbation amplitude measured in experiments.
Functional Remediation for Bipolar Disorder

Neurocognitive impairment constitutes a core feature of bipolar illness. The main domains affected are verbal memory, attention, and executive functions. Deficits in these areas as well as difficulties to get functional remission seem to be increased associated with illness progression. Several studies have found a strong relationship between neurocognitive impairment and low functioning in bipolar disorder, as previously reported in other illnesses such as schizophrenia. Cognitive remediation strategies, adapted from work conducted with traumatic brain injury patients and applied to patients with schizophrenia, also need to be adapted to individuals with bipolar disorders. Early intervention using functional remediation, involves neurocognitive techniques and training, but also psychoeducation on cognition-related issues and problem-solving within an ecological framework.
Reticle Design for Minimizing Multiproject Wafer Production Cost

Multiproject wafer (MPW) production cost is sensitive to how the chips are arranged in a reticle. In this paper, we propose a methodology for exploring the reticle floorplan design space to minimize MPW production cost. Experimental results show that our methodology often achieves double-digit cost savings. A study using MPW for volume production shows that the volume cutoff points range from a few thousand dice to tens of thousands of dice. Note to Practitioners-This paper proposes a methodology for minimizing MPW production cost via better chip placement in a reticle (called reticle floorplanning). Our methodology consists of an effective reticle floorplanning method, two simulated wafer dicing methods, two cost estimation models, and a procedure for calculating the cost assumed by each project. A design service company or a foundry can use our methodology to reduce MPW production cost and, thus, provides a more affordable and expedient service to its customers. The reticle floorplanning method and simulated wafer dicing methods employed here are the state-of-the-art. A practitioner should adapt these methods to other MPW problems such as dealing with multitechnology process, placing multiple instances of the same design in a reticle, etc. The cost models should also be revised accordingly. The cost data given in this paper should be used only for reference as mask tooling and wafer fabrication costs constantly change. The cost model proposed for calculating the production cost assumed by each project can serve as a basis for developing a fairer pricing model. The study of using MPW for low to medium-volume production is also very useful. It may help a customer deliver its product earlier to market using a low-cost fabrication program. The problem addressed in this paper becomes much simpler if the side-to-side wafer dicing constraint is removed.
Detection of Mitral Ring Abscess by Two‐dimensional Echocardiography

M-mode and two-dimensional echocardiographic features of mitral ring abscess are described. A round, dense echo mass between the posterior mitral leaflet and left ventricular posterior wall was demonstrated in long- and short-axis views of the left ventricle. The diagnosis of mitral ring abscess was confirmed at surgery. The superiority of two-dimensional echocardiography over M-mode echocardiography for evaluating patients with mitral ring abscess is also discussed.
Does gaze perception facilitate overt orienting?

Recent studies have demonstrated the facilitation of responses to peripheral targets cued by the direction of the gaze of a face. However, in the absence of data from an eye tracker, it has been unclear to what extent these effects are due to the participants making small saccades in response to the cue that bring them closer to the congruent location of the cued targets. We used an eye tracker to show that while such cue-driven saccades occur, they do not account for the main cueing effects observed. Additionally, by using the same general paradigm as has previously been used with infants, we suggest that different mechanisms underlie eye gaze cueing effects in infants and adults.