Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Dielectric properties of human normal, malignant and cirrhotic liver tissue: in vivo and ex vivo measurements from 0.5 to 20 GHz using a precision open-ended coaxial probe

Hepatic malignancies have historically been treated with surgical resection. Due to the shortcomings of this technique, there is interest in other, less invasive, treatment modalities, such as microwave hepatic ablation. Crucial to the development of this technique is the accurate knowledge of the dielectric properties of human liver tissue at microwave frequencies. To this end, we characterized the dielectric properties of in vivo and ex vivo normal, malignant and cirrhotic human liver tissues from 0.5 to 20 GHz. Analysis of our data at 915 MHz and 2.45 GHz indicates that the dielectric properties of ex vivo malignant liver tissue are 19 to 30% higher than normal tissue. The differences in the dielectric properties of in vivo malignant and normal liver tissue are not statistically significant (with the exception of effective conductivity at 915 MHz, where malignant tissue properties are 16% higher than normal). Also, the dielectric properties of in vivo normal liver tissue at 915 MHz and 2.45 GHz are 16 to 43% higher than ex vivo. No statistically significant differences were found between the dielectric properties of in vivo and ex vivo malignant tissue (with the exception of effective conductivity at 915 MHz, where malignant tissue properties are 28% higher than normal). We report the one-pole Cole–Cole parameters for ex vivo normal, malignant and cirrhotic liver tissue in this frequency range. We observe that wideband dielectric properties of in vivo liver tissue are different from the wideband dielectric properties of ex vivo liver tissue, and that the in vivo data cannot be represented in terms of a Cole–Cole model. Further work is needed to uncover the mechanisms responsible for the observed wideband trends in the in vivo liver data.
Gibbs energy minimization in gas + liquid + solid systems

An algorithm is described for the calculation of equilibrium compositions of multiple highly nonideal liquid and solid solutions, as well as pure stoichiometric phases, coexisting with a mixture of ideal gas species at fixed temperature and pressure. The total Gibbs free energy of the system is approximated as a quadratic function of the compositions of the gas phase and stable condensed phases, in an orthogonal basis set of pure elements. Only changes in thermal energy and energy related to pressure‐volume work are considered. The total Gibbs energy is minimized directly by use of both the slope and the curvature of the Gibbs energy surface with respect to the gas and condensed phase compositions in the basis elements. The algorithm described has been implemented in a computer code for the calculation of condensation sequences for cosmic nebular gases enriched in dust. Machine, compiler and library requirements for performing these calculations in the C programming language are compared. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Comput Chem 21: 247–256, 2000
On being dropped and picked up: adopted children and their internal objects

The field of adoption has changed over the past years from one where there were babies available for many adoptive couples to one where increasingly the children who are needing adoption are those who have already suffered deprivations and difficulties in their families of origin, with disrupted attachments and a consequent traumatizing effect of their early history on their internal worlds. Professionals working with these children, who have in effect been 'dropped', face the difficult task not only of placing them appropriately but of supporting their adoptive families. With the new experience of a secure base the original trauma may be reworked, and the new framework tested by these damaged and consequently often damaging children as they replay their feelings of being unwanted and unwantable. In describing once-weekly work with a 6-year-old adopted boy, I suggest that the primary disillusion of his neonatal experience caused an internal catastrophe which was then reworked in his adoptive placement. This child did not experience what Winnicott (1971) called 'gradual disillusion' in terms of his belief that he creates the needed breast, and thus integration of love and hate of the primary object, but remained in a state of hyper-vigilance because of the deficits in his internal world. These deficits have been able partially to be addressed in psychotherapy treatment.
Intensity of Social Network Use by Involvement: A Study of Young

This research focuses on the use of social network sites (SNS) among young Chinese users. There are two objectives of this study. First, the paper examines the characteristics and current situations of SNS in China. The second is to examine the relationship between the types of involvement and the intensity of SNS use. This study uses data from 200 samples, mostly young Chinese users in Beijing, China. Factor analysis suggests four factors: personal involvement in usefulness and usage, physical involvement in trust, and situational involvement in relationships. The total variance explained by all four factors is 67.82 percent. Personal involvement on usefulness accounts for most (33.12%) of the explained variance, followed by physical involvement in trust (13.47%). In general, correlation results show that there are significant relationships between the intensity to use SNS and all types of involvement. Personal involvement in usefulness shows a very strong relationship with the intensity of SNS use(cor=.93). Through regression, the result suggests that only personal involvement in usefulness and physical involvement in trust are in the model, with a value of 88.5 percent for R 2 , which significantly explains the intensity of SNS use. The results from this study provide insightful information on how different types of involvement can influence users’ intensity of SNS use. The mostly frequently used social network sites among participants for this study are Renren, QQ(Qzone) and Sina Space.
Professional Editing Strategies Used by Six Editors

Identifying the approach used by those revision experts par excellence—that is, professional editors—should enable researchers to better grasp the revision process. To further explore this hypothesis, the author conducted research among professional editors, six of whom she filmed as they engaged in their practice. An analysis of their work approach strategies showed their detection strategies to consist in anticipating errors and in comparing the author's text with the editor's knowledge, which appears in a range of states: certitude, uncertainty, and ignorance. Furthermore, the participating editors used problem-solving strategies to automatically solve more than half of the problems encountered in the text. Otherwise, they used immediate or postponed strategies. This description of professional editors in action opens a number of avenues for the further research and development of in-class instruction of self-revision and professional editing.
The role of sex chromosomes in sexual dimorphism: discordance between molecular and phenotypic data

In addition to initial sex determination, genes on the sex chromosomes are theorized to play a particularly important role in phenotypic differences between males and females. Sex chromosomes in many species display molecular signatures consistent with these theoretical predictions, particularly through sex‐specific gene expression. However, the phenotypic implications of this molecular signature are unresolved, and the role of the sex chromosomes in quantitative genetic studies of phenotypic sex differences is largely equivocal. In this article, we examine molecular and phenotypic data in the light of theoretical predictions about masculinization and feminization of the sex chromosomes. Additionally, we discuss the role of genetic and regulatory complexities in the genome–phenotype relationship, and ultimately how these affect the overall role of the sex chromosomes in sex differences.
Improving an evolutionary multi-objective algorithm for the biclustering of gene expression data

The development of new technologies for the design of DNA microarrays has boosted the generation of large volumes of biological data, which requires the development of efficient computational methods for their analysis and annotation. Among these methods, biclusters generation algorithms attempt to identify coherent associations of genes and experimental conditions. In this paper, we introduce an improved version of a multi-objective genetic algorithm to find large biclusters that are, at the same time, highly homogeneous. The proposed improvement uses a group based representation for the genes-conditions associations rather than long binary strings. To assess the proposal performance the algorithm is applied to generate biclusters for two real gene expression data: Saccharomyces Cerevisiae with 2884 genes and 17 conditions, and the human B cells Lymphoma with 4026 genes and 96 conditions. The results of computational experiments show that the proposed approach outperforms current state-of-the-art algorithms on these data sets.
Social Media Integration and E-Commerce Platform Performance: A Randomized Field Experiment

E-commerce platforms can integrate with Facebook to let users directly comment on product pages using their Facebook accounts, a practice known as social media integration. Such integration can boost customer conversion by conveying credible information about product popularity and quality. However, due to the lack of control over the volume and content of user comments, social media integration might also hinder product sales. Given the potential risks and benefits, it is not clear whether an e-commerce platform should embrace social media integration on its website. In this study, we conduct a randomized field experiment in collaboration with a large e-commerce platform in the U.S. to examine the impact of social media integration (in the form of Facebook comment system) on users' shopping behaviors (e.g., adding a product to cart, placing an order). We find that, compared to those in the control group (who see the product page without Facebook comment system), customers in the treatment group (with Facebook comment system) on average have a significantly higher likelihood of adding product to cart (~6% increase) and placing an order (~10% increase). Furthermore, we find interesting heterogeneous treatment effects that align with social learning mechanism: the effect of the integrated Facebook comment system on customer conversion is positive when there are many comments, yet it is negative when there are few comments. Moreover, the positive effect of the integrated Facebook comment system on user conversion is stronger for new buyers than repeat customers. We further conduct difference-in-difference (DID) analysis and show that the Facebook comment system increases the overall demand for products in the experimental section of the platform. Our study contributes to the nascent research on the management of social media functions on online platforms and provides direct managerial implications to the practice.
Pourquoi il n'existe pas d'ethnographie de la citoyenneté

L’article part du constat que les rapports ordinaires a la vie politique n’ont qu’exceptionnellement fait l’objet d’enquetes ethnographiques dans les democraties occidentales. Pourquoi est-ce le cas ? La principale reponse que l’on peut donner renvoie a la pregnance de l’image ideale du « bon citoyen » : un individu qui regulierement forge en lui-meme ses propres opinions et valeurs a partir de ce qu’il entend et voit. Cette norme explique a la fois qu’on considere naturel d’interroger chacun sur le stock d’idees qu’il aurait en tete, et l’absence d’observation directe : comment voir des pensees sans interroger celui qui les possede ? Au final, on s’efforce de monter en quoi une approche ethnographique permettrait de rompre avec cette perspective, c’est-a-dire de rendre leurs places effectives a l’indifference pour la politique comme a l’encastrement social de la participation.
Examining the Role of Relationships, Body Image, Closeness to HIV/AIDS, and HIV Optimism in the Sexual Risks of Young Men Who Have Sex With Men

In this study, the authors examined the effects of HIV optimism, closeness to someone with HIV/AIDS, self-esteem, and body image on sexual risk behavior of men who have sex with men (MSM) who reached sexual maturity after the advent of highly active antiretroviral therapy. Online survey responses from 139 sexually active male participants were considered as a whole and for the subpopulation of males not in steady, monogamous relationships. Knowing someone with HIV/AIDS was related to lower levels of sexual risk taking. The aspect of body image related to weight was also an important factor in safer sex behavior, with perceptions of heavier bodies related to higher sexual risk taking. For single participants only, higher HIV optimism was related to greater sexual risk taking although likely as a function of retrospective justification. The findings from this unique exploratory study of young MSM are discussed in the context of implications for policy around current and future health campaigns.
Connexin45, a Major Connexin of the Rabbit Sinoatrial Node, Is Co-expressed with Connexin43 in a Restricted Zone at the Nodal-Crista Terminalis Border

The pacemaker of the heart, the sinoatrial (SA) node, is characterized by unique electrical coupling properties. To investigate the contribution of gap junction organization and composition to these properties, the spatial pattern of expression of three gap junctional proteins, connexin45 (Cx45), connexin40 (Cx40), and connexin43 (Cx43), was investigated by immunocytochemistry combined with confocal microscopy. The SA nodal regions of rabbits were dissected and rapidly frozen. Serial cryosections were double labeled for Cx45 and Cx43 and for Cx40 and Cx43, using pairs of antibody probes raised in different species. Dual-channel scanning confocal microscopy was applied to allow simultaneous visualization of the different connexins. Cx45 and Cx40, but not Cx43, were expressed in the central SA node. The major part of the SA nodal-crista terminalis border revealed a sharply demarcated boundary between Cx43-expressing myocytes of the crista terminalis and Cx45/Cx40-expressing myocytes of the node. On the endocardial side, however, a transitional zone between the crista terminalis and the periphery of the node was detected in which Cx43 and Cx45 expression merged. These distinct patterns of connexin compartmentation and merger identified suggest a morphological basis for minimization of contact between the tissues, thereby restricting the hyperpolarizing influence of the atrial muscle on the SA node while maintaining a communication route for directed exit of the impulse into the crista terminalis.
Progression of fibrosis in chronic hepatitis C.

BACKGROUND & AIMS Fibrosis is the hallmark of hepatic cirrhosis, worsening of which is probably the best surrogate marker for progression of chronic liver disease. We evaluated a large cohort of patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC) using liver histology to assess the rate and predictors of progression of fibrosis. METHODS The cohort consisted of 123 patients with CHC who underwent 2 liver biopsies 4-212 months (mean, 44 months) apart without intervening treatment. Liver histology was graded using the histology activity index (score, 0-18) and fibrosis staged using a scoring system of 0 (no fibrosis) to 6 (cirrhosis). RESULTS Among 123 patients, 48 (39%) showed progression in fibrosis scores, 46 (37%) showed no change, and 29 (24%) showed improvement. Of those with worsening fibrosis, 75% had a 1-point increase and 25% a 2-point or greater increase in scores, and 9% showed progression to cirrhosis. The overall rate of progression was 0.12 fibrosis units per year, a rate that predicts progression to cirrhosis in 50 years if progression was linear. The rate of fibrosis progression was variable, and it was higher among older patients, those with higher serum alanine and aspartate aminotransferase levels, and those with the most extensive periportal necrosis on initial liver biopsy. CONCLUSIONS The best predictors of fibrosis progression in CHC are the extent of serum aminotransferase elevations and the degree of hepatocellular necrosis and inflammation on liver biopsy. These findings support the recommendation that patients with normal aminotransferase levels and mild liver histology can safely defer treatment.
The Differential Effects of Rural and Urban Upbringing on the Development of Cognitive Styles

Abstract L'A. essaie de cerner les differences entre zones rurales et zones urbaines dans la maniere d'elever les enfants, en prenant Ibusa comme exemple de bourg rural au Nigeria. L'education campagnarde, parce qu'on s'occupe de l'enfant relativement plus longtemps et de facon plus indulgente, favoriserait le developpement d'une “dependance perceptive vis-a-vis du champ”. Pour tester cette hypothese, il administre, d'une part les tests CEFT et RFT a 65 adultes des deux sexes eleves a Ibusa et d'autre part, les tests RFT et EFT a 76 etudiants et etudiantes de l'Universite Nsukka. Les resultats montrent qu'il y a une correlation significative entre les deux tests pour les sujets de l'Universite Nsukka, mais non pour les sujets d'Ibusa. On trouve des differences entre sexes dans les deux echantillons, avec une interaction significative entre sexe et alphabetisation pour les sujets Ibusa. Les etudiants d'education rurale sont significativement plus “dependants du champ” que ceux qui ont ete eleves a la ville.
Minority Youth and Civic Engagement: The Impact of Group Relations

Civic involvement is something that all liberal-democratic governments want to encourage among their young citizens. Much of the literature has focused on the individual and what factors influence him or her to become civically engaged. What has been absent from these analyses of civic participation is an investigation of the impact of groups on the individual's perception of, and participation in, civic activities. This article looks at the impact of ethnic group history on perceptions of civic engagement and argues that, instead of there being 1 civic culture in the United States, there are a variety of civic subcultures; each with their own set of attitudes about civic engagement and a set of concomitant behaviors that they understand to be appropriate contributions to civic life.
TEENAGE FAMILY LIFE, LIFESTYLES AND LIFE CHANCES: ASSOCIATIONS WITH FAMILY STRUCTURE, CONFLICT WITH PARENTS AND JOINT FAMILY ACTIVITY

This paper draws on data from a longitudinal study of a cohort of around 1,000 young people living in the West of Scotland. It investigates the associations between four aspects of family life in mid adolescence (family structure, reason for family disruption, time spent in joint family activities and parent-adolescent conflict) and a range of indicators of current lifestyle and future life chances (health-related and delinquent behaviours; heterosexual intercourse, pregnancy and partnership formation; educational achievement and labour market position). Results show different ‘outcomes’ to be associated with different aspects of family life, the most consistent relationships occurring in respect of time spent in family activities. The majority of relationships remained after accounting for material deprivation and, apart from the association between reason for family disruption and sexual behaviour, were the same for males and females. Most of the relationships between the different aspects of family life and ‘outcome’ were independent, although some of the associations with family structure could be accounted for by differing levels of time in joint activities. The results are discussed in terms of the meaning of each aspect of family life in contemporary society, and the importance of considering the effects of both structural and process aspects of family life is emphasized.
Quantifying Age-dependent Extinction from Species Phylogenies

Several ecological factors that could play into species extinction are expected to correlate with species age, i.e., time elapsed since the species arose by speciation. To date, however, statistical tools to incorporate species age into likelihood-based phylogenetic inference have been lacking. We present here a computational framework to quantify age-dependent extinction through maximum likelihood parameter estimation based on phylogenetic trees, assuming species lifetimes are gamma distributed. Testing on simulated trees shows that neglecting age dependence can lead to biased estimates of key macroevolutionary parameters. We then apply this method to two real data sets, namely a complete phylogeny of birds (class Aves) and a clade of self-compatible and -incompatible nightshades (Solanaceae), gaining initial insights into the extent to which age-dependent extinction may help explain macroevolutionary patterns. Our methods have been added to the R package TreePar.
Discrete-time state and parameter estimation using a set-based approach

This paper presents an observer design strategy for a class of nonlinear systems with unknown parameters based on set-based estimation. Using this approach, it is possible to evaluate dynamic bounds for the parameter and state estimation errors. By the assumption of a known initial uncertainty radius, it is shown that the algorithm is able to update the uncertainty radius without exclude the true parameters and state values from the new contracted set. Moreover, it is showed the observer stability and parameters convergence. Finally, the proposed approach is tested using the simulation of a three-state variable CSTR problem with a partially measured state and two unknown parameters.
Games on Networks: Direct Complements and Indirect Substitutes

We study linear quadratic games played on a network where strategies are complements between neighbors and substitutes between agents at distance-two. We provide micro-founded problems where this pattern of interaction is due to a local congestion effect. Equilibrium behavior systematically differs from a model of peer effects only. First, the ranking of equilibrium actions may not follow that of network centralities, with large behavior prevailing at the periphery of the network. Second, network density affects aggregate behavior in a non-monotonic way. Third, segregating agents according to their preferences has a non-monotonic effect on the polarization of behavior. We relate these patterns to evidence from smoking networks, industrial districts and ethnically fragmented societies. We conclude by discussing the implications for the identification of peer effects.
Burst-mode and ScanSAR interferometry

ScanSAR interferometry is an attractive option for efficient topographic mapping of large areas and for monitoring of large-scale motions. Only ScanSAR interferometry made it possible to map almost the entire landmass of the Earth in the 11-day Shuttle Radar Topography Mission. Also the operational satellites RADARSAT and ENVISAT offer ScanSAR imaging modes and thus allow for repeat-pass ScanSAR interferometry. This paper gives a complete description of ScanSAR and burst-mode interferometric signal properties and compares different processing algorithms. The problems addressed are azimuth scanning pattern synchronization, spectral shift filtering in the presence of high squint, Doppler centroid estimation, different phase-preserving ScanSAR processing algorithms, ScanSAR interferogram formation, coregistration, and beam alignment. Interferograms and digital elevation models from RADARSAT ScanSAR narrow modes are presented. The novel "pack-and-go" algorithm for efficient burst-mode range processing and a new time-variant fast interpolator for interferometric coregistration are introduced.