Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Stiles—Crawford Effect of the Second Kind (SCII): A Review

The background which led Stiles to the discovery that the color of a monochromatic ray of light varied with its angle of incidence on the retina, and the developments in the subject since 1937 when this discovery was reported are summarized. Stiles's original measurements of the ‘hue shift’ did not successfully quantify SCII in every part of the spectrum, since it provided only two degrees of freedom while the color changes sometimes require three. Nevertheless, they were the paradigm for most subsequent work for the next quarter of a century. Full quantification of the effect was first obtained by trichromatic matching on Stiles's NPL trichromator almost 25 years after the initial discovery. The phenomena were then also fully described quantitatively with an elaboration of Stiles's original theory (‘self-screening’ theory), on the assumption that the ordinary laws of additivity are valid for color matches of three primaries striking the retina at one angle of obliquity to a test incident at a different angle. More recent experiments suggest that this initial assumption may not be generally true and that ‘self-screening’ theory may not generally provide a satisfactory description of the color changes throughout the visible spectrum, even for measurements of the effect obtained under conditions in which the additivity assumption seems to be valid. However, the available data strongly imply that absorptions of photons obliquely incident on foveal cones depend upon spectra clearly different from those upon which absorptions of normally incident photons depend.
Improved approximation algorithms for multidimensional bin packing problems

In this paper we introduce a new general framework for set covering problems, based on the combination of randomized rounding of the (near-)optimal solution of the linear programming (LP) relaxation, leading to a partial integer solution, and the application of a well-behaved approximation algorithm to complete this solution. If the value of the solution returned by the latter can be bounded in a suitable way, as is the case for the most relevant generalizations of bin packing, the method leads to improved approximation guarantees, along with a proof of tighter integrality gaps for the LP relaxation. Applying our general framework we obtain a polynomial-time randomized algorithm for d-dimensional vector packing with approximation guarantee arbitrarily close to ln d + 1. For d = 2, this value is 1.693 . , i.e., we break the natural 2 "barrier" for this case. Moreover, for small values of d this is a notable improvement over the previously-known O(ln d) guarantee by Chekuri and Khanna (2004). For 2-dimensional bin packing with and without rotations, we construct algorithms with performance guarantee arbitrarily close to 1.525. , improving upon previous algorithms with performance guarantee of 2 + epsiv by Jansen and Zhang (2004) for the problem with rotations and1.691. by Caprara (2002) for the problem without rotations. The previously-unknown key property used in our proofs follows from a retrospective analysis of the implications of the landmark bin packing approximation scheme by Fernandez de la Vega and Lueker (1981). We prove that their approximation scheme is "subset oblivious", which leads to numerous applications. Another byproduct of our paper is an algorithm that solves a well-known configuration LP for 2-dimensional bin packing within a factor of (1 + epsiv) for any epsiv gt; 0. Interestingly, we do it without using an approximate separation oracle, which would correspond to a well-known geometric 2-dimensional knapsack. Although separation and optimization are equivalent (M. Grotschel et al, 1988) and the existence of an approximation scheme for the separation problem remains open, we are able to design an approximation scheme for the configuration LP since its objective function is unweighed
Models of cognition and constraints from neuroscience: A case study involving consolidation

Abstract Consolidation refers to the putative process by which existing memories are strengthened over time. There is a widespread consensus within the neuroscientific community that consolidation is an important component of human memory. By contrast, the notion is rarely employed by cognitive modellers. We focus on behavioural data that have frequently been cited in support of consolidation—for example, the Ribot gradient in amnesia and the temporal effects of retroactive interference—and show that (1) those data are in fact problematic for classic consolidation theory and (2) can be explained readily within a cognitive model based on temporal distinctiveness. We suggest that this changes the evidentiary landscape for consolidation and narrows the field of supporting evidence.
Evaluation of short pulse thermal transient measurements

Thermal transient recording and the time constant spectrum analysis are widely used methods in the testing and qualification of IC packages. A limitation of these methods is that recording of the complete transient response requires long time. The paper offers algorithms to evaluate short pulse and short time measurements. These methods are suitable if only the extraction of the short time constants are needed. This is the case if the transient method is used for die attach quality checking.
Holding and letting go : the social practice of personal identities

Preface Acknowledgments 1. What Child Is This? The Practice of Personhood 2. The Architect and The Bee: Calling the Fetus into Personhood 3. Second Persons: The Work of Identity Formation 4. Ordinary Identity-Work: How We Usually Go On 5. Struggling to Catch Up: Challenges to Identity-Work 6. What and When to Let Go: Identities at the End of Life 7. What Does It All Mean? References Index
Two gates are better than one [double-gate MOSFET process]

A planar self-aligned double-gate MOSFET process has been implemented where a unique sidewall source/drain structure (S/D) permits self-aligned patterning of the back-gate layer after the S/D structure is in place. This allows coupling the silicon thickness control inherent in a planar, unpatterned layer with VLSI self-alignment techniques and also gives independently controlled front and back gates. The demanding structure led to process innovations primarily in front-end CMP, where planarity within 5 nm was achieved on an 8-in diameter wafer as well as in silicided silicon source/drain sidewalls, with minimal encroachment of the silicide. Double-gate FET (DGFET) operation is demonstrated, with good transport at both interfaces. Dense circuit layouts are achieved with multifinger devices, and logic inverters with back-gate-controlled load current as well as NOR logic using the two gates of a single transistor as inputs are demonstrated.
Learning based decomposition for polarmetric SAR images

In this paper, the algorithm of K-SVD learning dictionary is applied to target decomposition for polarimetric SAR (PolSAR) images. This algorithm can obtain a set of bases self-adaptively according to the data on each channel of PolSAR, to make polarimetric data become more differentiated on this set of bases. Experiments on the data acquired through polarization SAR equipment developed by China for the first time show that features decomposed through K-SVD algorithm perform better than features based on the physical mechanism of PolSAR when used for classification.
Optimal-resilience proactive public-key cryptosystems

We introduce new efficient techniques for sharing cryptographic functions in a distributed dynamic fashion. These techniques dynamically and securely transform a distributed function (or secret sharing) representation between t-out-of-l (polynomial sharing) and t-out-of-t (additive sharing). We call the techniques poly-to-sum and sum-to-poly, respectively. Employing these techniques, we solve a number of open problems in the area of cryptographic function sharing. We design a threshold function sharing scheme with proactive security for general functions with a "homomorphic property" (a class which includes all RSA variants and Discrete logarithm variants). The sharing has "optimal resilience" (server redundancy) and enables computation of the function by the servers assuring high availability, security and efficiency. Proactive security enables function sharing among servers while tolerating an adversary which is mobile and which dynamically corrupts and abandons servers (and perhaps visits all of them over the lifetime of the system, as long as the number of corruptions (faults) is bounded within a time period). Optimal resilience assures that the adversary can corrupt any minority of servers at any time-period.
Alteration of Blood–Brain Barrier Integrity by Retroviral Infection

The blood–brain barrier (BBB), which forms the interface between the blood and the cerebral parenchyma, has been shown to be disrupted during retroviral-associated neuromyelopathies. Human T Lymphotropic Virus (HTLV-1) Associated Myelopathy/Tropical Spastic Paraparesis (HAM/TSP) is a slowly progressive neurodegenerative disease associated with BBB breakdown. The BBB is composed of three cell types: endothelial cells, pericytes and astrocytes. Although astrocytes have been shown to be infected by HTLV-1, until now, little was known about the susceptibility of BBB endothelial cells to HTLV-1 infection and the impact of such an infection on BBB function. We first demonstrated that human cerebral endothelial cells express the receptors for HTLV-1 (GLUT-1, Neuropilin-1 and heparan sulfate proteoglycans), both in vitro, in a human cerebral endothelial cell line, and ex vivo, on spinal cord autopsy sections from HAM/TSP and non-infected control cases. In situ hybridization revealed HTLV-1 transcripts associated with the vasculature in HAM/TSP. We were able to confirm that the endothelial cells could be productively infected in vitro by HTLV-1 and that blocking of either HSPGs, Neuropilin 1 or Glut1 inhibits this process. The expression of the tight-junction proteins within the HTLV-1 infected endothelial cells was altered. These cells were no longer able to form a functional barrier, since BBB permeability and lymphocyte passage through the monolayer of endothelial cells were increased. This work constitutes the first report of susceptibility of human cerebral endothelial cells to HTLV-1 infection, with implications for HTLV-1 passage through the BBB and subsequent deregulation of the central nervous system homeostasis. We propose that the susceptibility of cerebral endothelial cells to retroviral infection and subsequent BBB dysfunction is an important aspect of HAM/TSP pathogenesis and should be considered in the design of future therapeutics strategies.
Quantitation and prognostic value of breast cancer angiogenesis: Comparison of microvessel density, Chalkley count, and computer image analysis

In some studies of breast cancer, quantitation of immunohistochemically highlighted microvessel ‘hot spots’ has been shown to be a powerful prognostic tool. However, the antibody used, the number and size of the ‘hot spots’ assessed, and the stratification of patients into high and low vascular groups vary between studies. Furthermore, little is known about the relationship between microvessel density and other vascular parameters. These uncertainties and the laborious nature of the technique make it unsuitable for diagnostic practice. Both manual and computerized image analysis techniques were used in this study to examine the relationship between microvessel density and the vascular parameters in different sized microscopic fields in a pilot series of 30 invasive breast carcinomas. Automated pixel analysis of immunohistochemical staining, Chalkley point counting, and observer subjective vascular grading were also assessed as more rapid methods of measuring tumour vascularity. A Chalkley count was also performed on a further 211 invasive breast carcinomas. Significant correlations were observed between manual microvessel density and luminal perimeter (r=0·6, P=0·0004), luminal area (r=0·56, P=0·002), and microvessel number (r=0·57, P=0·0009) by computerized analysis. There were also significant correlations between the microscopic hot spots of 0·155 mm2 and 0.848 mm2 for microvessel number (r=0·81, P>0·00005), luminal perimeter (r=0·78, P<0·00005), and luminal area (r=0·65, P=0·0001). In addition, a significant correlation was observed between microvessel density and both subjective vascular grade (P=0·002) and Chalkley count (P=0·0001). A significant reduction in overall survival was observed between patients stratified by Chalkley count in both a univariate (P=0·02) and a multivariate (P=0·05) analysis in the 211 invasive breast carcinomas. These findings show that Chalkley counting is a rapid method of quantifying tumour angiogenesis and gives independent prognostic information which might be useful in diagnostic practice.
Exploring the Association between Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer Thickness and Initial Magnetic Resonance Imaging Findings in Patients with Acute Optic Neuritis

Background. Recent studies have shown that OCT-measured retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) values may represent a marker for axonal damage in the anterior visual pathway of optic neuritis (ON) and multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. The goal of this study was to determine the link between RNFL values and initial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) evidence of central nervous system (CNS) inflammation in patients with acute ON. Methods. Fifty patients who experienced ON as a clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) were followed for a mean period of 34 months with OCT testing. RNFL values in affected (ON) eyes and clinically unaffected (non-ON) eyes were compared between patients with MRI evidence of white matter lesions and those with normal baseline MRI findings, over a two year period. Findings. Twenty-one patients (42%) developed clinically definite MS (CDMS) during the study. After two years, temporal RNFL values were thinner (P = .07) in ON patients with MRI lesions at baseline, but the results were not significant. Conclusions. There is no association between RNFL values and baseline MRI status in ON patients at risk for future CDMS over a two year period.
1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 modulates cytokine production induced by Candida albicans: impact of seasonal variation of immune responses.

BACKGROUND Our interest in immunological effects produced by vitamin D(3) (1,25(OH)(2)D(3)) and its therapeutic potential prompted us to examine the role of 1,25(OH)(2)D(3) on cytokine production by Candida albicans. METHODS Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) with stimulated C. albicans and 1,25(OH)(2)D(3), cytokine concentrations were measured in supernatant. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) was performed for T cell transcription factors, SOCS1 and 3. TLR2/4, Dectin-1, and mannose receptor expression was studied using flow cytometry and qPCR. An ex-vivo stimulation study was carried out in healthy volunteers to investigate the seasonality of immune response to C. albicans. RESULTS Upon in vitro C. albicans stimulation, 1,25(OH)(2)D(3) induced a dose-dependent, down-regulation of IL-6, TNFα, IL-17, and IFNγ. It also increased IL-10 production. The shift in cytokine profile was not due to 1,25(OH)(2)D(3) augmenting expression of either Thelper differentiation factors or SOCS1 and SOCS3 mRNA. 1,25(OH)(2)D(3) inhibited TLR2, TLR4, Dectin-1, and MR mRNA and protein expression. In our seasonality study, both IL-17 and IFNγ levels were suppressed in summer when 25(OH)D(3) levels were elevated. CONCLUSION Vitamin D(3) skews cytokine responses toward an antiinflammatory profile, mediated by suppression of TLR2, TLR4, Dectin-1, and MR transcription, leading to reduced surface expression. The biological relevance of these effects has been confirmed by the seasonality of cytokine responses.
The descriptor continuous-time algebraic Riccati equation: Numerical solution and application

We investigate the numerical solution of a special type of descriptor continuous-time Riccati equation which is key to several problems in robust control formulated for a general system. We give necessary and sufficient existence conditions together with computable formulas for both stabilizing and antistabilizing solutions in terms of an associated matrix pencil. Analytic formulas for computing normalized coprime factorizations of a general system are presented as a direct application.
Learning to Teach Literature in California: Challenging the Rules for Standardized Instruction. Research Series No. 200.

A longitudinal study, involving five beginning teachers, revolved around questions about how teachers' own emerging theories of literacy instruction are shaped by their interactions with other theories and perspectives and through their own work with students who are learning to read, write, and understand text in schools. Trained in the whole language or process approach to literature, the teachers in this study found it difficult to implement that approach with inner-city African-American, Latino, and Filipino students. The purpose of the study was both to inform teacher education policy and to provide teacher educators with ideas for better supporting Wginning teachers. Triangulated data sources which documented the new teachers' learning consisted of audiotaped transcripts of monthly collaborative meetings and bimonthly videotaped classroom observations of literacy lessons as well as audiotaped open-ended interviews with the teachers. These teachers' experiences suggest at least three areas for reform in literacy education: reconsidering programmatic attention to beginning reading; integrating knowledge of literacy and school cultures; and redefining the boundaries of teacher education. All of the teachers found that sticking to the popular and policy-imposed "rules" for using original literature in any form was inappropriate for many children. The stories told by these teachers suggest that it may be beneficial to support beginning teachers internally as they are learning to teach literature. Without this support, the difficulty in learning to teach a literature-based, whole-language program designed to give all children access to literacy may lie with the institutional rules in schools and not with the new teachers. (Eighteen references are attached.) (MG)
Stress, Theory of Mind and emotional and behavioural difficulties in children.

This review focuses on the nature of individual differences in Theory of Mind (ToM) and examines evidence concerning the links between ToM and children's emotional and behavioural problems. An introduction to ToM is given, followed by a brief synopsis of what is known about the influences on individual differences in ToM. The review considers ToM in relation to peer rejection, attention and behavioural difficulties, bullying and emotional difficulties. Research in these areas is in its infancy and the review describes the difficulties intrinsic to this type of research (for example, measuring ToM) as well as drawing the reader to the importance and potential implications of ToM research in child development and the development of psychological difficulties. Ideas for further research are proposed.
Stimulating Neoblast-Like Cell Proliferation in Juvenile Fasciola hepatica Supports Growth and Progression towards the Adult Phenotype In Vitro

Fascioliasis (or fasciolosis) is a socioeconomically important parasitic disease caused by liver flukes of the genus Fasciola. Flukicide resistance has exposed the need for new drugs and/or a vaccine for liver fluke control. A rapidly improving ‘molecular toolbox’ for liver fluke encompasses quality genomic/transcriptomic datasets and an RNA interference platform that facilitates functional genomics approaches to drug/vaccine target validation. The exploitation of these resources is undermined by the absence of effective culture/maintenance systems that would support in vitro studies on juvenile fluke development/biology. Here we report markedly improved in vitro maintenance methods for Fasciola hepatica that achieved 65% survival of juvenile fluke after 6 months in standard cell culture medium supplemented with 50% chicken serum. We discovered that this long-term maintenance was dependent upon fluke growth, which was supported by increased proliferation of cells resembling the “neoblast” stem cells described in other flatworms. Growth led to dramatic morphological changes in juveniles, including the development of the digestive tract, reproductive organs and the tegument, towards more adult-like forms. The inhibition of DNA synthesis prevented neoblast-like cell proliferation and inhibited growth/development. Supporting our assertion that we have triggered the development of juveniles towards adult-like fluke, mass spectrometric analyses showed that growing fluke have an excretory/secretory protein profile that is distinct from that of newly-excysted juveniles and more closely resembles that of ex vivo immature and adult fluke. Further, in vitro maintained fluke displayed a transition in their movement from the probing behaviour associated with migrating stage worms to a slower wave-like motility seen in adults. Our ability to stimulate neoblast-like cell proliferation and growth in F. hepatica underpins the first simple platform for their long-term in vitro study, complementing the recent expansion in liver fluke resources and facilitating in vitro target validation studies of the developmental biology of liver fluke.
Multiple-Level Feature-Based Measure for Retargeted Image Quality

Objective image retargeting quality assessment aims to use computational models to predict the retargeted image quality consistent with subjective perception. In this paper, we propose a multiple-level feature (MLF)-based quality measure to predict the perceptual quality of retargeted images. We first provide an in-depth analysis on the low-level aspect ratio similarity feature, and then propose a mid-level edge group similarity feature, to better address the shape/structure related distortion. Furthermore, a high-level face block similarity feature is designed to deal with sensitive region deformation. The multiple-level features are complementary as they quantify different aspects of quality degradation in the retargeted image, and the MLF measure learned by regression is used to predict the perceptual quality of retargeted images. Extensive experimental results performed on two public benchmark databases demonstrate that the proposed MLF measure achieves higher quality prediction accuracy than the existing relevant state-of-the-art quality measures.