Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The plasminogen activator/plasmin system.

proteases and inhibitors has been shown to be under the control of hormones and growth factors. Plasminogen activators (PAs) and their inhibitors (PAIs) are thought to be key participants in the balance ofproteolytic and antiproteolytic activities that regulates matrix turnover. This article summarizes the evidence that supports this contention, discusses the role ofPAspecific cell surface binding sites, and also draws attention to a number of instances in which the presence ofPAs cannot be reconciled with an exclusive function in ECM degradation.
Developmental Profile of Annexin IX and its Possible Role in Programmed Cell Death of the Bombyx mori Anterior Silk Gland

Abstract During pupal metamorphosis, the anterior silk gland (ASG) of the silkworm, Bombyx mori, undergoes programmed cell death (PCD), which is triggered by 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E). Annexin IX (ANX IX) has been identified as a 20E-inducible gene in dying ASGs, and we show here that its expression is down-regulated in tissues destined to die but not in tissues that survive pupal metamorphosis. ANX IX expression was high in the ASGs during the feeding period, when the ecdysteroid titer was low, and decreased in response to the rising ecdysteroid titer that triggered pupal metamorphosis. Before gut purge, in vitro exposure of the ASGs to 20E levels corresponding to the ecdysteroid concentration present at the time of gut purge caused a decrease in ANX IX messenger RNA levels. Expression profiles of EcR and USP, and the 20E concentration-responses of these genes, indicate the importance of the relative abundance of EcR-A and EcR-B1 isoforms in ANX IX regulation. These results suggest an involvement of ANX IX in the determination of PCD timing by delaying or suppressing the response to the increase in hemolymph ecdysteroid concentration during the prepupal period.
Small-world phenomena in physics: the Ising model

The Ising system with a small fraction of random long-range interactions is the simplest example of small-world phenomena in physics. Considering the latter both in an annealed and in a quenched state we conclude that: (a) the existence of random long-range interactions leads to a phase transition in the one-dimensional case and (b) there is a minimal average number p of these interactions per site (p<1 in the annealed state, and p1 in the quenched state) needed for the appearance of the phase transition. Note that the average number of these bonds, pN/2, is much smaller than the total number of bonds, N2/2.
Hydrodynamics of lattice-gas automata.

Discussion de l'hydrodynamique lineaire et non lineaire des automates reseau-gaz a 2 dimensions. En plus des modes sonores et de cisaillement, il y a 3 nouveaux modes hydrodynamiques. Il y a un couplage non lineaire entre 2 classes de modes et, alors que les nouvelles densites conservees convergent par suite de la densite de moments, on met en evidence des termes qui dependent uniquement des nouveau modes
RF photonics for simultaneous beam imaging RADAR

There is a growing need for RADAR systems to address short range sensing problems where standard electro-optic sensors are impeded. From convoy situational awareness to rotorcraft brownout, there are a growing number of military requirements to address degraded visual environments (DVE) where new solutions are needed to provide feedback to the operator in both manned and unmanned platforms. In such environments, millimeter-wave RADAR could potentially provide the necessary obscurant penetration for sensing in DVE, while maintaining sufficient resolution for operational awareness. However, to achieve real-time, low-latency sensing as required for most military applications, traditional raster swept beam approaches to spatial image formation cannot provide sufficient update rates for modest sensor field of regard and image resolution. Additionally, for such short range applications RADAR instantaneous bandwidths must be high to accommodate range resolutions commensurate with the application. One approach that is being taken to create more flexible RADARs for these and other applications, is to use active electronically scanned array (AESA) technologies combined with digital beamforming, where multiple beams can be analyzed simultaneously using digital processing techniques. However, such techniques require immense processing bandwidths as each beam to be formed in a given time window must be processed at a rate sufficient to encompass the instantaneous bandwidth of the RADAR return. As such, limits on processing power often limit the beam-bandwidth product that can be achieved using digitally beam formed arrays.
Dry eye in allergic conjunctivitis: role of inflammatory infiltrate.

Dry-eye associated symptoms are frequently present in patients affected with allergic conjunctivitis. We evaluated the relationship between ocular inflammation and the tear film parameters in patients affected with chronic allergic conjunctivitis. Eighty-two subjects (age 23.00 ± 7.61: range 10-40) affected with chronic allergic conjunctivitis and thirty age- and sex matched healthy controls were enrolled. In all patients tear film qualitative and quantitative tests were performed. To determine the immune activation state, conjunctival biopsies were obtained from the inferior conjunctival fornix. Immunocytochemical markers for CD45RO, CD8, CD20 and EG2 (monoclonal antibody binding eosinophil cationic protein) were evaluated semiquantitatively. All tear film tests were found altered. They were reduced in allergic patients (p<0.001). In conjunctival biopsies of allergic patients a very high number of CD45RO+ and EG2+ cells were found (p<0.001): a lower number of CD45RO+ cells and no EG2+ cells in control biopsies were found. Multivariate analysis showed a significant relationship between tear tests and conjunctival infiltrate (CD45RO+ and EG2+): The tear film alterations are strictly related to the conjunctival immune infiltration. In particular, the reduction of the mucin-related component of tear film can be related to the toxic effect of the granule cationic proteins released by the conjunctival activated eosinophils (EG2+ cells).
Mapping the EORTC QLQ C-30 onto the EQ-5D instrument: the potential to estimate QALYs without generic preference data.

OBJECTIVES The aim of this article is to map the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) QLQ C-30 onto the EQ-5D measure to enable the estimation of health state values based on the EORTC QLQ C-30 data. The EORTC QLQ C-30 is of interest because it is the most commonly used instrument to measure the quality of life of cancer patients. METHODS Regression analysis is used to establish the relationship between the two instruments. The performance of the model is assessed in terms of how well the responses to the EORTC QLQ C-30 predict the EQ-5D responses for a separate data set. RESULTS The results showed that the model explaining EQ-5D values predicted well. All of the actual values were within the 95% confidence intervals of the predicted values. More importantly, predicted difference in quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) between the arms of the trial was almost identical to the actual difference. CONCLUSION There is potential to estimate EQ-5D values using responses to the disease-specific EORTC QLQ C-30 measure of quality of life. Such potential implies that in studies that do not include disease-specific measures, it might still be possible to estimate QALYs.
Atmospheric conditions evaluation for lucky imaging at Xinglong Observatory

Lucky imaging is a method of high resolution imaging without Adaptive Optics (AO) system, and widespread in astronomy and space target observation. We measured atmospheric conditions at Xinglong Observatory, and evaluated the feasibility for lucky imaging. Atmospheric seeing is acquired by Differential Image Motion Monitor (DIMM), of which the median value is 1.37". atmospheric dispersion is obtained in four bands with ranges of 360 nm–440 nm, 360 nm–550 nm, 360–640 nm and 360 nm–790 nm with an 80 cm telescope, and zenith angle was fixed to 59.8°, 57.6°, 48.1°, 47.8° and 36.4° in each band, respectively. The results of the calculation which based on real parameters and of the measurement are consistent well with each other. Atmospheric extinction of BVRI was obtained with an 85cm telescope and skylight data obtained with Sky Quality Meter (SQM). The measured result indicates that lucky imaging with 50–115 cm telescope is fit for Xinglong Observatory at clear night in good seeing, and that atmospheric dispersion corrector is needed for observations. It also indicates that observation with long-wave is beneficial to decrease atmospheric dispersion and extinction and increase efficiency.
Toward rationally redesigning bacterial two-component signaling systems using coevolutionary information

Significance Our study uses amino acid coevolutionary information to better understand how bacterial two-component signaling (TCS) proteins preferentially interact with their correct partners while avoiding interactions with nonpartners. We extract coevolutionary couplings from sequences of TCS partners and study how coevolution is necessary to maintain their ability to transfer signals with high specificity. We use these coevolving couplings to devise a metric, which can predict the effects of mutations in the quality of signal transmission observed in vitro and provide support to the hypothesis that hybrid TCS proteins have reduced specificity. Our metric can potentially be used to redesign a TCS protein to preferentially interact with a nonpartner. Furthermore, our study can potentially be extended to networks of interacting proteins. A challenge in molecular biology is to distinguish the key subset of residues that allow two-component signaling (TCS) proteins to recognize their correct signaling partner such that they can transiently bind and transfer signal, i.e., phosphoryl group. Detailed knowledge of this information would allow one to search sequence space for mutations that can be used to systematically tune the signal transmission between TCS partners as well as potentially encode a TCS protein to preferentially transfer signals to a nonpartner. Motivated by the notion that this detailed information is found in sequence data, we explore the sequence coevolution between signaling partners to better understand how mutations can positively or negatively alter their ability to transfer signal. Using direct coupling analysis for determining evolutionarily conserved protein–protein interactions, we apply a metric called the direct information score to quantify mutational changes in the interaction between TCS proteins and demonstrate that it accurately correlates with experimental mutagenesis studies probing the mutational change in measured in vitro phosphotransfer. Furthermore, by subtracting from our metric an appropriate null model corresponding to generic, conserved features in TCS signaling pairs, we can isolate the determinants that give rise to interaction specificity and recognition, which are variable among different TCS partners. Our methodology forms a potential framework for the rational design of TCS systems by allowing one to quickly search sequence space for mutations or even entirely new sequences that can increase or decrease our metric, as a proxy for increasing or decreasing phosphotransfer ability between TCS proteins.
Measurement of Anterior Scleral Curvature Using Anterior Segment OCT

Purpose To investigate and validate methods for measuring the radius of anterior scleral curvature using anterior segment optical coherence tomography images. Methods Twenty-four volunteers were enrolled in this study. Anterior segment optical coherence tomography images, centered on horizontal/vertical limbus, including adjacent anterior sclera, were obtained in addition to conventional images centered on the optical axis. Central horizontal, nasal, and temporal optical coherence tomography images were consolidated to a new image for subsequent analyses. The reference points of limbal surface and three scleral points were marked nasally and temporally. The radius of a best-fit circle to the six scleral points was derived (the BFC [best-fit circle] method) and the radii of two circles, the centers of which are on the optical axis and pass through the points of the scleral surface at 2 mm from the limbus nasally and temporally, were calculated (the axial method). To assess the reliability and accuracy of each method, intraobserver and interobserver agreements were analyzed and the radii of contact lenses with known curvatures were measured. Results The mean (±SD) radius of a BFC was 13.12 (±0.80) mm. The mean (±SD) radius of nasal anterior scleral curvature (13.33 ± 1.12 mm) was significantly greater than that of temporal anterior scleral curvature (12.32 ± 0.77 mm) (paired samples t test, p < 0.001). The BFC and axial methods showed excellent intraobserver and interobserver agreements for measurements (intraclass correlation coefficient > 0.75, p < 0.001), whereas both methods showed a tendency to slightly underestimate the actual curvature of a rigid contact lens of known dimensions (−0.07 ± 0.13 mm [the BFC method] and −0.19 ± 0.07 mm [the axial method], Wilcoxon signed rank test, p = 0.173 and p = 0.028, respectively). Conclusions Anterior segment optical coherence tomography is a valuable tool for measuring the radii of anterior scleral curvatures by image processing and mathematical calculation and can provide useful information in specific clinical situations such as designing scleral lenses.
Assessment of a One-Page Questionnaire on Long-Term Recreational Physical Activity

Background: Physical activity is associated with a reduced risk of several chronic diseases. Although there is considerable published research on methods to assess current or recent recreational physical activity, there are few short, self-administered questionnaires designed to assess long-term physical activity. Methods: We developed a one-page questionnaire to capture data on usual recreational physical activity during the preceding 10 years. This questionnaire was used in a cohort study of adults age 50 to 75 years residing in western Washington state. To examine the measurement characteristics of this questionnaire, we compared metabolic equivalent task (MET)-hours derived from this short questionnaire to MET-hours estimated from a detailed comparison interview in a subsample (n = 217) and to current body mass index (BMI; weight in kilograms/height in square meters) in the full sample of 57,811 persons. Results: The age- and sex-adjusted partial Pearson correlation coefficient for total recreational activity between the 2 instruments was 0.68. In the full cohort, BMI was inversely correlated with physical activity as assessed by the one-page questionnaire (r = −0.22). Conclusions: This short questionnaire measures long-term physical activity at a level of precision appropriate to the examination of associations in studies of physical activity and disease.
Consumer responses to corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives : evaluating the CSR strategy of controversial industry on consumer attitude and behavioural intentions in Indonesia

This study is aimed at evaluating the effect of CSR strategy of controversial organization on consumer attitudes and behavioural intentions and to and to observe the effect of smoking behaviour toward controversial organization. By mean of online experiments on fictitious companies, this study conducted using snowball sampling involving 274 Indonesian respondents whose is between 18 to 35 years of age. Result from this study are that CSR strategies of controversial organizations have significant impact on positive consumers’ attitudes and behavioural intentions, particularly on corporate reputations, attitudes toward company and CSR judgment. However there is no significant different impact between high and low-it CSR initiatives on consumers’ attitudes and behavioural intentions and no CSR conditions. This implies that tobacco industry as controversial organization is not perceived negatively by Indonesians. Furthermore, there is significant difference between smokers and non-smokers in perceiving tobacco industry, in which non-smokers perceived tobacco industry as less favourable. Nevertheless, this attitudes and behavioural intentions do not differ across conditions.
Equipment disruptions and management policy effectiveness in process industry supply chains

i Thesis Certification . iii Acknowledgments and Dedication . iv table of contents . v List of Figures . ix List of Tables . xi Nomenclature and Glossary . xiv CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION . 1 1.1 Background to the research . 1 1.2 Problem statement and research objectives . 5 1.2.1 Statement of research problem and questions . 5 1.2.2 Summary of research activities . 6 1.3 Contribution of the study . 9 1.4 Justification of the research . 9 1.5 Delimitations of scope. 11 1.6 Outline of the thesis . 11 CHAPTER 2: Literature review . 13 2.1 The Supply Chain . 13 2.2.1 The Beer Distribution Game . 17 2.2 The process industry supply chain . 18 2.2.1 A background in process industries . 18 2.3 The internal supply chain . 21 2.3.1 Process industry supply chain management action options . 31 2.4 The external supply chain . 34 2.5 Supply chain management strategies . 36 2.5. 1 Mass production . 37 2.5. 2 Lean manufacturing . 40 vi 2.5. 3 Agile manufacturing . 43 2.5. 4 Strategies performance comparison . 46 2.6 Measuring supply chain performance . 48 2.6. 1 Performance measurement frameworks . 49 2.7 Performance metrics in supply chain modelling . 53 2.7. 1 Performance metrics for strategic implementation . 55 2.7. 2 Aggregation of performance metrics . 61 2.8 Optimisation . 64 2.9 The impact of disruptions on supply chain operations . 66 2.10 Management policy robustness in supply chains . 69 2.11 Summary . 72 CHAPTER 3: Methodology and conceptual model . 78 3.1 Justification for the methodology . 78 3.2 Structure of a simulation study methodology . 81 3.3 Process industry supply chain conceptual model development . 83 3.4 Structure of process industry Material Flow . 84 3.4.1 Structure of process industry Information flow. 86 3.4.2 External supply chain . 96 3.5 Holistic view of conceptual model . 98 3.6 Validation of conceptual model . 99 3.7 Conclusion . 100 CHAPTER 4: Simulation model construction procedures . 102 4.1 Simulation software selection . 102 4.2 Simulation model construction . 103 4.2.1 Material flow . 103 4.2.2 Information flow . 105 4.3 Operational constraints and parameters . 110 4.4 Verification and validation . 114
Single-Event-Upset Tolerant RS Flip-Flop with Small Area

This paper presents a construction of a single-event-upset (SEU) tolerant reset-set (RS) flip-flop (FF). The proposed RS-FF consists of four identical parts which form an interlocking feedback loop just like DICE. The area and average power consumption of the proposed RS-FFs are 1.10 ∼ 1.48 and 1.20 ∼ 1.63 times smaller than those of the conventional SEU tolerant RS-FFs, respectively.
HFT and Market Quality

We discuss the economics of high-frequency trading (hereafter HFT), survey empirical findings and offer policy recommendations. HFT involves high speed connections to exchanges, computerized trading, and very short-term positions. Beyond these common features, HFT strategies are heterogeneous. They can involve market-making, directional trade, arbitrage, and possibly manipulation. The empirical literature finds that HFT market-making is profitable only because of favorable exchange fees. HFT market orders predict future short-term market movements and correspondingly earn profits, at the expense of other market participants. Yet, there is no empirical evidence of adverse effects of HFT on liquidity. HFT could generate negative externalities, by inducing adverse selection for slower traders, or enhancing the risk of trading firms’ failure waves. To cope with these problems, slow-traders’ friendly market mechanisms should be available, and minimum capital requirements and stress tests should be implemented.
Adaptive Co-Allocation of Distributed Resources for Parallel Applications

Parallel applications can speed up their execution by accessing resources hosted by multiple autonomous providers. Applications following the message passing model demand processors to be available at the same time; a problem known as resource coallocation. Other application models, such as workflows and bag-of-tasks (BoT), can also benefit from the coordinated allocation of resources from autonomous providers. Applications waiting for resources require constant rescheduling. However, different from single-provider settings, rescheduling across multiple providers is challenging due to the autonomy and information availability participants are willing to disclose. This thesis contributes to the area of distributed systems by proposing adaptive resource co-allocation policies for message passing and BoT applications, which aim at reducing user response time and increasing system utilisation. For message passing applications, the co-allocation policies rely on start time shifting and process remapping operations, whereas for BoT applications, the policies consider limited information access from providers and coordinated rescheduling. This thesis also shows practical deployment of the co-allocation policies in a real distributed computing environment. The four major findings of this thesis are: 1. Adaptive co-allocation for message passing applications is necessary since singlecluster applications may not fill all scheduling queue fragments generated by inaccurate run time estimates. It also allows applications to be rescheduled to a single cluster, thus eliminating inter-cluster network overhead; 2. Metaschedulers using system-generated run time estimates can reschedule applications to faster or slower resources without forcing users to overestimate execution times. Overestimations have a negative effect when scheduling parallel applications in multiple providers; 3. It is possible to keep information from providers private, such as local load and total computing power, when co-allocating resources for deadline-constrained BoT applications. Resource providers can use execution offers to advertise their interest in executing an entire BoT or only part of it without revealing private information, which is important for companies to protect their business strategies; 4. Tasks of the same BoT can be spread over time due to inaccurate run time estimates and environment heterogeneity. Coordinated rescheduling of these tasks can reduce response time for users accessing single and multiple providers. Moreover, accurate run time estimates assist metaschedulers to better distribute tasks of BoT applications on multiple providers. This is to certify that (i) the thesis comprises only my original work, (ii) due acknowledgement has been made in the text to all other material used, (iii) the thesis is less than 100,000 words in length, exclusive of table, maps, bibliographies, appendices and footnotes.
Global Energy Minimization of Small Molecules Combining Constraint Logic Programming and Molecular Mechanics

The paper presents an approach to molecular energy minimization using Constraint Logic Programming (CLP) as a preprocessor to a molecular mechanics minimization program such as CHARMM. The use of CLP enables the definition of simple constraints that sufficiently describe relations in a molecule, thus limiting the search space of the globally optimal solution. The approach was used on the problem of minimizing the energy of the alanine dipeptide and N-methylalanylacetamide. An approximate 3-D structure produced by a CLP system was used as an initial structure for the CHARMM program that considers all relations in such a structure and performs energy optimization. With this initial structure, computed in about 1 min of CPU time, the optimal solution (global minimum) was found in only a few seconds, while calculating the same solution with CHARMM alone took 15 h. All calculations were performed on HP/735.