Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Meta-Analysis: Prognostic Value of Survivin in Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Background The expression of survivin is a promising prognostic indicator for some carcinomas. However, evidence for the prognostic value of survivin with respect to survival in hepatocellular carcinoma remains controversial. Aim To conduct a systematic review of studies evaluating survivin expression in hepatocellular carcinoma as a prognostic indicator. Methods The relevant literature was searched using PubMed, EMBASE, and Chinese biomedicine databases, and two meta-analyses were performed. One studied the association between survivin expression and the overall survival of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, whereas the other studied the association between survivin expression and disease-free survival. Studies were pooled, and summary hazard ratios (HRs) were calculated. Subgroup analyses were also conducted. Results Fourteen eligible studies with a total of 890 patients were included in this study. Two meta-analyses were performed according to the different outcomes by which prognosis was valued. The combined HR of the overall survival studies was 2.33 (95% CI: 1.65–3.31). The combined HR of disease-free survival studies was 2.13 (95% CI: 1.65–2.75). These data appeared to be significant when stratified by detection method, the language of publication, and HR estimate. The heterogeneities were highly significant (I2>50%) when subgroup analyses of overall survival rate were conducted, whereas little heterogeneity was found when subgroup analyses of disease-free survival rate were carried out. The positive expression of survivin in the cytoplasm was significantly correlated with poor prognosis in HCC (HR>1). Conclusions This study showed that survivin expression was correlated with poor prognosis in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, regardless whether they were assessed by overall survival or disease-free survival.
Context-Aware Mobile Learning with a Semantic Service-Oriented Infrastructure

Exploiting mobile technologies for educational purposes has promises of realizing ubiquitous, unobtrusive, personal and situated learning, but is non-trivial due to the challenges in the process of designing, communicating and presenting traditional e-learning resources to mobile learners. In this paper, we propose a generic semantics-based service-oriented infrastructure and show how semantic technologies, when used together with an SOA, can provide mobile users with a fresh learning experience. The proposed architecture comprises a knowledge aggregation subsystem and a querying subsystem that are loosely coupled, and hence enables rapid deployment across domains with suitable domain ontologies. Furthermore, the service-oriented approach enables a pluggable platform that supports seamless integration of legacy content from possibly multiple vendors for customizable delivery. For illustration, we consider a mobile learning scenario in a zoo, and demonstrate how a mobile user can interact with the proposed system for mlearning.
Software Development Process Mining: Discovery, Conformance Checking and Enhancement

Software development has become a fundamental process on any business or organization. As a consequence, together with other emergent technologies, new development platforms (IDEs) are being created, mainly in the cloud (e.g., Eclipse Orion, Cloud9, Codio), requiring different approaches on the way software development can be studied. Empirical studies on software development most often are based on data taken from software configuration management repositories, source code management systems and issue tracking tools, but not from the IDEs themselves, because they do not record data publically regarding developers’ activities. We aim to bring forward new insights on the software development process by analyzing how developers use their IDE. Based upon process mining techniques such as process discovery and conformance checking, this missing perspective will hopefully allow the discovery of coding patterns, the search for programmer behaviors and the detection of deviations from prescribed processes. Finally, we expect to provide advice for individual software process enhancement.
A survey of data management issues & frameworks for mobile ad hoc networks

Data Management is the execution of a pool of activities on a set of data to conform to the end user data requisitions. MANET is an emerging discipline of computer networks in which a group of roaming hosts spontaneously establishes the network among themselves. The employment of data management in MANET can engender a number of useful applications. However, data management in MANET is a taxing job as it requires deliberation on a number of research issues (e.g. knowledge representation, knowledge discovery, caching, and security etc.). This paper provides a detailed account of the data management problem and its issues, which is lacking in current literature. Along with highlighting the current solutions available for various issues of data management, it also presents a comparative analysis of existing data management frameworks and also points out future research directions
Experimental analysis and modeling of GaN normally-off HFETs with trapping effects

A 70 mΩ / 600 V normally-off AlGaN/GaN HFET is analyzed and modeled. In particular, static and dynamic characteristics are investigated with the focus on modeling trapping effects and their influence on the on-state resistance and on the switching characteristic. Two methods to measure these trapping effects are compared, a clamped measurement of the on-state resistance and a measurement of a shift in the transfer characteristic. Both methods are suitable to extract time constants of trapping effects, which are required for the trap model. A comparison of the measurements demonstrates the link between the increased dynamic on-state resistance and the threshold voltage shift. The developed model is suitable to simulate the performance of the HFET during switching and conduction intervals.
Quasi Newton Temporal Difference Learning

Fast convergent and computationally inexpensive policy evaluation is an essential part of reinforcement learning algorithms based on policy iteration. Algorithms such as LSTD, LSPE, FPKF and NTD, have faster convergence rates but they are computationally slow. On the other hand, there are algorithms that are computationally fast but with slower convergence rate, among them are TD, RG, GTD2 and TDC. This paper presents a regularized Quasi Newton Temporal Dierence learning algorithm which uses second-order information while maintaining a fast convergence rate. In simple language, we combine the idea of TD learning with quasi Newton algorithm SGD-QN. We explore the development of QNTD algorithm and discuss its convergence properties. We support our ideas with empirical results on four standard benchmarks in reinforcement learning literature with two small problems, Random Walk and Boyan chain and two bigger problems, cart-pole and linked-pole balancing. Empirical studies show that QNTD speeds up convergence and provides better accuracy in comparison to the conventional TD.
The Genome of Bacteriophage K1F, a T7-Like Phage That Has Acquired the Ability To Replicate on K1 Strains of Escherichia coli

ABSTRACT Bacteriophage K1F specifically infects Escherichia coli strains that produce the K1 polysaccharide capsule. Like several other K1 capsule-specific phages, K1F encodes an endo-neuraminidase (endosialidase) that is part of the tail structure which allows the phage to recognize and degrade the polysaccharide capsule. The complete nucleotide sequence of the K1F genome reveals that it is closely related to bacteriophage T7 in both genome organization and sequence similarity. The most striking difference between the two phages is that K1F encodes the endosialidase in the analogous position to the T7 tail fiber gene. This is in contrast with bacteriophage K1-5, another K1-specific phage, which encodes a very similar endosialidase which is part of a tail gene “module” at the end of the phage genome. It appears that diverse phages have acquired endosialidase genes by horizontal gene transfer and that these genes or gene products have adapted to different genome and virion architectures.
The Pathogenetic Role of the HGF/c-Met System in Papillary Carcinoma of the Thyroid

The MET oncogene encodes for Met protein, a trans-membrane tyrosine kinase identified as the high affinity receptor for hepatocyte growth factor (HGF). Immunohistochemical studies have demonstrated that Met protein is intensely expressed in tumor cells of >95% cases of thyroid papillary carcinoma. High density of Met protein in tumor cells is the result of increased transcription of a normal MET gene, probably due to a combination of intracellular and extracellular signals. Over-expression of Met protein is more pronounced at the invading front of the tumor and can profoundly affect the tumorigenesis of papillary carcinoma of the thyroid. In fact, Met protein-positive papillary carcinoma cells are highly responsive to hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), which is effective in stimulating tumor cell adhesion, migration and invasiveness. In addition, HGF stimulation of papillary carcinoma of the thyroid (PTC) cells causes up-regulation of COX-2 and down-regulation of CD82/KAI-1; both these molecules have a major role in controlling tumor cell invasiveness. Finally, HGF stimulation of tumor cells may significantly affect the tumor microenvironment. In fact, HGF induces tumor cells to release chemokines active in the recruitment of dendritic cells, and is involved in regulating the production of proangiogenic factors.
Poster: a coarse-fine corner detection approach for two-dimensional barcode decoding

Two-dimensional barcodes are widely used in mobile advertisement business, while their decoding performance is not always satisfactory under uncontrolled environments. The corner detection accuracy has been identified as a critical factor affecting the overall system performance. The standard barcode detector performs a candidate search in the binarized barcode image based on the rectangular shape of the barcode. Its performance is not very accurate due to the limited accuracy of the binarized image. In this work, we proposed a coarse-fine corner detection approach for locating the barcode region. It performs far more accurately than the standard barcode detection scheme while keeps the computational complexity affordable. Experimental results for high capacity barcodes show that the proposed detection scheme can extend the range of operation parameters, such as wider angles, and much lower the detection bit error rate, relative to the standard barcode decoder.
THE GLOBULAR CLUSTER SYSTEMS IN THE COMA ELLIPTICALS. IV: WFPC2 PHOTOMETRY FOR FIVE GIANT ELLIPTICALS , 

We analyze photometric data in V and I for the globular cluster (GC) systems in five of the giant ellipticals in the Coma Cluster: NGC 4874, 4881, 4889, 4926, and IC 4051. All of the raw data, from the Hubble Space Telescope Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 Archive, are analyzed in a homogeneous way so that their five cluster systems can be strictly intercompared. We find that the GC luminosity functions are quite similar to one another and reinforce the common nature of the mass distribution of old, massive star clusters in gE galaxies. The globular cluster luminosity function (GCLF) turnover derived from a composite sample of more than 9,000 GCs appears at V = 27.71 ± 0.07 (MV = −7.3), and our data reach about half a magnitude fainter than the turnover. We find that both a simple Gaussian curve and an evolved Schechter function fit the bright half of the GCLF equally well, though the Coma GCLF is broader and has a higher “cutoff mass” (Mc ∼ 3 × 106 M☉) than in any of the Virgo giants. These five Coma members exhibit a huge range in GC specific frequency, from a low of SN ≃ 0.7 for NGC 4881 up to ≃12 for IC 4051 and NGC 4874. No single formation scenario appears able to account for these differences in otherwise similar galaxies and may require carefully prescribed differences in their merger history, gas-free versus gas-rich progenitors, GC formation efficiency, initial density of environment, or tidal harassment within the Coma potential well. The supergiant cD galaxy NGC 4874 has the richest globular cluster system known, probably holding more than 30,000 clusters; its true extent is not yet determined and may extend well out into the Coma potential well. For the three biggest GC systems (NGC 4874, 4889, IC 4051), analysis of the (V − I) color distributions shows that all three populations are dominated by red, metal-rich clusters. Their metallicity distributions also may all have the normal bimodal form, with the two sequences at mean colors 〈V − I〉(blue) ≃0.98 and 〈V − I〉(red) ≃1.15. These values fall along the previously established correlations of mean color with galaxy luminosity. However, the color distributions and relative numbers of metal-rich clusters show intriguing counterexamples to a trend established by Peng and colleagnes for the Virgo galaxies. For the brightest Virgo ellipticals, they find that the red GCs make up only ∼30% of the cluster population, whereas in our similarly luminous Coma galaxies they make up more than half. At the very highest density and most massive regimes represented by the Coma supergiants, formation of metal-rich clusters seems to have been especially favored.
COMPETITION AND INTEGRATION AMONG COMPLEMENTS, AND NETWORK MARKET STRUCTURE*

This article analyzes the competition and integration among complementary products that can be combined to create composite goods or systems. The model generalizes the Cournot duopoly complements model to the case in which there are multiple brands of compatible components. It analyzes equilibrium prices for a variety of organizational and market structures that differ in their degree of competition and integration. The model applies to a variety of product networks, including automatic teller machines, real estate multiple listing services, and airlines CRS, as well as to nonnetwork markets of compatible components such as computer CPUs and peripherals, hardware and software, and long distance and local telephone services. Copyright 1992 by Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
Location of a point in a planar subdivision and its applications

Given a subdivision of the plane induced by a planar graph with n vertices, in this paper we consider the problem of identifying which region of the subdivision contains a given test point. We present a search algorithm, called point-location algorithm, which operates on a suitably preprocessed data structure. The search runs in time at most 0((log n)2), while the preprocessing task runs in time at most 0(n log n) and requires 0(n) storage. The methods are quite general, since an arbitrary subdivision can be transformed in time at most 0(n log n) into one to which the preprocessing procedure is applicable. This solution of the point-location problem yields interesting and efficient solutions of other geometric problems, such as spatial convex inclusion and inclusion in an arbitrary polygon.
The Sine Method: An Alternative Height Measurement Technique

Height is one of the most important dimensions of trees, but few observers are fully aware of the consequences of the misapplication of conventional height measurement techniques. A new approach, the sine method, can improve height measurement by being less sensitive to the requirements of conventional techniques (similar triangles and the tangent method). We studied the sine method through a couple of comparisons. First, we demonstrated the validity of the sine method under idealized conditions by comparing tangent and sine measurements on a stationary object of a known height. Then, we compared heights collected via climbing and lowering a tape from the highest point of a number of forest-grown trees with heights measured with the sine method. The sine method offers a viable, cost effective alternative to traditional measurement approaches, especially for large or leaning trees, and for trees with broadly spreading
Sex-specific developmental plasticity of generalist and specialist predatory mites (Acari: Phytoseiidae) in response to food stress

We studied developmental plasticity under food stress in three female-biased size dimorphic predatory mite species, Phytoseiulus persimilis, Neoseiulus californicus, and Amblyseius andersoni. All three species prey on two-spotted spider mites but differ in the degree of adaptation to this prey. Phytoseiulus persimilis is a specialized spider mite predator, N. californicus is a generalist with a preference for spider mites, and A. andersoni is a broad generalist. Immature predators were offered prey patches of varying density and their survival chances, dispersal tendencies, age and size at maturity measured. Amblyseius andersoni dispersed earlier from and had lower survival chances in low density prey patches than N. californicus and P. persimilis. Age at maturity was not affected by prey density in the generalist A. andersoni, whereas both the specialist P. persimilis and the generalist N. californicus accelerated development at low prey densities. Species-specific plasticity in age at maturity reflects opposite survival strategies when confronted with limited prey: to prematurely leave and search for other food (A. andersoni) or to stay and accelerate development (P. persimilis, N. californicus). In all species, size at maturity was more plastic in females than males, indicating that males incur higher fitness costs from deviations from optimal body size. © 2011 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2011, 102, 650–660.
Vectorization aspects of a spherical advection scheme on a reduced grid

This paper deals with the numerical solution of the two-dimensional transport equation on a sphere. Two diierent mass-conservative advection schemes are considered The rst is the standard rst-order scheme using forward Euler in time and rst-order upwind in space. The second scheme uses for time stepping a second-order explicit two-step method and for the space discretization a ux-limited, third-order upwind biased scheme. Both schemes are implemented on a uniform longitude-latitude grid and on a so-called reduced grid, where less cells are used near the poles than at the equator. Since we consider to use Fortran 90 for a software project where the transport equation is part of the problem, we implemented the schemes in Fortran 77 and in Fortran 90 to compare the performance both on scalar and on vector processors. To compare the numerical and the computational performance of all implementations we used a standard test problem describing a solid-body rotation on the sphere (cf. 9]). The results are obtained on a Cray C90.
PubMed searches by Dutch-speaking nursing students: The impact of language and system experience

This study analyzes the search behavior of Dutch-speaking nursing students with a nonnative knowledge of English who searched for information in MEDLINE/PubMed about a specific theme in nursing. We examine whether and to what extent their search efficiency is affected by their language skills. Our task-oriented approach focuses on three stages of the information retrieval process: need articulation, query formulation, and relevance judgment. The test participants completed a pretest questionnaire, which gave us information about their overall experience with the search system and their self-reported computer and language skills. The students were briefly introduced to the use of PubMed and MeSH (medical subject headings) before they conducted their keyword-driven subject search. We assessed the search results in terms of recall and precision, and also analyzed the search process. After the search task, a satisfaction survey and a language test were completed. We conclude that language skills have an impact on the search results. We hypothesize that language support might improve the efficiency of searches conducted by Dutch-speaking users of PubMed. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Deciding on the Ideal Channel Coefficients in Multi-Channel Manufacturing

This paper provides a methodology to determine ideal channel coefficients in multi-channel manufacturing (MCM). MCM enhances the advantages of cellular manufacturing by expanding the capabilities of the cells to handle multiple products. The ideal channel coefficients are needed as input for MCM design techniques. While determining ideal channel coefficients (so channel coefficients), we want to assign more profitable parts to more channels. In some cases, this may require additional investment (as extra machines) for some of the channels. These two conflicted goals must be compromised. To do this, the analytic network process (ANP) approach, which is one of the systematic decision-aid tools, is used. The developed model is solved by Super Decisions software. Results showed that ANP is a powerful methodology to determine ideal channel coefficients in MCM design.
Meta-analysis of mind-matter interaction experiments: 1959 to 2000

Laboratory experiments examining the possibility of direc t mind -matter interactions have been reported for over a century. Two classes of such experiments reported most frequently include tossing dice while maintaining the intention for certain die faces to appear, and mental influence of truly random bits generated by electronic random number generators (RNG). Earlier metaanalyses of publications reporting dice and RNG experiments published up to 1987 provided strong statistical evidence for mind-matter interaction phenomena. We conducted an update of the RNG experiment literature to see if the evidence persists. The updated RNG review covered all known studies from the first published in 1959 to the most recent published in mid-2000. We found a total of 515 experiments published in 216 articles by 91 different first authors, of which 423 were published through 1987, and 92 published after 1987. The magnitude of the overall effect size per experiment is small, on average less than the equivalent of 1% for binary RNGs, but statistically the overall effect is m ore than 16 standard errors from chance. The average z score for studies published up to 1987 is z = . 73 and for studies published after 1987 is z = . 61. The difference in average z scores is not significant (p = 0.48), indicating that the meta-analytic evidence for mind-matter interaction effects persists. A conservative estimate of the effect of selective reporting practices (the “filedrawer problem”) indicates that to reduce the observed statistical outcome to chance, each of the 91 researchers would have had to conduct but not report 29 additional, nonsignificant experiments. Variations in methodological quality did not correlate with experimental results (r = 0.03, p = .26), but quality did significantly imp rove over time (r = 0.50, p = 10 -34 ). We conclude that the RNG experiments continue to provide persuasive statistical evidence for independently repeatable mind-matter interaction effects observed under controlled conditions.
The probability of rapid climate change

If you look at a map of the air temperature of the surface of the Earth, you will see that North West Europe, including the UK, is warmer than Alaska, which is at the same latitude but on the Pacific rather than Atlantic Ocean. At school you were probably told that this was because of the Gulf Stream. However, there is a very similar current in the Pacific—the Kuroshio—which takes warm water north past Japan and then out into the Atlantic. Peter Challenor asks: What is the unique feature of the Atlantic that keeps us warm and could it change in the next few years?