Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
On types of search and the allocation of library resources

This article discusses the different types of searches made in libraries in two ways. In Part I a review of some examples of searches leads to the conclusion that the traditional dichotomy of “known item” and “subject search” is inadequate. A more satisfactory method would be to regard every search as being for both (more or less) specified documents and (more or less) specified “subjects. ” Part II considers the allocation of library resources in relation to patterns of searches. The literature of user studies reveals significant variations in the nature of searches in different groups of users. Alternative allocations of library resources and choices concerning library technology vary considerably with respect to the cost effectiveness of the resulting service in meeting demands upon it. Viewing libraries from this perspective provides an explanation and rationalization of the distinctive features of different types of library: public, academic, and special.
Variable Resolution Spatial Interpolation Using the Simple Recursive Point Voronoi Diagram

This article introduces a procedure for progressively increasing the density of an initial point set that can be used as a basis for interpolating surfaces of variable resolution from sparse samples of data sites. The procedure uses the Simple Recursive Point Voronoi Diagram in which Voronoi concepts are used to tessellate space with respect to a given set of generator points. The construction is repeated every time with a new generator set, which comprises members selected from the previous generator set plus features of the current tessellation. We show how this procedure can be implemented in Arc/Info and present an illustration of its application using three known surfaces and alternative generator point configurations. Initial results suggest that the procedure has considerable potential and we discuss further methods for evaluating and extending it.
Differential Binding of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor B Splice and Proteolytic Isoforms to Neuropilin-1*

Vascular endothelial growth factor B (VEGF-B) is expressed in various tissues, especially strongly in the heart, and binds selectively to one of the VEGF receptors, VEGFR-1. The two splice isoforms, VEGF-B167 and VEGF-B186, have identical NH2-terminal cystine knot growth factor domains but differ in their COOH-terminal domains which give these forms their distinct biochemical properties. In this study, we show that both splice isoforms of VEGF-B bind specifically to Neuropilin-1 (NRP1), a receptor for collapsins/semaphorins and for the VEGF165isoform. The NRP1 binding of VEGF-B could be competed by an excess of VEGF165. The binding of VEGF-B167 was mediated by the heparin binding domain, whereas the binding of VEGF-B186 to NRP1 was regulated by exposure of a short COOH-terminal proline-rich peptide upon its proteolytic processing. In immunohistochemistry, NRP1 distribution was found to be overlapping or adjacent to known sites of VEGF-B expression in several tissues, in particular in the developing heart, suggesting the involvement of VEGF-B in NRP1-mediated signaling.
Osteopontin -- a promising biomarker for cancer therapy

Osteopontin (OPN), a multifunctional protein, has emerged as a potentially valuable biomarker for diagnosing and treating cancers. Recent research focuses on its involvement in tumor biology including the cell proliferation, survival, angiogenesis, invasion, and metastasis. Understanding the molecular mechanisms and pharmacological effects of OPN in cancer development could lead to new targets for improving cancer diagnosis and treatment. This review explains how the structurally conserved domains of OPN are associated with OPN signaling mediators and CD44, and how the conserved OPN domains determine biological functions. The authors have reviewed representative works of OPN expression in breast cancer and colorectal cancer to elucidate the relationship between OPN and cancer/tumor biology. It has also been shown that the prognostic sensitivity in non-small cell lung cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, gastric cancer, and ovarian cancer improved compared to the individual marker when OPN was analyzed in conjunction with other markers. The therapeutic approaches based on OPN inhibitors are discussed to illustrate recent research progress. Previous clinical data has indicated that OPN has played a unique role in cancer development, but further investigation is required to understand the underlying mechanism. More clinical trials are also required to examine the applicability and efficacy of OPN inhibitors in cancer therapy.
Price Competition with Consumer Confusion

This paper proposes a model in which identical sellers of a homogenous product compete in both prices and price frames (i.e., ways to present price information). We model price framing by assuming that firms’ frame choices affect the comparability of their price offers: consumers may fail to compare prices due to frame differentiation, and due to frame complexity. In the symmetric equilibrium the firms randomize over both price frames and prices, and make positive profits. This result is consistent with the observed coexistence of price and price frame dispersion in the market. We also show that (i) the nature of equilibrium depends on which source of consumer confusion dominates, and (ii) an increase in the number of firms can increase industry profits and harm consumers.
User-centric Pki 2. Design Goals 2.1 Single Sign-on 2.2 Protection from Phishing

The goal of supporting Single Sign-On to the Web has proven elusive. A number of solutions have been proposed – and some have even been deployed – but the capability remains unavailable to most users and the solutions deployed raise concerns for both convenience and security. In this paper, we enumerate desirable attributes in a scheme for authenticating from an Internet browser to a web site and the authorization that follows. We categorize the currently deployed or advocated approaches, describing their benefits and issues, and we suggest incremental improvements to such schemes. We then outline a design for public-key based authentication particularly suited to what we believe to be the common case: users, acting on their own behalf (as opposed to as an employee of an organization), performing actions on the web such as making a purchase or maintaining an account at a service provider. We contrast the usability/privacy/security properties of our design with other identity management/authentication schemes deployed or being proposed today. Our design is truly user-centric, in the sense that the user acts as his own CA, and as a decision point for authorizing release of user information to web sites, rather than having an Identity Provider be the center of trust. 1. INTRODUCTION This paper starts with a description of various problems that it would be desirable to address when using the Internet, particularly in the context of a user doing business with a variety of services on the web. Then we describe a variety of existing approaches, and review their strengths and weaknesses compared to the set of problems as well as to each other. We do not focus on particular syntax (such as SAML or X.509), or the details of particular deployed systems, but rather the properties of families of schemes that may or may not use the same standardized syntax. For example, we use the term " certificate " to refer to any digitally signed statement, which would include X.509 identity certificates[12], " attribute certificates " [7], or SAML assertions [3]. After describing the properties of currently deployed or advocated solutions, we describe an approach which is truly " user-centric " , in the sense that not only does the user decide which attributes to divulge to which sites, but mutual authentication to web sites with which the user has an existing relationship is directly performed between the user (the user's machine) and a …
Polycube Simplification for Coarse Layouts of Surfaces and Volumes

Representing digital objects with structured meshes that embed a coarse block decomposition is a relevant problem in applications like computer animation, physically‐based simulation and Computer Aided Design (CAD). One of the key ingredients to produce coarse block structures is to achieve a good alignment between the mesh singularities (i.e., the corners of each block). In this paper we improve on the polycube‐based meshing pipeline to produce both surface and volumetric coarse block‐structured meshes of general shapes. To this aim we add a new step in the pipeline. Our goal is to optimize the positions of the polycube corners to produce as coarse as possible base complexes. We rely on re‐mapping the positions of the corners on an integer grid and then using integer numerical programming to reach the optimal. To the best of our knowledge this is the first attempt to solve the singularity misalignment problem directly in polycube space. Previous methods for polycube generation did not specifically address this issue. Our corner optimization strategy is efficient and requires a negligible extra running time for the meshing pipeline. In the paper we show that our optimized polycubes produce coarser block structured surface and volumetric meshes if compared with previous approaches. They also induce higher quality hexahedral meshes and are better suited for spline fitting because they reduce the number of splines necessary to cover the domain, thus improving both the efficiency and the overall level of smoothness throughout the volume.
Intelligent legged climbing service robot for remote inspection and maintenance in hazardous environments

Wheeled-tracked vehicles are undoubtedly the most popular means of transportation. However, these vehicles are mainly suitable for relatively flat terrain. Legged vehicles, on the other hand, have the potential to handle wide variety of terrain. Robug IIs is a legged climbing robot designed to work in relatively unstructured and rough terrain. It has the capability of walking, climbing vertical surfaces and performing autonomous floor to wall transfer. The sensing technique used in Robug IIs is mainly tactile sensing. A set of reflexive rules have been developed for the robot to react to the uncertainty of the working environment. The robot also has the intelligence to seek and verify its own foot-holds. It is envisage that the main application of robot is for remote inspection and maintenance in hazardous environments.
THE EMERGENCE OF INEQUALITY IN SMALL-SCALE SOCIETIES : SIMPLE SCENARIOS AND AGENT-BASED SIMULATIONS

A big family has cultivated fruitful soil; two little families nearby have thankless and rebellious fields. The two poor families have to serve the opulent family, or slaughter it; there is no difficulty in that. But one of the two indigent families offers its arms to the rich family in exchange for bread, while the other attacks and is defeated. The subservient family is the origin of the servants and the workmen; the beaten family is the origin of the slaves. ─ Voltaire (from "Equality," Philosophical Dictionary, 1750)
Tacrolimus exposure in the real world: an analysis from the Mycophenolic acid Observational REnal transplant study

Tacrolimus exposure and renal function data to 36 months post‐transplant were analyzed from the prospective, observational Mycophenolic acid Observational REnal transplant (MORE) registry in which de novo kidney transplant patients were managed according to local practice. Tacrolimus trough (C0) concentration at month 12 was stratified as low (<6 ng/mL), moderate (6–8 ng/mL), or high (>8 ng/mL) in 724 patients. Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was stratified as low (<60 mL/min/1.73 m2) or high (≥60 mL/min/1.73 m2). High tacrolimus C0 (>8 ng/mL) was observed in 47.7%, 34.1%, 26.8%, and 26.7% of patients at baseline and months 12, 24, and 36, respectively. Biopsy‐proven acute rejection was similar to month 36 regardless of tacrolimus C0 category at month 12. Tacrolimus C0 >8 ng/mL vs. <6 ng/mL at month 12 was predictive of low eGFR at month 24 (p = 0.023) with a nonsignificant trend at month 36 (p = 0.085). Infections (p < 0.013) and BK virus infection (p < 0.001) were most frequent in the low tacrolimus C0 cohort. Neutropenia was most frequent in the high tacrolimus C0 category (p = 0.010). In conclusion, over a quarter of patients were exposed to high tacrolimus C0 to 36 months post‐transplant. Tacrolimus exposure did not affect rejection risk, but tacrolimus C0 >8 ng/mL at month 12 was predictive of subsequent low eGFR compared to C0 <6 ng/mL.
Attrition Defenses for a Peer-to-Peer Digital Preservation System

In peer-to-peer systems, attrition attacks include both traditional, network-level denial of service attacks as well as application-level attacks in which malign peers conspire to waste loyal peers' resources. We describe several defenses for the LOCKSS peer-to-peer digital preservation system that help ensure that application-level attrition attacks even from powerful adversaries are less effective than simple network-level attacks, and that network-level attacks must be intense, widespread, and prolonged to impair the system.
A novel hardware accelerator architecture for MPEG-2/4 AAC encoder

A VLSI architecture for the MPEG-2/4 AAC encoding accelerator is proposed This hardware IP is an AMBA AHB peripheral component that can easily integrate with any other RISC based SoC platform. Preserving the flexibility of library development and achieving an area cost-efficient acceleration, the quantisation rate-loop module is targeted to be the processing function. In the design, an easy Huffman codebook search method is also developed for the viability of hardware realization. The final work has been verified in an FPGA and synthesized to a 0.18 mum standard cell library. It can speed up an audio recording application by 1.5-times and achieve a real-time encoding for stereo 44.1 kHz PCM data with additional 160 MHz ARM core
Thermal Acclimation Is Not Necessary to Maintain a Wide Thermal Breadth of Aerobic Scope in the Common Killifish (Fundulus heteroclitus)

Loss of aerobic scope at high and low temperatures is a physiological mechanism proposed to limit the thermal performance and tolerance of organisms, a theory known as oxygen- and capacity-limited thermal tolerance (OCLTT). Eurythermal organisms maintain aerobic scope over wide ranges of temperatures, but it is unknown whether acclimation is necessary to maintain this breadth. The objective of this study was to examine changes in aerobic scope in Fundulus heteroclitus, a eurythermal fish, after acclimation and acute exposure to temperatures from 5° to 33°C. The range of temperatures over which aerobic scope was nonzero was similar in acclimated and acutely exposed fish, suggesting that acclimation has modest effects on the thermal breadth of aerobic scope. However, in acclimated fish, there was a clear optimum temperature range for aerobic scope between 25° and 30°C, whereas aerobic scope was relatively constant across the entire temperature range with acute temperature exposure. Therefore, the primary effect of acclimation was to increase aerobic scope between 25° and 30°C, which paradoxically resulted in a narrower temperature range of optimal performance in acclimated fish compared to acutely exposed fish. There was only weak evidence for correlations between the thermal optimum of aerobic scope and the thermal optimum of measures of performance (specific growth rate and gonadosomatic index), and indicators of anaerobic metabolism (lactate accumulation and lactate dehydrogenase activity) only increased at high temperatures. Together these data fit many, but not all, of the predictions made by OCLTT.
Probing Substrate Interactions in the Active Tunnel of a Catalytically Deficient Cellobiohydrolase (Cel7)*

Background: Substrate interactions in the long tunnel of processive cellulases govern both their catalytic activity and stepwise movement along a cellulose strand. Results: The energetics of enzyme-substrate interactions at different depths of the tunnel are reported. Conclusion: The affinity for the substrate varies strongly through the tunnel. Significance: Quantitative information on interactions is required to understand the complex processive mechanism. Cellobiohydrolases break down cellulose sequentially by sliding along the crystal surface with a single cellulose strand threaded through the catalytic tunnel of the enzyme. This so-called processive mechanism relies on a complex pattern of enzyme-substrate interactions, which need to be addressed in molecular descriptions of processivity and its driving forces. Here, we have used titration calorimetry to study interactions of cellooligosaccharides (COS) and a catalytically deficient variant (E212Q) of the enzyme Cel7A from Trichoderma reesei. This enzyme has ∼10 glucopyranose subsites in the catalytic tunnel, and using COS ligands with a degree of polymerization (DP) from 2 to 8, different regions of the tunnel could be probed. For COS ligands with a DP of 2–3 the binding constants were around 105 m−1, and for longer ligands (DP 5–8) this value was ∼107 m−1. Within each of these groups we did not find increased affinity as the ligands got longer and potentially filled more subsites. On the contrary, we found a small but consistent affinity loss as DP rose from 6 to 8, particularly at the higher investigated temperatures. Other thermodynamic functions (ΔH, ΔS, and ΔCp) decreased monotonously with both temperature and DP. Combined interpretation of these thermodynamic results and previously published structural data allowed assessment of an affinity profile along the length axis of the active tunnel.
Gal80‐Gal80 interaction on adjacent Gal4p binding sites is required for complete GAL gene repression

Regulation of the GAL genes of Saccharomyces cerevisiae is determined by the interplay of the transcriptional activator Gal4p and the repressor Gal80p, which binds and masks the activation domain of Gal4p under non‐inducing conditions. Here we demonstrate that Gal80p dimerizes with high affinity and that this dimerization appears to stabilize the Gal4p‐Gal80p interaction and also, indirectly, the Gal4p‐DNA interaction in a (Gal4p)2(Gal80p)2DNA complex. In addition, Gal80 dimers transiently interact with each other to form higher order multimers. We provide evidence that adjacent Gal4p binding sites, when correctly spaced, greatly stabilize Gal80p dimer‐dimer interactions and that this stabilization results in the complete repression of GAL genes with multiple Gal4p binding sites. In contrast, GAL genes under the control of a single Gal4p binding site do not stabilize Gal80p multimers, resulting in significant and biologically important transcriptional leakage. Cooperative binding experiments indicate that Gal80p dimer‐dimer interaction probably does not lead to a stronger Gal4p‐Gal80p interaction, but most likely to a more complete shielding of the Gal4p activation domain.
A randomized controlled trial of three orthodontic retention methods in Class I four premolar extraction cases -- stability after 2 years in retention.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate three different retention methods in compliant patients after 2 years of retention. DESIGN Three group randomized controlled trial. MATERIALS AND METHODS The sample was recruited from patients having their fixed appliance treatment between 2001 and 2007. Seventy-five patients (45 girls and 30 boys with a mean age of 14.4 years at start of retention) were randomized into three retention methods: vacuum-formed retainer in the maxilla and bonded canine-to-canine retainer in the mandible (Group V-CTC), vacuum-formed retainer in the maxilla combined with stripping of the 10 proximal surfaces of the lower mandibular anterior teeth (Group V-S) and prefabricated positioner covering the teeth in the maxilla and the mandible (Group P). The following linear measurements were performed: Little's irregularity index (LII), intercanine width, intermolar width, arch length, overjet, overbite and body height growth. Registrations were made before orthodontic treatment, at start of retention, after 12 and finally 24 months in retention. Differences in means between groups were tested by one-way analysis of variance (SPSS). RESULTS After 2 years all three retention methods were successful in retaining orthodontic treatment results. The major part of relapse took place during the 1st year of retention. CONCLUSIONS All 3 types of retention methods were equally effective in controlling relapse to a clinically acceptable level.
Normalized Information Theoretic Criteria for Blind Signal Extraction

In this paper we present new normalized criteria for the extraction of the scaled sources whose density have the minimum support measure or the minimum entropy. Both criteria are part of a more general entropy minimization principle based on Renyi's entropies. However, the proposed approach (based on Renyi's entropies or orders zero and one) have some special advantages, which allow to relax the assumption of having identically distributed source signals
Oestrogen receptor expression in the normal and pre‐cancerous breast

As oestrogen is associated with most of the epidemiological risk factors for breast cancer, the number and distribution of oestrogen receptor positive (ER+) cells could have a bearing on the development of the disease. ER+ cells were thus studied in the normal breast and in the spectrum of in situ proliferations which range from non‐atypical hyperplasia to in situ carcinoma and are associated with different levels of risk for developing breast cancer. In the normal pre‐menopausal breast, ER+ cells comprised the minority and were distributed singly, being surrounded by oestrogen receptor negative (ER−) cells. ER+ cells showed a statistically significant increase with age, reaching a plateau after the menopause, and the increase was associated with a tendency for positive cells to become contiguous in patches of variable size. A small proportion of lobules showing involutional change comprised over 90 per cent ER+ cells. The significance of this feature is not clear but no evidence was found that it was pre‐cancerous. The percentage of ER+ cells was slightly increased in hyperplasia of usual type (non‐atypical hyperplasia, HUT) and the relationship to age was maintained. The staining pattern was variable; in some lesions ER+ cells were surrounded by ER− cells whereas in others there were contiguous groups of positive cells sometimes accounting for more than 90 per cent of cells in the lesion. In contrast, all cases of atypical ductal hyperplasia (ADH), lobular in situ neoplasia (LIN) and ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) exhibited positivity of contiguous cells accounting for the majority in the lesions. Furthermore, the relationship between ER+ cell numbers and age was lost in these lesions, indicating autonomy of ER expression or of proliferation of cells expressing the receptor. It is hypothesized that this dysregulation of receptor expression or of ER+ cell numbers at the ADH stage may be the precursor of abnormal expression of cyclins and other cell cycle control proteins which have been shown first to appear in DCIS. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.