512 research outputs found
Parsing and reflective printing, bidirectionally
Language designers usually need to implement parsers and printers. Despite being two intimately related programs, in practice they are often designed separately, and then need to be revised and kept consistent as the language evolves. It will be more convenient if the parser and printer can be unified and developed in one single program, with their consistency guaranteed automatically.Furthermore, in certain scenarios (like showing compiler optimisation results to the programmer), it is desirable to have a more powerful reflective printer that, when an abstract syntax tree corresponding to a piece of program text is modified, can reflect the modification to the program text while preserving layouts, comments, and syntactic sugar.To address these needs, we propose a domain-specific language BIYACC, whose programs denote both a parser and a reflective printer for an unambiguous context-free grammar. BIYACC is based on the theory of bidirectional transformations, which helps to guarantee by construction that the pairs of parsers and reflective printers generated by BIYACC are consistent. We show that BIYACC is capable of facilitating many tasks such as Pombrio and Krishnamurthi's "resugaring", simple refactoring, and language evolution.We would like to thank reviewers for their valuable comments. This work was partially supported by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A) No. 25240009
On the Connection of Anisotropic Conductivity to Tip Induced Space Charge Layers in Scanning Tunneling Spectroscopy of p-doped GaAs
The electronic properties of shallow acceptors in p-doped GaAs{110} are
investigated with scanning tunneling microscopy at low temperature. Shallow
acceptors are known to exhibit distinct triangular contrasts in STM images for
certain bias voltages. Spatially resolved I(V)-spectroscopy is performed to
identify their energetic origin and behavior. A crucial parameter - the STM
tip's work function - is determined experimentally. The voltage dependent
potential configuration and band bending situation is derived. Ways to validate
the calculations with the experiment are discussed. Differential conductivity
maps reveal that the triangular contrasts are only observed with a depletion
layer present under the STM tip. The tunnel process leading to the anisotropic
contrasts calls for electrons to tunnel through vacuum gap and a finite region
in the semiconductor.Comment: 11 pages, 8 figure
p-mTOR, p-ERK and PTEN Expression in Tumor Biopsies and Organoids as Predictive Biomarkers for Patients with HPV Negative Head and Neck Cancer
Background: Survival rates of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) have only marginally improved in the last decades. Hence there is a need for predictive biomarkers for long-time survival that can help to guide treatment decisions and might lead to the development of new therapies. The phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway is the most frequently altered pathway in HNSCC, genes are often mutated, amplificated and overexpressed causing aberrant signaling affecting cell growth and differentiation. Numerous genetic alterations of upstream and downstream factors have currently been clarified. However, their predictive value has yet to be established. Therefore we assess the predictive value of p-mTOR, p-ERK and PTEN expression. Methods: Tissue microarrays (TMAâs) of HPV-negative patients with oropharyngeal (n = 48), hypopharyngeal (n = 16) or laryngeal (n = 13) SCC, treated with primary chemoradiation (cisplatin/carboplatin/cetuximab and radiotherapy), were histologically stained for p-mTOR, PTEN and p-ERK. Expression was correlated to overall survival (OS), disease free survival (DFS) and locoregional control (LRC). Also p-mTOR was histologically stained in a separate cohort of HNSCC organoids (n = 8) and correlated to mTOR-inhibitor everolimus response. Results: High p-mTOR expression correlated significantly with worse OS in multivariate analysis in the whole patient cohort [Hazar Ratio (HR) 1.06, 95%CI 1.01â1.11, p = 0.03] and in the cisplatin/carboplatin group with both worse OS (HR 1.09, 95%CI 1.02â1.16, p = 0.02) and DFS (HR 1.06, 95%CI 1.00â1.12, p = 0,04). p-ERK expression correlated significantly with DFS in univariate analysis in the whole patient cohort (HR 1.03, 95%CI 1.00â1.05, p = 0.04) and cisplatin/carboplatin group (HR 1.03, 95%CI 1.00â1.07, p = 0.04). PTEN-expression did not correlate with OS/DFS/LRC. Better organoid response to everolimus correlated significantly to higher p-mTOR expression (Rs = â 0.731, p = 0.04). Conclusions: High p-mTOR expression predicts and high p-ERK expression tends to predict worse treatment outcome in HPV negative HNSCC patients treated with chemoradiation, providing additional evidence that these markers are candidate prognostic biomarkers for survival in this patient population. Also this study shows that the use of HNSCC organoids for biomarker research has potential. The role of PTEN expression as prognostic biomarker remains unclear, as consistent evidence on its prognostic and predictive value is lacking.</p
The RNA Helicase DDX6 Controls Cellular Plasticity by Modulating P-Body Homeostasis
Post-transcriptional mechanisms have the potential to influence complex changes in gene expression, yet their role in cell fate transitions remains largely unexplored. Here, we show that suppression of the RNA helicase DDX6 endows human and mouse primed embryonic stem cells (ESCs) with a differentiation-resistant, âhyper-pluripotentâ state, which readily reprograms to a naive state resembling the preimplantation embryo. We further demonstrate that DDX6 plays a key role in adult progenitors where it controls the balance between self-renewal and differentiation in a context-dependent manner. Mechanistically, DDX6 mediates the translational suppression of target mRNAs in P-bodies. Upon loss of DDX6 activity, P-bodies dissolve and release mRNAs encoding fate-instructive transcription and chromatin factors that re-enter the ribosome pool. Increased translation of these targets impacts cell fate by rewiring the enhancer, heterochromatin, and DNA methylation landscapes of undifferentiated cell types. Collectively, our data establish a link between P-body homeostasis, chromatin organization, and stem cell potency
Image method in the calculation of the van der Waals force between an atom and a conducting surface
Initially, we make a detailed historical survey of van der Waals forces,
collecting the main references on the subject. Then, we review a method
recently proposed by Eberlein and Zietal to compute the dispersion van der
Waals interaction between a neutral but polarizable atom and a perfectly
conducting surface of arbitrary shape. This method has the advantage of
relating the quantum problem to a corresponding classical one in electrostatics
so that all one needs is to compute an appropriate Green function. We show how
the image method of electrostatics can be conveniently used together with the
Eberlein and Zietal mehtod (when the problem admits an image solution). We then
illustrate this method in a couple of simple but important cases, including the
atom-sphere system. Particularly, in our last example, we present an original
result, namely, the van der Waals force between an atom and a boss hat made of
a grounded conducting material.Comment: This is a pedagogical and introductory paper on van der Waals forces
between an atom and a conducting surfac
Random variables with completely independent subcollections
AbstractWe investigate the algebra and geometry of the independence conditions on discrete random variables in which we consider a collection of random variables and study the condition of independence of some subcollections. We interpret independence conditions as an ideal of algebraic relations. After a change of variables, this ideal is generated by generalized 2Ă2 minors of multi-way tables and linear forms. In particular, let Î be a simplicial complex on some random variables and A be the table corresponding to the product of those random variables. If A is Î-independent table then A can be written as the entrywise sum AI+A0 where AI is a completely independent table and A0 is identically 0 in its Î-margins.We compute the isolated components of the original ideal, showing that there is only one component that could correspond to probability distributions, and relate the algebra and geometry of the main component to that of the Segre embedding. If Î has fewer than three facets, we are able to compute generators for the main component, show that it is CohenâMacaulay, and give a full primary decomposition of the original ideal
Finite size effects and non-additivity in the van der Waals interaction
We obtain analytically the exact non-retarded dispersive interaction energy
between an atom and a perfectly conducting disc. We consider the atom in the
symmetry axis of the disc and assume the atom is predominantly polarizable in
the direction of this axis. For this situation we discuss the finite size
effects on the corresponding interaction energy. We follow the recent procedure
introduced by Eberlein and Zietal together with the old and powerful
Sommerfeld's image method for non-trivial geometries. For the sake of clarity
we present a detailed discussion of Sommerfeld's image method. Comparing our
results form the atom-disc system with those recently obtained for an atom near
a conducting plane with a circular aperture, we discus the non-additivity of
the van der Waals interactions involving an atom and two complementary
surfaces. We show that there is a given ratio z/a between the distance z from
the atom to the center of the disc (aperture) and the radius of the disc a
(aperture) for which non-additivity effects vanish. Qualitative arguments
suggest that this quite unexpected result will occur not only for a circular
hole, but for anyother symmetric hole.Comment: 8 page
Blood donation barriers and facilitators of Sub-Saharan African migrants and minorities in Western high-income countries : a systematic review of the literature
OBJECTIVES: The present study aimed to gain more insight into, and summarise, blood donation determinants among migrants or minorities of Sub-Saharan heritage by systematically reviewing the current literature. BACKGROUND: Sub-Saharan Africans are under-represented in the blood donor population in Western high-income countries. This causes a lack of specific blood types for transfusions and prevention of alloimmunisation among Sub-Saharan African patients. METHODS/MATERIALS: Medline, EMBASE, PsycINFO and BIOSIS were searched for relevant empirical studies that focused on barriers and facilitators of blood donation among Sub-Saharan Africans in Western countries until 22 June 2017. Of the 679 articles screened by title and abstract, 152 were subsequently screened by full text. Paired reviewers independently assessed the studies based on predefined eligibility and quality criteria. RESULTS: Of the 31 included studies, 24 used quantitative and 7 used qualitative research methods. Target cohorts varied from Black African Americans and refugees from Sub-Sahara Africa to specific Sub-Saharan migrant groups such as Comorians or Ethiopians. Main recurring barriers for Sub-Saharan Africans were haemoglobin deferral, fear of needles and pain, social exclusion, lack of awareness, negative attitudes and accessibility problems. Important recurring facilitators for Sub-Saharan Africans were altruism, free health checks and specific recruitment and awareness-raising campaigns. CONCLUSION: The findings of this review can be used as a starting point to develop recruitment and retention strategies for Sub-Saharan African persons. Further research is needed to gain more insight in the role of these determinants in specific contexts as socioeconomic features, personal histories and host country regulations may differ per country
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