Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Intratumoral administration of mRNA encoding a fusokine consisting of IFN-β and the ectodomain of the TGF-β receptor II potentiates antitumor immunity

It is generally accepted that the success of immunotherapy depends on the presence of tumor-specific CD8+ cytotoxic T cells and the modulation of the tumor environment. In this study, we validated mRNA encoding soluble factors as a tool to modulate the tumor microenvironment to potentiate infiltration of tumor-specific T cells. Intratumoral delivery of mRNA encoding a fusion protein consisting of interferon-β and the ectodomain of the transforming growth factor-β receptor II, referred to as Fβ2, showed therapeutic potential. The treatment efficacy was dependent on CD8+ T cells and could be improved through blockade of PD-1/PD-L1 interactions. In vitro studies revealed that administration of Fβ2 to tumor cells resulted in a reduced proliferation and increased expression of MHC I but also PD-L1. Importantly, Fβ2 enhanced the antigen presenting capacity of dendritic cells, whilst reducing the suppressive activity of myeloid-derived suppressor cells. In conclusion, these data suggest that intratumoral delivery of mRNA encoding soluble proteins, such as Fβ2, can modulate the tumor microenvironment, leading to effective antitumor T cell responses, which can be further potentiated through combination therapy.
Abnormal Baseline Brain Activity in Non-Depressed Parkinson’s Disease and Depressed Parkinson’s Disease: A Resting-State Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study

Depression is the most common psychiatric disorder observed in Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients, however the neural contribution to the high rate of depression in the PD group is still unclear. In this study, we used resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate the underlying neural mechanisms of depression in PD patients. Twenty-one healthy individuals and thirty-three patients with idiopathic PD, seventeen of whom were diagnosed with major depressive disorder, were recruited. An analysis of amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF) was performed on the whole brain of all subjects. Our results showed that depressed PD patients had significantly decreased ALFF in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vMPFC) and the rostral anterior cingulated cortex (rACC) compared with non-depressed PD patients. A significant positive correlation was found between Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) and ALFF in the DLPFC. The findings of changed ALFF in these brain regions implied depression in PD patients may be associated with abnormal activities of prefrontal-limbic network.
Use case-based testing of product lines

This paper presents PLUTO, a simple and intuitive methodology to manage the testing process of product lines, described as Product Lines Use Cases (PLUCs). PLUCs are an extension of the well-known Cockburn's Use Cases, a notation based on natural language descriptions of requirements. The proposed test methodology is based on the Category Partition method, and can be used to derive a generic Test Specification for the product line, and a set of relevant test scenarios for a customer specific application.
Clinical Profile and HLA Typing of Autoimmune Hepatitis From Pakistan

Background Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) typing in autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) has been investigated in different populations and ethnic groups, but no such data is available from Pakistan. Objectives The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical profile of autoimmune hepatitis (AIH), and determine the associated antigens and alleles by performing HLA typing. Patients and Methods A total of 58 patients, diagnosed and treated as AIH in the last 10 years were reviewed. Diagnosis was based on International AIH Group criteria. Forty one patients underwent liver biopsy. HLA typing was performed in 44 patients and 912 controls by serological method for HLA A and B, and by PCR technique using sequence specific primers for DR alleles. Results Of 58 cases, 35 were females (60.3%). The median age was 14.5 (range 4-70 years), and AIH score was 14 (10-22). Thirty-six (62.0%) patients had type 1 AIH, 10 (17.2%) type 2, and the remaining 12 were seronegative with biopsy proven AIH. Forty-nine patients (84.4%) had cirrhosis. Twenty-four (41.4%) patients had ascites at the time of presentation. Among 41 patients who underwent liver biopsy, thirty-two had advance stages III and IV disease, and twenty had severe grade of inflammation. Fifteen patients had other associated autoimmune diseases and one developed hepatocellular carcinoma. HLA A2 (P = 0.036), HLA A9 (23) (P = 0.018), HLA A10 (25) (P = 0.000), HLA A19 (33) (P = 0.000), HLA B15 (63) (P = 0.007), HLA B40 (61) ( P = 0.002), HLA DR6 (P = 0.001) with its subtypes HLA-DRB1*13 (P = 0.032) and HLA-DRB1*14 (p = 0.017) were more prevalent in AIH with statistical significance than controls. Conclusions AIH in our region presents with advanced disease affecting predominantly children and adolescents. There is a genetic association of HLA DR6 along with other alleles and antigens in our patients with AIH.
Obesity Update 2012

The obesity epidemic slowed down in several OECD countries during the past three years. Rates grew less than previously projected, or did not grow at all, according to new data from ten OECD countries. Child obesity rates also stabilised in England, France, Korea and United States. However, rates remain high and social disparities in obesity are unabated. Many governments have stepped up efforts to tackle the root causes of obesity, embracing increasingly comprehensive strategies and involving communities and key stakeholders. There has been a new interest in the use of taxes on foods rich in fat and sugar, with several governments (e.g. Denmark, Finland, France, Hungary) passing new legislation in 2011. This policy brief presents an update of analyses of trends and social disparities in obesity originally presented in OECD's report " Obesity and the Economics of Prevention: Fit not Fat " , published in 2010. Until 1980, fewer than one in ten people were obese. Since then, rates doubled or tripled and in 19 of 34 OECD countries the majority of the population is now overweight or obese. OECD projections suggest that more than two out of three people will be overweight or obese in some OECD countries by 2020. Three years on from the publication of the OECD report " Obesity and the economics of prevention: Fit not fat " , rates have increased less than, or in line with, projections in most countries for which new data have become available. The data provide strong evidence that the progression of the epidemic has effectively come to a halt for the past ten years in countries such as Korea (where obesity rates have stabilised at 3-4%), Switzerland (7-8%), Italy (8-9%), Hungary (17-18%) and England (22-23%). There is, however, no sign of retrenchment of the epidemic, in any country. Rates remain very high in most of the OECD, and countries continue to experience a large burden from chronic diseases associated with obesity. The latest data show modest increases in obesity over the past decade in countries like Spain and France, in the order of 2-3%, and larger increases in Ireland, Canada and the United States (4-5%), although an even larger increase had been expected in the United States, based on previous OECD projections. These findings would seem to contradict the argument that economic recession might fuel obesity by making people's diets less healthy. Figures 1 and 2 illustrate the progression …
The galaxy power spectrum: precision cosmology from large-scale structure?

Published galaxy power spectra from the two-degree field galaxy redshift survey (2dFGRS) and Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) are not in good agreement. We revisit this issue by analysing both the 2dFGRS and SDSS Data Release 5 (DR5) catalogues using essentially identical techniques. We confirm that the 2dFGRS exhibits relatively more large-scale power than the SDSS, or, equivalently, SDSS has more small-scale power. We demonstrate that this difference is due to the r-band selected SDSS catalogue being dominated by more strongly clustered red galaxies, which have a stronger scale-dependent bias. The power spectra of galaxies of the same rest-frame colours from the two surveys match well. If not accounted for, the difference between the SDSS and 2dFGRS power spectra causes a bias in the obtained constraints on cosmological parameters which is larger than the uncertainty with which they are determined. We also found that the correction developed by Cole et al. to model the distortion in the shape of the power spectrum due to non-linear evolution and scale-dependent bias is not able to reconcile the constraints obtained from the 2dFGRS and SDSS power spectra. Intriguingly, the model is able to describe the differences between the 2dFGRS and the much more strongly clustered Luminous Red Galaxy (LRG) sample, which exhibits greater non-linearities. This shows that more work is needed to understand the relation between the galaxy power spectrum and the linear perturbation theory prediction for the power spectrum of matter fluctuations. It is therefore important to accurately model these effects to get precise estimates of cosmological parameters from these power spectra and from future galaxy surveys like Pan-STARRS, or the Dark Energy Survey, which will use selection criteria similar to the one of SDSS.
Panel on future challenges in modeling methodology

This panel paper presents the views of six researchers and practitioners of simulation modeling. Collectively we attempt to address a range of key future challenges to modeling methodology. It is hoped that the views of this paper, and the presentations made by the panelists at the 2004 Winter Simulation Conference will raise awareness and stimulate further discussion on the future of modeling methodology in areas such as modeling problems in business applications, human factors and geographically dispersed networks; rapid model development and maintenance; legacy modeling approaches; markup languages; virtual interactive process design and simulation; standards; and Grid computing.
Age-related changes in preschoolers’ ability to communicate using iconic gestures in the absence of speech

ABSTRACT Iconic gestures illustrate complex meanings and clarify and enrich the speech they accompany. Little is known, however, about how children use iconic gestures in the absence of speech. In this study, we used a cross-sectional design to investigate how 3-, 4- and 5-year-old children (N = 51) communicate using pantomime iconic gestures. Children were asked to inform a puppet that did not speak their language about how to use different sets of objects. We found that by 5 years of age children are able to communicate using pantomime iconic gestures in a consistent and spontaneous way, without the need to be assisted by an adult. In contrast, 3-year-olds used both pantomime and co-speech gestures to communicate, and overall gestured at a lower level than 4- and 5-year-olds. These results offer us an increased understanding of preschoolers’ ability to create iconic gestures in the absence of speech, suggesting that this ability suffers important progresses throughout the preschool years.
Determination of phase-space reconstruction parameters of chaotic time series

A new method called C-C-1 method is suggested, which can improve some drawbacks of the original C-C method. Based on the theory of period N, a new quantity S(t) for estimating the delay time window of a chaotic time series is given via direct computing a time-series quantity S(m,N,r,t), from which the delay time window can be found. The optimal delay time window is taken as the first period of the chaotic time series with a local minimum of S(t). Only the first local minimum of the average of a quantity ΔS 2 (t) is needed to ascertain the optimal delay time. The parameter of the C-C method - embedding dimension m - is adjusted rationally. In the new method, the estimates of the optimal delay time and the optimal delay time window are more appropriate. The robustness of the C-C-1 method reaches 40 %, whereas that of the C-C method is 30 %.
Konseling Karir dengan Menggunakan Career Information-Processing Model untuk Membantu Career Decision-Making

Having graduated from senior high school, most of high school students continue their education to university level. This research aimed to find effectiveness of career counseling by using career information-processing model to assist career decision-making for students of MAN Y Jakarta. The career information-processing model emphasizes the mind and memory in the process of problem solving and career decision-making (Henderson, 2009). This research used quasi-experiment one group pre-test post-test design involving 7 participants who previously experienced the obstacle in career decision-making. The career counseling intervention was implemented in 9 sessions. Based on paired sample t-test (t=8.576, p<.01), result showed that career counseling intervention was effective to assist career counseling for students of MAN Y Jakarta. Thus, intervention in this study could serve as a model of intervention to assist students in career decision-making.
An Autoregressive Distributed Lag Modelling Approach to Cointegration Analysis

Introduction Econometric analysis of long-run relations has been the focus of much theoretical and empirical research in economics. In cases in which the variables in the long-run relation of interest are trend-stationary, the general practice has been to de-trend the series and to model the de-trended series as stationary autoregressive distributed-lag (ARDL) models. Estimation and inference concerning the long-run properties of the model have then been carried out using standard asymptotic normal theory. For a comprehensive review of this literature, see Hendry, Pagan, and Sargan (1984) and Wickens and Breusch (1988). The analysis becomes more complicated when the variables are difference-stationary, or integrated of order 1 [ I (1) for short]. The recent literature on cointegration has been concerned with analysis of the long-run relations between I (1) variables, and its basic premise has been, at least implicitly, that in the presence of I (1) variables the traditional ARDL approach is no longer applicable. Consequently, large numbers of alternative estimation and hypothesis-testing procedures have been specifically developed for the analysis of I (1) variables. See the pioneering work of Engle and Granger (1987), Johansen (1991), Phillips (1991), Phillips and Hansen (1990), and Phillips and Loretan (1991).
The Longitudinal Association Between Self‐esteem and Depressive Symptoms in Adolescents: Separating Between‐Person Effects from Within‐Person Effects

Many longitudinal studies have investigated whether self–esteem predicts depressive symptoms (vulnerability model) or the other way around (scar model) in adolescents. The most common method of analysis has been the cross–lagged panel model (CLPM). The CLPM does not separate between–person effects from within–person effects, making it unclear whether the results from previous studies actually reflect the within–person effects or whether they reflect differences between people. We investigated the associations between self–esteem and depressive symptoms at the within–person level, using random intercept cross–lagged panel models (RI–CLPMs). To get an impression of the magnitude of possible differences between the RI–CLPM and the CLPM, we compared the results of both models. We used data from three longitudinal adolescent samples (age range: 7–18 years; study 1: N = 1948; study 2: N = 1455; study 3: N = 316). Intervals between the measurements were 1–1.5 years. Single–paper meta–analyses showed support for small within–person associations from self–esteem to depressive symptoms, but not the other way around, thus only providing some support for the vulnerability model. The cross–lagged associations in the aggregated RI–CLPM and CLPM showed similar effect sizes. Overall, our results show that over 1– to 1.5–year time intervals, low self–esteem may negatively influence depressive symptoms over time within adolescents, but only weakly so. © 2018 The Authors. European Journal of Personality published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of European Association of Personality Psychology
Multidimensional Bullying Victimization Scale: Development and validation

ABSTRACT The prevalence of bullying has increased over the past decade and is a public health concern. Existing measures of bullying lack breadth and/or psychometric support, which may inaccurately represent current rates of bullying. The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a psychometrically sound measure, the Multidimensional Bullying Victimization Scale (MBVS), to evaluate bullying in adolescents. An initial pool of items was generated and rated by 600 adolescents. Exploratory factor analyses yielded three factors—direct bulling, indirect bullying, and evaluative bullying. Confirmatory factor analyses were conducted on independent sample of 623 adolescents, supporting the original three-factor solution. Results indicate that the MBVS demonstrates good internal consistency, construct validity, and concurrent validity. The MBVS scores were significantly and positively correlated with internalizing and externalizing symptoms. The MBVS provides a reliable and valid assessment of adolescents’ experiences with bully victimization.
Multimodal approach to affective human-robot interaction design with children

Two studies examined the different features of humanoid robots and the influence on children's affective behavior. The first study looked at interaction styles and general features of robots. The second study looked at how the robot's attention influences children's behavior and engagement. Through activities familiar to young children (e.g., table setting, story telling), the first study found that cooperative interaction style elicited more oculesic behavior and social engagement. The second study found that quality of attention, type of attention, and length of interaction influences affective behavior and engagement. In the quality of attention, Wizard-of-Oz (woz) elicited the most affective behavior, but automatic attention worked as well as woz when the interaction was short. The type of attention going from nonverbal to verbal attention increased children's oculesic behavior, utterance, and physiological response. Affective interactions did not seem to depend on a single mechanism, but a well-chosen confluence of technical features.
Firms patterns of e-business adoption: evidence for the European Union-27.

Research has shown that firms using e-business achieve considerable returns through efficiency improvements, inventory reduction, sales increase, customer relationship enhancement, new market penetration, and ultimately financial returns. However, there is little systematic research in terms of e-business adoption patterns in firms across countries and industries. This study addresses the research gap by analysing the pattern of e-business adoption by firms across European Union (EU) members. For that, we used the survey data from 6,964 businesses in EU27 members (excluding Malta and Bulgaria). The choice of variables that we will use in our study is based on the technology-organization-environment (TOE) theory. In the TOE framework, three aspects may possibly influence e-business adoption: technological context (technology readiness and technology integration); organizational context (firm size, expected benefits and barriers of e-business and improved products or services or internal processes); and environmental context (internet penetration and competitive pressure). We performed a factor analysis (FA) of multi-item indicators to evaluate the validity and to reduce the number of variables. We used the principal component technique with varimax rotation to extract four eigenvalue, which were all greater than one. The first four factors explain 72.4% of variance contained in the data. The four factors found are: expected benefits and obstacles of e-business, internet penetration, technology readiness and technology integration. These factors are in accordance with the literature review. Afterwards, we performed a cluster analysis (CA) using variables obtained from the FA and the other variables were gathered directly (firm size, employees’ education, improved products or services or internal processes and competitive pressure) from the e-Business W@tch survey. In the CA we used hierarchical and non hierarchical methods. We obtained four distinct groups of e-business adoption. The pattern of these groups suggested that in the European context the most important factor to characterize e-business adoption is the specific characteristics of the industry and is not the country to which the firms belong.
Radioprotective potential of histamine on rat small intestine and uterus

The aim of this study was to improve knowledge about histamine radioprotective potential investigating its effect on reducing ionising radiation-induced injury and genotoxic damage on the rat small intestine and uterus. Forty 10-week-old male and 40 female Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into 4 groups. Histamine and histamine-5Gy groups received a daily subcutaneous histamine injection (0.1 mg/kg) starting 24 h before irradiation. Histamine-5Gy and untreated-5Gy groups were irradiated with a dose of whole-body Cesium-137 irradiation. Three days after irradiation animals were sacrificed and tissues were removed, fixed, and stained with haematoxylin and eosin, and histological characteristics were evaluated. Proliferation, apoptosis and oxidative DNA markers were studied by immunohistochemistry, while micronucleus assay was performed to evaluate chromosomal damage. Histamine treatment reduced radiation-induced mucosal atrophy, oedema and vascular damage produced by ionising radiation, increasing the number of crypts per circumference (239±12 vs 160±10; P<0.01). This effect was associated with a reduction of radiation-induced intestinal crypts apoptosis. Additionally, histamine decreased the frequency of micronuclei formation and also significantly attenuated 8-OHdG immunoreactivity, a marker of DNA oxidative damage. Furthermore, radiation induced flattening of the endometrial surface, depletion of deep glands and reduced mitosis, effects that were completely blocked by histamine treatment. The expression of a proliferation marker in uterine luminal and glandular cells was markedly stimulated in histamine treated and irradiated rats. The obtained evidences indicate that histamine is a potential candidate as a safe radio-protective agent that might increase the therapeutic index of radiotherapy for intra-abdominal and pelvic cancers. However, its efficacy needs to be carefully investigated in prospective clinical trials.
Theoretical Results About Finding the Sparsest Representations of Multiple Measurement Vectors ( MMV ) in an Over-complete Dictionary , Using ` 1-Norm Minimization and Greedy Algorithms

Multiple Measurement Vectors (MMV) is a newly emerged problem in sparse over-complete representation. Efficient methods have been designed. Considering many theoretical results that are available in a simple case— Single Measure Vector (SMV)—the theoretical analysis regarding MMV is lacking. In this paper, some known results of SMV are generalized to MMVs; new results particularly for MMV are also derived. Our theoretical results show under what conditions a sparse representation is unique. Moreover, the equivalence of the solutions to both ‘minimizing the `0 norm’ problems and ‘minimizing the `1 norm’ problems indicates a computationally efficient approach of finding the sparsest representations. It is proved that under certain conditions, Orthogonal Matching Pursuit (OMP) – which is a greedy algorithm – and a modified version of OMP can find the sparsest representations for MMVs as well. Interestingly, simulations show that the predictions made by the above theorems tend to be conservative; this is consistent with some recent advances, which will be discussed.