Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Immunization with the Recombinant Cholera Toxin B Fused to Fimbria 2 Protein Protects against Bordetella pertussis Infection

This study examined the immunogenic properties of the fusion protein fimbria 2 of Bordetella pertussis (Fim2)—cholera toxin B subunit (CTB) in the intranasal murine model of infection. To this end B. pertussis Fim2 coding sequence was cloned downstream of the cholera toxin B subunit coding sequence. The expression and assembly of the fusion protein into pentameric structures (CTB-Fim2) were evaluated by SDS-PAGE and monosialotetrahexosylgaglioside (GM1-ganglioside) enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). To evaluate the protective capacity of CTB-Fim2, an intraperitoneal or intranasal mouse immunization schedule was performed with 50 μg of CTB-Fim2. Recombinant (rFim2) or purified (BpFim2) Fim2, CTB, and phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) were used as controls. The results showed that mice immunized with BpFim2 or CTB-Fim2 intraperitoneally or intranasally presented a significant reduction in bacterial lung counts compared to control groups (P < 0.01 or P < 0.001 , resp.). Moreover, intranasal immunization with CTB-Fim2 induced significant levels of Fim2-specific IgG in serum and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and Fim2-specific IgA in BAL. Analysis of IgG isotypes and cytokines mRNA levels showed that CTB-Fim2 results in a mixed Th1/Th2 (T-helper) response. The data presented here provide support for CTB-Fim2 as a promising recombinant antigen against Bordetella pertussis infection.
Performance and quality: user experiences of home care services. Final report

Reflecting and learning from the perspective of service users is an increasingly important aspect of government policy. In order to reflect this in performance indicators relating to the quality of services, all councils with social services responsibilities (CSSRs) are required to undertake user experience surveys (UES). In 2002-2003 the survey focused on older users of home care. This paper reports on the findings of an extension to that survey conducted as part of the PSSRU Costs, Quality and Outcomes programme. The principal aims of the UES extension study were: to add value to the User Experience Surveys for a sample of participating local authorities by enhancing comparability across dimensions not included in the four required items; to enable authorities to compare the quality of home care providers in their authorities and with providers used by other authorities; to assess the questions devised by ONS for their suitability as performance indicators; to facilitate the further development measurement of quality of homecare service. This report focuses on the evaluation of the conduct of the survey, the validity of the performance indicators, development of indicators of user experiences of quality and outcome and the factors associated with variations in these.
Estimating truncated hotel demand: A comparison of low computational cost forecasting methods

Ding, Yue. M.S., Purdue University, May 2014. Estimating Truncated Hotel Demand: A Comparison of Low Computational Cost Forecasting Methods. Major Professor: Hugo Tang. The aim of this thesis is to evaluate the effectiveness of six selected low computational cost hotel demand forecasting methods (SA, SMA, EMA, DEMA, BP and PU) in terms of restoring truncated demand data, and then identify a low-cost and easy to follow demand forecasting method that can be used by U.S. independent hotels. Obtaining revenue gains by applying demand forecasting techniques have been proved by many studies in hospitality and other related industries. However, few studies have focused on low computational forecasting methods’ comparison in hospitality field. For this reason, the author decided to test the performance of six selected demand forecasting techniques, with the aim of identifying an effective method for hotels operators constrained by financial resources and expertise. This thesis first simulates leisure and business real demand booking curves under a predecided increasing rate in each of three leisure/business ratio scenarios (1:3, 1:1, and 3:1). In the second stage, true demands are truncated in three cases. They are 1) capacity
Title Repression of phosphoinositide-dependent protein kinase 1 expression by ciglitazone via Egr-1 represents a new approach for inhibition of lung cancer cell growth

Background: Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors gamma (PPARγ) ligands have been shown to inhibit the growth of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells. However, the mechanisms underlying this effect remain incompletely elucidated. Methods: Cell proliferation and apoptosis were measured by cell viability, MTT and caspase3/7 activity assays. Phosphorylation/protein expression and gene silence/overexpression of AMPKα, phosphoinositide-dependent protein kinase 1 (PDK1), Egr-1 and PPARγ were performed by Western blot and siRNA/transfection assays. Dual-Luciferase Reporter Kit was used to measure the PPAR response elements (PPRE) reporter and PDK1 promoter activities, and ChIP assay was used to detect the Egr-1 protein binding to the DNA site in the PDK1 gene promoter. Results: We found that ciglitazone, one synthetic PPARγ ligand, inhibited growth and induced apoptosis of NSCLC cells through decreased expression of PDK1, which was not blocked by GW9662 (a specific PPARγ antagonist). Overexpression of PDK1 overcame the effect of ciglitazone on cell growth and caspase 3/7 activity. Ciglitazone increased the phosphorylation of AMPKα and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), and the inhibitor of AMPK (compound C), but not JNK (SP600125), reversed the effect of ciglitazone on PDK1 protein expression. Ciglitazone reduced PDK1 gene promoter activity, which was not observed in cells exposed to compound C, but not silenced of PPARγ siRNA. Combination of ciglitazone and metformin further reduced PDK1 expression and promoter activity. Furthermore, we showed that ciglitazone induced the protein expression of Egr-1, which was not observed in cells silencing of AMPKα. Moreover, silencing of Egr-1 abrogated the effect of ciglitazone on PDK1 promoter activity and cell growth. On the contrary, overexpression of Egr-1 enhanced the effect of ciglitazone on PDK1 gene promoter activity. ChIP assays demonstrated that ciglitazone induced Egr-1 protein bind to the specific DNA site in the PDK1 gene promoter. Conclusion: Collectively, our results demonstrate that ciglitazone inhibits PDK1 expression through AMPKα-mediated induction of Egr-1 and Egr-1 binding to the specific DNA site in the PDK1 gene promoter, which is independent of PPARγ. Activation of AMPKα by metformin enhances the effect of ciglitazone. In turn, this leads to inhibition of NSCLC cell proliferation.
A novel method for designing allpass digital filters

A novel method for designing recursive allpass digital filters is presented. This method uses cepstral coefficients to design the allpass filter. For a stable allpass filter, the denominator polynomial must be of minimum phase. For a minimum phase polynomial the magnitude function and the group delay function are related through the cepstral coefficients. Hence, given the group delay function, the cepstral coefficients corresponding to the denominator polynomial part are first determined. From the cepstral coefficients the minimum phase denominator polynomial coefficients are determined through a nonlinear recursive difference equation.
Supervisor-Provided Resources

This research integrates social exchange theory and resource theory to develop a measure of the types of resources supervisors provide to their employees, referred to as supervisor-provided resources (SPR). The factor structure, construct validity, and criterion-related validity for the SPR are reported based on six separate samples of working adults. Results indicated three resource dimensions: money, social, and task resources. All three resource types were positively related to quality of the social exchange relationship, but they were differentially related to attitudinal and behavioral outcomes. Implications of the SPR for future research and practice in the context of exchange relationships are discussed.
The Sizes of Early-Type Galaxies

In this letter we present a study of the size luminosity relation of 475 early-type galaxies in the Virgo Cluster with Sloan Digital Sky Survey imaging data. The analysis of our homogeneous, model-independent data set reveals that giant and dwarf early-type galaxies do not form one common sequence in this relation. The dwarfs seem to show weak or no dependence on luminosity, and do not fall on the extension of the rather steep relation of the giants. Under the assumption that the light profile shape varies continuously with magnitude, a curved relation of size and magnitude would be expected. While the galaxies do roughly follow this trend overall, we find that the dwarf galaxies are significantly larger and the low-luminosity giants are significantly smaller than what is predicted. We come to the conclusion that in this scaling relation there is not one common sequence from dwarfs to giants, but a dichotomy that cannot be resolved by varying profile shapes. The comparison of our data to a semianalytic model supports the idea of a physical origin for this dichotomy.
Insulin Receptor Substrate 2 Is Essential for Maturation and Survival of Photoreceptor Cells

Insulin receptor substrates (Irs-proteins) integrate signals from the insulin and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF1) receptors with other processes to control cellular growth, function, and survival. Here, we show that Irs2 promoted the maturation and survival of photoreceptors in the murine retina immediately after birth. Irs2 was mainly localized to the outer plexiform layer as well as to photoreceptor inner segments. It was also seen in ganglion cells and inner plexiform layer but in smaller amounts. Compared with control littermates, Irs2 knock-out mice lose ∼10% of their photoreceptors 1 week after birth and up to 50% by 2 weeks of age as a result of increased apoptosis. The surviving photoreceptor cells developed short organized segments, which displayed proportionally diminished but otherwise normal electrical function. However, IGF1-stimulated Akt phosphorylation was barely detected, and cleaved/activated caspase-3 was significantly elevated in isolated retinas of Irs2-/- mice. When diabetes was prevented, which allowed the Irs2-/- mice to survive for 2 years, most photoreceptor cells were lost by 16 months of age. Because apoptosis is the final common pathway in photoreceptor degeneration, pharmacological strategies that increase Irs2 expression or function in photoreceptor cells could be a general treatment for blinding diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa.
Strength training improves muscle quality and insulin sensitivity in Hispanic older adults with type 2 diabetes

Hispanics are at increased risk of morbidity and mortality due to their high prevalence of diabetes and poor glycemic control. Strength training is the most effective lifestyle intervention to increase muscle mass but limited data is available in older adults with diabetes. We determined the influence of strength training on muscle quality (strength per unit of muscle mass), skeletal muscle fiber hypertrophy, and metabolic control including insulin resistance (Homeostasis Model Assessment –HOMA-IR), C-Reactive Protein (CRP), adiponectin and Free Fatty Acid (FFA) levels in Hispanic older adults. Sixty-two community-dwelling Hispanics (>55 y) with type 2 diabetes were randomized to 16 weeks of strength training plus standard care (ST group) or standard care alone (CON group). Skeletal muscle biopsies and biochemical measures were taken at baseline and 16 weeks. The ST group show improved muscle quality (mean±SE: 28±3) vs CON (-4±2, p<0.001) and increased type I (860±252µm2) and type II fiber cross-sectional area (720±285µm2) compared to CON (type I: -164±290µm2, p=0.04; and type II: -130±336µm2, p=0.04). This was accompanied by reduced insulin resistance [ST: median (interquartile range) -0.7(3.6) vs CON: 0.8(3.8), p=0.05]; FFA (ST: -84±30µmol/L vs CON: 149±48µmol/L, p=0.02); and CRP [ST: -1.3(2.9)mg/L vs CON: 0.4(2.3)mg/L, p=0.05]. Serum adiponectin increased with ST [1.0(1.8)µg/mL] compared to CON [-1.2(2.2)µg/mL, p<0.001]. Strength training improved muscle quality and whole-body insulin sensitivity. Decreased inflammation and increased adiponectin levels were related with improved metabolic control. Further studies are needed to understand the mechanisms associated with these findings. However, these data show that strength training is an exercise modality to consider as an adjunct of standard of care in high risk populations with type 2 diabetes.
Semigroup actions on tori and stationary measures on projective spaces

Let be a sub-semigroup of G = GL(d, R), d > 1. We assume that the action of on R d is strongly irreducible and that contains a proximal and expanding element. We describe contraction properties of the dynamics of on R d at infinity. This amounts to the consideration of the action of on some compact homogeneous spaces of G, which are extensions of the projective space P d 1 . In the case where is a sub-semigroup of GL(d, R)∩M(d, Z) and has the above properties, we deduce that the -orbits on T d = R d /Z d are finite or dense.
Pandemics and National Security

Traditionally, national security has been narrowly defined as the preservation of the state from physical threats. Still, emerging diseases and their pandemic potential pose perhaps an even greater national security threat, particularly in this era of globalization when disease can spread more rapidly than in previous eras. Thirty four percent of all deaths worldwide are now attributable to infectious disease, while war only accounts for 0.64 percent of those deaths. Moreover, the Spanish flu epidemic of 1918 killed approximately 500,000 Americans, more than all wars fought in the 20th century. Improving detection through biosurveillance is the key to stopping epidemics and the United States must increase its funding and focus on improving both domestic and global biosurvellance capability. Additionally, reducing disease transmission through public education and related measures is also crucial to minimizing pandemic impacts. Key terms: Africa, biosurveillance, bioterrorism, infection, national security, and pandemic.
Asymptotic entropic uncertainty relations

We analyze entropic uncertainty relations for two orthogonal measurements on a $N$-dimensional Hilbert space, performed in two generic bases. It is assumed that the unitary matrix $U$ relating both bases is distributed according to the Haar measure on the unitary group. We provide lower bounds on the average Shannon entropy of probability distributions related to both measurements. The bounds are stronger than these obtained with use of the entropic uncertainty relation by Maassen and Uffink, and they are optimal up to additive constants. We also analyze the case of a large number of measurements and obtain strong entropic uncertainty relations which hold with high probability with respect to the random choice of bases. The lower bounds we obtain are optimal up to additive constants and allow us to establish the conjecture by Wehner and Winter on the asymptotic behavior of constants in entropic uncertainty relations as the dimension tends to infinity. As a tool we develop estimates on the maximum operator norm of a submatrix of a fixed size of a random unitary matrix distributed according to the Haar measure, which are of an independent interest.
The Dollar, the Euro and the Role of Emerging Currencies

Since the collapse of the Bretton Woods Global International System in 1971, the world economy has experienced significant currency volatility. The major economies of the world have addressed such volatility differently. The EU has chosen to follow a monetary union and introduced successfully a new currency. The U.S. has paid less attention to the fluctuations of the dollar and has pursued an independent monetary policy to promote national economic stability. Japan has seen its currency appreciate significantly. This paper argues that while trade and growth across the globe are doing well, financial developments are intensifying the competition between the U.S. dollar and the euro. Four possible future scenarios are developed and discussed.
BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making

Background: Despite the growing interest by leaders, policy makers, and others, the terminology of health information technology as well as biomedical and health informatics is poorly understood and not even agreed upon by academics and professionals in the field. Discussion: The paper, presented as a Debate to encourage further discussion and disagreement, provides definitions of the major terminology used in biomedical and health informatics and health information technology. For informatics, it focuses on the words that modify the term as well as individuals who practice the discipline. Other categories of related terms are covered as well, from the associated disciplines of computer science, information technolog and health information management to the major application categories of applications used. The discussion closes with a classification of individuals who work in the largest segment of the field, namely clinical informatics. Summary: The goal of presenting in Debate format is to provide a starting point for discussion to reach a documented consensus on the definition and use of these terms.
Taste and familiarity affect the experience of groove in popular music

Groove is a common experience in music listeners, often described as an enjoyable impulse to move in synchrony with the music. Research has suggested that the groove experience is influenced by listeners’ musical taste and their familiarity with a musical repertoire. This study reports the results from an online listening experiment in which 233 participants rated the groove quality of 208 short clips from different Western popular music styles. Findings show that participants’ familiarity with a song, its musical style, and listeners’ preference for that style have a considerable effect on the groove experience. Overall, pop and funk stimuli triggered a stronger groove experience than rock stimuli. Listeners had a tendency to give high groove ratings to music they had heard before and to music that belonged to a style they liked. Results also show that professional musicians had a tendency to experience more groove in response to funk compared to pop music, whereas non-musicians experienced more groove with pop compared to funk. Together, these effects explained approximately 15% of the groove ratings’ variance. In sum, listeners’ attitudes and their musical backgrounds have a considerable impact on their experience of groove.
The behavioural economics of climate change

This paper attempts to bring some central insights from behavioural economics into the economics of climate change. In particular, it discusses (i) implications of prospect theory, the equity premium puzzle, and time-inconsistent preferences in the choice of discount rate used in climate-change cost assessments, and (ii) the implications of various kinds of social preferences for the outcome of climate negotiations. Several reasons are presented for why it appears advisable to choose a substantially lower social discount rate than the average return on investments. It also seems likely that taking social preferences into account increases the possibilities of obtaining international agreements, compared to the standard model. However, there are also effects going in the opposite direction, and the importance of sanctions is emphasized.
Simulation of wrinkled surfaces

Computer generated shaded images have reached an impressive degree of realism with the current state of the art. They are not so realistic, however, that they would fool many people into believing they are real. One problem is that the surfaces tend to look artificial due to their extreme smoothness. What is needed is a means of simulating the surface irregularities that are on real surfaces. In 1973 Ed Catmull introduced the idea of using the parameter values of parametrically defined surfaces to index into a texture definition function which scales the intensity of the reflected light. By tying the texture pattern to the parameter values, the texture is guaranteed to rotate and move with the object. This is good for showing patterns painted on the surface, but attempts to simulate rough surfaces in this way are unconvincing. This paper presents a method of using a texturing function to perform a small perturbation on the direction of the surface normal before using it in the intensity calculations. This process yields images with realistic looking surface wrinkles without the need to model each wrinkle as a separate surface element. Several samples of images made with this technique are included.
How Rational is the Stock Market towards Properties of Analyst Consensus Forecasts ?

This paper investigates the extent to which investors are rational with respect to two well-known empirical properties of analyst consensus forecasts: optimism and autocorrelated revisions. Consistent with previous research, I find that investors are aware of the optimistic bias in analyst forecasts, but do not adjust for it completely. Using Mishkin’s test, I find that the market’s expectation adjusts for approximately 70% of the optimistic bias in analyst forecasts. The market is fully rational about the auto-correlation in two-year-ahead and three-year-ahead forecast revisions, but not so for one-year-ahead revisions: it recognizes 82% of the auto-correlation in one-year-ahead forecast revisions. I further examine whether the degree of investor rationality is positively correlated with commonly used proxies for sophistication of marginal investors: size, analyst following and institutional ownership. I fail to find evidence that those proxies are positively correlated with the degree of investor rationality. Finally, I examine time-series variation in investor rationality, and find that investors seem to be more rational in recent years. JEL Classification: M4, G1.
Does Metabolically Healthy Obesity Exist?

The relationship between obesity and other metabolic diseases have been deeply studied. However, there are clinical inconsistencies, exceptions to the paradigm of “more fat means more metabolic disease”, and the subjects in this condition are referred to as metabolically healthy obese (MHO). They have long-standing obesity and morbid obesity but can be considered healthy despite their high degree of obesity. We describe the variable definitions of MHO, the underlying mechanisms that can explain the existence of this phenotype caused by greater adipose tissue inflammation or the different capacity for adipose tissue expansion and functionality apart from other unknown mechanisms. We analyze whether these subjects improve after an intervention (traditional lifestyle recommendations or bariatric surgery) or if they stay healthy as the years pass. MHO is common among the obese population and constitutes a unique subset of characteristics that reduce metabolic and cardiovascular risk factors despite the presence of excessive fat mass. The protective factors that grant a healthier profile to individuals with MHO are being elucidated.