Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Human CD4+ T-cell response to hepatitis delta virus: identification of multiple epitopes and characterization of T-helper cytokine profiles

The T-cell-mediated immune response plays a crucial role in defense against hepatotropic viruses as well as in the pathogenesis of viral chronic hepatitides. However, very little is known about the role of specific T cells during hepatitis delta virus (HDV) infection in humans. In this study, the T-cell response to HDV in chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) carriers with HDV superinfection was investigated at different levels. Analysis of peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) proliferation in response to a recombinant form of large hepatitis delta antigen (HDAg) revealed that 8 of 30 patients studied (27%) specifically responded to HDAg. By employing synthetic peptides spanning the entire HDAg sequence, we found that T-cell recognition was directed against different antigenic determinants, with patient-to-patient variation in the pattern of response to peptides. Interestingly, all responders had signs of inactive HDV-induced disease, while none of the patients with active disease and none of the control subjects showed any significant proliferation. More accurate information about the specific T-cell response was obtained at the clonal level. A panel of HDAg-specific CD4+ T-cell clones from three HDV-infected individuals and fine-specificity analysis revealed that the clones tested individually recognized four epitopes corresponding to amino acids (aa) 26 to 41, 50 to 65, 66 to 81, or 106 to 121 of HDAg sequence. The study of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) restriction revealed that peptides 50 to 65 and 106 to 121 were presented to specific T cells in association with multiple class II molecules. In addition, peptide 26 to 41 was efficiently generated after processing of HDAg through the endogenous processing pathway. Cytokine secretion analysis showed that all the CD4+ T-cell clones assayed were able to produce high levels of gamma interferon (IFN-gamma), belonging either to T helper-1 (Th1) or Th0 subsets and that some of them were cytotoxic in a specific assay. This study provides the first evidence that detection of a specific T-cell response to HDAg in the peripheral blood of individuals with hepatitis delta is related to the decrease of HDV-induced disease activity. The HDAg epitopes identified here and particularly those recognized by CD4+ T cells in association with multiple major histocompatibility complex class II molecules may be potentially exploited for the preparation of a vaccine for prophylaxis and therapy of HDV infection.
A Model for Evaluating Stock of Companies Listed on Tehran Security Exchange (TSE)

Proper stock valuation is one of the most important issues to financial analysts, financial managers and investors. The purpose of this paper is to help the interested groups with required information for stock valuation. The sample of this study consists of 644 firm-years of companies listed on TSE since 2003 to 2009 year. Operating cash flows, earnings per share, book value per share, return on assets, assets turnover ratio, stock price at the beginning of the period, age of firm, size and industry type are the independent variables. The results of this research show that earnings per share and return of assets have adirect relationship with stock price. Results also show that firm’s stock price has a positive correlation with lagged stock price and it can be argued that the price of the stock is a continuum. Based on the results of this research the stock price is affected by the year of examination.
Licensing of sequential innovations

This paper uses a strategic licensing framework to study firms’ licensing behaviour when there are two generations of technology in the market. The innovations are sequential with the second invention built on the first one. We analyse two different licensing schemes: fixed fee payment and royalty payment. The results indicate that the optimal licensing strategy depends on the market size and magnitudes of the two innovations. When two inventors use the same licensing scheme, for most parameter ranges, royalty payment scheme out-performs fixed fee payment scheme for inventor one if the second technology is significant. When inventors can choose different licensing schemes endogenously, for some parameter ranges, the early inventor prefers licensing by royalty and the second generation inventor prefers licensing by fixed fee. Contrary to the standard literature with outside innovators, royalty can be supported as the best licensing scheme. JEL Classification: D23, D45.
Awareness in dementia: A review of assessment methods and measures

A comprehensive range of literature on awareness in dementia published in peer-reviewed journals during the last 15 years was reviewed with the aim of extracting details of the methods and measurement instruments adopted for the purposes of assessing awareness. Assessment approaches fell into five categories: clinician rating methods, questionnaire-based methods, performance-based methods, phenomenological methods, and multidimensional or combined methods. Ranges of objects of awareness assessment were identified both within and across domains. Strengths and limitations of methods in each category were identified. Reasons for the inconclusive findings from research using the methods described here were considered, and suggestions for future directions were made.
Heart Disease Prediction using Naive Bayes Classification in Data Mining

In this research, data mining techniques will helpful to handle the predictive model. Research will show the most effective parameter of the heart disease prediction which gets the scenario for least predictive value and most predictive value from the dataset. Initially need to identify the exact state of the user entering parameter which can be frequent item although random value of dataset in data modeling. Results show that unique strength which identifies the objectives of the defined mining goal and expert system. Some medical exponent attributes such as age, sex, blood pressure and blood sugar, glucose and some related factors can predict the likelihood of patients getting a heart disease with its exact probability. Basically this technique is expended on the defected and non-defected parameter which works as result class. The System can discover and extract hidden knowledge associated with diseases (heart attack) from a historical heart disease database.
Enhancing Cooperation in Interfirm Relationships: The Role of Reputation and (In)Formal Agreements

In this paper, we use a large database of more than 3,700 strategic relationships in force between French firms in 2003 to study the way they govern their relationships combining both relational and formal elements. We argue that these two dimensions might be complements or substitutes depending on the characteristics of the relationships as well as the reputations of contracting partners. More precisely, we posit that the formal dimension of the relationship might help to equilibrate hazards between partners increasing cooperation as well as the reputations of the contracting parties acting as hostages. Our empirical results confirm our predictions and thus suggest that competing theoretical frameworks focusing on informal or formal agreements might not tell the entire story. Our results, by showing how those dimensions might complete or be a substitute for each other, shed new light on previous empirical works on this issue.
A Non-Invasive Thermal Drift Compensation Technique Applied to a Spin-Valve Magnetoresistive Current Sensor

A compensation method for the sensitivity drift of a magnetoresistive (MR) Wheatstone bridge current sensor is proposed. The technique was carried out by placing a ruthenium temperature sensor and the MR sensor to be compensated inside a generalized impedance converter circuit (GIC). No internal modification of the sensor bridge arms is required so that the circuit is capable of compensating practical industrial sensors. The method is based on the temperature modulation of the current supplied to the bridge, which improves previous solutions based on constant current compensation. Experimental results are shown using a microfabricated spin-valve MR current sensor. The temperature compensation has been solved in the interval from 0 °C to 70 °C measuring currents from −10 A to +10 A.
Finding critical financial ratios for Taiwan’s property development firms in recession

Ratio analysis is an excellent way of looking into a firm’s financial status. However, in performing the ratio analysis, an often underemphasized task is the selection of ratios for use. In a multi‐criteria decision‐making framework, poor quality of criteria selection, i.e. financial ratios, will consequently undermine the quality of evaluation. Aims at establishing a systematic approach for finding critical financial ratios to assist in financial analysis for the construction industry. As each sector of the industry is intrinsically unique, the set of critical ratios for different sectors will certainly vary. However, the approach for finding useful financial ratios will not distinguish itself with respect to the concerned sector rather than the purpose of analysis. The proposed approach incorporates the concept of multi‐criteria decision making and the entropy method. The approach is demonstrated in a case study in which major property development firms in Taiwan are evaluated.
The effect of an interleukin-1 receptor antagonist protein on type II collagen-induced arthritis and antigen-induced arthritis in mice.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the anti-arthritic effect of recombinant human interleukin-1 receptor antagonist protein (IRAP) in two experimental models of arthritis. METHODS Recombinant IRAP was administered daily to mice with type II collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) or with antigen-induced arthritis (AIA) provoked by methylated bovine serum albumin (mBSA). Disease incidence and severity were assessed by a clinical index and histologic features. Serum antibody to type II collagen, spleen cell proliferation to mBSA, and anti-IRAP antibodies were measured as indices of immune function. RESULTS IRAP reduced the incidence and delayed the onset of CIA and suppressed the antibody response to type II collagen. In contrast, IRAP did not affect the pathogenesis of AIA and had no effect on either humoral or cellular immune responses to mBSA in arthritic mice. CONCLUSION These observations suggest that interleukin-1 may play a prominent role in the development of some, but not all, forms of arthritis.
A Comparison of the Efficacies of Different Pre-treatment Drugs in Resolving the Injection Pain of Rocuronium

Efficacies of pre-treatment with lidocaine, remifentanil and metoclopramide in the reduction of pain and withdrawal movements induced by rocuronium injection were evaluated. Forty-four adult patients, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) Physical Status I–II, undergoing elective surgery were randomly assigned to four groups. Each patient received intravenously either 10 mg metoclopramide, 50 mg lidocaine, 1 μg/kg remifentanil or 3 ml of 0.9% sodium chloride (control group); followed by occlusion with a tourniquet on the forearm. After 10 s, occlusion stopped and a priming dose of 0.06 mg/kg rocuronium was injected. The patient's response to rocuronium was graded using a four-point scale in a double-blind manner. All groups had significantly lower incidences of pain compared with the control group. After loss of consciousness with sodium thiopental, 0.6 mg/kg rocuronium was administered for intubation and withdrawal movements were assessed. The number of patients in whom withdrawal movements were lowest was in the lidocaine-treated group. Although there was no difference among the study drugs in the prevention of rocuronium-induced pain, lidocaine and remifentanil seemed to be clinically more effective than metoclopramide.
On the Frequency Dependency of Radio Channel's Delay Spread: Analyses and Findings From mmMAGIC Multi-frequency Channel Sounding

This paper analyzes the frequency dependency of the radio propagation channel's root mean square (rms) delay spread (DS), based on the multi-frequency measurement campaigns in the mmMAGIC project. The campaigns cover indoor, outdoor, and outdoor-to-indoor (O2I) scenarios and a wide frequency range from 2 to 86 GHz. Several requirements have been identified that define the parameters which need to be aligned in order to make a reasonable comparison among the different channel sounders employed for this study. A new modelling approach enabling the evaluation of the statistical significance of the model parameters from different measurements and the establishment of a unified model is proposed. After careful analysis, the conclusion is that any frequency trend of the DS is small considering its confidence intervals. There is statistically significant difference from the 3GPP New Radio (NR) model TR 38.901, except for the O2I scenario.
Cassini Dust Measurements at Enceladus and Implications for the Origin of the E Ring

During Cassini's close flyby of Enceladus on 14 July 2005, the High Rate Detector of the Cosmic Dust Analyzer registered micron-sized dust particles enveloping this satellite. The dust impact rate peaked about 1 minute before the closest approach of the spacecraft to the moon. This asymmetric signature is consistent with a locally enhanced dust production in the south polar region of Enceladus. Other Cassini experiments revealed evidence for geophysical activities near Enceladus' south pole: a high surface temperature and a release of water gas. Production or release of dust particles related to these processes may provide the dominant source of Saturn's E ring.
The age‐related attenuation in long‐term potentiation is associated with microglial activation

It is well established that inflammatory changes contribute to brain ageing, and an increased concentration of proinflammatory cytokine, interleukin‐1β (IL‐1β), has been reported in the aged brain associated with a deficit in long‐term potentiation (LTP) in rat hippocampus. The precise age at which changes are initiated is unclear. In this study, we investigate parallel changes in markers of inflammation and LTP in 3‐, 9‐ and 15‐month‐old rats. We report evidence of increased hippocampal concentrations of the proinflammatory cytokines IL‐1α, IL‐18 and interferon‐γ (IFNγ), which are accompanied by deficits in LTP in the older rats. We also show an increase in expression of markers of microglial activation, CD86, CD40 and intercellular adhesion molecules (ICAM). Associated with these changes, we observed a significant impairment of hippocampal LTP in the same rats. The importance of microglial activation in the attenuation of long‐term potentiation (LTP) was demonstrated using an inhibitor of microglial activation, minocycline; partial restoration of LTP in 15‐month‐old rats was observed following administration of minocycline. We propose that signs of neuroinflammation are observed in middle age and that these changes, which are characterized by microglial activation, may be triggered by IL‐18.
Blending of Two and Three-way Interactions for Modeling Multi-relational Data

Much work has been recently proposed to model relational data, especially in the multi-relational case, where di↵erent kinds of relationships are used to connect the various data entities. Previous attempts either consist of powerful systems with high capacity to model complex connectivity patterns, which unfortunately usually end up overfitting on rare relationships, or in approaches that trade capacity for simplicity in order to fairly model all relationships, frequent or not. In this paper, we propose a happy medium obtained by complementing a high-capacity model with a simpler one, both pre-trained separately and jointly fine-tuned. We show that our approach outperforms existing models on different types of relationships, and achieves state-of-the-art results on two benchmarks of the literature.
Dubai mall: a multipurpose destination in the Middle East

Subject area – Retail marketing management.Study level/applicability – Undergraduate management; MA; Master's in Business Administration and Master's in Strategic Marketing programs.Case overview – Opening of the “Dubai Mall” in November 2008 set a new benchmark in retail history. The mall is considered the largest in the world by space and 6th largest in the world in terms of gross leasable area. The Dubai Mall is the UAE's most ambitious retail launch to date. This case examines how in today's highly competitive retail environment, added‐value retailing, experiential retailing, or retailtainment has become a major component of the retail strategy mix to establish a competitive advantage. The new phenomenon of “retailtainment” has caught the momentum worldwide and success of Dubai Mall is the live example of its strategic role in the retail mix. The case also highlights the importance of “good location” in the success of retail establishments, whilst examining primary retail location theories and there r.
Myeloid‐derived suppressor cells help protective immunity to Leishmania major infection despite suppressed T cell responses

Th1/Th2 cytokines play a key role in immune responses to Leishmania major by controlling macrophage activation for NO production and parasite killing. MDSCs, including myeloid precursors and immature monocytes, produce NO and suppress T cell responses in tumor immunity. We hypothesized that NO‐producing MDSCs could help immunity to L. major infection. Gr1hi(Ly6Chi) CD11bhi MDSCs elicited by L. major infection suppressed polyclonal and antigen‐specific T cell proliferation. Moreover, L. major‐induced MDSCs killed intracellular parasites in a NO‐dependent manner and reduced parasite burden in vivo. By contrast, treatment with ATRA, which induces MDSCs to differentiate into macrophages, increased development of lesions, parasite load, and T cell proliferation in draining LNs. Altogether, these results indicate that NO‐producing MDSCs help protective immunity to L. major infection, despite suppressed T cell proliferation.
Impact of Gender on Outcome after Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery

Following recent studies concerning the increased risk of coronary artery bypass surgery for women, the impact of sex is still a controversial issue. Between 1996 and 2006, 9,527 men and 3,079 women underwent isolated coronary artery bypass in our institute. To adjust for dissimilarities in preoperative risk profiles, propensity score-based matching was applied. Before adjustment, clinical outcomes in terms of operative mortality, arrhythmias, intensive care unit stay, and maximum creatine kinase-MB levels were significantly different for men and women. After balancing the preoperative characteristics, including height, no significant differences in clinical outcomes were observed. However, there was decreased use of internal mammary artery, less total arterial revascularization, and increasing creatine kinase-MB levels with decreasing height. This study supports the theory that female sex per se does not increase operative risk, but shorter height, which is more common in women, affects the outcome, probably due to technical difficulties in shorter patients with smaller internal mammary arteries and coronary vessels. Thus women may especially benefit from sequential arterial grafting.
A transpressional origin for the West Spitsbergen fold‐and‐thrust belt: Insight from analog modeling

The West Spitsbergen fold‐and‐thrust belt formed along the transform plate boundary between Greenland and the western Barents Sea during Paleocene‐Eocene breakup in the northern North Atlantic. Approximately 20–40 km margin‐perpendicular shortening accumulated in the belt has been attributed to transpression and strain partitioning in a restraining bend but also to head‐on collision. We have applied scaled analog tectonic modeling to test the former hypothesis. A pack of brittle quartz sand with a shallow thin layer of silicon putty was deformed by transpression at a 15° convergence angle by movement of a basal plate. The kinematics was quantified by means of digital particle image velocimetry. The result was a doubly vergent transpressional wedge, consisting of a steeply tapered retrowedge and a strongly internally deformed steeply tapered prowedge separated by a central strike‐slip zone and an adjacent low‐taper thin‐skinned fold‐and‐thrust belt. The doubly vergent wedge evolved through several kinematic phases. Three main stages were identified, namely, (1) initial distributed deformation, (2) development of an oblique doubly vergent wedge with progressive evolution of local strain partitioning along the marginal shear zones, and, finally, (3) a stage of full strain partitioning between a central strike‐slip zone and reverse displacement along marginal shear zones, with folding and thrusting in a thin‐skinned belt on the proside. The analog model convincingly reproduced the geometry and the kinematic evolution of the West Spitsbergen fold‐and‐thrust belt, supporting the hypothesis of its formation by strain partitioning in transpression with a small angle of convergence and significant lateral displacement.
Predictors of consumer trust: likelihood to pay online

Purpose – Using data relating to eBay transactions, investigates the economic, demographic, and geographic factors affecting willingness to pay for purchases online.Design/methodology/approach – Carries out regression analysis of 3,386 eBay transactions, over a two‐year period, reported by two American sellers operating on the United States eBay site. In all auctions examined, consumers had the option of making payment online or by various traditional payment methods.Findings – Analysis identifies several variables as reasonable predictors of the chosen payment method, including the value of the transaction, the buyer's gender, rural versus urban residence, and several other characteristics of the community in which the buyer lives.Research limitations/implications – The general demographic, geographic, and economic variables of consumers can be used by researchers and planners to predict consumers' willingness to make online payments. The effect of income demands further investigation. Factors not identi.
Analyzing U.S. Hospitality Faculty's Research Output

This study evaluates U.S. hospitality faculty's research output across all academic levels covering over nine outlets in which their work appears. The study suggests that when faculty develop research goals and objectives or when administration considers: merit pay, promotion/tenure, or post tenure review, that they not necessarily focus on the sheer number of research outputs produced, but rather the depth, scope, complexity and quality of the research published across all outlets. This study evaluates these research characteristics in terms of: the quality and contribution of the research produced, the specific outlet in which the publication appears, and whether or not the research published is individual or co/multi-authored.
Osteomyelitis of the Patella in a 10-Year-Old Girl: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

The incidence of osteomyelitis constantly declines. While the disease most commonly affects the long bones, involvement of the patella is rarely seen. Due to this rarity and the variable clinical presentation, diagnosis is often delayed. The present case report describes a 10-year-old female patient with a delayed diagnosis of patella osteomyelitis. The diagnostic procedures and the treatment regimen are described. Additionally, a detailed literature review of the available publications reporting osteomyelitis of the patella in children is presented.
Low-loss and programmable integrated photonic beamformer for electronically-steered broadband phased array antennas

We have reported the progress of the development of an integrated photonic BFN chip used in a Ku-band PAA system. Various test structures and building blocks have been characterized. The realized BFN chip features a waveguide propagation loss lower than 0.2 dB/cm, a bend radius of 125 μm and high design accuracy, fulfilling the required device characteristics.