Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of Phage Display Biopanning Strategies for the Selection of Anti-Cell Surface Receptor Antibodies

Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are one of the most successful and versatile protein-based pharmaceutical products used to treat multiple pathological conditions. The remarkable specificity of mAbs and their affinity for biological targets has led to the implementation of mAbs in the therapeutic regime of oncogenic, chronic inflammatory, cardiovascular, and infectious diseases. Thus, the discovery of novel mAbs with defined functional activities is of crucial importance to expand our ability to address current and future clinical challenges. In vitro, antigen-driven affinity selection employing phage display biopanning is a commonly used technique to isolate mAbs. The success of biopanning is dependent on the quality and the presentation format of the antigen, which is critical when isolating mAbs against membrane protein targets. Here, we provide a comprehensive investigation of two established panning strategies, surface-tethering of a recombinant extracellular domain and cell-based biopanning, to examine the impact of antigen presentation on selection outcomes with regards to the isolation of positive mAbs with functional potential against a proof-of-concept type I cell surface receptor. Based on the higher sequence diversity of the resulting antibody repertoire, presentation of a type I membrane protein in soluble form was more advantageous over presentation in cell-based format. Our results will contribute to inform and guide future antibody discovery campaigns against cell surface proteins.
Measuring Cluster Relaxedness

When is a dark matter halo 'relaxed'? In our efforts to understand the structure of the universe, dark matter simulations have provided essential grounds for theoretical predictions. These simulations provide a wealth of ways of parameterizing and measuring the features of astronomical objects. It is these measurements on which we base comparisons of our world and our attempts to re-create it. One of the essential questions dark matter simulations help address is how dark matter halos evolve. How does one characterize different states of that evolution? The focus of this project is identifying cluster relaxedness and how it relates to the internal structure of the halo. A dark matter simulation consists of an N-body simulation which takes an initial set of positions and velocities of the dark matter particles and evolves them under the influence of gravity [6]. Though scientists have so far not been able to detect dark matter particles, the information from these simulations is still valuable especially given the relationship between dark matter halos and galaxy clusters. Galaxies sit within dark matter halos and recent evidence points to filaments of dark matter forming the framework on which galaxy clusters grow [7]. A dark matter halo is a more » collapsed group of gravitationally bound dark matter particles. Subsets of bound particles form subhalos or substructures. The dark matter simulation is carried out over time - with decreasing redshift (z) or increasing scale factor (a = 1/1+z ). (Thus, z = 0 or a = 1.0 is present-day.) The merger history of a halo can be represented pictorally by a merger tree. A major merger event occurs when a structure joins the main halo with the mass ratio between it and the main halo being above a certain threshold. These events mark important points in the halo's evolution. And it is at these events that one hopes, and perhaps is more likely, to relate measures of relaxedness to this mass accretion. Cluster relaxedness is not a well-defined concept. Rather a set of qualities are defined that one expects a 'relaxed' cluster to have. One expects a relaxed halo to have a roughly isotropic density distribution. Most of the particles should be part of the main halo rather than bound in substructures. Taking into account kinematic information of the halo, one does not expect a proportion of the particles energy in kinetic energy that goes far beyond virial equilibrium. With our measures of cluster relaxedness, we want to investigate its relationship to these major merger events. We'll first look at how measurements of different aspects of relaxedness relate to each other and to other aspects of a halo's internal structure. We'll then look at how these measurements behave in response to major mergers. « less
CHARLES DARWIN AND "THE ORIGIN OF SPECIES":

The life of Charles Darwin and his preparation for his most influential book, The Origin of Species, are typically recounted in tales that are largely erroneous. Darwin is usually presented as a young divinity student who over many years and under the weight of compelling scientific evidence, gradually "lost his faith" in the Bible. The Origin of Species is presented as a seminal scholarly work which immediately became overwhelmingly popular and which trounced the Bible with its superior erudition. The elements of such tales are so close to falsehood as to render such accounts of Darwin's life and work little more than "urban legends. "
Suppression of Midgut Microbiota Impact Pyrethroid Susceptibility in Aedes aegypti

Aedes aegypti is a mosquito that transmits viral diseases such as dengue, chikungunya, Zika, and yellow fever. The insect’s microbiota is recognized for regulating several biological processes, including digestion, metabolism, egg production, development, and immune response. However, the role of the bacteria involved in insecticide susceptibility has not been established. Therefore, the objective of this study was to characterize the resident microbiota in a field population of A. aegypti to evaluate its role associated with susceptibility to the insecticides permethrin and deltamethrin. Mosquitoes were fed 10% sucrose mixed with antibiotics and then exposed to insecticides using a diagnostic dose. DNA was extracted, and sequencing of bacterial 16S rRNA was carried out on Illumina® MiSeq™. Proteobacteria (92.4%) and Bacteroidetes (7.6%) were the phyla, which are most abundant in mosquitoes fed with sucrose 10%. After exposure to permethrin, the most abundant bacterial species were Pantoea agglomerans (38.4%) and Pseudomonas azotoformans-fluorescens-synxantha (14.2%). Elizabethkingia meningoseptica (38.4%) and Ps. azotoformans-fluorescens-synxantha (26.1%) were the most abundant after exposure to deltamethrin. Our results showed a decrease in mosquitoes’ survival when exposed to permethrin, while no difference in survival when exposed to deltamethrin when the microbiota was modified. We found that the change in microbiota modifies the response of mosquitoes to permethrin. These results are essential for a better understanding of mosquito physiology in response to insecticides.
Hypertension and Associated Risk Factors among Children with Intellectual Disability: A Cross-Sectional Study

To investigate the prevalence of hypertension and associated risk factors in Chinese children with intellectual disability, a cross-sectional study was conducted in a sample of 558 children with intellectual disability aged 6–18 years in Hong Kong, and 452 (81.0%) with valid data were included in the data analysis. Blood pressure was measured according to a standard protocol. Hypertension was defined using the age-, gender-, and height-specific classification criteria recommended by the 2018 Chinese Guidelines for Children. Multivariate and hierarchical logistic regression was fitted to examine the associations of hypertension with potential risk factors. Overall, 31.4% of the participants were classified as having hypertension. Obese children were more likely to develop hypertension than non-obese children (adjusted OR = 2.77, 95% CI: 1.28, 5.99, p = 0.010). A paternal education of college or above and a paternal occupation of clerks, sales representatives, and workers were also associated with an increased risk of hypertension. The prevalence of hypertension is high among Chinese children with intellectual disability. Obesity was the strongest risk factor. Further longitudinal studies are warranted to confirm our findings. Nevertheless, preventions against obesity are promising to receive doubled benefits in reducing both obesity and hypertension, given its strong relationship with hypertension in this special population.
Evaluation of Construction Site Accidents Recorded in Minna Metropolis

The rate of injuries and illnesses recorded in the construction industry show that the industry is one of high-risk hazardous occupation. Studies also show that every year, new storey buildings are added to Minna Metropolis, necessitating the use of more workers and machines which makes the risk of accidents higher. The study evaluated the rate of occurrence of building construction related accidents in Minna Metropolis. Quantitative data on construction sites accidents for a period of 11 years (2010-2020) were obtained from the records at Forensic Pathology Unit of Minna General Hospital. A survey research approach was adopted and 24 copies of well-structured questionnaires were administered to project managers of 24 purposively selected construction sites about the clients’ willingness to implement effective safety measures on site. The analyses of data were undertaken using frequency counts, percentage and Spearman’s rank correlation analysis. The result of the correlation analysis shows a weak, positive and significant relationship between client’s willingness to implement construction site safety standards and site safety management system (p = 0.01; r = 0.219). Therefore, it was concluded that as the number of construction activities increases, the rate of construction site accidents also increases, and the increasing rate of accidents could be tied to low level of willingness of clients to embrace and implement effective safety standards on their projects. It was thus recommended that the adoption and implementation of safety-conscious contractors supported by experienced and trained employees should form part of contract conditions.
Shared and Crowded Housing in the Bay Area: Where Gentrification and the Housing Crisis Meet COVID-19

Abstract Amid the growing affordable housing crisis and widespread gentrification over the last decade, people have been moving less than before and increasingly live in shared and often crowded households across the U.S. Crowded housing has various negative health implications, including stress, sleep disorders, and infectious diseases. Difference-in-difference analysis of a unique, large-scale longitudinal consumer credit database of over 450,000 San Francisco Bay Area residents from 2002 to 2020 shows gentrification affects the probability of residents shifting to crowded households across the socioeconomic spectrum but in different ways than expected. Gentrification is negatively associated with low- socioeconomic status (SES) residents’ probability of entering crowded households, and this is largely explained by increased shifts to crowded households in neighborhoods outside of major cities showing early signs of gentrification. Conversely, gentrification is associated with increases in the probability that middle-SES residents enter crowded households, primarily in Silicon Valley. Lastly, crowding is positively associated with COVID-19 case rates, beyond density and socioeconomic and racial composition in neighborhoods, although the role of gentrification remains unclear. Housing policies that mitigate crowding can serve as early interventions in displacement prevention and reducing health inequities.
Cobra Venom Factor Boosts Arteriogenesis in Mice

Arteriogenesis, the growth of natural bypass blood vessels, can compensate for the loss of arteries caused by vascular occlusive diseases. Accordingly, it is a major goal to identify the drugs promoting this innate immune system-driven process in patients aiming to save their tissues and life. Here, we studied the impact of the Cobra venom factor (CVF), which is a C3-like complement-activating protein that induces depletion of the complement in the circulation in a murine hind limb model of arteriogenesis. Arteriogenesis was induced in C57BL/6J mice by femoral artery ligation (FAL). The administration of a single dose of CVF (12.5 µg) 24 h prior to FAL significantly enhanced the perfusion recovery 7 days after FAL, as shown by Laser Doppler imaging. Immunofluorescence analyses demonstrated an elevated number of proliferating (BrdU+) vascular cells, along with an increased luminal diameter of the grown collateral vessels. Flow cytometric analyses of the blood samples isolated 3 h after FAL revealed an elevated number of neutrophils and platelet-neutrophil aggregates. Giemsa stains displayed augmented mast cell recruitment and activation in the perivascular space of the growing collaterals 8 h after FAL. Seven days after FAL, we found more CD68+/MRC-1+ M2-like polarized pro-arteriogenic macrophages around growing collaterals. These data indicate that a single dose of CVF boosts arteriogenesis by catalyzing the innate immune reactions, relevant for collateral vessel growth.
Direct Interaction between N-Acetylcysteine and Cytotoxic Electrophile—An Overlooked In Vitro Mechanism of Protection

In laboratory experiments, many electrophilic cytotoxic agents induce cell death accompanied by reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and/or by glutathione (GSH) depletion. Not surprisingly, millimolar concentrations of N-acetylcysteine (NAC), which is used as a universal ROS scavenger and precursor of GSH biosynthesis, inhibit ROS production, restore GSH levels, and prevent cell death. The protective effect of NAC is generally used as corroborative evidence that cell death induced by a studied cytotoxic agent is mediated by an oxidative stress-related mechanism. However, any simple interpretation of the results of the protective effects of NAC may be misleading because it is unable to interact with superoxide (O2•−), the most important biologically relevant ROS, and is a very weak scavenger of H2O2. In addition, NAC is used in concentrations that are unnecessarily high to stimulate GSH synthesis. Unfortunately, the possibility that NAC as a nucleophile can directly interact with cytotoxic electrophiles to form non-cytotoxic NAC–electrophile adduct is rarely considered, although it is a well-known protective mechanism that is much more common than expected. Overall, apropos the possible mechanism of the cytoprotective effect of NAC in vitro, it is appropriate to investigate whether there is a direct interaction between NAC and the cytotoxic electrophile to form a non-cytotoxic NAC–electrophilic adduct(s).
Ethical Judgments in the Trolley Dilemma and Ethical Decision-Making
Levels of Nursing Students

Purpose: This study was aimed to investigate the effect of Decision-Making levels of nursing students on the ethical judgments in the Trolley Dilemma. Materials and Methods: It was carried out with 349 nursing students from the first, second, third, and fourth grades at a university's Nursing Department of the Faculty of Health Sciences during the 2020-2021 academic year. It was designed as a descriptive cross-sectional study. The data was collected online by using Trolley Dilemma scenarios and Nursing Dilemma Test. Results: The mean scores for nursing students' principled thinking (49.97±6.40) were found to be higher than the average, while the mean score for practical thinking (17.35±3.91) was close to the average. Most of the students (83.4%) responded ‘YES’ to the first trolley dilemma scenario, while 46.1% responded ‘YES’ to the second scenario. In the first trolley dilemma scenario, most students flipped a switch and saved the five workers; however, in the second scenario, more than half chose not to throw the fat man off the bridge to save five people, preferring to let five workers die instead. Female students were found to have a higher level of principled thinking, but students who had received ethics education and had previously experienced ethical dilemmas were found to be more familiar with dilemmas. Conclusions: To improve the ethical decisionmaking skills of nursing students', ethics classes should include compelling scenarios such as trolley dilemma scenarios as well as real-life scenarios, and students should be encouraged to discuss their ideas. Keywords: Nursing students; ethical dilemma, decision making; trolley dilemma
Shikonin ameliorates oxidative stress and neuroinflammation via the Akt/ERK/JNK/NF‐κB signalling pathways in a model of Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder. Shikonin plays protective roles in age‐associated diseases. Therefore, we investigate the biological functions of shikonin and its mechanisms involved in PD pathogenesis. The neurotoxin, 1‐methyl‐4‐phenyl‐1,2,3,6‐tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) was used to mimic PD‐like conditions in animal models. The learning and memory capacities were assessed by Morris water‐maze test, pole test, locomotor activity test and rotarod test. Neuroinflammation was determined by measuring the levels of tumour necrosis factor α (TNF‐α), interleukin (IL)‐1β, IL‐6, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase‐2 (COX‐2). The quantification of superoxide dismutase, malondialdehyde and glutathione in substantia nigra was performed to estimate oxidative damage. Histopathologic changes were examined by haematoxylin and eosin staining. Immunofluorescence staining was conducted to determine the activation of astrocytes, tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)‐positive neurons, and nuclear translocation of p65. Immunohistochemistry was performed to evaluate dopamine transporter (DAT)‐positive neurons. Protein levels were measured by western blotting. Shikonin alleviates the cognitive and behavioural impairments. The death of dopaminergic neurons in nigra was attenuated by shikonin. The MPTP‐induced neuroinflammation and oxidative stress in substantia nigra were alleviated by shikonin administration. Shikonin ameliorated the neuronal damage in nigra and inhibited the activation of astrocyte. Shikonin modulated the protein kinase B (Akt)/extracellular regulated kinase (ERK)/c‐Jun N‐terminal kinase (JNK)/nuclear factor κB (NF‐κB) pathways. Shikonin ameliorates dopaminergic neuronal apoptosis by inhibiting oxidative stress and neuroinflammation via the Akt/ERK/JNK/NF‐κB pathways in PD. The study has several limitations. First, in a previous study, levels of phosphorylated ERK were increased by MPTP. In our current study, we observed decreased p‐ERK in nigra following MPTP treatment. Therefore, further investigation in the mechanisms of shikonin against PD progression is required. Second, the biological functions of shikonin need more exploration, including mitochondrial function and autophagy. Moreover, specific molecular targets for shikonin remain uncertain.
Comparison of rapid tests (antigen vs. antibody) for the diagnosis of typhoid in the first and second weeks of fever

Objectives: We conducted this study with an objective to compare the diagnostic accuracy of rapid antigen and antibody kits for early detection (<5 days of fever) and late detection (>5 days of fever) of S.Typhi and S.Paratyphi in relation to the Widal test. Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted over 15 months, during which 180 cases of documented fever were enrolled. Paired samples (at <5 and >5 days of fever) were processed for rapid antigen test (RAg), rapid antibody test (RAb) and Widal test. Blood culture (BacT/Alert system) was considered as the gold standard for confirmation. Results: The mean (SD) age of patients with enteric fever was 16.42 (12.53) years, with a slight male preponderance (58.33% males vs. 41.67% females). Positive blood culture was reported in 58 (32.22%) cases. For RAg, RAb and Widal tests, the diagnostic accuracy was 45.56%, 42.22% and 41.11%, respectively, which was comparable for diagnosing enteric fever in cases with <5 days of fever (P = 0.675). For fever >5 days, RAg showed a significantly lower diagnostic accuracy (15%) as compared to RAb (61.11%) and Widal test (66.11%) (P < 0.0001). Conclusion: The study concludes that RAg marks a high sensitivity of accurate diagnosis in the initial five days of typhoid fever while RAb (with or without Widal tests), hold a superior sensitivity for diagnosis after five days of onset of enteric fever.
ADDITION THEOREMS FOR SPHERICAL WAVE FUNCTIONS

Addition theorems are described for spherical vector wave functions, under both rotations and translations of the coordinate system. These functions are the characteristic solutions in spherical coordinates of the vector wave equation, such as occurs in electromagnetic problems. The vector wave function addition theorems are based on corresponding theorems for the spherical scalar wave functions. The latter are reviewed and discussed. (auth)
Effects of Exercise-Based Interventions on Functional Movement Capability in Untrained Populations: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

The purpose of this meta-analysis was to determine the effects of exercise-based interventions on functional movement capability in untrained populations and provide a reference for future intervention studies in this field. PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, EBSCOhost, Cochrane Library, WanFang, and CNKI databases were systematically searched from inception until February 2022, for randomized or non-randomized controlled trials, addressing the effect of physical activity on functional movement capability in untrained populations. Two researchers independently conducted study selection, data extraction, and quality evaluation. Meta-analysis was performed using RveMan 5.3 and Stata 16.0 software. Twenty studies with 1596 participants were included in the meta-analysis. The results of meta-analysis demonstrated that exercise-based interventions were associated with improved asymmetry functional patterns (RR = 0.40; 95% CI [0.31, 0.50]; p < 0.00001), FMS composite score (MD = 3.01; 95% CI [2.44, 3.58]; p < 0.00001), deep squat (MD = 0.57; 95% CI [0.37, 0.77]; p < 0.00001), hurdle step (MD = 0.56; 95% CI [0.38, 0.75]; p < 0.00001), in-line lunge (MD = 0.54; 95% CI [0.43, 0.66]; p < 0.00001), shoulder mobility (MD = 0.37; 95% CI [0.15, 0.60]; p = 0.001), active straight leg raise (MD = 0.42; 95% CI [0.24, 0.60]; p < 0.00001), trunk stability push up (MD = 0.40; 95% CI [0.16, 0.63]; p = 0.001), and rotary stability (MD = 0.45; 95% CI [0.24, 0.67]; p < 0.0001). Exercise-based interventions were effective in improving functional movement capability in untrained populations. However, there is a need for high-quality, sufficiently powered RCTs to provide a more definitive conclusion.