Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Mutants That Escape Neutralization by Human Monoclonal Antibody IgG 1 b 12

IgG1b12, a human monoclonal antibody (MAb) to an epitope overlapping the CD4-binding site on gp120, has broad and potent neutralizing activity against most primary human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) isolates. To assess whether and how escape mutants resistant to IgG1b12 can be generated, we cultured primary HIV-1 strain JRCSF in its presence. An escape mutant emerged which was approximately 100-fold more resistant to neutralization by IgG1b12. Both virion-associated and solubilized gp120 from this variant had a reduced affinity for IgG1b12, and sequencing of its env gene showed that amino acid substitutions had occurred at three positions within gp120. Two (D164N and D182N) were located in V2, and one (P365L) was in C3. By site-directed mutagenesis, we demonstrated that the D182N and P365L mutations, but not D164N, contribute to the IgG1b12-resistant phenotype. However, the former two substitutions, individually or in combination, hinder the replication of the neutralization-resistant virus. Introduction of the D164N substitution into the P365L variant results in a nonviable virus (D164N/P365L). In contrast, addition of D164N to the D182N or D182N/P365L mutant partially restored replicative function to near wild-type levels. Furthermore, we found that all of the IgG1b12-resistant mutant viruses remained sensitive to other human MAbs, such as 2G12 and 2F5, and to the CD4-IgG molecule, except that the P365L-containing mutant was slightly resistant to CD4-IgG. These results suggest that escape from IgG1b12 neutralization is due to a local rather than a global modification of the gp120 structure. Our findings have implications for the therapeutic and prophylactic applications of antibodies for HIV-1 infection.
Fixed-income arbitrage strategies: swap spread arbitrage and yield curve arbitrage

There is a mythical question, well described by Duarte, Longstaff and Yu (2006), whether fixed-income arbitrage strategies are truly arbitrage or merely strategies that earn small positive returns most of the time, but occasionally experience dramatic losses. The question can be summarized in the anecdote “picking up nickels in front of a steamroller”. This master’s thesis studies two of these specific fixed-income arbitrage strategies: Swap Spread Arbitrage and Yield Curve Arbitrage. The methodology used in this master’s thesis is to apply these two arbitrage strategies through time from November 1988 to December 2011, using R language coding developed by the author of the master’s thesis, and to analyze their risk and return characteristics. The data used in this master’s thesis was gathered from different sources such as: BloombergTM, Federal Reserve System (FED), Thompson Reuters DatastreamTM, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Kenneth French and Yahoo® Finance. The main hypothesis of this thesis is that the global financial crisis of 2008 had a big impact on these strategies return indexes. This proved to be wrong. These two fixedincome arbitrage strategies seem profitable on the long run even under financial crisis cycles, as they generate positive excess returns, and Yield Curve Arbitrage strategy even with significant α.
Accurate Modeling of Monopole Antennas in Shielded Enclosures with Apertures

ACCURATE MODELING OF MONOPOLE ANTENNASIN SHIELDED ENCLOSURES WITH APERTURESX. C. Nie and N. YuanDepartmentofElectricalandComputerEngineeringUniversityofHouston4800CalhounRoad,Houston,TX77204,USAL. W. Li and Y. B. GanNationalUniversityofSingapore10KentRidgeCrescent,Singapore119260Abstract—Monopoleantennasareusuallyusedformeasurementoftheshieldingeﬀectivenessofmetallicenclosures. Thispaperpresentsanaccuratenumericalmodelingformonopoleantennasattachedinshieldedenclosureswithapertures. Theelectricﬁeldintegralequation(EFIE)isformulatedfortheinducedcurrentsonboththemonopolesandenclosure.Theprecorrected-FFTacceleratedmethodofmoments(pFFT-MoM)isusedtosolvetheintegralequationandtheincompleteLU(ILU)preconditionerisappliedtospeeduptheconvergenceoftheequation. Comparedwithexistingmethods,themodelpresentedinthispaperconsidersthemutualcouplingbetweenthemonopolesandshieldedenclosure.Therefore,itisabetterapproximationtotheactualmeasurementgeometry.1. INTRODUCTIONMetallicshieldingisusuallyusedtopreventelectronicequipmentsfromelectromagneticinterference. Theshieldingeﬃciencyofametallicenclosureischaracterizedbyitsshieldingeﬀectiveness(SE)[1–3]. Formeasurementofshieldingeﬀectiveness,smallmonopoleantennasareusuallyusedtopenetratethewallsofthemetallicenclosureandthevoltagespickedbythemonopolesaremeasured. Shieldingeﬀectiveisthendeﬁnedastheratioofthevoltagepickedupbythemonopoleantennawithoutthepresenceoftheenclosuretothevoltagewiththepresenceoftheenclosure. Variousmethodshavebeendevelopedto
Ghost Ads: Improving the Economics of Measuring Online Ad Effectiveness

To measure the effects of advertising, marketers must know how consumers would behave had they not seen the ads. The authors develop a methodology they call “ghost ads,” which facilitates this comparison by identifying the control group counterparts of the exposed consumers in a randomized experiment. The authors show that, relative to public service announcement and intent-to-treat A/B tests, ghost ads can reduce the cost of experimentation, improve measurement precision, deliver the relevant strategic baseline, and work with modern ad platforms that optimize ad delivery in real time. The authors also describe a variant, “predicted ghost ad” methodology, which is compatible with online display advertising platforms; their implementation records more than 100 million predicted ghost ads per day. The authors demonstrate the methodology with an online retailer's display retargeting campaign. They show novel evidence that retargeting can work: the ads lifted website visits by 17.2% and purchases by 10.5%. Compared with intent-to-treat and public service announcement experiments, advertisers can measure ad lift just as precisely while spending at least an order of magnitude less.
Resilience in the context of Italian micro and small wineries: an empirical study

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to study resilience among micro and small wineries. While the subject of organisational resilience has drawn the attention or numerous researchers, there is an argument that limited empirical evidence exist to support different theoretical constructs in regards to resilience. Thus, the paper addresses a knowledge gap. Design/methodology/approach – A questionnaire was designed to investigate strategies that can help businesses to become more resilient to contemporary challenges. A total of 273 owners and managers of Italian wineries participated in the study. Findings – Increasing costs, institutional barriers and the effects of the economic crisis on consumers’ wine purchases are perceived as most serious challenges. One fundamental impact is respondents’ loss of trust in institutions. Alternatives such as diversifying, knowledge of foreign languages and educational activities emerged as crucial to improve wineries’ performance, and therefore build their resilience.
The Pathobiology of Myelin Mutants Reveal Novel Biological Functions of the MBP and PLP Genes

Substantial biological data indicate that the myelin basic protein (MBP) and myelin proteolipid protein (PLP/DM20) genes produce products with functions beyond that of serving as myelin structural proteins. Much of this evidence comes from studies on naturally‐occurring and man‐made mutations of these genes in mice and other species. This review focuses upon recent evidence showing the existence of other products of these genes that may account for some of these other functions, and recent studies providing evidence for alternative biological functions of PLP/DM20. The MBP and PLP/DM20 genes each encode the classic MBP and PLP isoforms, as well as a second family of proteins that are not involved in myelin structure. The biological roles of these other products of the genes are becoming clarified. The non‐classic MBP gene products appear to be components of transcriptional complexes in the nucleus, and they also may be involved in signaling pathways in T‐cells and in neural cells. The non‐classic PLP/DM20 gene products appear to be components of intracellular transport vesicles in oligodendrocytes. There is evidence for other functions of the classic PLP/DM20 proteins, including a role in neural cell death mechanisms, autocrine and paracrine regulation of oligodendrocytes and neurons, intracellular transport and oligodendrocyte migration.
Independence and merger of thalamocortical channels within macaque monkey primary visual cortex: Anatomy of interlaminar projections

Abstract An important issue in understanding the function of primary visual cortex in the macaque monkey is how the several efferent neuron groups projecting to extrastriate cortex acquire their different response properties. To assist our understanding of this issue, we have compared the anatomical distribution of VI intrinsic relays that carry information derived from magno- (M) and parvocellular (P) divisions of the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus between thalamic recipient neurons and interareal efferent neuron groups within area VI. We used small, iontophoretic injections of biocytin placed in individual cortical laminae of area VI to trace orthograde and retrograde inter- and intralaminar projections. In either the same or adjacent sections, the tissue was reacted for cytochrome oxidase (CO), which provides important landmarks for different efferent neuron populations located in CO rich blobs and CO poor interblobs in laminae ⅔, as well as defining clear boundaries for the populations of efferent neurons in laminae 4A and 4B. This study shows that the interblobs, but not the blobs, receive direct input from thalamic recipient 4C neurons; the interblobs receive relays from mid 4C neurons (believed to receive convergent M and P inputs), while blobs receive indirect inputs from either M or P (or both) pathways through layers 4B (which receives M relays from layer 4Cα) and 4A (which receives P relays directly from the thalamus as well as from layer 4Cβ). The property of orientation selectivity, most prominent in the interblob regions and in layer 4B, may have a common origin from oriented lateral projections made by mid 4C spiny stellate neurons. While layer 4B efferents may emphasize M characteristics and layer 4A efferents emphasize P characteristics, the dendrites of their constituent pyramidal neurons may provide anatomical access to the other channel since both blob and interblob regions in layers ⅔ have anatomical access to M and P driven relays, despite functional differences in the way these properties may be expressed in the two compartments.
Self-consciousness profiles in the acceptance of airline e-ticketing services

The present paper focused on the adoption of airline tickets by consumers from a self-service perspective. The profiles of self-consciousness are studied in relation to the adoption of airline e-ticketing service. Self-consciousness consists of three components: public self-consciousness, private self-consciousness, and social anxiety. This study was based on a sample of 819 undergraduate students. The technology acceptance model was used as a framework. Results indicate that the profile that identifies those individuals with high private self-consciousness, but with low or neutral public self-consciousness and low or neutral social anxiety, best explained the adoption of airline e-ticketing service by consumers.
A new differential pH sensor current mode read-out circuit using two operational floating current conveyor

This paper presents a new differential current mode read-out circuit for the ion sensitive field effect transistor (ISFET)9 as a pH sensor. It uses only two operational floating current conveyors (OFCC), and provides linear sensitivity to pH over a wide range (pH values 2-12). Moreover, it provides an output current that is linearly related to the differential current between the ISFET and the reference field effect transistor (REFET) sensors. The proposed read-out circuit uses only one type of active element (i.e. an OFCC) that makes this circuit easier to be both integrated and fabricated using a conventional CMOS process. Our simulation results demonstrate that the read-out circuit works reliably and can be a suitable sensor read-out circuit for lab on chip and biomedical applications. The read-out circuit connected with the system composed of the ISFET and REFET sensors also reduces the impact of the parameter fluctuations and environment conditions on the performance of the ISFET sensor.
Noise suppression using block-based singular value decomposition filtering

Noise suppression is one of the most essential processes for image processing. The goal of the noise suppression is how to remove the noise while keeping the important image features as much as possible. In this paper, we present an adaptive block-based singular value decomposition method for noise suppression. Instead of applying block-based singular value decomposition (BSVD) directly to noisy images, we suggest to apply BSVD on the edge with noise image version obtained from the difference between the original noisy image and its blur version. From the experiments, the objective and subjective test results show that our proposed approach compared with conventionally methods can suppress noise, preserve the important image features as well as effectively smooth in the smooth region.
CEOs’ Military Experience, Agency Costs and Acquisition Decisions

We examine the effect of a CEO’s military service on merger and acquisition decisions and outcomes. We find that acquirers led by CEOs with military backgrounds earn significantly higher abnormal stock returns at deal announcement, and these deals exhibit higher short-run and long-run synergies. In addition, we find that the presence of military CEO attenuates the negative effect of the poor corporate governance and excess cash on acquirer returns and short-run and long-run synergies. Overall, the evidence suggests that the value system developed in the military helps lower the agency costs in acquisitions and generates better acquisition outcomes. Taken together, our results suggest a channel through which the military background of a CEO might affect firm value.
Inventory Management Practices Approach to Reverse Logistics

In the last few years growing interest has been dedicated to supply chain management. Modeling complexity is added to supply chain coordination problem by accounting for reverse logistics activities. The objective of this paper is to extend inventory model of manufacturing factory with respect to the production of raw material of forward logistics and recycling material of reverse logistics. The proposed model is applied to a plastic recycling process plant located in Taiwan. The case study improvement scheme shows when the recycling rate of recycling material increases from 15% to 50%, the total inventory cost of manufacturing factory decreases by 12.82%, safety stock volume decreases by 41.19% and the reorder quantity is down by 50.96%. This paper finds whether the results of the model can reach the economic profit through quantitative analysis and encourages companies integrate reverse logistics into the supply chain system.
A Bayesian methodology for detecting targeted genes under two related experiments

Many gene expression data are based on two experiments where the gene expressions of the targeted genes under both experiments are correlated. We consider problems in which objectives are to find genes that are simultaneously upregulated/downregulated under both experiments. A Bayesian methodology is proposed based on directional multiple hypotheses testing. We propose a false discovery rate specific to the problem under consideration, and construct a Bayes rule satisfying a false discovery rate criterion. The proposed method is compared with a traditional rule through simulation studies. We apply our methodology to two real examples involving microRNAs; where in one example the targeted genes are simultaneously downregulated under both experiments, and in the other the targeted genes are downregulated in one experiment and upregulated in the other experiment. We also discuss how the proposed methodology can be extended to more than two experiments. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Privacy and Security-Enhancing for Multicloud Architectures

Security challenges are still among the biggest obstacles when considering the adoption of cloud services. This triggered a lot of research activities, resulting in a quantity of proposals targeting the various cloud security threats. Alongside with these security issues, the cloud paradigm comes with a new set of unique features, which open the path toward novel security approaches, techniques, and architectures. This paper provides a survey on the achievable security merits by making use of multiple distinct clouds simultaneously. Various distinct architectures are introduced and discussed according to their security and privacy capabilities and prospects.
2D flat lens design made of dielectric cylinders using the array scattering method

A new design method for 2D flat lens made of dielectric cylinders called the array scattering method is presented (ASM). The method is unique in that it can design a thin lens with better far field results than conventional homogenization methods. A comparison of flat lens designed with the ASM and a standard homogenization method is shown for demonstration.
Selecting influential business-to-business customers in new product development: Relational embeddedness and knowledge heterogeneity considerations

This study examines how the most influential business-to-business (B2B) customers, both existing and potential, involved in providing input to a new product development (NPD) project influence new product advantage. As the relational literature suggests, involving customers who have had close and embedded relationships with a firm's new product organization, such as a firm's largest customers, and customers who have been involved in past collaborative activities, should lead to the development of superior products. To the contrary, the innovation literature suggests that a firm may become too close to its large, embedded customers resulting in less innovation and in lower performing products. Also, the relationship between the heterogeneity of the knowledge of the most influential customers and new product advantage is examined. A contingency perspective is hypothesized such that the degree of product newness sought in the project moderates the effects of both relational embeddedness and knowledge heterogeneity on new product advantage. Empirical findings from a sample of 137 NPD projects support this contingency view. For projects seeking to develop incremental products, where the product being developed is an extension or an enhancement to an existing product, new product advantage tended to be higher in projects using embedded or homogeneous customers. For incremental projects, projects using less-embedded or heterogeneous customers tended to have lower product performance. For projects following a highly innovative product strategy, new product advantage tended to be higher in projects that involved heterogeneous customers. These heterogeneous customers provided NPD projects with a diversity of perspectives, competencies, and experiences that fostered significant product innovations. The study contributes to the literature by empirically testing relational and innovation theories in NPD projects and by providing evidence on the importance of relational embeddedness and knowledge heterogeneity in selecting influential customers in NPD projects.
Diclofenac salts. I. Fractal and thermal analysis of sodium and potassium diclofenac salts.

Sodium and potassium diclofenac salts form hydrates when crystallized from water; the sodium salt contains four crystallization water molecules, while the potassium salt precipitates as a dihydrate. Crystallization from organic solvents occurs with a change of the crystal habit. The fractal dimension of the particle surface of both salts obtained from water is low and is in agreement with the formation of smooth and regular surfaces during crystallization. The fractal dimension for dissolution is relatively high and comparable for hydrate and anhydrate forms of both salts, and the result was interpreted as being due to the surfactant behavior of diclofenac anions. Thermograms of both salts show a couple of endotherms in the range 30-100 degrees C, which disappear when the salts have been previously heated at 100 degrees C, but slowly reappear when the anhydrate forms are stored in a humid environment. Both salts present a complex exotherm of decomposition at 284 and 314 degrees C, respectively. The results are briefly discussed with regard to the formulations of the anti-inflammatory agent diclofenac.
Supplier Evaluations: The Role of Communication Quality

SUMMARY Although manufacturers communicate supplier evaluations in order to influence the supplier, little is known about the role of communication quality from the suppliers' perspective and its impact on suppliers' performance. Using structural equation modeling and data collected from 138 automotive suppliers, the results suggest that the evaluation content and frequency have an impact on communication quality and suppliers' commitment. Surprisingly, frequent communication of strategic criteria was insignificant or negative. In addition, commitment of suppliers to the buying organization mediated the relationship between communication quality and supplier's performance.
How Publicity and Advertising Spending Affect Marketing and Company Performance

This research investigated the relative effects of marketing communications on a chain of “marketing-productivity” measures—metrics that evaluate the influence of marketing at the consumer, market, financial, and company levels. Results of the study, which combined five industry data sets, revealed that publicity—specifically, via newspaper and magazine articles—and advertising spending have unique and different relative effects on the so-called marketing-productivity chain. On average, publicity had a stronger relative importance compared with advertising for several indicators, although the effects for any individual company can vary. These findings have implications for the marketing-communications environment, which increasingly is saturated with publicity from a variety of sources.
A new consistent way to build symmetric constitutive matrices on general 2-D grids

In this paper, a novel general approach to constructing sparse symmetric constitutive matrices in a consistent way is presented. The resulting matrices, positive definite in most of the cases, are suitable to be utilized in the cell method or the finite integration technique in order to ensure stability in solving two-dimensional time-domain problems on general unstructured grids.
Analyses on Factors of Job Satisfaction of Long-Term Employed using Analytic Hierarchy Process Technique - Based on the case of Work Innovation Officials in P company and Work Production in S company -

The importance of Human Resource Management is big issue in business management recently. However, employ's job satisfaction is appeared as low. In this study, surveys were conducted among those long-term employs. The importance of job satisfaction is prioritized by AHP analysis based on results of survey to compare to the results of previously studied research. And this study will contribute to improvement of job satisfaction by comparing the facts in two different groups of occupation.