Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Epitope specificity of rabbit immunoglobulin G (IgG) elicited by pneumococcal type 23F synthetic oligosaccharide- and native polysaccharide-protein conjugate vaccines: comparison with human anti-polysaccharide 23F IgG

Streptococcus pneumoniae type 23F capsular polysaccharide (PS23F) consitss of a repeating glycerol-phosphorylated branched tetrasaccharide. The immunogenicities of the following related antigens were investigated: (i) a synthetic trisaccharide comprising the backbone of one repeating unit, (ii) a synthetic tetrasaccharide comprising the complete repeating unit, and (iii) native PS23F (all three conjugated to keyhole limpet hemocyanin [KLH]) and (iv) formalin-killed S. pneumoniae 23F. All antigens except the trisaccharide-KLH conjugate induced relatively high anti-PS23F antibody levels in rabbits. The epitope specificity of such antibodies was then studied by means of an inhibition immunoassay. The alpha(1-->2)-linked L-rhamnose branch was shown to be immunodominant for immunoglobulin G (IgG) induced by tetrasaccharide-KLH, PS23F-KLH, and killed S. pneumoniae 23F: in most sera L-rhamnose totally inhibited the binding of IgG to PS23F. Thus, there appears to be no major difference in epitope specificity between IgG induced by tetrasaccharide-KLH and that induced by antigens containing the polymeric form of PS23F. Human anti-PS23F IgG (either vaccine induced or naturally acquired) had a different epitope specificity: none of the inhibitors used, including L-rhamnose and tetrasaccharide-KLH, exhibited substantial inhibition. These observations suggest that the epitope recognized by human IgG on PS23F is larger than the epitope recognized by rabbit IgG. Both human and rabbit antisera efficiently opsonized type 23F pneumococci, as measured in a phagocytosis assay using human polymorphonuclear leukocytes.
Locus affecting regulation of the colicin I receptor by iron

Using a strain containing a cir-lac operon fusion and a selective medium, we isolated a regulatory mutant of the colicin I receptor, which we have designated cirR. Cells carrying the cirR mutation were defective in the transcriptional regulation of cir by iron, but synthesis of other iron-regulated proteins was unaffected. cirR was found to be cis dominant. This is in contrast to previously described mutations in iron regulation which are pleiomorphic and trans dominant. Temperature regulation of colicin I receptor production was unaffected by cirR.
Maximizing efficacy for efficient watermarking systems

Digital watermarking is an emerging technique to protect intellectual property right and to transmit secondary data. This paper investigates efficient designs of watermarking system that maximizes the error exponents of probability of detection errors. It turns out that the efficacy of the systems can be maximized in doing so. We take a detector-centric approach to achieving our designing goals. First an optimum detector is constricted by taking into account the real statistical characteristics of the multimedia host data. Then, for an encoder with side information of the decoder as well as the host signal, a particular watermark pattern can be constructed to satisfy some desired properties, such as automatic adaptivity to the local content of the host signal, and/or host-interference rejection. A family of automatically host-content adaptive watermarks (AHCAW) is also proposed. The method paves the way towards creating efficient watermarks and building new watermarking systems.
Assessment of the Value of Repeated Point-Prevalence Surveys for Analyzing the Trend in Nosocomial Infections

Abstract Objective: To assess the value of repeated point-prevalence surveys in measuring the trend in nosocomial infections after adjustment for case mix. Setting: A 3,500-bed teaching facility composed of 4 acute care hospitals. Methods: From May 1992 to June 1996, eight point-prevalence surveys of nosocomial infections were performed in the hospitals using a sampling process. The trend of adjusted nosocomial infection rates was studied for the four surveys that collected data on indwelling catheters. Adjusted rates were calculated using a logistic regression model and a direct standardization method. Results: From 1992 to 1996, a total of 20,238 patients were included in the 8 point-prevalence surveys. The nosocomial infection rate decreased from 8.6% in 1992 to 5% in 1996 (P < .001). The analysis of adjusted nosocomial infection rates included 9,600 patients. Four independent risk factors were identified; length of stay greater than 12 days, hospitalization in an intensive care unit, presence of an indwelling urinary catheter, and history of a surgical procedure. After adjustment for case mix, the nosocomial infection rate still showed a downward trend (from 7.2% in 1993 to 5.1% in 1996; P = .02). Conclusion: Adjusted prevalence rates of nosocomial infections showed a significant downward trend during the period of this study.
Wnt Signaling Induces GLT‐1 Expression in Rat C6 Glioma Cells

Abstract : The regulation of glial and neuronal Na+ ‐dependent glutamate/aspartate transporters is of interest because abnormal glutamate transport may be responsible for certain neurological diseases. Because expression of the Wnt‐1 protooncogene results in induction of the glial‐type glutamate transporter GLAST in PC12 neuron‐like cells, we have evaluated the effect of Wnt‐1‐induced signaling on glutamate transporter expression in rat C6 glioma cells. C6 cells are known normally to express EAAC1, a neuronal glutamate transporter, but not the GLAST or the GLT‐1 glutamate transporter. C6 cells that ectopically expressed Wnt‐1 contained a GLT‐1 RNA species similar in size (> 10 kb) to the GLT‐1 transcript present in rat brain, and they also contained a previously unreported 3.3‐kb GLT‐1 RNA species. Both GLT‐1 RNAs contain large parts of the coding region. However, the 3.3‐kb GLT‐1 species contains at least one small deletion within the coding region. The Wnt‐1‐expressing C6 cells contained little, if any, GLT‐1 protein as determined by immunological techniques. We suggest that one or both of the GLT‐1 RNA species induced by Wnt‐1 either fail to be translated or yield abnormal translation products that are quickly degraded. Wnt‐1‐expressing C6 cells may thus represent a novel in vitro system for studying GLT‐1 transporter expression at the transcriptional and/or posttranscriptional levels.
Polarization Beat Length Estimation Based on the Statistical Properties of Brillouin Gain in SMF

A simple method is proposed to estimate the average polarization beat length of single mode fiber (SMF) through the analysis of statistical characteristics of stimulated Brillouin amplified signals. Through launching a variety of pump wave polarizations, the standard deviation of the Brillouin gain is found linearly related with the fiber beat length, within the normal range of beat length values for SMFs. Both the numerical simulations and the experimental results are presented to test the validity of the method. The technique reported here offers a fast, convenient, and low-cost solution to estimate fiber average beat length.
NOGA-Guided Analysis of Regional Myocardial Perfusion Abnormalities Treated With Intramyocardial Injections of Plasmid Encoding Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A-165 in Patients With Chronic Myocardial Ischemia: Subanalysis of the EUROINJECT-ONE Multicenter Double-Blind Randomized Study

Background—The aim of this substudy of the EUROINJECT-ONE double-blind randomized trial was to analyze changes in myocardial perfusion in NOGA-defined regions with intramyocardial injections of plasmid encoding plasmid human (ph)VEGF-A165 using an elaborated transformation algorithm. Methods and Results—After randomization, 80 no-option patients received either active, phVEGF-A165 (n=40), or placebo plasmid (n=40) percutaneously via NOGA-Myostar injections. The injected area (region of interest, ROI) was delineated as a best polygon by connecting of the injection points marked on NOGA polar maps. The ROI was projected onto the baseline and follow-up rest and stress polar maps of the 99m-Tc-sestamibi/tetrofosmin single-photon emission computed tomography scintigraphy calculating the extent and severity (expressed as the mean normalized tracer uptake) of the ROI automatically. The extents of the ROI were similar in the VEGF and placebo groups (19.4±4.2% versus 21.5±5.4% of entire myocardium). No differences were found between VEGF and placebo groups at baseline with regard to the perfusion defect severity (rest: 69±11.7% versus 68.7±13.3%; stress: 63±13.3% versus 62.6±13.6%; and reversibility: 6.0±7.7% versus 6.7±9.0%). At follow-up, a trend toward improvement in perfusion defect severity at stress was observed in VEGF group as compared with placebo (68.5±11.9% versus 62.5±13.5%, P=0.072) without reaching normal values. The reversibility of the ROI decreased significantly at follow-up in VEGF group as compared with the placebo group (1.2±9.0% versus 7.1±9.0%, P=0.016). Twenty-one patients in VEGF and 8 patients in placebo group (P<0.01) exhibited an improvement in tracer uptake during stress, defined as a ≥5% increase in the normalized tracer uptake of the ROI. Conclusions—Projection of the NOGA-guided injection area onto the single-photon emission computed tomography polar maps permits quantitative evaluation of myocardial perfusion in regions treated with angiogenic substances. Injections of phVEGF A165 plasmid improve, but do not normalize, the stress-induced perfusion abnormalities.
Determination of Inosine Monophosphate Dehydrogenase Activity in Human CD4+ Cells Isolated from Whole Blood During Mycophenolic Acid Therapy

Inosine 5′-monophosphate dehydrogenase (IMPDH) is an established target in immunosuppression following organ transplantation. In lymphocytes, reversible inhibition of this enzyme by mycophenolic acid (MPA) results in reduced production of guanine and deoxyguanine nucleotides and thereby retarded proliferation of activated cells. In order to examine MPA pharmacodynamics in renal allograft recipients, the authors have developed an assay for the determination of IMPDH activity in CD4+ cells directly isolated from a small blood volume. Paramagnetic beads coated with anti-CD4 antibodies were utilized for the cell isolation. The intracellular MPA concentration was restored by incubating the cells in microfiltrated plasma from the original sample. Inosine 5′-monophosphate (IMP; substrate) and nicotine adenine dinucleotide (NAD; co-factor) were added to cell lysates, and IMPDH activity was quantified as the xanthosine 5′-monophosphate (XMP) production rate (pmol/106 cells/min) determined by liquid chromatography after hydrolytic cleavage to xanthine. The reaction kinetics were saturated with IMP and NAD concentrations of 1.79 μmol/L and 0.38 μmol/L, respectively. The production rate was linear in the interval 0.13 to 8.7 pmol XMP/min. Total interseries CVs based on seven replicates at each MPA concentration 0, 2.2, and 8.6 μg/mL were 25%, 16%, and 13%, respectively. When a single 1 gram mycophenolate mofetil dose was administered to a healthy individual, the measured IMPDH activity was 13% of predose value at the MPA peak concentration. The present assay allows reliable determination of IMPDH activity in CD4+ cells during MPA exposure, reducing the potential influence of sample preparation on the measured enzyme activity to a minimum. The assay may be applied to assess MPA pharmacodynamics during immunosuppressive treatment, maintaining the influence of intracellular MPA on the IMPDH activity.
RELEASE AND METABOLISM OF THE NEUROHYPOPHYSIAL HORMONES

DeJnitions A substantial amount of confusion exists in the nomenclature of the neurophysical hormones, due mainly to the fact that commercial preparations have been used without any reference to their composition or even standardisation. For instance, preparations labelled as “vasopressin, B.P.” suggest to the British research worker that they conform to the recommendations laid down by the British Pharmacopoeia, whereas in fact some of them are made according to the U.S. Pharmacopeia. The British Pharmacopoeia, in agreement with the Permanent Commission on Biological Standardisation of the League of Nations Health Organisation (Bangham and Musset, 1958), requires that the “Standard Preparation is a quantity of acetone-dried powder obtained from the posterior lobes of fresh pituitary bodies of oxen” ; but the U.S. Pharmacopeia stipulates that the “Posterior Pituitary is a powder prepared from the clean, dried, posterior lobe of the pituitary body of domestic animals used for food by man,” thus allowing the use of pigs’ pituitaries as a source of vasopressin solution. With regard to the standardisation, it must be remembered that according to the British Pharmacopoeia the only suggested methods for the extract of the posterior pituitary lobe powder are assays of its oxytocic activity, with the result that it is not necessary to state its antidiuretic or pressor activity. Oxytocin is the name given to the oxytoxic hormone extracted from the posterior lobe of the pituitary gland. Its formula is:
FPGA-based prototyping systems for emerging memory technologies

As DRAM faces scaling limit, several new memory technologies are considered as candidates for replacing or complementing DRAM main memory. Compared to DRAM, the new memories have two major differences, non-volatility and write overhead in terms of endurance, latency and power. We built two different FPGA-based evaluation boards to evaluate hardware and software designs for new-memory based main memory; one with a DRAM subsystem having parameterizable latency and non-volatility emulation, and the other with the real chips of new memory namely phase-change RAM (PRAM). We experimented primitive functions and SQLite-based benchmarks on Linux, verifying the workings of new functionalities, e.g., nonvolatility and evaluating the impacts of new memory on software performance. In our experiments, we also demonstrated the impact of new memory-aware software/hardware designs on program performance on a DRAM/PRAM hybrid memory.
Battery powered 4-phase 8/6 pole SRM drive for advanced electric vehicle

A growing need for “electric vehicles” against fuel consumption and pollution is seen all around the world. Unlike vehicles with combustion engines, battery powered electric vehicles do not produce exhaust gases during operation. There is no fuel odor and these vehicles are silent. These features itself makes battery powered electric vehicles more environment friendly than vehicles with conventional technologies. Switched Reluctance Motor (SRM) has gained its importance in variable speed control operations as it has advantages like constructional simplicity, high starting torque, no magnets or windings on the rotor and adaptability to hostile conditions. In this paper, a four phase SRM drive operated with hysteresis control is shown which can be used to drive an electric vehicle. Hysteresis control is used for low speed operations so that this simple control can be used in electric vehicles specially designed for metro purposes. MATLAB/SIMULINK simulation results are presented for this control strategy.
Two-level text classification using hybrid machine learning techniques

Nowadays, documents are increasingly being associated with multi-level category hierarchies rather than a flat category scheme. To access these documents in real time, we need fast automatic methods to navigate these hierarchies. Today’s vast data repositories such as the web also contain many broad domains of data which are quite distinct from each other e.g. medicine, education, sports and politics. Each domain constitutes a subspace of the data within which the documents are similar to each other but quite distinct from the documents in another subspace. The data within these domains is frequently further divided into many subcategories. Subspace Learning is a technique popular with non-text domains such as image recognition to increase speed and accuracy. Subspace analysis lends itself naturally to the idea of hybrid classifiers. Each subspace can be processed by a classifier best suited to the characteristics of that particular subspace. Instead of using the complete set of full space feature dimensions, classifier performances can be boosted by using only a subset of the dimensions. This thesis presents a novel hybrid parallel architecture using separate classifiers trained on separate subspaces to improve two-level text classification. The classifier to be used on a particular input and the relevant feature subset to be extracted is determined dynamically by using a novel method based on the maximum significance value. A novel vector representation which enhances the distinction between classes within the subspace is also developed. This novel system, the Hybrid Parallel Classifier, was compared against the baselines of several single classifiers such as the Multilayer Perceptron and was found to be faster and have higher two-level classification accuracies. The improvement in performance achieved was even higher when dealing with more complex category hierarchies.
Higher-Order Modelling of Media Interfaces for Enhanced FDTD Analysis of Microwave Circuits

The 1st and 2nd order accurate models of media interfaces are originally developed and incorporated into the FDTD method. Both models are shown to provide unambiguous results and increased fidelity of the FDTD method for inhomogeneous microwave circuits. They combine computational effectiveness of standard FDTD with accuracy equal or superior to that of nonorthogonal FDTD and FETD formulations. For practical problems the 1st order model proves satisfactory, the 2nd order model becomes feasible for coarse discretization.
Essentials of Game Theory: A Concise Multidisciplinary Introduction

Abstract Game theory is the mathematical study of interaction among independent, self-interested agents. The audience for game theory has grown dramatically in recent years, and now spans disciplines as diverse as political science, biology, psychology, economics, linguistics, sociology, and computer science, among others. What has been missing is a relatively short introduction to the field covering the common basis that anyone with a professional interest in game theory is likely to require. Such a text would minimize notation, ruthlessly focus on essentials, and yet not sacrifice rigor. This Synthesis Lecture aims to fill this gap by providing a concise and accessible introduction to the field. It covers the main classes of games, their representations, and the main concepts used to analyze them. "This introduction is just what a growing multidisciplinary audience needs: it is concise, authoritative, up to date, and clear on the important conceptual issues. " --Robert Stalnaker, MIT, Linguistics and Phil.
Mixed Matchings , and Self-duality

Our input instance is a bipartite graph G = (A∪B,E) where A is a set of applicants, B is a set of jobs, and each vertex u ∈ A∪B has a preference list ranking its neighbors in a strict order of preference. For any two matchings M and T in G, let φ(M,T ) be the number of vertices that prefer M to T . A matching M is popular if φ(M,T )≥ φ(T,M) for all matchings T in G. There is a utility function w : E→Q and we consider the problem of matching applicants to jobs in a popular and utility-optimal manner. A popular mixed matching could have a much higher utility than all popular matchings, where a mixed matching is a probability distribution over matchings, i.e., a mixed matching Π = {(M0, p0), . ,(Mk, pk)} for some matchings M0, . ,Mk and ∑i=0 pi = 1, pi ≥ 0 for all i. The function φ(·, ·) easily extends to mixed matchings; a mixed matching Π is popular if φ(Π,Λ)≥ φ(Λ,Π) for all mixed matchings Λ in G. Motivated by the fact that a popular mixed matching could have a much higher utility than all popular matchings, we study the popular fractional matching polytope PG. Our main result is that this polytope is half-integral and in the special case where a stable matching in G is a perfect matching, this polytope is integral. This implies that there is always a max-utility popular mixed matching Π such that Π = {(M0, 2 ),(M1, 1 2 )} where M0 and M1 are matchings in G. As Π can be computed in polynomial time, an immediate consequence of our result is that in order to implement a max-utility popular mixed matching in G, we need just a single random bit. We analyze PG whose description may have exponentially many constraints via an extended formulation with a linear number of constraints. The linear program that gives rise to this formulation has an unusual property: self-duality. In other words, this linear program is identical to its dual program. This is a rare case where an LP of a natural problem has such a property. The self-duality of this LP plays a crucial role in our proof of half-integrality of PG. We also show that our result carries over to the roommates problem, where the graph G need not be bipartite. The polytope of popular fractional matchings is still half-integral here and so we can compute a max-utility popular half-integral matching in G in polynomial time. To complement this result, we also show that the problem of computing a max-utility popular (integral) matching in a roommates instance is NP-hard.
Is the ballan wrasse (Labrus bergylta) two species? Genetic analysis reveals within‐species divergence associated with plain and spotted morphotype frequencies

Abstract The ballan wrasse (Labrus bergylta) is a marine fish belonging to the family Labridae characterized by 2 main morphotypes that occur in sympatry: spotty and plain. Previous studies have revealed differences in their life‐history traits, such as growth and maturation; however, the genetic relationship between forms is presently unknown. Using 20 recently developed microsatellite markers, we conducted a genetic analysis of 41 and 48 spotty and plain ballan wrasse collected in Galicia (northwest Spain). The 2 morphotypes displayed highly significant genetic differences to each other (F ST = 0.018, P < 0.0001). A similar degree of genetic differentiation (F ST = 0.025, P < 0.0001) was shown using the STRUCTURE clustering approach with no priors at K = 2. In this case, the frequency of spotty and plain morphotypes was significantly different (χ2 = 9.46, P = 0.002). It is concluded that there is significant genetic heterogeneity within this species, which appears to be highly associated with the spotty and plain forms, but not completely explained by them. Given the previously demonstrated biological differences between morphotypes, and the present genetic analyses, we speculate about the convenience of a taxonomic re‐evaluation of this species.
A design of a meander line antenna using magneto-dielectric material for RFID system

This paper presents the meander line type antennas for use in RFID system. The magneto-dielectric material is used to achieve broadband and miniaturization characteristics. Two small models are proposed. The broadband model has 10-dB band-width, size and gain are 2.65 GHz, 50 /spl times/ 11 /spl times/ 1.6 mm, and -32 dBi, respectively. Because the bandwidth and gain of the antenna are trade-off then a narrow bandwidth model (the 10-dB band-width of 60 MHz), which resonated at 433.92 MHz with return loss -41 dB, is proposed to increase the gain up to -4 dBi. The size of this antenna is 54 /spl times/ 11 /spl times/ 1.6 mm.