Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Structural Design of Chimeric Antigens for Multivalent Protein Vaccines

The development of prophylactic vaccines against pathogenic bacteria is a major objective of the World Health Organisation. However, vaccine development is often hindered by antigenic diversity and the difficulties encountered manufacturing immunogenic membrane proteins. Here, we employed structure-based design as a strategy to develop Chimeric Antigens (ChAs) for subunit vaccines. ChAs were generated against serogroup B Neisseria meningitidis (MenB), the predominant cause of meningococcal disease in the Western hemisphere. MenB ChAs exploit the lipoprotein factor H binding protein (fHbp) as a molecular scaffold to display the immunogenic VR2 epitope from the integral membrane protein PorA. Structural analyses demonstrate fHbp is correctly folded and that PorA VR2 epitope adopts an immunogenic conformation. In mice, ChAs elicit antibodies directed against fHbp and PorA, with antibody responses correlating to protection against meningococcal disease. ChAs offer a novel approach for generating multivalent subunit vaccines, containing of epitopes from integral membrane proteins, whose composition can be selected to circumvent pathogen diversity.
Mediating school inspection

This paper reports on an analysis of how school inspection in Sweden – its aims, directions and procedures – is portrayed in texts produced by the responsible national authorities. The study involves a textual analysis of official annual accounts and plans (texts directed to the government, municipalities, schools and the public) produced by the National Agency for Education and the Swedish Schools Inspectorate. The analysis concentrates on key concepts conveying the dominant ideas of inspection and education. The analysis is structured around four dimensions that are based on an understanding of inspection as education governance and on the characteristics of the Swedish education system. The results suggest that the rhetoric and dominant ideas of schools inspection changed when the responsibility for inspection was transferred to the Swedish School Inspectorate in the autumn of 2008. Key concepts before that time are more supportive of schools and municipalities, recognising local conditions. Later, a language with the intention of detecting shortcomings and supporting an ideology of individual rights and juridification is apparent.
Wavelets and statistical analysis of functional magnetic resonance images of the human brain

Wavelets provide an orthonormal basis for multiresolution analysis and decorrelation or ‘whitening’ of nonstationary time series and spatial processes. Wavelets are particularly well suited to analysis of biological signals and images, such as human brain imaging data, which often have fractal or scale-invariant properties. We briefly define some key properties of the discrete wavelet transform (DWT) and review its applications to statistical analysis of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data. We focus on time series resampling by ‘wavestrapping’ of wavelet coefficients, methods for efficient linear model estimation in the wavelet domain, and wavelet-based methods for multiple hypothesis testing, all of which are somewhat simplified by the decorrelating property of the DWT.
From Interaction to Intersubjectivity: Facilitating online group discourse processes

This article examines the online discourse that took place in representative threads from two classes, seeking to document indicators that students did or did not engage in co‐construction of knowledge. Stahl's (2006) social theory of computer supported collaborative learning (CSCL) is used along with discourse analysis methods to examine these course dialogues. Findings show the class that had a peer‐like, consistent facilitative instructor and discussion anchored around questions and shared artifacts was more likely to engage in discussion leading to the negotiation of knowledge and understanding. This class relied on social acknowledgements, questions, and shared exploration of perspectives and theories throughout their discussion. These elements and strategies appear to be important components that make up for lower levels of tacit understanding in online environments, thus enabling learners to interact in social learning processes. The other class, which lacked a facilitative instructor, did not have the same results. Although interaction levels were equal and students carried topical motifs such as the phrase “faster, better, cheaper” from message to message, students in this other class did not engage deeply or develop new understanding of the course material through the discussion.
A Simple On-Chip Automatic Tuning Circuit for Continuous-Time Filter

A simple on-chip automatic frequency tuning circuit is proposed. The tuning circuit is modified from voltage-controlled filter (VCF) frequency tuning circuit. We utilize an operational transconductance amplifier and a capacitor to from a single-time constant (STC) circuit which can produce a controllable delay time clock to tune the frequency of the filter. It can efficiently reduce the deviations in the 3 dB bandwidth from the variations of PVT (Process, Voltage and Temperature). The design of the STC circuit is simpler than VCF and it has less chip area. The chip has been implanted using TCMC 0.35 μm CMOS technology and the power consumption is less than 9.05 mW.
Electronic Dictionaries, Printed Dictionaries and No Dictionaries: the Effects on Vocabulary Knowledge and Reading Comprehension

This paper describes an experiment with Japanese EFL university students comparing comprehension, and the receptive and productive vocabulary knowledge gained from reading an expository text with electronic dictionaries, printed bilingual dictionaries and no dictionaries. Vocabulary knowledge was tested with a two-week pre-test, an immediate post-reading test and a two-week post-test. Receptive knowledge was assessed with a checklist test for known and unknown items while productive knowledge was measured with a matching item test. Comprehension was measured with true/false questions translated into the students’ first language. Dictionary usage tended to result in higher scores on the comprehension and vocabulary knowledge measures than students who read without dictionaries. Electronic dictionary usage tended to result in superior gains on the comprehension and vocabulary measures than printed dictionary usage. However, both groups of dictionary users required significantly more time to read the text than students who had not used dictionaries.
Differences in earnings assimilation of immigrants from the Former Soviet Union to Germany and Israel during 1994-2005: The interplay between context of reception, observed, and unobserved immigrants’ attributes

The present study considers the interplay between patterns of immigrants’ self-selection and the context of reception (i.e. migration policies and the operation of the labor market) at the host country on different economic assimilation patterns. We compare three groups of immigrants from the Former Soviet Union (FSU) who arrived in Israel and Germany during 1994—2005: Jewish immigrants who arrived in Israel, Jewish immigrants who arrived in Germany (JQR), and ethnic Germans who arrived in Germany (EG). Using the same questionnaire for the German and Israeli samples, we disentangle the impact of the two effects on immigrants’ earnings assimilation by applying the Juhn et al. (1991) method of decomposing the difference in the earnings differentials between natives and FSU immigrants in the two host countries. The results indicate that earnings gaps between FSU immigrants and natives are wider in Germany than in Israel and that the role of contexts of reception is significant in determining patterns of self-selection. We find that the less rigid market attracts the more motivated immigrants, as indicated by the comparison between Jewish immigrant men in Israel and Germany. Within contexts of immigrant reception, the operation of the labor market is more important than formal policies in enhancing economic assimilation of immigrants, as indicated by the comparisons between JQR and EG immigrants in Germany and between Jewish immigrant women in Israel and Germany.
The host galaxies of Type Ia supernovae discovered by the Palomar Transient Factory

We present spectroscopic observations of the host galaxies of 82 low-redshift Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) discovered by the Palomar Transient Factory. We determine star formation rates, gas-phase/stellar metallicities, and stellar masses and ages of these objects. As expected, strong correlations between the SN Ia light-curve width (stretch) and the host age/mass/metallicity are found: fainter, faster declining events tend to be hosted by older/massive/metal-rich galaxies. There is some evidence that redder SNe Ia explode in higher metallicity galaxies, but we found no relation between the SN colour and host galaxy extinction based on the Balmer decrement, suggesting that the colour variation of these SNe does not primarily arise from this source. SNe Ia in higher mass/metallicity galaxies also appear brighter after stretch/colour corrections than their counterparts in lower mass hosts, and the stronger correlation is with gas-phase metallicity suggesting this may be the more important variable. We also compared the host stellar mass distribution to that in galaxy-targeted SN surveys and the high-redshift untargeted Supernova Legacy Survey (SNLS). SNLS has many more low-mass galaxies, while the targeted searches have fewer. This can be explained by an evolution in the galaxy stellar mass function, coupled with an SN delay-time distribution proportional to t^−1. Finally, we found no significant difference in the mass–metallicity relation of our SN Ia hosts compared to field galaxies, suggesting any metallicity effect on the SN Ia rate is small.
Attitudes of teachers and headteachers towards inclusion in Lebanon

In the Arabic region, the drive towards inclusive practices in mainstream schools is at a relatively early stage, although, in Lebanon, the recent initiative of the National Inclusion Project (NIP), a project managed by a consortium of four organisations aimed at addressing the exclusion experienced by people with a disability, has the potential to promote rapid change in provision. This study explores the attitudes of teachers and headteachers towards people with a disability in mainstream primary schools in Lebanon, a middle-income Arab country. A mixed method approach was used to collect data. Forty teachers from mainstream schools within the Project completed questionnaires, and key headteachers as well as the consortium managers were interviewed. The sample was purposively selected in order to examine the attitudes of participants with previous experience of students with disabilities. In general, the findings indicate positive attitudes towards the inclusion of students in mainstream schools. However, participants expressed reservations about including all students, especially those with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties. Further challenges include limited training, availability of qualified specialist teachers and the high cost of supporting inclusion. These findings will inform future research, as more studies regarding the implementation of inclusive education in the Middle East are warranted.
Verbatim recall in formal thought disorder in schizophrenia: a study of contextual influences

Introduction We have previously reported that people with schizophrenia and formal thought disorder (FTD) were disproportionately impaired in recalling sentences verbatim and in judging their plausibility. We proposed that these deficits were due to impairment in integrating higher-order semantic information to construct a global whole. However, it is also possible that a lower-level linguistic problem affecting lexical activation could account for this pattern. Methods The present study analysed and compared the sentence repetition errors produced by people with FTD, people with schizophrenia who were non-FTD and healthy controls. Errors due to failure of activation of the target lexical items were differentiated from those due to erroneous integration of information. Results People with FTD produced significantly more unrelated lexical substitutions and omissions in their corpora than the other two groups, indicating an impairment of activation. In addition, they made significantly more erroneous contextual inferences and unrelated references, suggesting they were impaired in reconstructing the global whole from successfully activated items. Conclusion These findings are consistent with a dual process account of impairments in FTD. Difficulties in repeating and judging sentence acceptability arises due to a combination of difficulty with activation and deficits in using linguistic context to process and produce speech. It is suggested that processing difficulties in FTD result from an impairment in using semantic context to drive lexical access and construction of a global whole.
A routing strategy and quorum based location update scheme for ad hoc wireless networks

All previously proposed position based routing algorithms for wireless ad hoc networks were based on forwarding the actual message along multiple paths toward an area where destination is hopefully located. The significant communication overhead can be avoided if the routing strategy is changed. We propose that the source node issues several search 'tickets' (each ticket is a 'short' message containing sender's id and location, destination's best known location and time that location is reported, and constant amount of additional information) that will look for the exact position of destination node. When the first ticket arrives at the destination node D, D will report back to source with brief message containing its exact location, and possibly creating a route for the source. The source node then sends full data message ('long' message) toward exact location of destination. We then propose a quorum based location update scheme, in which nodes report their new positions to their neighbors whenever a link is broken or created. After certain number of such link changes, nodes forward their new position to all nodes located to the north and south of their current location with certain 'thickness' of reporting. The destination search then begins with two tickets being sent in the east and west direction, with certain 'thickness', looking for the most up to date information of destination's position. When the tickets reach each end of current 'row', the search is continued toward best reported destination position, with corrections along the path as better information becomes available closer to destination. One of tickets can be sent from the source directly toward destination, to take advantage of possibly correct information on destination location. We show through simulation that the proposed routing and location update schemes provide high success rates with reasonable communication overhead.
Topological entropy for multidimensional perturbations of snap-back repellers and one-dimensional maps

We consider a one-parameter family of maps Fλ on with the singular map F0 having one of the two forms (i) F0(x, y) = (f(x), g(x)), where and are continuous, and (ii) F0(x, y) = (f(x), g(x, y)), where and are continuous and g is locally trapping along the second variable y. We show that if f is one-dimensional and has a positive topological entropy, or if f is high-dimensional and has a snap-back repeller, then Fλ has a positive topological entropy for all λ close enough to 0.
Beyond Relativism

This article argues that the search for a theory of good city form should be given a more prominent place in planning theory alongside theories of planning as a process. The professional practice of city and regional planning requires well-validated, durable criteria for successful outcomes. Fortunately, many recent developments in philosophy, science, political theory, and the arts challenge the postmodern relativism that has deflected attention away from normative theory toward procedural issues. The authors argue that planners should take advantage of these new ideas and launch a renewed quest for the elements of good city form.
Development and characterization of 59 polymorphic cDNA-SSR markers for the edible oil crop Sesamum indicum (Pedaliaceae).

UNLABELLED PREMISE OF THE STUDY Polymorphic simple sequence repeat markers from transcript sequences (cDNA-simple sequence repeat [SSR]) were developed for the edible oil crop Sesamum indicum to facilitate the genetic study of this species. • METHODS AND RESULTS We found 7702 SSR loci in the 60960 unigenes, and 1550 primer pairs were designed and synthesized. In total, 59 primer pairs showed polymorphism within 36 individuals; the number of alleles per locus ranged from two to four, and the expected and observed heterozygosity ranged from 0.05 to 0.74 and 0 to 0.30, respectively. • CONCLUSIONS These polymorphic markers will greatly facilitate studies of the genetic structure of S. indicum populations as well as the identification and conservation of the species.
QCSE Tuned Embedded Ring Modulator

A micro embedded ring resonator modulator using quantum confined stark effect (QCSE) has been modeled and studied in this paper. Semi analytical design methods for various components like bend, coupler, and the whole embedded ring have been used here. Time domain and frequency domain analysis methods have been developed and studied. Using these methods a 50 Gbps, 11 dB extinction ratio, 5 μm outer radius embedded ring, QCSE tuned optical modulator design has been proposed.
Reclaiming Instinct

Is instinct a viable concept for contemporary psychology? At the turn of the 20th century the concept of human instinct was the focus of extensive discussion. Today instinct has been all but forgotten. This article explores the historical circumstances that led to the rejection of the concept of human instinct. It then turns a critical eye to a number of presuppositions that continue to equate instinct with preprogrammed genetic mechanisms. An expanded and holistic understanding of instinctual life that includes the subjective reality of the organism is then explored. It is suggested that such an expanded account may be a valuable and necessary theoretical tool for broadening our understanding of human psychology as intimately connected to its evolutionary past.
Using Authentic Materials to Teach Reading Conprehension

Se estudia el uso de textos autenticos y la elaboracion de materiales para la ensenanza y aprendizaje de la comprension de lectura. Se presenta un analisis de la informacion y de las teorias aceptadas por los expertos del area y su congruencia con los materiales que se encuentran en el mercado. Ademas, se analizan los intereses y necesidades de los estudiantes de la Universidad Nacional con el fin de que los profesores cuenten con las herramientas para identificar los textos mas significativos para los estudiantes y asi mejorar sus habilidades de lectura. The use of authentic texts is addressed for teaching reading comprehension as well as for creating materials to improve the teaching-learning process of this skill. The information and theories held by the experts in this field are discussed with regard to whether they correspond to the materials available in the market. In addition, results of needs analysis instruments applied to Universidad Nacional students are provided, so that instructors can have the tools to identify the readings that students may find more meaningful and therefore improve their reading skilis.
K-ras mutations and benefit from cetuximab in advanced colorectal cancer.

BACKGROUND Treatment with cetuximab, a monoclonal antibody directed against the epidermal growth factor receptor, improves overall and progression-free survival and preserves the quality of life in patients with colorectal cancer that has not responded to chemotherapy. The mutation status of the K-ras gene in the tumor may affect the response to cetuximab and have treatment-independent prognostic value. METHODS We analyzed tumor samples, obtained from 394 of 572 patients (68.9%) with colorectal cancer who were randomly assigned to receive cetuximab plus best supportive care or best supportive care alone, to look for activating mutations in exon 2 of the K-ras gene. We assessed whether the mutation status of the K-ras gene was associated with survival in the cetuximab and supportive-care groups. RESULTS Of the tumors evaluated for K-ras mutations, 42.3% had at least one mutation in exon 2 of the gene. The effectiveness of cetuximab was significantly associated with K-ras mutation status (P=0.01 and P<0.001 for the interaction of K-ras mutation status with overall survival and progression-free survival, respectively). In patients with wild-type K-ras tumors, treatment with cetuximab as compared with supportive care alone significantly improved overall survival (median, 9.5 vs. 4.8 months; hazard ratio for death, 0.55; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.41 to 0.74; P<0.001) and progression-free survival (median, 3.7 months vs. 1.9 months; hazard ratio for progression or death, 0.40; 95% CI, 0.30 to 0.54; P<0.001). Among patients with mutated K-ras tumors, there was no significant difference between those who were treated with cetuximab and those who received supportive care alone with respect to overall survival (hazard ratio, 0.98; P=0.89) or progression-free survival (hazard ratio, 0.99; P=0.96). In the group of patients receiving best supportive care alone, the mutation status of the K-ras gene was not significantly associated with overall survival (hazard ratio for death, 1.01; P=0.97). CONCLUSIONS Patients with a colorectal tumor bearing mutated K-ras did not benefit from cetuximab, whereas patients with a tumor bearing wild-type K-ras did benefit from cetuximab. The mutation status of the K-ras gene had no influence on survival among patients treated with best supportive care alone. (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00079066.)
Intrinsic Affective Network Is Impaired in Children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Deficits in impulsivity and affect dysregulation are key features of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) besides impairing levels of hyperactivity and/or inattention. However, the neural substrates underlying these traits are relatively under-investigated. In this study, we use resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging to test the hypothesis of diminished functional integration within the affective/limbic network (which includes the amygdala, hippocampus, subgenual cingulate cortex, orbitofrontal cortex and nucleus accumbens) of children with ADHD, which is associated with their behavioral measures of emotional control deficits. Resting state-fMRI data were obtained from 12 healthy control subjects and 15 children with ADHD, all who had a minimum one-month washout period for medications and supplements. Children with ADHD demonstrated less integrated affective network, evidenced by increased bilateral amygdalar and decreased left orbitofrontal connectivity within the affective network compared to healthy controls. The hyper-connectivity at the left amygdalar within the affective network was associated with increased aggressiveness and conduct problems, as well as decline in functioning in children with ADHD. Similar findings in affective network dysconnectivity were replicated in a subset of children with ADHD three months later. Our findings of divergent changes in amygdala and orbitofrontal intrinsic connectivity support the hypothesis of an impaired functional integration within the affective network in childhood ADHD. Larger prospective studies of the intrinsic affective network in ADHD are required, which may provide further insight on the biological mechanisms of emotional control deficits observed in ADHD.