Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
In silico design of epitope-based peptide vaccine against non-typhoidal Salmonella through immunoinformatic approaches

Abstract Non-typhoidal Salmonella (NTS) is one of the leading bacterial causes of many invasive human infections with a high antibiotic resistance profile. With this concern, the current study aimed to design an effective epitope-based peptide vaccine against NTS species as a successive and substitutive protective measure of invasive NTS disease. To design rationally, the current study considered a comprehensive in silico workflow combination of both immunoinformatics and molecular modeling approaches, including molecular docking and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. We identified the two most promising T cell epitopes KVLYGIFAI and YGIFAITAL, and three B cell epitopes AAPVQVGEAAGS, TGGGDGSNT, and TGGGDGSNTGTTTT, in the outer membrane of NTS. Using these epitopes, a multiepitope vaccine was subsequently constructed along with appropriate adjuvant and linkers, which showed a good binding affinity and stability with toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) in both molecular docking and MD simulation. Furthermore, in silico immune simulation described a strong immune response with a high number of antibodies, interferon-γ, and activated B and T cells. This study collectively suggests that predicted vaccine constructs could be considered potential vaccine candidates against common NTS species. Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma
COVID-19 and stock market nexus: evidence from Shanghai Stock Exchange

Abstract The outbreak of the contagious pandemic Covid-19 has disturbed various economic and business activities across the globe. This has resulted in the declination of cash flows and revenues, which significantly increases the probability of corporate bankruptcies and adversely affects the stock market performance. The current study investigated the Covid-19 and stock market nexus whilst considering the Shanghai Stock Exchange (SSX). Covid-19 active cases and deaths have been considered proxies for the Covid-19 from 1 April 2020 to 30 July 2020. For empirical analysis, this study utilised quantile regression and dynamic ordinary least squares (DOLS). Empirical findings of both quantile regression and DOLS illustrate that both the Covid-19 active cases and deaths significantly decline the SSX closing index. However, the quantile estimates reveal that from lower (0.25) quantile to medium (0.50) to higher (0.75) quantile, the magnitude of these variables is found declining. Moreover, the frequency domain causality test confirmed the unidirectional causal relationship between the study variables, running from Covid-19 cases and deaths to the SSX. The findings are robust, which leads to providing practical policy implications that identified the need to revise health-finance-related policies and financial education to combat such circumstances in the future.
Study of new synthesized ferrocenyl ionic liquids in oxidative esterification reaction

ABSTRACT In this work, novel ferrocene-based ionic liquids, 1-(ferrocenylbutyl)-4-(3-methylimidazolium) Azide and 1-(ferrocenylbutyl)-4-(3-methylimidazolium) Tetrafluoroborate, were synthesized and utilized in the oxidation esterification reaction of aldehydes in the present of different reagents such as NaN3, (K2CO3 and NCS), (KI and KCN), (I2 and K2CO3), (KMnO4). The results were compared with that of [BMIM][X] (X˭Cl, BF4) under the same conditions. As expected, ferrocene-based ionic liquids showed better results; It seems, iron nuclear may play a similar role such as iron catalysts in these novel ionic liquids and can facilitated the oxidation esterification reaction with improve the yield and decrease the reaction time. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
Four Domains of Public Value Creation: A Core Typology

The public management literature has failed to capture the arenas of operation of the public sector manager in one holistic framework, thus inhibiting the development of a more complete theory of leadership that drives public value. This paper develops a core typology of arenas of public value creation, based on the locus of interaction (internal or external to the government organisation) and the public value purpose (trading or policy development). Four arenas are described, illustrating that public sector managers in complex policy areas traverse all forms of institutional structure includingmarket, hierarchy and hybrid. The typology developed and discussed is an attempt to provide more precision in characterising the nature of policy leadership. Building on the public value work of Moore (1995; 2013; 2014),the typology enables theorising on the role and nature of leadership in driving public value.
Local government capacity and total factor productivity growth: evidence from an Asian emerging economy

Abstract This study provides a vital understanding of how local government capacity affects total factor productivity (TFP) growth in the context of an emerging economy. The sample of the study is a panel dataset of 63 Vietnamese provinces over the period of 2006-2017. We find that provinces that are high in self-financing have a positive effect on TFP growth, while low self-financing provinces have a negative effect on TFP growth. More interestingly, the impact of public governance is negative on TFP growth for high self-financing provinces, but is positive for low self-financing provinces. Our findings imply that the Vietnamese decentralisation regime drives high self-financing and low self-financing provinces to pursue different paths. High self-financing provinces defy governance reforms, leading to a race to the bottom.
Taxon-specific temporal shifts in pollinating insects in mass-flowering crops and field margins in Ireland

In intensively cropped agricultural landscapes, the vegetation in edges and hedges (henceforth “field margins”) represents an important semi-natural habitat providing fundamental resources for insect pollinators. We surveyed the pollinating insects associated with two mass-flowering crops, apple and oilseed rape, and compared the insect fauna of the main crop with that in the field margins in the grass-dominated agricultural landscapes of Ireland. Different insect groups responded differently to the presence of the flowering crop, with honey and bumble bees more abundant in crops than margins during crop flowering, but more hover flies and butterflies in margins throughout. The composition of the insect assemblage also shifted over time due to taxon-specific changes in abundance. For example, solitary bees were most abundant early in the season, whereas hover flies peaked, and butterflies declined, in mid-summer. The temporal shift in insect community structure was associated with parallel changes in the field margin flora, and, although we found no relationship between insect abundance and abundance of field margin flowers, Bombus abundance and total insect abundance were positively correlated with floral diversity. After the crop flowering period, floral abundance and diversity was maintained via margin plants, but by late summer, floral resources declined. Our results confirm the importance of field margins for insect pollinators of entomophilous crops set within grass-dominated landscapes, even during the crop flowering period, and provide additional support for agri-environment schemes that protect and/or improve field margin biodiversity. The results also demonstrate that although shifts in insect and plant communities may be linked phenologically there may not always be simple relationships between insect and floral abundance and richness.
Concurrent validity and reliability of a functional electromechanical dynamometer to assess isometric mid-thigh pull performance

The aim of this study was to examine the concurrent validity and reliability of a functional electromechanical dynamometer (FEMD) to assess the isometric mid-thigh pull (IMTP) kinetic variables: peak force (PF), rate of force development (RFD), and time-specific force values (50-, 100-, 150-, and 200-ms). Twenty-seven male collegiate athletes (age: 22.9 ± 1.9 years; stature: 184.8 ± 10.4 cm; body mass: 84.2 ± 11.8 kg) performed four IMTP trials simultaneously on a force platform and the FEMD. The PF variables calculated from performance of the IMTP on both devices were reliable (CV < 3%; ICC > 0.90) and valid (bias < 13.9 N; random error < 52.1 N; r = 1.00), but they showed heteroscedasticity of the errors (R2 > 0.23). The RFD (CV > 10.88%; ICC < 0.76) and initial force (CV > 8.81%; ICC < 0.76) variables did not reach an acceptable reliability for any device, but they showed strong associations between them (r range = 0.53–0.69). These results indicate that the FEMD is an acceptable alternative to assess athlete’s maximal force production (i.e. PF), but the data collected with FEMD and force plates should not be used interchangeably.
Development and preliminary feasibility evaluation of occupation-centered diabetes self-management intervention

Introduction Occupational therapy practice framework provides a valuable structure for guiding clinical practice in occupational therapy based on the profession’s philosophical assumptions and areas of concern. This study aims to address the development and preliminary feasibility and acceptability evaluation of diabetes self-management intervention based on the framework and available literature. Method The research consisted of two phases. During the first phase, the research team conducted the relevant literature review, analyzed it deductively, and classified it in accordance with the concepts of the occupational therapy practice framework. Then, they modeled the intervention and formulated its components. In the second phase, they undertook the developed intervention on seven people with type-2 diabetes. The participants' attendance and their satisfaction with the program were evaluated to investigate its feasibility and acceptability. Results The research team developed an intervention named Occupational Therapy Diabetes Self-Management which focuses on the occupational nature of self-management and addresses various factors of its integrations with individuals’ daily lives. Feasibility and acceptability evaluation of the Occupational Therapy Diabetes Self-Management indicated that the participants' attendance and satisfaction with the program were 92.86% and 9.43 out of 10, respectively. Conclusion The Occupational Therapy Diabetes Self-Management is evidence-based, feasible, and an acceptable intervention to guide future research and clinical practice on occupational therapy.
Oxygen transport phenomena in (La,Sr)2(Ni,Fe)O4 materials

Oxygen-ion transport in La2−xSrxNi1−yFeyO4+δ complex oxides (x = 0.5, y = 0.1–0.4 and x = 0.8, y = 0.1, 0.2, and 0.4) was studied by steady-state oxygen permeation and modified Hebb–Wagner polarization methods. The samples were obtained by a decomposition of citrate–nitrate precursors followed by three times subsequent annealing at 1100 °C in air, pelletizing and sintering at 1300–1350 °C for 20 h in air. The phase purity of the samples was confirmed by an X-ray diffraction (XRD) method. Energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis of the pellets after the steady-state oxygen permeation measurements revealed negligible diffusion of dopant cations and an almost constant oxygen gradient along the samples' thickness. Strontium was shown to decrease the oxygen permeation through the overstoichiometric La2−xSrxNi1−yFeyO4+δ (δ > 0) membranes and to increase it for the oxygen deficient ones (δ < 0). Iron promoted bulk diffusion in all studied samples. The oxygen surface exchange in the series La1.5Sr0.5Ni1−yFeyO4+δ was slightly deteriorated by iron doping up to y = 0.3 but significantly enhanced at y = 0.4. The values of oxygen-ion conductivity calculated from the oxygen permeation data were in good agreement with those measured by the modified Hebb–Wagner polarization method. The highest oxygen permeation flux was obtained for the La1.5Sr0.5Ni0.6Fe0.4O4+δ membrane. La1.5Sr0.5Ni0.6Fe0.4O4+δ showed lower oxygen-ion conductivity compared with undoped La2NiO4+δ, but substantially improved oxygen surface exchange. The latter factor plays a crucial role in the cathode performance of the studied La2NiO4+δ-based oxides and makes La1.5Sr0.5Ni0.6Fe0.4O4+δ a promising candidate for IT-SOFC application.
Modeling Aerial Transmission of Pathogens (Including the SARS-CoV-2 Virus) through Aerosol Emissions from E-Cigarettes

We examine the plausibility of aerial transmission of pathogens (including the SARS-CoV-2 virus) through respiratory droplets that might be carried by exhaled e-cigarette aerosol (ECA). Given the lack of empiric evidence on this phenomenon, we consider available evidence on cigarette smoking and respiratory droplet emission from mouth breathing through a mouthpiece as convenient proxies to infer the capacity of vaping to transport pathogens in respiratory droplets. Since both exhaled droplets and ECA droplets are within the Stokes regime, the ECA flow acts effectively as a visual tracer of the expiratory flow. To infer quantitatively the direct exposure distance, we consider a model that approximates exhaled ECA flow as an axially symmetric intermittent steady starting jet evolving into an unstable puff, an evolution that we corroborate by comparison with photographs and videos of actual vapers. On the grounds of all this theoretical modeling, we estimate for low-intensity vaping (practiced by 80–90% of vapers) the emission of 6–210 (median 39.9, median deviation 67.3) respiratory submicron droplets per puff and a horizontal distance spread of 1–2 m, with intense vaping possibly emitting up to 1000 droplets per puff in the submicron range with a distance spread over 2 m. The optical visibility of the ECA flow has important safety implications, as bystanders become instinctively aware of the scope and distance of possible direct contagion through the vaping jet.
Bright Colloidal PbS Nanoribbons

Colloidal lead sulfide (PbS) nanoribbons are synthesized using organometallic precursors with chloroalkane cosolvents. The few-atom-thick nanoribbons have a typical width 20 nm and a length more than 50 nm. Different from a nanosheet where the quantum confinement energy is mainly determined by the thickness, the narrow width of the nanoribbon has an additional contribution to the increase of energy gap. In contrast to nanosheets, the nanoribbons are much brighter. At room temperatures, well-passivated nanoribbons have achieved more than 30% photoluminescence quantum yield in the infrared spectrum, competing with the well-developed colloidal lead chalcogenide quantum dots of the similar energy gap.
Use of HPLC to monitor olefins, dienes, and aromatics in the dehydrogenated products of higher n-paraffins

ABSTRACT The linear higher olefins are generated through catalytic dehydrogenation of long-chain linear paraffins. During the catalytic dehydrogenation, a variety of dienes and aromatics are also formed. These side products not only cause coking of the catalyst, but also hamper in the reaction course of olefins with other substrate. A method has been developed based on the High-Performance Liquid Chromatography with Refractive Index detection for simultaneous estimation of olefins, dienes, and aromatics in the catalytic dehydrogenated product of model compound decane. The application of method for monitoring of the dehydrogenated stream from C10-C14 n-paraffins has also been discussed.
Reed Canary Grass for Energy in Sweden: Yields, Land-Use Patterns, and Climatic Profile

Research Highlights: (1) Reed canary grass (RCG) is analysed in Sweden compared to willow and poplar for 2001–2020. (2) Each crop presents a different land-use and climatic profile. (3) Average yield records of RCG are similar to willow and poplar. (4) There are divergences between trial-based and commercial yields. (5) Existing land-use change patterns suggest meadow > RCG and RCG > cereal. (6) RCG land area is very sensitive to policy incentives. Background and objectives: RCG is an alternative crop for biomass-to-energy due to high yield and frost tolerance. We assess the cultivation in Sweden by using an extensive compilation of data, with emphasis on the extent of the cultivation, climatic profile, land-use patterns, and productivity. Material and methods: RCG plantations are analysed for 2001–2020. A geostatistical analysis is performed to characterize where it is cultivated and the land uses associated. Climatic, productivity, and yield profiles are compared to willow and poplar plantations from experiments and from commercial plantations. Results: The results show that the cultivation of RCG expanded after 2005, with a maximum of 800 ha in 2009, to then decrease to the current levels of about 550 ha. It is mainly grown in colder climatic areas, with lower agricultural productivity than willow and poplar. Mean yields from trials are 6 oven dry tonnes (odt) ha−1 year−1; commercial yields are 3.5 odt ha−1 year−1. RCG replaces meadow land and then is replaced by cereals when abandoned. Conclusions: RCG is an interesting alternative with similar yields (commercial and trials) as other energy crops, but its success is more sensitive to policy incentives.
Integrating Novel Microchannel-Based Solar Collectors with a Water-to-Water Heat Pump for Cold-Climate Domestic Hot Water Supply, Including Related Solar Systems Comparisons

In Canada, more than 80% of energy in the residential sector is used for space heating and domestic hot water (DHW) production. This study aimed to model and compare the performance of four different systems, using solar energy as a renewable energy source for DHW production. A novel microchannel (MC) solar thermal collector and a microchannel-based hybrid photovoltaic/thermal collector (PVT) were fabricated (utilizing a microchannel heat exchanger in both cases), mathematical models were created, and performance was simulated in TRNSYS software. A water-to-water heat pump (HP) was integrated with these two collector-based solar systems, namely MCPVT-HP and MCST-HP, to improve the total solar fraction. System performance was then compared with that of a conventional solar-thermal-collector-based system and that of a PV-resistance (PV-R) system, using a monocrystalline PV collector. The heat pump was added to the systems to improve the systems’ efficiency and provide the required DHW temperatures when solar irradiance was insufficient. Comparisons were performed based on the temperature of the preheated water storage tank, the PV panel efficiency, overall system efficiency, and the achieved solar fraction. The microchannel PVT-heat pump (MCPVT-HP) system has the highest annual solar fraction among all the compared systems, at 76.7%. It was observed that this system had 10% to 35% higher solar fraction than the conventional single-tank solar-thermal-collector-based system during the wintertime in a cold climate. The performance of the two proposed MC-based systems is less sensitive than the two conventional systems to collector tilt angle in the range of 45 degrees to 90 degrees. If roof space is limited, the MCPVT-HP system is the best choice, as the MCPVT collector can perform effectively when mounted vertically on the facades of high-rise residential and commercial buildings. A comparison among five Canadian cities was also performed, and we found that direct beam radiation has a great effect on overall system solar faction.
‘Even a Self-Advocate Needs to Buy Milk’ – Economic Barriers to Self-Advocacy in the Autism and Intellectual Disability Movement

Autistic people and people with an intellectual disability have been actively involved in disability advocacy; however, it is still often parents and professionals who lead organisations speaking on their behalf. Previous studies have found that autistic self-advocates and self-advocates with an intellectual disability have been systematically marginalised in the disability movement. This article appraises how economic factors influence self-advocates’ position within the disability movement, based on qualitative analysis of data collected in two countries, the UK and Hungary. The study found that lack of resources, poverty and unpaid positions at organisations strongly hinder self-advocates’ participation in advocacy/disability rights organisations speaking for them. Findings also suggest that practices of disability organisations may contribute to maintaining these barriers.
An Automatic Detection Model of Microaneurysms Based on Improved FC-Densenet

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a common eye disease, which leads cause of blindness all around the world. Microaneurysms (MAs) is one of the early symptoms of DR. Accurate and effective MAs detection and segmentation is an important step for the diagnosis and treatment of DR. In this paper, we propose an automatic model for detection of MAs in fluorescein fundus angiography (FFA) images. The model mainly consists of two steps. The first step is pre-processing of FFA images, where the quality of FFA images is improved by Histogram Stretching and Gaussian Filtering algorithm. The second step is to detect MAs regions, where the MAs regions are detected by improved FC-DenseNet. We compare the proposed model with traditional FC-DenseNet model and other previously published models. The experimental result shows that our proposed model has the highest scores on evaluation metrics of pixel accuracy (PA), mean pixel accuracy (MPA), precision (Pre), recall (Re), F1-score (F1) and mean intersection over union (MIoU), which are 99.97%, 94.19%, 88.40%, 89.70%, 88.98% and 90.14%, respectively. The result suggests that the performance of our proposed model is closer to the ground truth of MAs detection. Our proposed model would be helpful for ophthalmologists to find the symptoms more quickly and to take better treatment measures in the screening process of diabetic retinopathy.
Detection of Malicious Software by Analyzing Distinct Artifacts Using Machine Learning and Deep Learning Algorithms

Malware is one of the most significant threats in today’s computing world since the number of websites distributing malware is increasing at a rapid rate. Malware analysis and prevention methods are increasingly becoming necessary for computer systems connected to the Internet. This software exploits the system’s vulnerabilities to steal valuable information without the user’s knowledge, and stealthily send it to remote servers controlled by attackers. Traditionally, anti-malware products use signatures for detecting known malware. However, the signature-based method does not scale in detecting obfuscated and packed malware. Considering that the cause of a problem is often best understood by studying the structural aspects of a program like the mnemonics, instruction opcode, API Call, etc. In this paper, we investigate the relevance of the features of unpacked malicious and benign executables like mnemonics, instruction opcodes, and API to identify a feature that classifies the executable. Prominent features are extracted using Minimum Redundancy and Maximum Relevance (mRMR) and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). Experiments were conducted on four datasets using machine learning and deep learning approaches such as Support Vector Machine (SVM), Naïve Bayes, J48, Random Forest (RF), and XGBoost. In addition, we also evaluate the performance of the collection of deep neural networks like Deep Dense network, One-Dimensional Convolutional Neural Network (1D-CNN), and CNN-LSTM in classifying unknown samples, and we observed promising results using APIs and system calls. On combining APIs/system calls with static features, a marginal performance improvement was attained comparing models trained only on dynamic features. Moreover, to improve accuracy, we implemented our solution using distinct deep learning methods and demonstrated a fine-tuned deep neural network that resulted in an F1-score of 99.1% and 98.48% on Dataset-2 and Dataset-3, respectively.