Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An Exploration of Epitope-Based Vaccine Design with Broad Protection Against Influenza A (H3) Viral Strains Using Computational Biology

Influenza is a highly contagious disease due to its frequently mutating viral Hemaglutinin (HA) and Neuraminidase (NA) proteins. [1] WHO reports that 250,000-500,000 people worldwide die of seasonal influenza every year. [2]This necessitates the search for universal vaccines, or broadly protective influenza vaccines. This research explored the feasibility of epitope-based broad-spectrum influenza H3 vaccine design based on common linear epitopes. Given the previously prepared broadly neutralizing antibody 4E3 that recognizes multiple H3 strains by NIDVD, three epitope candidates were selected using computer-simulated antigen-antibody docking. The three epitopes were then evaluated in vitro using molecular cloning, protein expression and immunoassay technologies. EPI-3 (amino acid sequence: WGVHHPVTDNDQIFLYAQA) was successfully cloned, expressed, and evaluated using Western Blot. The positive WB result proved the methodological validity of epitope-based broad-spectrum vaccine design using computational biology. Further work using this method is expected from the scientific community.
Electrospun PGA/gelatin nanofibrous scaffolds and their potential application in vascular tissue engineering

Background and methods In this study, gelatin was blended with polyglycolic acid (PGA) at different ratios (0, 10, 30, and 50 wt%) and electrospun. The morphology and structure of the scaffolds were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and differential scanning calorimetry. The mechanical properties were also measured by the tensile test. Furthermore, for biocompatibility assessment, human umbilical vein endothelial cells and human umbilical artery smooth muscle cells were cultured on these scaffolds, and cell attachment and viability were evaluated. Results PGA with 10 wt% gelatin enhanced the endothelial cells whilst PGA with 30 wt% gelatin increased smooth muscle cell adhesion, penetration, and viability compared with the other scaffold blends. Additionally, with the increase in gelatin content, the mechanical properties of the scaffolds were improved due to interaction between PGA and gelatin, as revealed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry. Conclusion Incorporation of gelatin improves the biological and mechanical properties of PGA, making promising scaffolds for vascular tissue engineering.
Identification of a novel dendritic cell‐like subset of CD64+ / CD16+ blood monocytes

Human monocytes (Mo) consist of a major subset of Fcγ‐receptor I (CD64)‐positive typical low accessory phagocytes, and a minor CD64– DC‐like subset with high T cell‐accessory and IFN‐α‐releasing activity. Both populations also differentially express CD16 (Fcγ‐receptor III). Double labeling with anti‐CD64 and anti‐CD16 mAb, as performed here, identified four different subsets. The CD64– subset consists of CD64– / 16+ cells with high antigen‐presenting cell (APC) function and macrophage‐like phenotype, and a CD64– / 16– subset of less active APC but which exhibits a higher mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR) stimulating and IFN‐α‐producing capacity, possibly resembling plasmacytoid dendritic cell type II (DC2) blood precursors. As well as the majority of CD64+ cells that appeared CD64+ / 16– and represent typical low‐accessory, CD14high Mo, we could identify and describe a novel minor subset of CD64+ / 16+ cells which is unique in combining typical DC and Mo characteristics in the same cell. These are high IL‐12 production, high accessory capacity for antigen‐ or allogen‐activated lymphocytes, and high expression of HLA‐DR, CD86, and CD11c.
Acute pulmonary embolism is an independent predictor of adverse events in severe decompensated heart failure patients.

BACKGROUND Congestive heart failure (CHF) is a well-recognized risk factor for venous thromboembolism (VTE) and is associated with higher mortality in patients with an acute pulmonary embolism (PE). There are very few data on how acute PE affects the clinical course of patients with heart failure. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of an acute PE on the short-term prognosis of patients hospitalized for decompensated CHF. METHODS This was a prospective cohort study of 198 patients admitted to a coronary care unit between July 2001 and March 2003 with severe decompensated CHF. The primary outcome measure was death or rehospitalization at 3 months. RESULTS PE was confirmed in 18 of 198 patients enrolled (9.1%). The groups with and without PE were comparable with regards to demographics, the prevalence of comorbid conditions, and severity of CHF (p > 0.05). The prevalence of cancer (p = 0.0001), previous VTE (p = 0.003), and right ventricular overload (p = 0.006) was higher in the PE group. The presence of PE was also associated with a longer hospital stay (37.5 +/- 71.6 days vs 15.4 +/- 15.0 days, p = 0.001) [mean +/- SD] and a higher incidence of death or rehospitalization at 3 months (72.2% vs 43.9%, p = 0.02). In a multiple logistic regression analysis, PE remained an independent predictor of death or rehospitalization at 3 months (odds ratio, 4.0; 95% confidence interval, 1.1 to 15.1; p = 0.038). CONCLUSIONS Acute PE commonly complicates the hospital course of patients with severe CHF, increasing the length of hospital stay and the chance of death or rehospitalization at 3 months.
ConNexus to awarenex: extending awareness to mobile users

We explored the use of awareness information to facilitate communication by developing a series of prototypes. The ConNexus prototype integrates awareness information, instant messaging, and other communication channels in an interface that runs on a desktop computer. The Awarenex prototype extends that functionality to wireless handheld devices, such as a Palm. A speech interface also enables callers to make use of the awareness information over the telephone. While the prototypes offer similar functionality, the interfaces reflect the different design affordances and use context of each platform. We discuss the design implications of providing awareness information on devices with varying interface and network characteristics.
Mortgage Companies and Regulatory Arbitrage Mortgage Companies and Regulatory Arbitrage Thomson for Sharing Their Knowledge about the Super- Vision and Regulation of Mortgage Companies. They Thank Marc Lipson, Philip Strahan, the Participants of American Economic Association Meetings and Their Discu

Working papers of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland are preliminary materials circulated to stimulate discussion and critical comment on research in progress. They may not have been subject to the formal editorial review accorded offi cial Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland publications. The views stated herein are those of the authors and are not necessarily those of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland or of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. Mortgage companies (MCs) do not fall under the strict regulatory regime applicable to depository institutions. We empirically show that the resulting regulatory arbitrage allowed bank holding companies (BHCs) to circumvent capital requirements and avoid loan-related losses. As compared to bank subsidiaries, MC subsidiaries of BHCs originated riskier mortgages characterized by borrowers with lower credit scores, lower incomes, higher loan-to-income ratios, and higher default rates. Our results imply that regulation had the capacity to prevent the deterioration of pre-crisis lending standards, but only if consistently applied and enforced. and Administration, and the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland for useful discussions and comments.
Plasma Biomarkers in Pediatric Patients Undergoing Cardiopulmonary Bypass

It is critical to identify at-risk patients and minimize the deleterious effects of cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) procedures in pediatric populations. The present study screened the plasma proteome of pediatric patients undergoing CPB procedures to identify potential clinical biomarkers related to tissue damage, inflammation, or other pathologies. Blood samples were collected at five different time points from 10 children undergoing a CPB procedure. Plasma was isolated and analyzed using two-dimensional differential in-gel electrophoresis and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time of flight mass spectrometry. Levels of differentially regulated proteins identified by two-dimensional differential in-gel electrophoresis, and related proteins were then measured in all time points and patients. As well, associated small molecules and ions were measured. The present study identified 13 proteins and protein isoforms altered in expression, including hemopexin, ceruloplasmin, inter-alpha inhibitor H4, and alpha-2-macroglobulin. Immunoblot analysis revealed significant decreases in each of these proteins during the CPB procedure. Significant changes in the levels of copper, iron, Hb, epinephrine, norepinephrine, and serotonin were observed. The potential markers of pathology (inflammation, oxidative stress) identified during this preliminary study may illuminate opportunities for preventative measures and/or treatments during and following CPB procedures in pediatric patients.
Global memory optimisation for embedded systems allowed by code duplication

The data transfers and storage are dominating contributors to the area and power consumption for all modern multimedia embedded systems. Modern high-level memory optimisations can ensure cost-efficient realisation of these systems. An important step in these optimisations are loop transformations performed on a geometrical model. However, these loop transformations traditionally cannot optimise code across data dependent conditions.In this paper we selectively duplicate the code in order to enable global loop transformations across data dependent conditions. We propose a technique which finds in a systematic way the Pareto curve in 2D exploration space: the better memory optimisations vs. the code increase. Our technique has been tested on an MP3 audio decoder. Results show 45.8% decrease in the number of main memory accesses which requires a 16.2% increase of code size.
Explaining and predicting the innovative behaviour of the firm : a behavioural approach

Since the seminal work of Schumpeter relating economic growth to technical change, there has been a considerable effort to explain why and how innovation occurs at the firm level. Important achievements have been made over the last 50 years resulting in many theoretical insights that intend to explain the firm‘s innovative behaviour. This behaviour has been attributed to dissimilar factors (e.g., institutional arrangements, entrepreneurial or risk taking behaviours, economic opportunities, organisational learning, technological and organisational capabilities, etc.). The communality of current theories and studies is that they tend to put emphasis on individual determinants of the innovative behaviour. In consequence, much of the generated knowledge is still rather fragmented because the diverse insights are not unified in single and testable theoretical body. This paper introduces two meta-theories from the behavioural sciences that enable the organisation and integration of knowledge generated in diverse areas of innovation studies to explore, explain and predict the innovative behaviour of the firm in specific contexts. Furthermore, this paper presents in detail the methodological aspects to apply, validate and use the proposed model as a behavioural simulation tool in diverse areas of innovative activities. keywords: innovation, resistance to change, propensity, willingness, mental models, beliefs system, theory of planned behaviour, facet theory. 1 This working paper might present some omissions, please do not quote with out consent of the author. 2 Doctoral researcher at SPRU – Science & Technology Policy Research. Comments about the contents of this paper can be sent to c.c. montalvo@sussex.ac. uk and c.c. montalvo@gmx.net . Tel/Fax: 00492196 80574
THE CONNECT FRAMEWORK : A SIMULATION TOOL FOR NETWORKS OF COMMUNICATING OBJECTS

The CONNECT Framework presented in this paper is a simulation tool supporting the modelling of networks of communicating objects. It is implemented on the base of the . NET Technology. From the programmers point of view, it extends the C# language by a few attributes and offers a few classes. The paper introduces the new constructs and demonstrates their use by giving two examples. The first example is the Game of Life, and the second one, with special emphasis on signal based communication, is the Backpropagation Network.
Sustaining the efficacy of Bt toxins

In 1997 corn, cotton and potato cultivars that produce insecticidal proteins were grown on more than five million acres of US farmland. The acreage dedicated to these cultivars is likely to increase dramatically in the next twoto-five years. The use of these cultivars decreases the use of broad spectrum insecticides, especially in cotton and potato production. The toxin gene is derived from the bacterium, Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), which has been naturally fermented and used as an organic pest control tool for decades. The toxin breaks down rapidly in the environment and is harmless to humans, vertebrates, and even most beneficial insects. In almost all ways this is the natural insecticide that you might expect environmentalists to dream about. So why have Bt toxin-producing crops been met with so much concern from the environmental and academic community? The issue is sustainability. Until recently, all formulations of fermented Bt had incredibly short insecticidal half lives in the field. The toxic action of the bacteria all but disappeared within two days after exposure to sunlight. Organic and conventional farmers who relied on Bt had to carefully time their spraying of the spore/crystal formulations to make sure that the bacteria were in the right place at the right time. This was difficult, but the positive side to this was that the pest population was typically exposed to the toxin only at times of peak pest densities. (Farmers would be wasting money if they sprayed pests when densities were low.) From an evolutionary perspective, this meant that the majority of insects in the pest population were never exposed to the toxin. These unexposed insects served as an “evolutionary buffer” to the development of resistance in the pest population. Sustaining the Efficacy of Bt Toxins
Stochastic Delay Population Dynamics under Regime Switching: Global Solutions and Extinction

This paper is concerned with a delay Lotka-Volterra model under regime switching diffusion in random environment. By using generalized Ito formula, Gronwall inequality and Young’s inequality, some sufficient conditions for existence of global positive solutions and stochastically ultimate boundedness are obtained, respectively. Finally, an example is given to illustrate the main results.
An investigation of semantic similarity judgments about action and non-action verbs in Parkinson's disease: implications for the Embodied Cognition Framework

The Embodied Cognition Framework maintains that understanding actions requires motor simulations subserved in part by premotor and primary motor regions. This hypothesis predicts that disturbances to these regions should impair comprehension of action verbs but not non-action verbs. We evaluated the performances of 10 patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) and 10 normal comparison (NC) participants on a semantic similarity judgment task (SSJT) that included four classes of action verbs and two classes of non-action verbs. The patients were tested both ON and OFF medication. The most salient results involved the accuracies and reaction times (RTs) for the action verbs taken as a whole and the non-action verbs taken as a whole. With respect to accuracies, the patients did not perform significantly worse than the NC participants for either the action verbs or the non-action verbs, regardless of whether they were ON or OFF their medication. And with respect to RTs, although the patients' responses were significantly slower than those of the NC participants for the action verbs, comparable processing delays were also observed for the non-action verbs; moreover, there was again no notable influence of medication. The major dissociation was therefore not between action and non-action verbs, but rather between accuracies (relatively intact) and RTs (relatively delayed). Overall, the data suggest that semantic similarity judgments for both action and non-action verbs are correct but slow in individuals with PD. These results provide new insights about language processing in PD, and they raise important questions about the explanatory scope of the Embodied Cognition Framework.
Protected Paste Volume of Air-Entrained Cement Paste. Part II

In the companion paper, expressions were derived for the protected paste volume of air-entrained cement paste on the basis of hydraulic pressure theory. The protected paste volume is the common volume of cement paste protected from frost damage by all the various-sized air voids in the paste. The expressions derived earlier assumed that the user had knowledge of the complete air-void distribution in concrete. In this paper, the expressions derived earlier are converted to forms using readily available linear traverse data. The derivations are validated using computer simulations. It is shown that the paste parameter that appears in the expressions can be estimated using a few material properties of cement paste. The calculation of the protected paste volume is illustrated for a concrete sample tested in the laboratory. The protected paste volumes of a variety of concretes tested in two other laboratories are then calculated and correlated with their frost resistance. It is shown that the protected paste volumes of the concretes analyzed correlate well with their frost resistance.
News Bots

So-called “robot” journalism represents a shift towards the automation of journalistic tasks related to news reporting, writing, curation, and even data analysis. In this paper, we consider the extension of robot journalism to the domain of social platforms and study the use of “news bots”—automated accounts that participate in news and information dissemination on social networks. Such bots present an intriguing development opportunity for news organizations and journalists. In particular, we analyze a sample of existing news bot accounts on Twitter to understand how news bots are currently being used and to examine how using automation and algorithms may change the modern media environment. Based on our analysis, we propose a typology of news bots in the form of a design and editorial decision space that can guide designers in defining the intent, utility, and functionality of future bots. The proposed design space highlights the limits of news bots (e.g., automated commentary and opinion, algorithmic transparency and accountability) and areas where news bots may enable innovation, such as niche and local news.
Tensor Rank and Strong Quantum Nondeterminism in Multiparty Communication

In this paper we study quantum nondeterminism in multiparty communication. There are three (possibly) different types of nondeterminism in quantum computation: i) strong, ii) weak with classical proofs, and iii) weak with quantum proofs. Here we focus on the first one. A strong quantum nondeterministic protocol accepts a correct input with positive probability, and rejects an incorrect input with probability 1. In this work we relate strong quantum nondeterministic multiparty communication complexity to the rank of the communication tensor in the Number-On-Forehead and Number-In-Hand models. In particular, by extending the definition proposed by de Wolf to {\it nondeterministic tensor-rank} ($nrank$), we show that for any boolean function $f$ when there is no prior shared entanglement between the players, 1) in the Number-On-Forehead model, the cost is upper-bounded by the logarithm of $nrank(f)$; 2) in the Number-In-Hand model, the cost is lower-bounded by the logarithm of $nrank(f)$. Furthermore, we show that when the number of players is $o(\log\log n)$ we have that $NQP\nsubseteq BQP$ for Number-On-Forehead communication.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea and the Recurrence of Atrial Fibrillation

Background—We tested the hypothesis that patients with untreated obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) would be at increased risk for recurrence of atrial fibrillation (AF) after cardioversion. Methods and Results—We prospectively obtained data on history, echocardiogram, ECG, body mass index, hypertension, diabetes, NYHA functional class, ejection fraction, left atrial appendage velocity, and medications in patients with AF/atrial flutter referred for DC cardioversion. Forty-three individuals were identified as having OSA on the basis of a previous sleep study. Data regarding the use of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) and recurrence of AF were obtained for 39 of these patients. Follow-up data were also obtained in 79 randomly selected postcardioversion patients (controls) who did not have any previous sleep study. Twenty-seven of the 39 OSA patients either were not receiving any CPAP therapy (n=25) or were using CPAP inappropriately (n=2). Recurrence of AF at 12 months in these 27 patients was 82%, higher than the 42% recurrence in the treated OSA group (n=12, P =0.013) and the 53% recurrence (n=79, P =0.009) in the 79 control patients. Of the 25 OSA patients who had not been treated at all, the nocturnal fall in oxygen saturation was greater (P =0.034) in those who had recurrence of AF (n=20) than in those without recurrence (n=5). Conclusions—Patients with untreated OSA have a higher recurrence of AF after cardioversion than patients without a polysomnographic diagnosis of sleep apnea. Appropriate treatment with CPAP in OSA patients is associated with lower recurrence of AF.