Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Assessing Google Flu Trends Performance in the United States during the 2009 Influenza Virus A (H1N1) Pandemic

Background Google Flu Trends (GFT) uses anonymized, aggregated internet search activity to provide near-real time estimates of influenza activity. GFT estimates have shown a strong correlation with official influenza surveillance data. The 2009 influenza virus A (H1N1) pandemic [pH1N1] provided the first opportunity to evaluate GFT during a non-seasonal influenza outbreak. In September 2009, an updated United States GFT model was developed using data from the beginning of pH1N1. Methodology/Principal Findings We evaluated the accuracy of each U.S. GFT model by comparing weekly estimates of ILI (influenza-like illness) activity with the U.S. Outpatient Influenza-like Illness Surveillance Network (ILINet). For each GFT model we calculated the correlation and RMSE (root mean square error) between model estimates and ILINet for four time periods: pre-H1N1, Summer H1N1, Winter H1N1, and H1N1 overall (Mar 2009–Dec 2009). We also compared the number of queries, query volume, and types of queries (e.g., influenza symptoms, influenza complications) in each model. Both models' estimates were highly correlated with ILINet pre-H1N1 and over the entire surveillance period, although the original model underestimated the magnitude of ILI activity during pH1N1. The updated model was more correlated with ILINet than the original model during Summer H1N1 (r = 0.95 and 0.29, respectively). The updated model included more search query terms than the original model, with more queries directly related to influenza infection, whereas the original model contained more queries related to influenza complications. Conclusions Internet search behavior changed during pH1N1, particularly in the categories “influenza complications” and “term for influenza. ” The complications associated with pH1N1, the fact that pH1N1 began in the summer rather than winter, and changes in health-seeking behavior each may have played a part. Both GFT models performed well prior to and during pH1N1, although the updated model performed better during pH1N1, especially during the summer months.
A novel immune-genetic based algorithm for mobile robot's path planning

In this study we present our idea for using immune-genetic algorithm with the elitism and an improved roulette wheel selection strategy (IGAE-R) to help a controllable mobile robot to find an optimal path between a starting and ending point in a static environment. Grid theory is utilized to establish the free space model of the monile robot in the environment. The mobile robot has to find the optimal path which reduces the number of steps to be taken between the starting point and the target ending point. Some characteristics of IGAE-R include: immune-genetic with elitist reservation strategy, deletion and insertion operators during the searching process, and roulette wheel selection strategy. IGAE-R allows eight-neighbor movements, so that path-planning can adapt with complicated search spaces with low complexities. The results are promising.
ER Stress Proteins in Autoimmune and Inflammatory Diseases

Over the past two decades, heat shock proteins (HSPs) have been implicated in inflammatory responses and autoimmunity. HSPs were originally believed to maintain protein quality control in the cytosol. However, they also exist extracellularly and appear to act as inflammatory factors. Recently, a growing body of evidence suggested that the other class of stress proteins such as, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress proteins, which originally act as protein quality control factors in the secretory pathway and are induced by ER stress in inflammatory lesions, also participate in inflammation and autoimmunity. The immunoglobulin heavy-chain binding protein (Bip)/glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78), calnexin, calreticulin, glucose-regulated protein 94 (GRP94)/gp96, oxygen regulated protein 150 (ORP150)/glucose-regulated protein 170 (GRP170), homocysteine-induced ER protein (Herp) and heat shock protein 47 (hsp47)/Serpin H1, which are expressed not only in the ER but also occasionally at the cell surface play pathophysiological roles in autoimmune and inflammatory diseases as pro- or anti-inflammatory factors. Here we describe the accumulating evidence of the participation of ER stress proteins in autoimmunity and inflammation and discuss the critical differences between the two classes of stress proteins.
Preparation and characterisation of epoxy/alumina polymer nanocomposites

The effect of adding nanosized alumina fillers of both fibre-like and spherical shapes to an epoxy polymer has been investigated. The alumina was dispersed in the epoxy hardener using two different sonication techniques. A high degree of dispersion was difficult to obtain and agglomerates were observed in the nanocomposites. Nevertheless, particle size analysis showed an effect of the sonication technique, resulting in a higher degree of dispersion. Mechanical testing and dynamic mechanical analysis revealed that the stiffness of the epoxy polymer could be significantly improved using only small amounts of alumina, even when a significant part of the filler was in an agglomerated state. Also, the experimental results from tensile testing agreed well with mathematical models at low filler concentrations.
An integrated method for Adaptive automotive Human Machine Interfaces

Adaptive Human Machine Interfaces (HMI) provide a substantial contribution to avoid an information overload of the driver by adapting the information presentation in accordance to the current driving situation. Although a well-defined model serves as the base of any context-aware system, current approaches for adaptive HMIs take into account only a limited model of the driver, the vehicle and the environmental aspects. This paper presents a feasible approach to model, interpret and classify driving situations. We propose a taxonomy for modelling relevant situational information. An event-based interpretation mechanism allows a deduction of spatio-temporal relations. Based on the situation model, the current situation is identified by performing probabilistic inference. The proposed method serves as a base for a context-aware information management and is demonstrated with help of an example scenario.
Pathway and Network Approaches for Identification of Cancer Signature Markers from Omics Data

The advancement of high throughput omic technologies during the past few years has made it possible to perform many complex assays in a much shorter time than the traditional approaches. The rapid accumulation and wide availability of omic data generated by these technologies offer great opportunities to unravel disease mechanisms, but also presents significant challenges to extract knowledge from such massive data and to evaluate the findings. To address these challenges, a number of pathway and network based approaches have been introduced. This review article evaluates these methods and discusses their application in cancer biomarker discovery using hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) as an example.
Curation and Analysis of Multitargeting Agents for Polypharmacological Modeling

In drug discovery and development, the conventional “single drug, single target” concept has been shifted to “single drug, multiple targets” – a concept coined as polypharmacology. For studies in this emerging field, dedicated and high-quality databases of multitargeting ligands would be exceedingly beneficial. To this end, we conducted a comprehensive analysis of the structural and chemical/biological profiles of polypharmacological agents and present a Web-based database (Polypharma). All of these compounds curated herein have been cocrystallized with more than one unique protein with intensive reports of their multitargeting activities. The present study provides more insight of drug multitargeting and is particularly useful for polypharmacology modeling. This specialized curation has been made publically available at http:/imdlab.org/polypharma/
The involvement of TRPV1 in emesis and anti-emesis

Diverse transmitter systems (e.g. acetylcholine, dopamine, endocannabinoids, endorphins, glutamate, histamine, 5-hydroxytryptamine, substance P) have been implicated in the pathways by which nausea and vomiting are induced and are targets for anti-emetic drugs (e.g. 5-hydroxytryptamine3 and tachykinin NK1 antagonists). The involvement of TRPV1 in emesis was discovered in the early 1990s and may have been overlooked previously as TRPV1 pharmacology was studied in rodents (mice, rats) lacking an emetic reflex. Acute subcutaneous administration of resiniferatoxin in the ferret, dog and Suncus murinus revealed that it had “broad–spectrum” anti-emetic effects against stimuli acting via both central (vestibular system, area postrema) and peripheral (abdominal vagal afferents) inputs. One of several hypotheses discussed here is that the anti-emetic effect is due to acute depletion of substance P (or another peptide) at a critical site (e.g. nucleus tractus solitarius) in the central emetic pathway. Studies in Suncus murinus revealed a potential for a long lasting (one month) effect against the chemotherapeutic agent cisplatin. Subsequent studies using telemetry in the conscious ferret compared the anti-emetic, hypothermic and hypertensive effects of resiniferatoxin (pungent) and olvanil (non-pungent) and showed that the anti-emetic effect was present (but reduced) with olvanil which although inducing hypothermia it did not have the marked hypertensive effects of resiniferatoxin. The review concludes by discussing general insights into emetic pathways and their pharmacology revealed by these relatively overlooked studies with TRPV1 activators (pungent an non-pungent; high and low lipophilicity) and antagonists and the potential clinical utility of agents targeted at the TRPV1 system.
Two major branches of anti-cadmium defense in the mouse: MTF-1/metallothioneins and glutathione

Metal-responsive transcription factor 1 (MTF-1) regulates expression of its target genes in response to various stress conditions, notably heavy metal load, via binding to metal response elements (MREs) in the respective enhancer/promoter regions. Furthermore, it serves a vital function in embryonic liver development. However, targeted deletion of Mtf1 in the liver after birth is no longer lethal. For this study, Mtf1 conditional knockout mice and control littermates were both mock- or cadmium-treated and liver-specific transcription was analyzed. Besides the well-characterized metallothionein genes, several new MTF-1 target genes with MRE motifs in the promoter region emerged. MTF-1 is required for the basal expression of selenoprotein W, muscle 1 gene (Sepw1) that encodes a glutathione-binding and putative antioxidant protein, supporting a role of MTF-1 in the oxidative stress response. Furthermore, MTF-1 mediates the cadmium-induced expression of N-myc downstream regulated gene 1 (Ndrg1), which is induced by several stress conditions and is overexpressed in many cancers. MTF-1 is also involved in the cadmium response of cysteine- and glycine-rich protein 1 gene (Csrp1), which is implicated in cytoskeletal organization. In contrast, MTF-1 represses the basal expression of Slc39a10, a putative zinc transporter. In a pathway independent of MTF-1, cadmium also induced the transcription of genes involved in the synthesis and regeneration of glutathione, a cadmium-binding antioxidant. These data provide strong evidence for two major branches of cellular anti-cadmium defense, one via MTF-1 and its target genes, notably metallothioneins, the other via glutathione, with an apparent overlap in selenoprotein W.
Intracompany Governance and Innovation

This paper examines the relation between ownership, corporate form, and innovation for a cross-section of private and publicly traded innovating firms in the US and 15 European countries. A striking novel observation emerges from our analysis: while most innovating firms in the US are publicly traded conglomerates, a substantial fraction of innovation is concentrated in private firms and in business groups in continental European countries. We find virtually no variation across US industries in the corporate form of innovating firms, but a substantial variation across industries in continental European countries, where business groups tend to be concentrated in industries with a slower and more fundamental innovation cycle and where intellectual protection of innovators seems to be of paramount importance. Our findings suggest that innovative companies choose the corporate form most conducive to R&D, as predicted by the Coasian view of how firms form. This is especially true in Europe, where there are fewer regulatory hurdles to the formation of business groups and hybrid corporate forms. It is less the case in the US, where conglomerates are generally favored.
Identification of Avian- and Mammalian-Derived Bloodmeals in Aedes vexans and Culiseta melanura (Diptera: Culicidae) and Its Implication for West Nile Virus Transmission in Connecticut, U.S.A.

Abstract To evaluate the host-feeding patterns of Aedes vexans (Meigen) and Culiseta melanura (Coquillett) as secondary vectors of West Nile virus (family Flaviviridae, genus Flavivirus, WNV) in Northeastern United States, we identified the source of vertebrate bloodmeals by sequencing portions of the cytochrome b gene of mitochondrial DNA. Analysis of polymerase chain reaction products from a total of 119 Ae. vexans revealed that 92.4% of individuals acquired blood solely from mammalian and 2.5% from avian hosts. Mixed bloodmeals from both avian and mammalian hosts were detected in 5% of individuals of this species. Ae. vexans obtained vertebrate bloodmeals most frequently from white-tailed deer (80%) followed by domestic horse, American robin, eastern cottontail, and domestic cat. In contrast, Cs. melanura fed predominantly on avian species (89.6%) but exhibited some inclination for mammalian blood (4.2%). Individual mosquitoes containing mixed bloodmeals were also identified in 6% of Cs. melanura. American robin was the most common source of vertebrate blood for Cs. melanura (23%), followed by wood thrush and gray catbird. American crow represented only 2% of the bloodmeals identified in Cs. melanura, as was similarly found with other recognized Culex vectors of WNV in the northeast. These findings support the view that Ae. vexans is likely to be a relatively important “bridge vector” to large mammals, including deer and horse, whereas Cs. melanura likely plays a secondary role in enzootic transmission of WNV among free-ranging birds in more rural environs.
Endothelial Small-Conductance and Intermediate-Conductance KCa Channels: An Update on Their Pharmacology and Usefulness as Cardiovascular Targets

Abstract: Most cardiovascular researchers are familiar with intermediate-conductance KCa3.1 and small-conductance KCa2.3 channels because of their contribution to endothelium-derived hyperpolarization. However, to immunologists and neuroscientists, these channels are primarily known for their role in lymphocyte activation and neuronal excitability. KCa3.1 is involved in the proliferation and migration of T cells, B cells, mast cells, macrophages, fibroblasts, and dedifferentiated vascular smooth muscle cells and is, therefore, being pursued as a potential target for use in asthma, immunosuppression, and fibroproliferative disorders. In contrast, the 3 KCa2 channels (KCa2.1, KCa2.2, and KCa2.3) contribute to the neuronal medium afterhyperpolarization and, depending on the type of neuron, are involved in determining firing rates and frequencies or in regulating bursting. KCa2 activators are accordingly being studied as potential therapeutics for ataxia and epilepsy, whereas KCa2 channel inhibitors like apamin have long been known to improve learning and memory in rodents. Given this background, we review the recent discoveries of novel KCa3.1 and KCa2.3 modulators and critically assess the potential of KCa activators for the treatment of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases by improving endothelium-derived hyperpolarizations.
Improved Semiparametric Time Series Models of Air Pollution and Mortality

In 2002, methodological issues around time series analyses of air pollution and health attracted the attention of the scientific community, policy makers, the press, and the diverse stakeholders concerned with air pollution. As the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was finalizing its most recent review of epidemiologic evidence on particulate matter air pollution (PM), statisticians and epidemiologists found that the S–PLUS implementation of generalized additive models (GAMs) can overestimate effects of air pollution and understate statistical uncertainty in time series studies of air pollution and health. This discovery delayed completion of the PM Criteria Document prepared as part of the review of the U. S. National Ambient Air Quality Standard, because the time series findings represented a critical component of the evidence. In addition, it raised concerns about the adequacy of current model formulations and their software implementations. In this article we provide improvements in semiparametric regression directly relevant to risk estimation in time series studies of air pollution. First, we introduce a closed-form estimate of the asymptotically exact covariance matrix of the linear component of a GAM. To ease the implementation of these calculations, we develop the S package gam. exact, an extended version of gam. Use of gam. exact allows a more robust assessment of the statistical uncertainty of the estimated pollution coefficients. Second, we develop a bandwidth selection method to reduce confounding bias in the pollution-mortality relationship due to unmeasured time-varying factors, such as season and influenza epidemics. Third, we introduce a conceptual framework to fully explore the sensitivity of the air pollution risk estimates to model choice. We apply our methods to data of the National Mortality Morbidity Air Pollution Study, which includes time series data from the 90 largest U. S. cities for the period 1987–1994.
Two Extensions of FOL Horn Clauses Comparison to Interpreted Predicates

First-Order Logic Horn clauses are a powerful representation formalism for domains where relations among objects must be expressed to fully capture the relevant information. While the predicates that make up the description language are handled only syntactically by the interpreters, they sometimes express information that can be properly exploited only with reference to a specific background knowledge in order to capture unexpressed and underlying relationships. Two prototypical examples are taxonomic information (e.g., coming from the words found in a text) and numerical information (e.g., coming from measurements and acceptable ranges), for which simple syntactic matching is not sufficient. This work proposes an extension of an existing framework for similarity assessment between First-Order Logic Horn clauses for these two cases. The viability of the solution is demonstrated on sample problems.
Coarctation of the Aorta

The long-term clinical course was studied in 646 patients, who underwent isolated operative repair of coarctation of the aorta at the Mayo Clinic from 1946 to 1981. There were 17 perioperative deaths, and 58 patients were lost to follow-up. Of the 571 patients with long-term follow-up, 11% required subsequent cardiovascular surgery, and 25% developed hypertension. There were 87 late deaths. The mean age at death was 38 years (range, 0-67 years). Estimated survival analysis revealed 91% of patients alive at 10, 84% at 20, and 72% at 30 years after operative repair. The most common cause of late death was coronary artery disease in 32 patients, followed by sudden death, heart failure, cerebrovascular accidents, and ruptured aortic aneurysm. Age, sex, and postoperative systolic blood pressure were found to be independently predictive of survival. For patients less than 14 years of age at the time of initial coarctectomy, survival to 20 years was 91%, and for patients 14 years or older at the time of operation, survival was 79%. The best survivorship was observed in patients operated on at 9 years of age or less. The higher the postoperative systolic pressure, the higher the probability of death. This study has the largest population undergoing repair of coarctation of the aorta with a median follow-up of as long as 20 years. Four main points emerged. 1) Age at the time of initial repair is the most important predictor of long-term survival. Surgery should be offered to patients after age 1 year or sooner if hypertension is severe. 2) Coronary artery disease is the most common cause of late death. 3) Age at the time of initial repair is the most important predictor of hypertension. 4) Associated cardiovascular anomalies requiring subsequent
Experimental characterisation of high efficiency resonant gate driver circuit

In high frequency power conversion applications, the power driver losses can become relevant and consequently the converter efficiency be reduced. In the last years, several gate driver topologies have been proposed able to reduce these losses. In this paper a high frequency, high efficiency resonant MOSFET gate driver is extended to high frequency operation, constructed and characterised. The experimental results show an energy reduction up to 78%, and suggest the possibility to increase the switching frequency until 2.6 MHz. A detailed experimental characterisation and some theoretical considerations are reported.
Purification and Analysis of Thrombospondin‐1

Thromboapondin 1 (TSP‐1) is a trimeric matricellular protein that is expressed by many cells. It contains several different domains that allow it to participate in cell adhesion, cell migration, and cell signaling. Recently TSP‐1 has been shown to activate transforming growth factor β (TGF‐β) and to inhibit both angiogenesis and tumor growth. This unit contains protocols for the purification of TSP‐1 from platelet‐rich plasma and the purification of TSP‐1 proteolytic fragments.
Real Business Cycles with a Human Capital Investment Sector and Endogenous Growth: Persistence, Volatility and Labor Puzzles

A positive joint two-sector productivity shock causes Rybczynski (1955) and Stolper and Samuelson (1941) e¤ects that release leisure time and initially raises the relative price of human capital invest- ment so as to favor it over goods production. This enables a basic RBC model, modi�ed by having the household sector produce hu- man capital investment sector, to succeed along related major dimen- sions of output, consumption, investment and labor, similar to the international approach of Ma¤ezzoli (2000). By modifying the dy- namics relative to the important work of Jones et al. (2005), two key US facts stressed by Cogley and Nason (1995) are captured: per- sistent movements in the growth rates of output and hump-shaped impulse responses of output. Further, physical capital investment has data consistent persistence within a hump-shaped impulse response. And Gali�s (1999) challenging empirical �nding that labour supply decreases upon impact of a positive productivity shock is reproduced, while volatility in working hours is also data-consistent because of the substitution between market and nonmarket sectors.