Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The structural immunology of antibody protection against West Nile virus

Summary: Recent investigations of the interaction between the West Nile virus (WNV) envelope protein (E) and monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) have elucidated fundamental insights into the molecular mechanisms of neutralization. Structural studies have defined an epitope on the lateral ridge of domain III (DIII‐lr) of the WNV E protein that is recognized by antibodies with the strongest neutralizing activity in vitro and in vivo. Antibodies that bind this epitope are highly potent because they efficiently block at a post‐entry step of viral infection with relatively low virion occupancy requirements. In this review, we discuss the structural, molecular, and immunologic basis for antibody‐mediated protection against WNV, and its implications for novel therapeutic or vaccine strategies.
Personal Black Carbon Exposure Influences Ambulatory Blood Pressure: Air Pollution and Cardiometabolic Disease (AIRCMD-China) Study

Few prospective studies have assessed the blood pressure effect of extremely high air pollution encountered in Asia’s megacities. The objective of this study was to evaluate the association between combustion-related air pollution with ambulatory blood pressure and autonomic function. During February to July 2012, personal black carbon was determined for 5 consecutive days using microaethalometers in patients with metabolic syndrome in Beijing, China. Simultaneous ambient fine particulate matter concentration was obtained from the Beijing Municipal Environmental Monitoring Center and the US Embassy. Twenty-four–hour ambulatory blood pressure and heart rate variability were measured from day 4. Arterial stiffness and endothelial function were obtained at the end of day 5. For statistical analysis, we used generalized additive mixed models for repeated outcomes and generalized linear models for single/summary outcomes. Mean (SD) of personal black carbon and fine particulate matter during 24 hours was 4.66 (2.89) and 64.2 (36.9) &mgr;g/m3. Exposure to high levels of black carbon in the preceding hours was associated significantly with adverse cardiovascular responses. A unit increase in personal black carbon during the previous 10 hours was associated with an increase in systolic blood pressure of 0.53 mm Hg and diastolic blood pressure of 0.37 mm Hg (95% confidence interval, 0.17–0.89 and 0.10–0.65 mm Hg, respectively), a percentage change in low frequency to high frequency ratio of 5.11 and mean interbeat interval of −0.06 (95% confidence interval, 0.62–9.60 and −0.11 to −0.01, respectively). These findings highlight the public health effect of air pollution and the importance of reducing air pollution.
GAME THEORETIC EQUILIBRIUM PRICING IN THE HOSPITALTY SECTOR USING A CHOICE-BASED CONJOINT ANALYSIS APPROACH

Game-theory is a field of mathematics that can be used to study the formation of equilibrium prices in economic markets. Although the validity of market equilibrium as an empirical concept is much debated, equilibrium theory can still provide valuable insights for pricing strategy as it provides guidelines for rational decision making in highly competitive markets. In this study we develop a game-theoretic approach to optimal pricing when markets are characterized by strong competition between rational decision makers having complete information. A model is developed that describes the process of mutual competition between players (e.g. hotels) through their market share functions where each of these functions is described as a multinomial logit model with an additive utility function. Using an additive utility function allows for the players‟ prices to be different in the same equilibrium which reflects the notion that high-end hotels with many attractive facilities can justify higher prices but can still be considered to be in an equilibrium. Choice-based conjoint analysis is used to provide the attributes weights (“part-worth‟s”) for the utility function. The approach is illustrated by an example.
Characteristics of a new abstraction model

The paper presents research results concerning cognition aspects with focus on causality. An abstraction model is proposed. It represents one of the basic processes of learning and cognition. The definitions of classes and subclasses stand for the definition of the new model of abstraction. The following characteristics are used to describe the new abstraction model: knowledge energy, Shannon entropy, and knowledge temperature. They aim the better knowledge manipulation. Two case studies exemplify the application of the abstraction model.
Influence of Disintegrant on Properties of Fast Disintegrating Tablet Containing Xylitol

Disintegrants had influence on disintegration time and dissolution for fast disintegrating tablet (FDTs). Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of disintegrant type on the characteristics of FDTs. In this research, the tablets were fabricated by direct compression with the compression force of 1.5 tons and using the different disintegrants components (chitin, chitosan, xylitol, microcrystalline celluloses, white bentonite and magnabite F). The physical properties of these tablets were determined. The xylitol tablets were rapidly disintegrated within 7+1 s, whereas that of the others was longer than 30 mins. The tablets containing the mixture of xylitol and other materials were subsequently fabricated since the hardness of the xylitol tablet was very poor. The disintegration time and wetting time of tablets containing 9:1 xylitol:Avicel PH101 was shorter than that of the others. The contact angle of tablets containing xylitol and Avicel PH101 at the ratio of 9:1 was lowest and surface free energy (SFE) of them was highest compared with the other formula. Moreover, scanning electron microscope (SEM) displayed that xylitol and tablets containing 9:1 xylitol:Avicel PH101 had no disordered arrangement, therefore it could promote the disintegrating property effectiently.
Clinical significance of CD24 as a predictor of bladder cancer recurrence

Cluster of differentiation (CD)24 was originally described as a B lymphocyte marker and has recently received considerable attention in cancer research as its overexpression has been observed in several types of carcinoma. The CD24 molecule is a glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol-linked cell surface protein that appears to be associated with aggressive cancers involving invasion and metastasis. However, the expression of CD24 in human bladder cancer and its clinical significance remains largely unknown and no association has been reported between CD24 overexpression and human bladder tumor recurrence. In the present study, the CD24 expression in cancer tissues obtained during transurethral surgery and the subsequent intra-bladder tumor recurrence following surgery were assessed. Immunohistochemical staining was performed and the intensity of CD24 staining was semi-quantitatively evaluated. CD24 expression was observed more frequently in high-grade bladder tumors (G2–G3) than low-grade tumors (G1). Positive CD24 expression was significantly associated with intra-bladder tumor recurrence following surgery and increased staining intensity was also correlated with recurrence. The positive association between CD24 expression and tumor recurrence was observed in each tumor category (stages Ta and T1, low and high grade). The results demonstrated that CD24 expression is significantly associated with bladder tumor recurrence. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to reveal the significance of CD24 as a predictor of bladder cancer recurrence. These insights may lead to future therapeutic strategies targeting CD24 to prevent the dissemination of bladder cancer cells and tumor recurrence.
Learning Similarity with Operator-valued Large-margin Classifiers

A method is introduced to learn and represent similarity with linear operators in kernel induced Hilbert spaces. Transferring error bounds for vector valued large-margin classifiers to the setting of Hilbert-Schmidt operators leads to dimension free bounds on a risk functional for linear representations and motivates a regularized objective functional. Minimization of this objective is effected by a simple technique of stochastic gradient descent. The resulting representations are tested on transfer problems in image processing, involving plane and spatial geometric invariants, handwritten characters and face recognition.
An overview of lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles

Environmental issues triggered by emissions from conventional vehicles have accelerated the adaptation of electric vehicles (EVs) for urban transportation. The most favorable battery technology which can closely fulfill the minimum goals of the United States Advanced Battery Consortium (USABC) for commercialisation of EVs are the lithium-ion batteries. Although there are various types of lithium-ion batteries have been widely used to power the EVs, the performance characteristics of these batteries are not clearly specified in a more comparable way. Therefore, this paper reviews four types of commonly used lithium-ion batteries and based on their specifications analysis to access capabilities and suitability as the energy source in EVs. Results can be used as benchmarks for selecting lithium-ion batteries for battery management system (BMS) design in EVs.
Spiroplasma Symbiont of the Pea Aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum (Insecta: Homoptera)

ABSTRACT From a laboratory strain of the pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum, we discovered a previously unknown facultative endosymbiotic bacterium. Molecular phylogenetic analysis based on 16S ribosomal DNA revealed that the bacterium is a member of the genusSpiroplasma. The Spiroplasma organism showed stable vertical transmission through successive generations of the host. Injection of hemolymph from infected insects into uninfected insects established a stable infection in the recipients. TheSpiroplasma symbiont exhibited negative effects on growth, reproduction, and longevity of the host, particularly in older adults. Of 58 clonal strains of A. pisum established from natural populations in central Japan, 4 strains possessed theSpiroplasma organism.
Colloids versus crystalloids and tissue oxygen tension in patients undergoing major abdominal surgery.

UNLABELLED The effects of intravascular volume replacement regimens on tissue oxygen tension (ptiO(2)) are not definitely known. Forty-two consecutive patients scheduled for elective major abdominal surgery were prospectively randomized to receive either 6% hydroxyethyl starch (HES) (mean molecular weight 130 kd, degree of substitution 0.4, n = 21) or lactated Ringer's solution (RL, n = 21) for intravascular volume replacement. Fluids were administered perioperatively and continued for 24 h on the intensive care unit to keep central venous pressure between 8 and 12 mm Hg. The ptiO(2) was measured continuously in the left deltoid muscle by using microsensoric implantable partial pressure of oxygen catheters after the induction of anesthesia (baseline, T0), 60 min (T1) and 120 min thereafter (T2), at the end of surgery (T3), and on the morning of the first postoperative day on the intensive care unit (T4). HES 130/0.4 2920 +/- 360 mL and 11,740 +/- 2,630 mL of RL were given to the patients within the study period. Systemic hemodynamics and oxygenation (PaO(2), PaCO(2)) did not differ significantly between the two volume groups throughout the study. From similar baseline values, ptiO(2) increased significantly in the HES-treated patients (a maximum of 59% at T4), whereas it decreased in the RL group (a maximum of -23% at T4, P < 0.05). The largest differences of ptiO(2) were measured on the morning of the first postoperative day. We conclude that intravascular volume replacement with 6% HES 130/0.4 improved tissue oxygenation during and after major surgical procedures compared with a crystalloid-based volume replacement strategy. Improved microperfusion and less endothelial swelling may be responsible for the increase in ptiO(2) in the HES 130/0.4-treated patients. IMPLICATIONS In patients undergoing major abdominal surgery, a colloid-based (with hydroxyethyl starch [HES] 130/0.4) and a crystalloid-based (with lactated Ringer's solution [RL]) volume replacement regimen was compared regarding tissue oxygen tension (ptiO(2)) measured continuously by microsensoric implantable catheters. The ptiO(2) increased in the HES-treated (+59%) but decreased in the RL-treated (-23%) patients. Improved microcirculation may be the mechanism for the better ptiO(2) in the HES group.
Use of probiotics in gastrointestinal disorders: what to recommend?

Perturbation of bacterial microflora of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract may play an important role in the pathophysiology of some GI disorders. Probiotics have been used as a treatment modality for over a century. They may restore normal bacterial microflora and effect the functioning of the GI tract by a variety of mechanisms. Probiotics are not currently regulated and only few randomized controlled trials exist investigating their efficacy in different GI disorders. They are available in a variety of formulations and delivery systems making interpretation and comparison of studies even more difficult. The efficacy of probiotics, either as a single strain or a combination of probiotics, has been tested in antibiotic-associated diarrhea, Clostridium difficile colitis, infectious diarrhea, ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, pouchitis, and irritable bowel syndrome, among other disorders. Results of the studies are reviewed in this article and recommendations for probiotic use in these disorders are made. Although probiotics appear to be generally safe in an outpatient setting, the situation may be different in immunocompromised, hospitalized patients who may be at a greater risk of developing probiotic sepsis. No studies exist addressing the issue of safety specifically. Many questions regarding use of probiotics in GI disorders remain to be answered in future studies, such as most optimal doses, duration of treatment, physiological and immunological effects, efficacy of specific probiotics in specific disease states, and safety in debilitated patients.
Optimal caching of encoded data for content distribution in vehicular networks

Vehicular communications have gained momentum as a means to coordinate vehicular traffic by disseminating information about the road status and traffic conditions. However, over the time, vehicular applications have changed towards being driven by exchanging and accessing multimedia information. Such applications have therefore evolved and become very greedy in terms of transmitted traffic and used bandwidth. In this paper, we introduce a dynamic data placement scheme to improve data dissemination in vehicular networks. We highlight that, while the cost of storage memory decline over the years, storing all files in all Road Side Units results in a inefficient use of network resources. Our work selects only a subset of Road Side Units to store coded pieces of data that are later made available to all vehicles through the network. We formulate the data placement as an optimization problem to minimize the delivery time between each vehicle and the Road Side Units. Our experiments show that optimally placing coded data in the network greatly improves the network performance of existing VANET file swarming protocols.
I/O in Parallel and Distributed Systems

We sketch the reasons for the I/O bottleneck in parallel and distributed systems, pointing out that it can be viewed as a special case of a general bottleneck that arises at all levels of the memory hierarchy. We argue that because of its severity, the I/O bottleneck deserves systematic attention at all levels of system design. We then present a survey of the issues raised by the I/O bottleneck in six key areas of parallel and distributed systems: applications, algorithms, languages and compilers, run-time libraries, operating systems, and architecture.
Interpreting Blood-Biomaterial Interactions from Surface Free Energy and Work of Adhesion

Blood compatibility is dictated by the manner in which their surfaces interact with blood constituents like RBCs, WBCs, platelets and blood proteins. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of surface free energy and the corresponding work of adhesion of biomaterial surfaces on such interactions. Hydroxyapatite and AW glass ceramics, whose properties and gradations in bio compatibility are well established, were chosen for analysis. Work of adhesion of erythrocytes and platelets on to these surfaces, in aqueous solutions, were determined from contact angles with three standard liquids. Glass was used as control in these experiments because of its well-documented properties. The work of adhesion was lower for AW glass ceramics (-36.1 mJ/m 2 for erythrocytes and -47.4 mJ/m 2 for platelets) and Hydroxyapatite (-44.9 mJ/m 2 for erythrocytes and -41.9 mJ/m 2 for platelets), suggesting that these would lead to a lesser extent of cell adhesion when exposed to blood. The corresponding values for Glass were –13.6 mJ/m 2 for erythrocytes and 35.6 mJ/m 2 for platelets, which suggests that maximum red cell and platelet adhesion would occur on glass. Spectrophotometry and platelet aggregometry were used to assess the damage caused to the RBC and platelet membranes following exposure of these cells to these biomaterials. Absorbance was measured at 540 nm to quantify the hemoglobin released in order to estimate the extent of red cell lysis. The absorbances of blood samples (following exposure to various biomaterials) were normalized with that of control blood. At a Sodium Chloride concentration of 0.18%, Hydroxyapatite exhibited a value of 1.1 on the normalized scale (similar to that of control) while AW glass ceramics exhibited a value of 1.8 (almost twice that of control). Glass exhibited the maximum value of absorbance (2.4) suggesting that exposure to glass has resulted in maximum lysis. Glass exposure also resulted in the maximum change in platelet aggregation. These results are in agreement with the results interpreted from the work of adhesion of erythrocytes and platelets on to these materials. The number of adhered platelets on the biomaterial surfaces following incubation in Platelet Rich Plasma was also studied using environmental Scanning Electron Microscopy. Glass surface exhibited the maximum number of adhered platelets. In summary, the surface free energy of biomaterials and the corresponding values of work of adhesion can be used as characterization parameters for predicting cell adhesion on to their surfaces and hence for establishing their blood compatibility.
Unsupervised Code-Switching for Multilingual Historical Document Transcription

Transcribing documents from the printing press era, a challenge in its own right, is more complicated when documents interleave multiple languages—a common feature of 16th century texts. Additionally, many of these documents precede consistent orthographic conventions, making the task even harder. We extend the state-of-the-art historical OCR model of Berg-Kirkpatrick et al. (2013) to handle word-level code-switching between multiple languages. Further, we enable our system to handle spelling variability, including now-obsolete shorthand systems used by printers. Our results show average relative character error reductions of 14% across a variety of historical texts.
Optimal Futility Interim Design: A Predictive Probability of Success Approach with Time-to-Event Endpoint

An analytical way to compute predictive probability of success (PPOS) together with credible interval at interim analysis (IA) is developed for big clinical trials with time-to-event endpoints. The method takes account of the fixed data up to IA, the amount of uncertainty in future data, and uncertainty about parameters. Predictive power is a special type of PPOS. The result is confirmed by simulation. An optimal design is proposed by finding optimal combination of analysis time and futility cutoff based on some PPOS criteria.
The scaling window for a random graph with a given degree sequence

We consider a random graph on a given degree sequence D, satisfying certain conditions. Molloy and Reed defined a parameter Q = Q(D) and proved that Q = 0 is the threshold for the random graph to have a giant component. We introduce a new parameter R = R( \documentclass{article}\usepackage{mathrsfs, amsmath, amssymb}\pagestyle{empty}\begin{document}\begin{align*}\mathcal {D}\end{align*} \end{document}) and prove that if |Q| = O(n‐1/3R2/3) then, with high probability, the size of the largest component of the random graph will be of order Θ(n2/3R‐1/3). If |Q| is asymptotically larger than n‐1/3R2/3 then the size of the largest component is asymptotically smaller or larger than n2/3R‐1/3. Thus, we establish that the scaling window is |Q| = O(n‐1/3R2/3). © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Random Struct. Alg. , 2012
Human recognition of familiar and unfamiliar people in naturalistic video

Understanding the human performance factors that mediate successful person identification can be helpful in the development of automatic face recognition algorithms. Face familiarity and facial motion are two factors that seem especially useful when subjects make recognition decisions from challenging viewing formats. We tested the effects of these two factors on person recognition from naturalistic, surveillance-like video. Subjects learned faces from either static photographs or facial speech videos and were asked to recognize people from whole body gait videos. We found that the more experience participants had with a face during learning (i.e., 1-view, 2-view, and 4-view conditions), the better their recognition performance for people in the whole body video gait clips. Thus, familiarizing subjects with high-resolution images or videos of faces was sufficient to improve recognition from low-resolution, whole-body images. Moreover, participants who learned faces from dynamic video clips were more accurate than participants who learned the faces from static images, but only when they were familiar with the faces. Facial motion and face familiarity may therefore play a role in understanding recognition when there are photometric inconsistencies between learning and test stimuli.
Bag Cell Control of Egg Laying in Freely Behaving Aplysia

Neuroendocrine (bag cell) control of egg laying was studied in freely behaving Aplysia. Surgical lesions showed that bag cells are not necessary for egg laying, although they play a crucial role in its control, and that the pleurovisceral connectives are the afferent pathway to the bag cells. Recording in vivo showed that synchronous bag cell spikes progressively invade the network, leading to prolonged repetitive firing that initiates natural egg laying.
State-of-the-Art and Evolution in Public Data Sets and Competitions for System Identification, Time Series Prediction and Pattern Recognition

It is the aim of reproducible research to provide mechanisms for objective comparison of methods, algorithms, software and procedures in various research topics. In this paper, we discuss the role of data sets, benchmarks and competitions in the fields of system identification, time series prediction, classification, and pattern recognition in view of creating an environment of reproducible research. Important elements are the data sets, their origin, and the comparison measures that will be used to rank the performance of the methods. The issues are discussed, a comparison is made and recommendations are given.