Machine Learning and Deep Learning to Predict Cross-immunoreactivity of Viral Epitopes

Due to the poor understanding of features defining cross-immunoreactivity among heterogeneous epitopes, vaccine development against the hepatitis C virus (HCV) is trapped. The development of vaccines against HCV and human immunodeficiency virus, which are highly heterogeneous viruses (HIV) is significantly vulnerable due to variant-specific neutralizing immune responses. The novel vaccine strategies are based on some assumptions such as immunological specificity which is strongly linked to the epitope primary structure, by increasing genetic difference between epitopes cross-immunoreactivity (CR) will decline [1]. In this study first, we checked the hamming distance and statistic evaluation associating HVR1 sequence and CR based on the sequence of the immunogen and antigen pairs then generated five different machine learning models. Also, we implemented deep learning models like Convolutional Neural Network to predict CR. As a result, we could provide 90% accuracy by using the CNN model

Explaining Mothers’ Experiences from Breastfeeding Education

Introduction: The aims of this study were describing mothers’ experiences from breastfeeding education and identifying the problems related to breastfeeding in order to submit a suggestion to policymakers who work in field of mother and child health promotion. Method: This descriptive qualitative study was conducted in Tehran, Iran, from May 2012 to June 2015. Participants were 9 women undergoing cesarean and one breastfeeding teacher who were selected purposefully. The method of data collection was an in-depth semi-structured interview. Obtained data were analyzed through conventional content analysis. Results: The codes derived from analysis of interviews were labeled in four categories: amount and conditions of breastfeeding education before and after childbirth, content and method of breastfeeding education before and after childbirth, barriers to effectiveness of education before and after childbirth, and suggestion about the most appropriate time and method for breastfeeding education. Conclusion: Most of the mothers do not have suitable conditions to learn how to breastfeed after baby delivery. Thus, the best time for initiation of breastfeeding education is during pregnancy, especially in the last weeks and days. After baby delivery and during the postpartum period, breastfeeding education has to be continued. Group-based breastfeeding education decreases the quality of education while the most appropriate way for breastfeeding education is individual education on mother’s bedside. Keywords: Breastfeeding, Hospitals, Cesarean section, Qualitative research, Educatio

Development of Chitosan/Gelatin/Keratin Composite Containing Hydrocortisone Sodium Succinate as a Buccal Mucoadhesive Patch to Treat Desquamative Gingivitis

The aim of this research was to develop chitosan/gelatin/keratin composite containing hydrocortisone sodium succinate as a buccal mucoadhesive patch to treat desquamative gingivitis, which was fabricated through an environmental friendly process. Mucoadhesive films increase the advantage of higher efficiency and drug localization in the affected region. In this research, mucoadhesive films, for the release of hydrocortisone sodium succinate, were prepared using different ratios of chitosan, gelatin and keratin. In the first step, chitosan and gelatin proportions were optimized after evaluating the mechanical properties, swelling capacity, water uptake, stability, and biodegradation of the films. Then, keratin was added at different percentages to the optimum composite of chitosan and gelatin together with the drug. The results of surface pH showed that none of the samples were harmful to the buccal cavity. FTIR analysis confirmed the influence of keratin on the structure of the composite. The presence of a higher amount of keratin in the composite films resulted in high mechanical, mucoadhesive properties and stability, low water uptake and biodegradation in phosphate buffer saline (pH = 7.4) containing 104 U/ml lysozyme. The release profile of the films ascertained that keratin is a rate controller in the release of the hydrocortisone sodium succinate. Finally, chitosan/gelatin/keratin composite containing hydrocortisone sodium succinate can be employed in dental applications

The Power of PowerPoint: A Visual Perspective on Meaning Making in Strategy

Relying on ethnographic data from two consulting engagements, we find that strategists use three visual mechanisms (depiction, juxtaposition, and salience) to create PowerPoint slides. These visual mechanisms prompt meaning-making through the conversations they stimulate, creating strategic visibility. As participants react to visuals, they enact revised interpretations of the strategy, reflecting strategic resonance. Based on the interactions among these three subprocesses (visual mechanisms, strategic visibility, and strategic resonance), we develop a process model for how visuals influence meaning making in strategy engagements. We contribute to existing strategy practice and process studies by explaining how visuals help broker divergent interpretations of a strategy and give rise to new understandings, especially when issues are politically sensitive or analytically complex. Managerial Summary: The purpose of this study is to understand how strategists use visual information (specifically in PowerPoint slides), and its effects on the strategy process. We find that strategy conversations are influenced by the techniques strategists use to create slides, which in turn shape the kinds of follow-up actions taken. The implications are that: (a) PowerPoint slides can be designed to help tackle complex issues, for instance, when participants have divergent opinions or in politically sensitive situations, and (b) those who craft and edit PowerPoint slides strongly influence the direction of the strategy. The skillful use of PowerPoint is therefore crucial in allowing managers to shape the nature and speed of strategy engagements

T Cell Receptor Protein Sequences and Sparse Coding: A Novel Approach to Cancer Classification

Cancer is a complex disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth and proliferation. T cell receptors (TCRs) are essential proteins for the adaptive immune system, and their specific recognition of antigens plays a crucial role in the immune response against diseases, including cancer. The diversity and specificity of TCRs make them ideal for targeting cancer cells, and recent advancements in sequencing technologies have enabled the comprehensive profiling of TCR repertoires. This has led to the discovery of TCRs with potent anti-cancer activity and the development of TCR-based immunotherapies. In this study, we investigate the use of sparse coding for the multi-class classification of TCR protein sequences with cancer categories as target labels. Sparse coding is a popular technique in machine learning that enables the representation of data with a set of informative features and can capture complex relationships between amino acids and identify subtle patterns in the sequence that might be missed by low-dimensional methods. We first compute the k-mers from the TCR sequences and then apply sparse coding to capture the essential features of the data. To improve the predictive performance of the final embeddings, we integrate domain knowledge regarding different types of cancer properties. We then train different machine learning (linear and non-linear) classifiers on the embeddings of TCR sequences for the purpose of supervised analysis. Our proposed embedding method on a benchmark dataset of TCR sequences significantly outperforms the baselines in terms of predictive performance, achieving an accuracy of 99.8\%. Our study highlights the potential of sparse coding for the analysis of TCR protein sequences in cancer research and other related fields

First days in intensive care units: A tragedy for families

The first days of patients’ hospitalization in intensivecare units are very important for theirfamily members. Therefore, it is necessary to explorethe families’ perceived experiences in order to adoptappropriate nursing care. This qualitative study aimedto explore the perceptions of families in the first days ofhospitalization of their loved ones in intensive care units.This is a conventional qualitative content analysis study.Unstructured interviews were conducted on 26 familymembers of patients hospitalized in the first five days ofhospitalization in intensive care units in two private andtwo public hospitals in the Karaj, Iran. The data analysisled to the formation of three categories: “Overwhelmingturmoil”, “Scary events” and “Acute psychosomatic tensions”.The results indicated that the first days of hospitalizationof patients in the intensive care units encompass apainful tragedy. Findings can be applied as a guide for thenursing assessment of families to help them for a healthytransition of this stressful situation

Relationship Between Practice and Attitude Regarding Pressure Injury Among Intensive Care Nurses in Iran: A Descriptive, Correlational Study

Purpose: A study was conducted to evaluate the relationship between critical care nurses' practice, demographics, and attitude regarding pressure injury. Methods: The descriptive-correlational study was conducted from March 14 to June 21, 2019, among nurses working in 3 intensive care units affiliated with Qazvin University of Medical Sciences in Iran. Using convenience sampling methods, nurses with at least a bachelor's degree in nursing who are involved in pressure injury care were invited to participate. Demographic information (age, sex, work experience in intensive care unit, education level) and pressure injury education information were collected from participants. Each nurse was observed 3 times by a researcher during his or her full work shift and evaluated using the Quality of Nursing Care Related to Pressure Injury checklist, which consists of 85 items categorized in 6 groups: 1) pressure injury risk factor evaluation (23 items), 2) change of patient position (12 items), 3) patient nutrition (16 items), 4) skin examination (25 items), 5) skin care in high-risk patients (5 items), and 6) use of accessories for pressure injury prevention (4 items). Each item offers 3 response options (ie, applied, not applied, applied but not correct). Correct responses on 70%, 69% to 50%, and less than 50% of items indicate good, relatively good, and poor practice, respectively. The Attitude Towards Pressure Ulcer Questionnaire, used to assess nurses' attitudes regarding pressure injury prevention, is a paper-and-pencil questionnaire that is completed by the nurse participants and consists of 11 items, with answers based on a 5- response Likert scale that ranges from 1 (totally agree) to 5 (totally disagree). The total score ranges from 11 to 55. A higher score indicates a more positive attitude. Descriptive statistics including mean and standard deviation were used to describe demographic information, and analytical tests including Pearson correlation test were used to determine the correlation between numerical variables. An independent t test was used to evaluate the differences in mean scores of numerical variables between the 2 groups. Significance level was considered as P < .05. Results: The mean quality-of-nursing checklist score was 71.4 ± 13.5, inferring nurses provided good care. The highest and lowest mean scores were related to skin examination (22.8 ± 3.7) and skin care in high-risk patients (4.3 ± 0.8). The mean overall score of nurses' attitudes toward pressure injury was 27.26 ± 5.1, indicating a positive attitude toward providing pressure injury care and prevention. There was a significant and positive relationship between mean years of practice and the mean attitude score (r = 0.195; P = .041) as well as a significant relationship between quality of practice and attitude score (r = 0.195; P = .041) Conclusion: Ninety percent (90%) of critical care nurses demonstrated a good practice and a relatively positive attitude toward pressure injury. Additionally, the findings suggest that nurses with more years of experience and a more positive attitude have better quality of practice. The results of the present study could be useful for improving pressure injury care in the hospital setting and for educating nurses and nursing students. Further research that includes nurses in other wards is warranted