Predicting the effectiveness of hepatitis C virus neutralizing antibodies by bioinformatic analysis of conserved epitope residues using public sequence data

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a global health issue. Although direct-acting antivirals are available to target HCV, there is currently no vaccine. The diversity of the virus is a major obstacle to HCV vaccine development. One approach toward a vaccine is to utilize a strategy to elicit broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) that target highly-conserved epitopes. The conserved epitopes of bNAbs have been mapped almost exclusively to the E2 glycoprotein. In this study, we have used HCV-GLUE, a bioinformatics resource for HCV sequence data, to investigate the major epitopes targeted by well-characterized bNAbs. Here, we analyze the level of conservation of each epitope by genotype and subtype and consider the most promising bNAbs identified to date for further study as potential vaccine leads. For the most conserved epitopes, we also identify the most prevalent sequence variants in the circulating HCV population. We examine the distribution of E2 sequence data from across the globe and highlight regions with no coverage. Genotype 1 is the most prevalent genotype worldwide, but in many regions, it is not the dominant genotype. We find that the sequence conservation data is very encouraging; several bNAbs have a high level of conservation across all genotypes suggesting that it may be unnecessary to tailor vaccines according to the geographical distribution of genotypes

Sunflower Silage vs. Corn Silage for Milk Production

Cover title.Bibliography: p. 16.Mode of access: Internet

Dreams, Twilight Dreams

https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/mmb-vp/2863/thumbnail.jp

Tracking system study

A digital computer program was generated which mathematically describes an optimal estimator-controller technique as applied to the control of antenna tracking systems used by NASA. Simulation studies utilizing this program were conducted using the IBM 360/91 computer. The basic ideas of applying optimal estimator-controller techniques to antenna tracking systems are discussed. A survey of existing tracking methods is given along with shortcomings and inherent errors. It is explained how these errors can be considerably reduced if optimal estimation and control are used. The modified programs generated in this project are described and the simulation results are summarized. The new algorithms for direct synthesis and stabilization of the systems including nonlinearities, are presented

Sampling atmospheric sea-salt nuclei over the ocean

Atmospheric hygroscopic nuclei are of primary interest to meteorologists in studies of haze, fog, clouds, etc. (Simpson, 1941; Middleton, 1941; Sheppard, 1947). The sea surface is presumed to be an important source of these nuclei in the form of drops of concentrated sea water arising from spray

If the Rose of my Dream, was You

https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/mmb-vp/1819/thumbnail.jp