Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A novel α4/7‐conotoxin LvIA from Conus lividus that selectively blocks α3β2 vs. α6/α3β2β3 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors

This study was performed to discover and characterize the first potent α3β2‐subtype‐selective nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) ligand. A novel α4/7‐conotoxin, α‐CTxLvIA, was cloned from Conus lividus. Its pharmacological profile at Xenopus laevis oocyte‐expressed rat nAChR subtypes was determined by 2‐electrode voltage‐clamp electrophysiology, and its 3‐dimensional (3D) structure was determined by NMR spectroscopy. α‐CTx LvIA is a 16‐aa C‐terminallyamidated peptide with 2‐disulfide bridges. Using rat subunits expressed in Xenopus oocytes, we found the highest affinity of α‐CTxLvIA was for α3β2 nAChRs (IC50 8.7 nM), where blockade was reversible within 2 min. IC50 values were >100 nM at α6/α3β2β3, α6/α3β4, and α3β4 nAChRs, and ≥3 μM at all other subtypes tested. α3β2 vs. α6β2 subtype selectivity was confirmed for human‐subunit nAChRs with much greater preference (300‐fold) for α3β2 over α6β2 nAChRs. This is the first α‐CTx reported to show high selectivity for human α3β2 vs. α6β2 nAChRs. α‐CTxLvIA adopts two similarly populated conformations water: one (assumed to be bioactive) is highly structured, whereas the other is mostly random coil in nature. Selectivity differences with the similarly potent, but less selective, α3β2 nAChR antagonist α‐CTx PeIA probably reside within the three residues, which differ in loop 2, given their otherwise similar 3D structures. α4/7‐CTx LvIA is a new, potent, selective α3β2 nAChR antagonist, which will enable detailed studies of α3β2 nAChR structure, function, and physiological roles. —Luo, S. , Zhangsun, D. , Schroeder, C. I. , Zhu, X. , Hu, Y. , Wu, Y. , Weltzin, M. M. , Eberhard, S. , Kaas, Q. , Craik, D. J., McIntosh, J. M. , Whiteaker, P. A novel α4/7‐conotoxin LvIA from Conus lividus that selectively blocks α3β2 vs. α6/α3β2β3 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. FASEB J. 28, 1842–1853 (2014). www.fasebj. org
Exocytosis and endocytosis of small vesicles in PC12 cells studied with TEPIQ (two‐photon extracellular polar‐tracer imaging‐based quantification) analysis

We investigated exocytosis of PC12 cells using two‐photon excitation imaging and extracellular polar tracers (TEP imaging) in the lateral membranes not facing the glass‐cover slip. Upon photolysis of a caged Ca2+ compound, TEP imaging with FM1‐43 (a polar membrane tracer) detected massive exocytosis of vesicles with a time constant of about 1 s. TEPIQ (two‐photon extracellular polar‐tracer imaging‐based quantification) analysis revealed that the diameter of vesicles was small (55 nm). Extensive exocytosis of small vesicles (SVs) was shown to be mediated by the transient opening of a fusion pore with a diameter less than about 1.6 nm, and to be followed by direct (‘kiss‐and‐run’) endocytosis and translocation of the endocytic vesicles (EVs) deep into the cytoplasm. These processes were unaffected by GTP‐γ‐S. In contrast, constitutive endocytic vesicles exhibited a diameter of 90 nm, took up molecules with a diameter of > 12 nm, and their formation was blocked by GTP‐γ‐S. Electron‐microscopic investigation with photoconversion of diaminobenzidine using FM1‐43 confirmed an abundance of EVs with a diameter of 54 nm in stimulated cells. They rapidly translocated into the cytosol, and fused with endosomal organelles. The number of SV exocytosis events vastly exceeded the number of SVs morphologically docked at the plasma membrane. Simultaneous capacitance and FM1‐43 measurements indicated that TEP imaging detected most SV exocytosis, and the fusion pore was closed within 2 s. Thus, we have, for the first time, directly visualized massive exocytosis of small vesicles in a non‐synaptic preparation, and have revealed their fusion‐pore mediated exocytosis and endocytosis.
Differential covariance: A new method to estimate functional connectivity in fMRI

Measuring functional connectivity from fMRI recordings is important in understanding processing in cortical networks. However, because the brain’s connection pattern is complex, currently used methods are prone to producing false functional connections. We introduce differential covariance analysis, a new method that uses derivatives of the signal for estimating functional connectivity. We generated neural activities from Dynamical Causal Modeling and a neural network of Hodgkin-Huxley neurons and then converted them to hemodynamic signals using the forward Balloon model. The simulated fMRI signals together with the ground truth connectivity pattern were used to benchmark our method with other commonly used methods. Differential covariance achieved better results in complex network simulations. This new method opens an alternative way to estimate functional connectivity.
Challenges in Environmental Monitoring of Pathogens: Case Study in Mycobacterium avium

Monitoring pathogens whose natural habitat is the environment, requires careful consideration of a variety of questions regarding the target organisms (species, subspecies or ecotypes), the detection level required and the methods to be employed (culture vs. molecular techniques). These questions, and others, are particularly crucial for monitoring Mycobacterium avium, an environmental opportunistic pathogen of humans, animals, and poultry. Herein is a discussion of challenges for M. avium detection and enumeration and guidance for the adaptation of clinical methods to environmental samples.
Effects of Low Temperature on Egg and Larval Stages of the Lesser Appleworm (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae)

Abstract Lesser appleworm, Grapholita prunivora (Walsh), eggs were subjected to cold storage conditions at 2.0°C ± 0.2°C for 0–90 d. The most tolerant embryonic stage was the blackhead stage (96–120-h-old eggs) with an LT90 of 25 d. The four instars of lesser appleworm were subjected to cold storage conditions at 2.0°C ± 0.2°C for 0–280 d. The fourth instar was the most tolerant to cold storage, with an LT90 of 71.5 d. Exposure to low temperatures such as those commonly used for fruit storage shows promise as an alternative to fumigation for lesser appleworm eggs and larvae on apples and pears after harvest.
Failure, success, and maturity in projects

The information technology industry has experienced a tremendous growth over the last 30 years but still beleaguered by failed projects. Failure cases are typically dominated by large and complex projects. Moreover, the percentage of projects being developed above their limits of time, budgeted cost and quality is still high. However, in defining project success, are these the only parameters that make the difference? According to the PMI Project Management Body of Knowledge, Project Management is about delivering a product or service on time, within the allocated budget and according to customer defined quality and specification, by a motivated project team. Indeed, success as well as failure, appears to be linked to a wide range of factors.
Spotted Fever Group Rickettsial Infection in Dogs from Eastern Arizona

Abstract: A serosurvey of free‐roaming dogs for antibodies to spotted fever group rickettsiae was conducted using archival samples that had been collected in the White Mountain region of eastern Arizona during a plague study in 1996. Immunoglobulin G antibodies to Rickettsia rickettsii (5.1%) and to R. rhipicephali (3.6%) were demonstrated, and no cross‐reactive samples were identified. This study indicates that R. rickettsii was likely present in the dog populations in this area prior to the recognition of human cases of Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF). The role of dogs as short‐term reservoirs and primary hosts for the vector tick, Rhipicephalus sanguineus, should receive closer attention.
An SINR Balancing Technique for a Cognitive Two-Way Relay Network

We propose a two-way relay based spatial multiplexing technique for a cognitive radio relay network (CR). The relay coefficients and the transmission powers are optimized to maximize the worst-case user signal-to interference and noise ratio (SINR), while ensuring interference leakage from the relays to the primary users (PUs) in the network is below a threshold. We solve this problem through an iterative procedure that uses semidefinite and geometric programming along with bisection search method. We evaluate the performance of the proposed scheme in terms of the mean SINR for different number of relays and transmission power at the relays.
Controlling the effective mass of quantum well states in Pb/Si(111) by interface engineering

The in-plane effective mass of quantum well states in thin Pb films on a Bi reconstructed Si(111) surface is studied by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. It is found that this effective mass is a factor of 3 lower than the unusually high values reported for Pb films grown on a Pb reconstructed Si(111) surface. Through a quantitative low-energy electron diffraction analysis the change in effective mass as a function of coverage and for the different interfaces is linked to a change of about 2% in the in-plane lattice constant. To corroborate this correlation, density functional theory calculations are performed on freestanding Pb slabs with different in-plane lattice constants. These calculations show an anomalous dependence of the effective mass on the lattice constant including a change of sign for values close to the lattice constant of Si(111). This unexpected relation is due to a combination of reduced orbital overlap of the 6pz states and altered hybridization between the 6pz and the 6pxy derived quantum well states. Furthermore, it is shown by core-level spectroscopy that the Pb films are structurally and temporally stable at temperatures below 100 K. © 2011 American Physical Society
A 40-Gbps 0.5-pJ/bit VCSEL driver in 28nm CMOS with complex zero equalizer

This paper presents a tunable equalizer to compensate for the under-damped response of VCSELs. The equalizer transfer function has a pair of tunable complex zeros to cancel the complex conjugate poles in the VCSEL's electrical-optical transfer function enabling faster operation at lower VCSEL bias. A prototype was fabricated in 28nm CMOS technology. Utilizing the equalizer the prototype achieved 40Gbps operation with 0.5pJ/b power efficiency and 1.3dBm OMA.
Designing RF Ring Oscillator Using Current-Mode Technology

In this paper, a new method of designing RF ring oscillator using current-mode technology is presented. The current-mode low frequency oscillator theory is transferred to facilitate the design of RF ring oscillator. As an example, a current-mode RF quadrature ring oscillator (RFQRO) for <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$L$ </tex-math></inline-formula>-band wireless communication applications is presented. The current-mode RFQRO consists of two first-order all-pass filters, and it provides four quadrature RF sinusoidal outputs. The proposed current-mode RFQRO is verified with GlobalFoundries’ <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$0.18~\mu \text{m}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> 1P6M CMOS RF process. The simulated and measured results demonstrate that the proposed RFQRO works at 1.03 GHz, and its frequency tuning range is from 648.9 MHz to 1.17 GHz by adjusting the bias voltage from 0.62 to 1 V. The measured phase noise of the RFQRO is −105.5 dBc/Hz at 1 MHz offset, and it consumes 2.5 mW from 1 V supply voltage.
A novel architecture for dynamic integral image generation for Haar-based face detection on FPGA

Integral Image generation is an important step in the Haar-based face detection algorithm and plays a vital role in the optimization of the algorithm for real-time implementation by evaluating each of the thousands of Haar-features in constant time. The integral image of a frame needs to be generated as a pre-processing stage before running the Haar-classifier on the detection windows within the frame. The delay required in the pre-processing stage is directly proportional to the resolution of the frame and becomes substantial with increasing resolution, limiting the real-time operation of the entire algorithm. This paper presents a novel architecture for generating the integral images of the current detection window dynamically, such that the pre-processing delay is reduced substantially. It is shown that an improvement of 13.71 times is obtained for VGA frames by this approach. The usage of hardware resources is also reduced by around 50% compared to previous implementations.
Energy-Efficient Massive MIMO: Wireless-Powered Communication, Multiuser MIMO with Hybrid Precoding, and Cloud Radio Access Network with Variable-Resolution ADCs

Increasing access to telecommunication services in rural parts of the world has the potential to alleviate the digital divide felt by the people of these regions. Recently, both public and private sector entities have shown more interest in tackling this problem on a global scale. In the United States, for example, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) subsidizes large telecommunication companies to offer affordable services in unserved areas through the Connect America Fund. Facebook's Internet. org [1] and Google's Project Loon [2] are some examples of large-scale rural connectivity efforts in the private sector. Deployment of connectivity solutions in rural communities, however, faces many practical challenges. Lack of availability and access to reliable electricity sources is one of the major hindrances for rural connectivity, particularly in underdeveloped countries. As such, wireless connectivity solutions for such applications must focus on low-power hardware operations and high energy efficiency (EE).
Bacterial Community Dynamics during Production of Registered Designation of Origin Salers Cheese as Evaluated by 16S rRNA Gene Single-Strand Conformation Polymorphism Analysis

ABSTRACT Microbial dynamics during processing and ripening of traditional cheeses such as registered designation of origin Salers cheese, an artisanal cheese produced in France, play an important role in the elaboration of sensory qualities. The aim of the present study was to obtain a picture of the dynamics of the microbial ecosystem of RDO Salers cheese by using culture-independent methods. This included DNA extraction, PCR, and single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) analysis. Bacterial and high-GC% gram-positive bacterial primers were used to amplify V2 or V3 regions of the 16S rRNA gene. SSCP patterns revealed changes during the manufacturing of the cheese. Patterns of the ecosystems of cheeses that were provided by three farmers were also quite different. Cloning and sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene revealed sequences related to lactic acid bacteria (Lactococcus lactis, Streptococcus thermophilus, Enterococcus faecium, Leuconostoc mesenteroides, Leuconostoc pseudomesenteroides, Lactobacillus plantarum, and Lactobacillus pentosus), which were predominant during manufacturing and ripening. Bacteria belonging to the high-GC% gram-positive group (essentially corynebacteria) were found by using specific primers. The present molecular approach can effectively describe the ecosystem of artisanal dairy products.
Decoding the rat forelimb movement direction from epidural and intracortical field potentials

Brain–machine interfaces (BMIs) use signals from the brain to control a device such as a computer cursor. Various types of signals have been used as BMI inputs, from single-unit action potentials to scalp potentials. Recently, intermediate-level signals such as subdural field potentials have also shown promise. These different signal types are likely to provide different amounts of information, but we do not yet know what signal types are necessary to enable a particular BMI function, such as identification of reach target location, control of a two-dimensional cursor or the dynamics of limb movement. Here we evaluated the performance of field potentials, measured either intracortically (local field potentials, LFPs) or epidurally (epidural field potential, EFPs), in terms of the ability to decode reach direction. We trained rats to move a joystick with their forepaw to control the motion of a sipper tube to one of the four targets in two dimensions. We decoded the forelimb reach direction from the field potentials using linear discriminant analysis. We achieved a mean accuracy of 69 ± 3% with EFPs and 57 ± 2% with LFPs, both much better than chance. Signal quality remained good up to 13 months after implantation. This suggests that using epidural signals could provide BMI inputs of high quality with less risk to the patient than using intracortical recordings.
Formulation of Double-Layer Potential Method.

In this paper, some regularized boundary integral formulations of the double-layer potential method are presented for two-dimensional classical potential problems. Some known paticular solutions are superposed on the conventional integral representations so that the cauchy principal value integrals for the potential and the hyper-singular integrals for its derivatives in the original intergral representations are regularized. Moreover, in order to extend this approach to external problems, the boundary integral equations formulated for the unit source distribution along the boundary are also presented. The singular elements are employed to approximate accurately the singular behavious of the potential near the corners. Sone numerical calculations are carried out for typical models and is shown that the results, especially the singular distributions of the potential gradients around the corners, are obtained with high accuracy.
Psychophysics, Fitting, and Signal Processing for Combined Hearing Aid and Cochlear Implant Stimulation

The addition of acoustic stimulation to electric stimulation via a cochlear implant has been shown to be advantageous for speech perception in noise, sound quality, music perception, and sound source localization. However, the signal processing and fitting procedures of current cochlear implants and hearing aids were developed independently, precluding several potential advantages of bimodal stimulation, such as improved sound source localization and binaural unmasking of speech in noise. While there is a large and increasing population of implantees who use a hearing aid, there are currently no generally accepted fitting methods for this configuration. It is not practical to fit current commercial devices to achieve optimal binaural loudness balance or optimal binaural cue transmission for arbitrary signals and levels. There are several promising experimental signal processing systems specifically designed for bimodal stimulation. In this article, basic psychophysical studies with electric acoustic stimulation are reviewed, along with the current state of the art in fitting, and experimental signal processing techniques for electric acoustic stimulation.
Box-modelling of the impacts of atmospheric nitrogen deposition and benthic remineralisation on the nitrogen cycle of the eastern tropical South Pacific

Both atmospheric deposition and benthic remineralisation influence the marine nitrogen cycle, and hence ultimately also marine primary production. The biological and biogeochemical relations in the eastern tropical South Pacific (ETSP) among nitrogen deposition, benthic denitrification and phosphorus regeneration are analysed in a prognostic box model of the oxygen, nitrogen and phosphorus cycles in the ETSP. Atmospheric nitrogen deposition ( ≈ 1.5 Tg N yr−1 for the years 2000–2009) is offset by half in the model by reduced N2 fixation, with the other half transported out of the model domain. Model- and data-based benthic denitrification in our model domain are responsible for losses of 0.19 and 1.0 Tg Tg N yr−1, respectively, and both trigger nitrogen fixation, partly compensating for the NO3− loss. Model- and data-based estimates of enhanced phosphate release via sedimentary phosphorus regeneration under suboxic conditions are 0.062 and 0.11 Tg N yr−1, respectively. Since phosphate is the ultimate limiting nutrient in the model, even very small additional phosphate inputs stimulate primary production and subsequent export production and NO3− loss in the oxygen minimum zone (OMZ). A sensitivity analysis of the local response to both atmospheric deposition and benthic remineralisation indicates dominant stabilising feedbacks in the ETSP, which tend to keep a balanced nitrogen inventory; i.e. nitrogen input by atmospheric deposition is counteracted by decreasing nitrogen fixation; NO3− loss via benthic denitrification is partly compensated for by increased nitrogen fixation; enhanced nitrogen fixation stimulated by phosphate regeneration is partly counteracted by stronger water-column denitrification. Even though the water column in our model domain acts as a NO3− source, the ETSP including benthic denitrification might be a NO3− sink.
State-dependent routing on symmetric loss networks with trunk reservations. I

The aggregated-least-busy-alternative (ALBA), a distributed, state-dependent, dynamic routing strategy for circuit-switched loss networks is discussed. The networks considered are symmetric and fully connected. The offered calls form Poisson streams, and routes have at most two links. In ALBA(K), the states of each link are lumped into K (K>or=2) aggregates, and the route of each call is determined by local information on the aggregate states of the links of the alternate routes at the time of the call's arrival. The last aggregate is always the set of states reserved for direct traffic. A fixed-point model for ALBA(K) for general K is presented. The particular case of ALBA in which there is no aggregation is least busy alternative (LBA); ALBA(2) represents the other extreme of aggregation. Simulation and analytic results for LBA are compared. An asymptotic scaling based on the fixed-point models is also discussed. It is shown that there is a dichotomy in network behavior: if the offered traffic is below a threshold, then the network loss probability decreases exponentially with increasing network size, and above the threshold, performance is poor. >
An Overview of Additive Manufacturing of Titanium Components by Directed Energy Deposition: Microstructure and Mechanical Properties

The directed energy deposition (DED) process can be employed to build net shape components or prototypes starting from powder or wires, through a layer-by-layer process. This process provides an opportunity to fabricate complex shaped and functionally graded parts that can be utilized in different engineering applications. DED uses a laser as a focused heat source to melt the in-situ delivered powder or wire-shaped raw materials. In the past years extensive studies on DED have shown that this process has great potential in order to be used for (i) rapid prototyping of metallic parts, (ii) fabrication of complex and customized parts, (iii) repairing/cladding valuable components which cannot be repaired by other traditional techniques. However, the industrial adoption of this process is still challenging owing to the lack of knowledge on the mechanical performances of the constructed components and also on the trustworthiness/durability of engineering parts produced by DED. This manuscript provides an overview of the additive manufacturing (AM) of titanium alloys and focuses in particular on the mechanical properties and microstructure of components fabricated by DED.