Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Low-pH conformational changes of rabies virus glycoprotein and their role in membrane fusion

Fusion of rabies virus with membranes occurs at acidic pH and is mediated by the viral spike glycoprotein (G). In this paper, we provide the basis for a description of structural transitions associated with exposure to low pH and of their role in membrane fusion. First, we have extended previous studies of fusion kinetics and we have shown that low-pH inhibition of fusion is detectable at 0.5 pH units higher than fusion. Second, low-pH-induced conformational changes were analyzed by using electron microscopy and monoclonal antibody binding assays. The existence of a pH-dependent equilibrium between the native and a low-pH inactive conformation was demonstrated. Third, besides these two conformations, we, using the fluorescent probe ANS (8-anilino-1-naphthalenesulfonic acid), provide evidence for the existence of a transient third state which appears to be more hydrophobic than the native state. Our results suggest that this transient state is responsible for viral aggregation at low pH and could play a role in the first steps of the fusion mechanism.
The susceptibility of ice formation in upper tropospheric clouds to insoluble aerosol components

Ice may form by both homogeneous and heterogeneous freezing nucleation processes in clouds at temperatures below -35°C. Most investigations have focused on the former process. This paper presents results from adiabatic parcel model calculations that include the effects of both freezing processes in unactivated solution droplets. Uncertainties in predicting the homogeneous freezing rates are discussed and used to select solution drop composition and freezing characteristics that bracket those expected in the upper troposphere. The heterogeneous freezing rates of insoluble atmospheric aerosols are parameterized based on published freezing rates of carbonaceous particles. Process model simulations show that the potential variability in ice formation in cirrus clouds is much greater if heterogeneous freezing nucleation is considered in addition to homogeneous freezing. The impact of insoluble aerosols on ice formation is inferred to increase with insoluble particle size and with the fraction of soluble aerosols containing insoluble components. The maximum impact of heterogeneous nucleation is indicated for vertical motions less than 0.2 m s -1 and for insoluble components being associated with at least 10% of all soluble aerosols. The wide range of ice crystal concentrations observed in cirrus is most consistent with the occurrence of both heterogeneous and homogeneous ice formation processes. These conclusions are partially supported by existing observations of aerosols and cloud microphysical characteristics in upper tropospheric clouds but require new measurements for confirmation.
Local Anesthetic Systemic Toxicity-Concept: Inclusion of Omega-3 Fatty Acids May Reduce Adverse Effects

To the Editor: I t has been exactly 4 years since our original description of the ‘‘corner pocket’’ technique for ultrasound (US)-guided supraclavicular block (SCB) was published. Since January 2007, we have performed more than 3000 US-guided SCBs and have adopted several modifications that, in our opinion, enhance the success and safety of this technique. Chief among these modifications are hydrolocation and hydrodissection. Whether the needle approach is lateral-to-medial or medial-to-lateral relative to the position of the US transducer, constant visualization of the needle tip can be challenging. Hydrolocation involves injecting very small amounts of solution (local anesthetic, normal saline, or dextrose) to visualize the corresponding appearance of a hypoechoic bolus and surrounding tissue distension or displacement. Failure to visualize a new hypoechoic fluid collection necessarily denotes intravascular injection or incorrect plane of imaging. Not only is the appearance of the hypoechoic bolus a surrogate indicator of the needle tip position, it also enhances the visibility of the needle tip by increasing the acoustic mismatch between the needle tip (and shaft) and the surrounding medium, which is now liquid. Instead of aiming toward the corner pocket at the outset, the needle is advanced first to puncture the lower third of the brachial plexus sheath, which is typically accompanied by a palpable ‘‘fascial click’’ (Fig. 1A). A small amount (1Y2 mL) of local anesthetic solution is then incrementally injected to ‘‘open’’ the perineural space and create a safe pathway for further needle advancement toward the ‘‘corner pocket’’ (Figs. 1B, C). We believe that this hydrodissection technique can direct the nerve trunk/divisions away from the advancing needle tip, which then facilitates additional needle manipulation as necessary to reach the corner pocket where 15 to 25 mL of local anesthetic is deposited (Fig. 1D) for reliable surgical anesthesia. While the ulnar nerve still remains the most commonly spared, it has been our experience that the corner pocket technique achieves successful ulnar nerve blockade in at least 85% of patients within 30 mins of local anesthetic injection. Finally, we have encountered only 1 case of symptomatic pneumothorax, which occurred despite careful attention to technique. Postprocedure sonographic examination of the pleura has been advocated by some experienced practitioners and may be useful in certain circumstances.
Accurate Small-Signal Model for the Digital Control of an Automotive Bidirectional Dual Active Bridge

The derivation of an accurate small-signal model for a galvanically isolated, bidirectional dc-dc converter and the implementation of a corresponding controller on a DSP as well as key methods and functions required for the digital implementation are detailed in this paper. The investigated dc-dc converter, an automotive dual active bridge (DAB) system, enables power transfer between a low-voltage port (ranging from 11 to 16 V) and an HV port (240 to 450 V). The nominal power rating is 2 kW. The developed small-signal model yields highly accurate results for the DAB system, but the proposed modeling procedure could also be applied to arbitrary resonant power converters with unidirectional or bidirectional power transfer.
Effect of traffic generation patterns on traffic performance of complex networks

In this paper, we study the effect of traffic generation patterns on traffic performance of complex networks. We consider a generic type of networks consisting of two kinds of nodes: hosts and routers. In this kind of network, the traffic performance is closely related to the traffic generation pattern which is determined by the hosts' locations. We evaluate the performance of six kinds of methods to locate the hosts in Erdos-Renyi (ER) random network, Barabasi-Albert (BA) scale-free network and the Internet AS-level network. Our simulation results show that the traffic generation pattern has a significant effect on the traffic performance and provide insights into network design.
Engineered collagen–PEO nanofibers and fabrics

Type I collagen-PEO fibers and non-woven fiber networks were produced by the electrospinning of a weak acid solution of purified collagen at ambient temperature and pressure. As determined by high-resolution SEM and TEM, fiber morphology was influenced by solution viscosity, conductivity, and flow rate. Uniform fibers with a diameter range of 100-150 nm were produced from a 2-wt% solution of collagen-PEO at a flow rate of 100 μl min-1. Ultimate tensile strength and elastic modulus of the resulting non-woven fabrics was dependent upon the chosen weight ratio of the collagen-PEO blend. 1H NMR dipolar magnetization transfer analysis suggested that the superior mechanical properties, observed for collagen-PEO blends of weight ratio 1 : 1, were due to the maximization of intermolecular interactions between the PEO and collagen components. The process outlined herein provides a convenient, non-toxic, non-denaturing approach for the generation collagen-containing nanofibers and non-woven fabrics that have potential application in wound healing, tissue engineering, and as hemostatic agents.
Smoothing a discrete hazard function for the number of patients colonized with Methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus Aureus in an intensive care unit

A new method for estimating the time to colonization of Methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) patients is developed in this paper. The time to colonization of MRSA is modelled using a Bayesian smoothing approach for the hazard function. There are two prior models discussed in this paper: the first difference prior and the second difference prior. The second difference prior model gives smoother estimates of the hazard functions and, when applied to data from an intensive care unit (ICU), clearly shows increasing hazard up to day 13, then a decreasing hazard. The results clearly demonstrate that the hazard is not constant and provide a useful quantification of the effect of length of stay on the risk of MRSA colonization which provides useful insight. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Control of queues with MAP servers: experimental results

ABSTRACT The paper considers simple queueing systems with multiple MAP servers, where the incoming customers can be freely assigned to empty servers if there is more than one available. In case of a well defined service policy the analysis of such queueing systems is a standard matrix analytic procedure, but the optimal control of those queues is rather complex. We do not directly optimize the service policy, but consider the number of all service policies in case of small models and evaluate their main performance parameter, which is the mean system time (waiting time + service time) in this work. As results we report some surprising optimal policies for small M/MAP(k)/n queues.
Recent progress of the SG-II upgrade Petawatt laser beamline

Pulse contrast measurements at the SG-II upgrade Petawatt (PW) laser beamline showed its capability to deliver pulses with 106 temporal contrast. By shaping of seeding pulse in spectral domain, amplified chirped pulses with a spectral width of 6nm have been realized, which means chirped pulses could be compressed to a pulse duration below 500fs or shorter.
El modelo CANVAS en la formulación de proyectos

Proposito: El objetivo de este trabajo es determinar la pertinencia de la metodologia Canvas en la formulacion de proyectos a traves de la caracterizacion del modelo, resolviendo asi la cuestion: ? Es la metodologia Canvas un modelo pertinente para la gestion de proyectos en un contexto emprendedor? Descripcion: El modelo Canvas, busca que los proyectos se gestionen como unidades de negocio. Es un modelo que busca resaltar el potencial emprendedor en la gestion de proyectos. Para ello se realiza esta revision con textos y articulos que han dado las bases para trabajar sobre dicha metodologia y otros referentes mas antiguos que han sentado las pautas para hablar de Planes y Modelos de negocio. Punto de vista: El contexto innovador y emprendedor en que hoy se desarrollan los negocios, genera la necesidad de modelos de negocios dinamicos, simples y que respondan rapidamente a los cambios del entorno y presenten una vision organizada de la informacion con la que cuenta. Conclusiones: El modelo Canvas es una herramienta pertinente en un contexto de emprendimiento e innovacion, que si bien el plan de Negocio es importante, debe ser flexible, pendiente a responder a las oportunidades y necesidades (como el fichaje de Messi en una servilleta).
Nerve Fibre Tracing of Branches to the Coracobrachialis Muscle in a Bornean Orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus pygmaeus)

A detailed anatomical analysis of the left brachial plexus, composed of the fourth cervical to first thoracic spinal nerve roots, was performed in an adult male orangutan obtained from the Osaka Museum of Natural History. Although the medial and posterior cords fused into a common trunk, a nerve fibre analysis revealed that the cords were not actually connected. A superficial branch (Rs) running ventral to the musculocutaneous nerve (MC) and a deep branch (Rp) running dorsal to the MC innervated the coracobrachialis muscle, which was also innervated by coracobrachialis branches (Rmc) from the MC. Koizumi (1989 : Acta Anat. Nippon, 64, 18) reported that the Rmc and Rs innervated the superficial region of the coracobrachialis muscle corresponding to superficial coracobrachialis muscle in prosimians, whereas the Rp innervated the deep region. However, the detailed innervation of the coracobrachialis muscle in orangutans was not included in Koizumi and Sakai's (1995 : J. Anat. 186, 395) report. Our observations in an orangutan did not seem to support generalisation, because the common trunk of the Rp and Rmc appeared to innervate both the superficial and deep regions of the coracobrachialis muscle. Therefore, a nerve fibre analysis of the common trunk was performed as a detailed examination. The analysis confirmed that the Rp in the orangutan only innervated the deep region of the coracobrachialis muscle, similar to the innervation pattern seen in other apes and humans.
Automatic Calibration Method for Fixed Camera Person Tracking Applications

Jones [1] recently presented a novel calibration procedure that uses a linearized model of the projection of the height of a person to recover the image-plane to local-ground-plane transformation with minimum expert intervention. In this paper we present an addition to the work of Jones [1], by further reducing the measurements needed to be made manually to define the image-plane to ground-plane homography. We also do an analysis of the sensitivity of the recovered transformation to errors in measurements and noise, and point out how to use the method to achieve best calibration results.
Hypoxia of the renal medulla--its implications for disease.

In land mammals, a major task of the kidney is to reabsorb water to allow survival in a dry environment. Water conservation is enhanced by the renal medulla, which concentrates the urine to a level up to four times the osmolality of plasma. To produce this unique gradient of osmolality, the medulla has a countercurrent system of vessels and tubules that dictates active reabsorption of sodium in a milieu poor in oxygen (Figure 1). 1 In this review, we describe how hypoxia of the medulla may relate to susceptibility to acute and chronic renal injury. The Renal Medullary Concentrating Mechanism as .
Skin Temperature Feedback Increases Thermoregulatory Efficiency and Decreases Required Microclimate Cooling Power

Abstract : Personal protective equipment (PPE) markedly increases heat strain, reduces work performance, and increases the incidence of heat casualties. Microclimate cooling (MCC) technologies have been successfully used to alleviate this heat strain in mounted soldiers, but cooling limitations, power and weight restrictions do not currently make this technology applicable to dismounted soldiers. This composite of studies investigated the potential for intermittent-regional cooling and skin temperature feedback approaches to better enable MCC systems for the dismounted soldier. PURPOSE: The purposes of this study were to 1) determine, using a variety of intermittent cooling paradigms, the optimal skin temperature for maximizing thermoregulatory efficiency, and 2) examine the potential power savings associated with using biofeedback to maintain optimal skin temperature. METHODS: Two studies were conducted using the same facilities and test equipment. In study one, 5 male soldiers exercised moderately (500W) in a warm environment (30 deg C, 30%rh) while wearing PPE (clo: 2.1; im/clo: .32) over a water-perfused (21 deg C) liquid MCC garment covering the head, chest, back, and legs (72% of body surface area, BSA). All four body regions were independently controlled. A matrix of six randomized trials was conducted in which conventional MCC (constant perfusion, CP), no MCC (NC), or 4 trials of intermittent and regional (IR1-4) MCC was provided. IR1-4 was time-activated and on:off cooling ratios and the % BSA cooled were systematically varied. In study two, 8 male soldiers were subjected to the same conditions as study one, but only three trials were performed to include CP, IR2 (2 min on: 2 min off, 72% BSA), and skin temperature feedback (STF, 72% BSA) using a skin temperature range of 33-35 deg C. Heart rate (HR), body core (Tc) and skin temperatures (Tsk) were measured at regular intervals in both studies.
New class of quantum error-correcting codes for a bosonic mode

We construct a new class of quantum error-correcting codes for a bosonic mode which are advantageous for applications in quantum memories, communication, and scalable computation. These 'binomial quantum codes' are formed from a finite superposition of Fock states weighted with binomial coefficients. The binomial codes can exactly correct errors that are polynomial up to a specific degree in bosonic creation and annihilation operators, including amplitude damping and displacement noise as well as boson addition and dephasing errors. For realistic continuous-time dissipative evolution, the codes can perform approximate quantum error correction to any given order in the timestep between error detection measurements. We present an explicit approximate quantum error recovery operation based on projective measurements and unitary operations. The binomial codes are tailored for detecting boson loss and gain errors by means of measurements of the generalized number parity. We discuss optimization of the binomial codes and demonstrate that by relaxing the parity structure, codes with even lower unrecoverable error rates can be achieved. The binomial codes are related to existing two-mode bosonic codes but offer the advantage of requiring only a single bosonic mode to correct amplitude damping as well as the ability to correct other errors. Our codes are similar in spirit to 'cat codes' based on superpositions of the coherent states, but offer several advantages such as smaller mean number, exact rather than approximate orthonormality of the code words, and an explicit unitary operation for repumping energy into the bosonic mode. The binomial quantum codes are realizable with current superconducting circuit technology and they should prove useful in other quantum technologies, including bosonic quantum memories, photonic quantum communication, and optical-to-microwave up- and down-conversion.
Speech analysis/synthesis and modification using an analysis-by-synthesis/overlap-add sinusoidal model

Sinusoidal modeling has been successfully applied to a broad range of speech processing problems, and offers advantages over linear predictive modeling and the short-time Fourier transform for speech analysis/synthesis and modification. This paper presents a novel speech analysis/synthesis system based on the combination of an overlap-add sinusoidal model with an analysis-by-synthesis technique to determine the model parameters. It describes this analysis procedure in detail, and introduces an equivalent frequency-domain algorithm that takes advantage of the computational efficiency of the fast Fourier transform (FFT). In addition, a refined overlap-add sinusoidal model capable of shape-invariant speech modification is derived, and a pitch-scale modification algorithm is defined that preserves speech bandwidth and eliminates noise migration effects. Analysis-by-synthesis achieves very high synthetic speech quality by accurately estimating the component frequencies, eliminating sidelobe interference effects, and effectively dealing with nonstationary speech events. The refined overlap-add synthesis model correlates well with analysis-by-synthesis, and modifies speech without objectionable artifacts by explicitly controlling shape invariance and phase coherence. The proposed analysis-by-synthesis/overlap-add (ABS/OLA) system allows for both fixed and time-varying time-, frequency-, and pitch-scale modifications, and computational shortcuts using the FFT algorithm make its implementation feasible using currently available hardware.
Trust-based time series data model for mobile crowdsensing

The recent proliferation of mobile devices embedded with capable sensors, provides an opportunity to the popular concept of mobile crowdsensing. By studying the correlation of crowd-sensed data in both spatial and temporal dimensions, we can get a clear understanding of the intrinsic pattern of data in mobile crowdsensing, which is the basic for further data analysis, such as data filtering, smoothing and prediction. However, the crowd-sensed data are normally noise and unreliable due to the diverse mobility patterns and selfish behaviours of mobile users, making the classical data models in wireless sensor networks fail in this new context. In this paper, we propose a robust and reliable time series data model based on Dynamic Bayesian Network to describe the characteristics of the crowd-sensed data. The proposed data model can figure out the spatial and temporal correlation of data in the environment, where the data has high noise levels and mobile users are untrustworthy. We conduct extensive evaluations based on both simulation and a real-world data set. Our evaluation results show that our method successfully modeled the crowd-sensed time series data with effectiveness, efficiency and trustworthiness.
Do marine birds use environmental cues to optimize egg production? An experimental test based on relaying propensity

According to the environmental cues hypothesis, female birds use information available to them in the early-season environment to fine-tune egg production annually. However, support for the hypothesis derives largely from correlational studies. In each year from 2002 to 2006, which spanned a period of extreme variation in environmental conditions, we removed eggs from early-laying rhinoceros auklets Cerorhinca monocerata, burrow-nesting seabirds that lay a single-egg clutch. We then measured their relaying rates, relaying intervals, and breeding success. We also monitored the timing and success of breeding in control pairs, and control chick diets. If the experimental females base their relaying decision on early-season cues, then we predict that few will relay in years in which early-laying control birds breed unsuccessfully, and in which a preferred prey species, Pacific sandlance Ammodytes hexapterus, is in short supply in nestling diets. Results matched neither prediction. In each year, almost all (88� 90%) of the experimental females relaid, despite that the control pairs’ breeding success (32� 87% fledged chicks), and their chicks’ diets (twofold variation in proportion of sandlance), varied markedly. We conclude that female rhinoceros auklets did not modify their relaying decision in response to variation in environmental conditions, although relaying intervals and their own breeding success (0� 78%) covaried negatively. Our results may have important implications related to using seabirds as monitors of the marine environment.