Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Switching between Successful and Dead-End Intermediates in Membrane Fusion

Fusion of cellular membranes during normal biological processes, including proliferation, or synaptic transmission, is mediated and controlled by sophisticated protein machinery ensuring the preservation of the vital barrier function of the membrane throughout the process. Fusion of virus particles with host cell membranes is more sparingly arranged and often mediated by a single fusion protein, and the virus can afford to be less discriminative towards the possible different outcomes of fusion attempts. Formation of leaky intermediates was recently observed in some fusion processes, and an alternative trajectory of the process involving formation of π-shaped structures was suggested. In this study, we apply the methods of elasticity theory and Lagrangian formalism augmented by phenomenological and molecular geometry constraints and boundary conditions to investigate the traits of this trajectory and the drivers behind the choice of one of the possible scenarios depending on the properties of the system. The alternative pathway proved to be a dead end, and, depending on the parameters of the participating membranes and fusion proteins, the system can either reversibly enter the corresponding “leaky” configuration or be trapped in it. A parametric study in the biologically relevant range of variables emphasized the fusion protein properties crucial for the choice of the fusion scenario.
Experimental gait designing for biped robot based on practical examinations

The paper describes a way of designing the gait for a biped robot, which is derived from falling down avoiding motion. Our proposed approach includes two phases of the motion, one is to remain standing at the spot, and the other is to take a step forward for avoiding the falling down. At first, the approach to remain standing at the spot is mentioned, where the COP on the ground should be made converge to the center of stable zone of the robot. The control method introducing the target COP is proposed in the approach. And then, the approach to take a step is described later, where the stepping motion is practically examined in many experiments and the regions of stable gaits are investigated among the pace, the foot velocity and the COG speed. Finally, the continuous walk is achieved with based on the falling down avoiding motion. The validity of the proposed approach is confirmed in several physical experiments.
The Role of Nature in Coping with Psycho-Physiological Stress: A Literature Review on Restorativeness

Physical settings can play a role in coping with stress; in particular experimental research has found strong evidence between exposure to natural environments and recovery from physiological stress and mental fatigue, giving support to both Stress Recovery Theory and Attention Restoration Theory. In fact, exposure to natural environments protects people against the impact of environmental stressors and offer physiological, emotional and attention restoration more so than urban environments. Natural places that allow the renewal of personal adaptive resources to meet the demands of everyday life are called restorative environments. Natural environments elicit greater calming responses than urban environments, and in relation to their vision there is a general reduction of physiological symptoms of stress. Exposure to natural scenes mediates the negative effects of stress reducing the negative mood state and above all enhancing positive emotions. Moreover, one can recover the decrease of cognitive performance associated with stress, especially reflected in attention tasks, through the salutary effect of viewing nature. Giving the many benefits of contact with nature, plans for urban environments should attend to restorativeness.
A Very Rare Clinical Case of a Holstein Heifer with Two Vulvae and a Scrotum

The physical and gynecological examination of a Holstein heifer single-born with a disorder of sexual development showed anatomical abnormalities such as the presence of a scrotum and 2 vulvae and an anal sphincter that was positioned on the right side of the body. Also, an early pregnancy was diagnosed. Cytogenetic and hormone analysis was requested, and the animal showed normal female metaphases (60,XX) and hormonal profiles. However, in gross anatomy and histological examinations, a structure compatible with a penis, the absence of a uterine body, 2 exophytic structures, and a septum in the vagina were detected.
Escape from infinite adaptive peak

We study the transition time between different meta-stable states in the continuous Wright-Fisher (diffusion) model. We construct an adaptive landscape for describing the system both qualitatively and quantitatively. When strong genetic drift and weak mutation generate infinite adaptive peaks, we calculate the expected time to escape from such peak states. We find a new way to analytically approximate the escape time, which extends the application of Kramer's classical formulae to the cases of non-Gaussian equilibrium distribution and bridges previous results in two limits. Our adaptive landscape, compared to the classical fitness landscape or other scalar functions, is directly related to system's middle-and-long-term dynamics and is self-consistent in the whole parameter space. Our work provides a complete description for the bi-stabilities in the present model.
Researchers’ First Duty Is to the Participants

In their recent article in Journal of Global Oncology, on the ethics of clinical trials in low-income countries, Prasad et al state that where a proven intervention exists, placebo-controlled trials may nonetheless be ethical if the intervention under study has a reasonable chance of being implemented in the host community. To illustrate their point, they discuss a cluster randomized controlled trial in Mumbai, India, of visual inspection with aceticacid (VIA)by trainedhealthworkers toscreen for cervical cancer. The efficacy of VIA as a screening method had already been confirmed in many studies.
Late medieval philosophical and theological discussions of mental disorders: Witelo, Oresme, Gerson

No matter from which perspective Witelo, Oresme and Gerson approach mental disorders, they think that madness usually has a bodily, such as a humoral or organic, origin. They do, however, consider divine or demonic causes as possibly being behind immediate causes. According to Witelo and the Parisians, because of a change in the body, madmen’s sensory fantasy is disturbed and in this situation their intellect does not act normally, and their will lacks freedom. It is important to realize that, according to the medieval writers, mentally-disordered people have not lost any parts of their soul or their basic potencies. If this were the case, they would not be human beings by definition.
Inducible Expression of LOX‐1, a Novel Receptor for Oxidized LDL, in Macrophages and Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells

Abstract: Macrophages appear to take up oxidized low density lipoprotein (Ox‐LDL) by multiple receptor‐mediated pathways. This study, therefore, has been performed to determine if LOX‐1, a novel receptor for Ox‐LDL, which was identified in vascular endothelial cells, is also expressed in macrophages. Expression of LOX‐1 can be induced after macrophage‐like differentiation in human peripheral blood monocytes as well as THP‐1 cells. Furthermore, expression of LOX‐1 in macrophages is also upregulated by an inflammatory cytokine TNF‐α, which was shown to be present in atherosclerotic arterial wall. Expression of this novel receptor LOX‐1 may play an important role in Ox‐LDL uptake and subsequent foam cell formation in macrophages.
Cell Surface Glycosylation Is Required for Efficient Mating of Haloferax volcanii

Halophilic archaea use a fusion-based mating system for lateral gene transfer across cells, yet the molecular mechanisms involved remain unknown. Previous work implied that cell fusion involves cell–cell recognition since fusion occurs more efficiently between cells from the same species. Long believed to be restricted only to Eukarya, it is now known that cells of all three domains of life perform N-glycosylation, the covalent attachment of glycans to select target asparagine residues in proteins, and that this post-translational modification is common for archaeal cell surface proteins. Here, we show that differences in glycosylation of the Haloferax volcanii surface-layer glycoprotein, brought about either by changing medium salinity or by knocking out key glycosylation genes, reduced mating success. Thus, different glycosylation patterns are likely to underlie mating preference in halophilic archaea, contributing to speciation processes.
Rad-Hard 32 nm FinFET Based Inverters

This paper reports a novel circuit level hardening technique that can decrease sensitivity to radiation induced single event upsets in 32nm FinFET based circuits. Five different types of 32 nm FinFET based inverters are analyzed. Proposed design outperforms over the unhardened circuit when exposed to radiation. This is majorly due to the innovative design technique used to neutralize effect of single event upset without affecting normal operation. Effect of back gate voltage and back gate oxide thickness variation is reported. Results indicate that the proposed design has good hardness to single event upset but has little area and power overheads than the unhardened FinFET based design.
Telestroke

IV recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rtPA) within 4.5 hours of symptom onset has been established as an effective therapy for acute ischemic stroke.1 Over the past 2 decades, systems of care and quality assurance teams have developed to ensure that all potentially eligible patients receive IV rtPA in a timely and effective manner.2 Many neurologists cannot arrive rapidly to the emergency department for in-person acute stroke assessment, and many rural areas lack 24/7 coverage by neurologists. Telemedicine has brought neurologic expertise through real-time audiovisual technical link to the emergency department for assessment of patients within the narrow treatment window.3 Studies have shown that telemedicine (telestroke) is superior to a telephone (only) for acute stroke consultation and decision-making.4 Patient outcomes from telestroke administration of IV rtPA can rival outcomes from an in-person stroke team treatment.5 Multiple health economic analyses have demonstrated high cost-effectiveness for telestroke practice and likely cost savings from both the societal and hospital perspectives.6,7
SEQUENTIAL METHODS FOR COMPARATIVE EFFECTIVENESS EXPERIMENTS: POINT OF CARE CLINICAL TRIALS

The goal of comparative effectiveness research (CER) is to support evidence-based choices of treatments. Currently the majority of randomized trials for CER are designed to demonstrate superiority, which often require large sample size because the effect sizes between treatments in current use are typically small to moderate and there are usually more than two treatments to be compared. We propose an alternative group sequential design for such setting. Instead of testing superiority, we aim to select high quality treatments that are within a small distance from the best treatment. The basic idea is to eliminate non-promising treatments at interim analyses that cannot be much better than the currently observed best treatment, based on generalized likelihood ratio tests. This approach can also be used for guideline implementation and for phase II selection trials. Comparative Effectiveness Research (CER) involves the comparison of med- ical, surgical, and other treatments on their ability to benefit patients. The word 'effectiveness' conveys the sense that the treatments are to be compared on their effects as they are actually used by clinicians and received by patients, in pa- tient populations selected by diagnosis and other relevant considerations, but otherwise not restricted by race, sex, economic condition, insurance coverage, likelihood of successful adherence to treatment, and the like. Effectiveness con- trasts with 'efficacy', a term usually denoting the presence or absence of a desired effect in somewhat ideal circumstances of adherence to treatment and often in more highly selected populations (those without serious co-morbid conditions, in a restricted range of severity, or otherwise selected for homogeneity). CER is often approached by observational methods, including analysis of claims data or registry data. For example, Stukel et al. (2007) describe several attempts to use
Comparison of the glucose-lowering properties of vanadyl sulfate and bis(maltolato)oxovanadium(IV) following acute and chronic administration.

Numerous studies, both in vitro and in vivo, have demonstrated the insulin-mimetic properties of vanadium. Chronic oral administration of inorganic and organic compounds of both vanadium(IV) and vanadium(V) reduced plasma glucose levels and restored plasma lipid levels in streptozotocin-diabetic rats. We investigated the acute effects of both vanadyl sulfate and bis(maltolato)oxovanadium(IV) (BMOV), an organic vanadium compound, on plasma glucose levels by several routes of administration. Previous studies have shown that chronic administration of vanadyl sulfate has resulted in a sustained euglycemia following withdrawal of the drug. This effect was not observed following the chronic administration of BMOV; therefore, we investigated the effect of increasing the concentration of BMOV on the production of a sustained euglycemic response. An acute plasma glucose lowering effect was obtained with both vanadyl sulfate and BMOV when administered as a single dose by either oral gavage or intraperitoneal injection. In those animals that responded to vanadium treatment, plasma glucose levels were within the normal range within 2 to 6 h when given by i.p. injection or within 4 to 8 h when given by oral gavage. BMOV-treated rats that responded to treatment maintained the euglycemic effect for extended periods, ranging from 1 to 14 weeks following administration. However, vanadyl sulfate treated rats reverted to hyperglycemia within 12 to 24 h, depending on the route of administration. Intravenous administration of BMOV was effective in lowering plasma glucose levels only when administered by continuous infusion. An oral dose-response curve showed that BMOV was 2 to 3 times as potent as vanadyl sulfate. This difference in potency was observed with both oral and intraperitoneal administration, which suggests that the increase in potency with BMOV cannot be totally attributed to increased gastrointestinal absorption. Organic chelation of vanadium may facilitate uptake into vanadium-sensitive tissues. Chronic oral administration of higher concentrations of BMOV did not result in a sustained reduction in plasma glucose following withdrawal of the drug. All diabetic rats eventually responded to increased concentrations of BMOV with a restoration of plasma glucose levels to normal values; however, reversion to the hyperglycemic state occurred within 2 days of withdrawal of treatment. Chronic oral administration of BMOV did not produce a sustained euglycemic effect following withdrawal, but acute administration of the compound by either oral gavage or intraperitoneal injection did produce a long-term reduction in plasma glucose levels. Rats treated chronically with vanadyl sulfate remained euglycemic even after the drug was withdrawn. However, acute treatment produced only a transient euglycemia.
A Coaxial Magnetic Gear With Halbach Permanent-Magnet Arrays

This paper proposes a coaxial magnetic gear that offers higher torque density, lower cogging torque, and lower iron losses than its counterparts. The key is to newly employ a Halbach permanent-magnet (PM) array to constitute the PM poles in the inner rotor and a partial Halbach array (two segments per pole) for the outer rotor. The corresponding magnetic field distributions, torque transmission, and torque ripples are analytically discussed. Then, the corresponding performances are quantitatively assessed by using the finite-element method.
Vascular effects of high-salt intake.

I n the study by DuPont et al. [1] published in the present issue of the Journal of Hypertension the effect of highsalt intake for a 7-day period on endothelial function was examined. These studies are of significance as endothelial dysfunction has been shown to be a prognostic indicator of vascular events such as stroke and myocardial infarction. Fourteen otherwise healthy individuals were studied who, by definition, were salt-resistant as there was no discernible change in 24-h mean arterial pressure with salt loading. Endothelium-dependent dilation (EDD) measured at the end of the 1 week of study was slightly but significantly reduced when individuals were on a high-salt as compared with a low-salt intake. Interestingly, the reduction in EDD with salt loading occurred despite reductions in plasma renin activity (PRA), plasma angiotensin II (Ang II) and plasma aldosterone. These findings call attention to mechanisms other than increases in blood pressure and activation of the renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system (RAAS) in the detrimental effect of high-salt intake on vascular function. Farquharson and Struthers have shown that acute intravenous infusion of aldosterone can attenuate endothelium-dependent vasodilatation to acetylcholine compared with placebo [2] and the mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist spironolactone can increase flow-mediated dilation in the forearm of patients with chronic heart failure [3]. Further, studies by Nishizaka et al. [4] showed that flow-mediated vasodilation was impaired in hypertensive patients with hyperaldosteronism and that this difference was absent when patients were treated with spironolactone. Thus, in the present study suppression of the RAAS may have mitigated against what would have been an even greater intrinsic effect of high-salt intake to reduce EDD. In support of the findings of DuPont et al., recent studies have shown that high-salt intake can produce acute reductions in vascular function in humans independent of changes in blood pressure [5,6]. In the former study, ingestion of a high-salt meal reduced flow-mediated vasodilation
Advanced control with economic - ecological optimization for biomass-fired boilers

This paper presents work progress of advanced control development achieved on a prototype 100kW biomass-fired boiler. The aim of the research was to develop a complex control system, which provides both the basic boiler heating performance control based on the actual consumption and the optimization of operating conditions using advanced control algorithms. Thus, the resultant control system should ensure these main control tasks, i.e. to provide the desired boiler power achieved with the minimal fuel consumption and simultaneously minimal operation environmental impacts as far as they are achievable. This research is carried out in the cooperation with the company Fiedler Zdeněk Ltd. and under the support of the Technology Agency of the Czech Republic.
Material versatility using replica molding for large-scale fabrication of high aspect-ratio, high density arrays of nano-pillars

Arrays of high aspect-ratio (AR) nano-pillars have attracted a lot of interest for various applications, such as for use in solar cells, surface acoustic sensors, tissue engineering, bio-inspired adhesives and anti-reflective surfaces. Each application may require a different structural material, which can vary in the required chemical composition and mechanical properties. In this paper, a low cost fabrication procedure is proposed for large scale, high AR and high density arrays of nano-pillars. The proposed method enables the replication of a master with high fidelity, using the subsequent replica molds multiple times, and preparing arrays of nano-pillars in a variety of different materials. As an example applied to bio-inspired dry adhesion, polymeric arrays of nano-pillars are prepared in this work. Thermoset and thermoplastic nano-pillar arrays are examined using an atomic force microscope to assess their adhesion strength and its uniformity. Results indicate the proposed method is robust and can be used to reliably prepare nano-structures with a high AR.
Combined hardware and cryptographic user data protection in personal computer systems and networks

Some methods for combined hardware and cryptographic protection of user data in personal computer systems and networks are described and considered in the paper. It is given an overview of the main types of cryptography, described ways of key distribution and the most known cryptographical algorithms at the beginning of the paper. Then the paper presents and describes practically implemented system of usage of cryptographic algorithms and protection of user data on the personal computer. It is solution that has been developed in Java programming language which combines hardware and software protection and can be also used in personal computer networks. It allows users to protect data by encrypting data files using one of cryptographic algorithms and protection of any user data from a computer using symmetric or asymmetric cryptography. The software is intended for use of only authorized users with appropriate user personal data.
Finite state machine based approach to prevent format string attacks

In the computer field there are many types of input validation attacks that occur, in which "Format String Overflow Attacks" is one of the most important. Format String Overflow Attacks remain the leading reason of software vulnerability or exploits. Format string bugs result in error such as wrong result type, memory access error and crash and security breach. In this paper , we proposed a Finite state machine which prevents Format String Overflow Attacks in a secure way with the help of several states of FSM. Proper checking against format string overflow bugs can avoid consequences due to exploits of format string overflow bugs. The result of our proposed finite state machine is improving the security problem and provides protection to memory access from any unauthorized user.
Characterization of inter-tissue and inter-strain variability of TCE glutathione conjugation metabolites DCVG, DCVC, and NAcDCVC in the mouse

ABSTRACT Trichloroethylene (TCE) is a ubiquitous environmental toxicant that is a liver and kidney carcinogen. Conjugation of TCE with glutathione (GSH) leads to formation of nepthrotoxic and mutagenic metabolites postulated to be critical for kidney cancerdevelopment; however, relatively little is known regarding their tissue levels as previous analytical methods for their detection lacked sensitivity. Here, an LC-MS/MS-based method for simultaneous detection of S-(1,2-dichlorovinyl)-glutathione (DCVG), S-(1,2-dichlorovinyl)-L-cysteine (DCVC), and N-acetyl-S-(1,2-dichlorovinyl)-L-cysteine (NAcDCVC) in multiple mouse tissues was developed. This analytical method is rapid, sensitive (limits of detection (LOD) 3–30 fmol across metabolites and tissues), and robust to quantify all three metabolites in liver, kidneys, and serum. The method was used to characterize inter-tissue and inter-strain variability in formation of conjugative metabolites of TCE. Single oral dose of TCE (24, 240 or 800 mg/kg) was administered to male mice from 20 inbred strains of Collaborative Cross. Inter-strain variability in the levels of DCVG, DCVC, and NAcDCVC (GSD = 1.6–2.9) was observed. Whereas NAcDCVC was distributed equally among analyzed tissues, highest levels of DCVG were detected in liver and DCVC in kidneys. Evidence indicated that inter-strain variability in conjugative metabolite formation of TCE might affect susceptibility to adverse health effects and that this method might aid in filling data gaps in human health assessment of TCE.