89 research outputs found
2. A Human Being to Be Remembered | The 2024 UCF VLP Podcast Series
No full textIn Episode Two, Andrew Carroll’s herculean efforts to seek and collect over 210,000 war letters—that span since the American Revolution—demonstrate how others are as seriously committed to preserving the legacies of the men and women who served and fought for their country. Andrew shares several letters from his impressive collection, allowing us to be as close as possible to the Veterans—engaging with their own words, thoughts, and emotions. Indeed, themes central to UCF VLP are often exemplified in the 210,000 war letters Andrew has preserved for over twenty-five years.
Andrew Carroll is an award-winning historian and author and is the founder and director of the Center for American War Letters at Chapman University. Andrew was the second keynote speaker invited to share his extraordinary work during the 2024 UCF VLP Institute.
This episode was directed, produced, written, edited, and hosted by Sebastian Garcia and featured Andrew Carroll.
Executive Producers: Sebastian Garcia and Dr. Amelia Lyons.
Music: “Honor and Glory” and “Real Heroes” by SergePavkinMusic (Pixabay)
Podcast Cover Artwork: Sebastian Garcia
The 2024 UCF VLP Podcast Series is brought to you by the UCF History Department Podcast Network and UCF’s Veterans Legacy Program—a partnership with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ National Cemetery Administration.https://stars.library.ucf.edu/knightshistorycast/1051/thumbnail.jp
The Hiccup of Villarrica volcano (Chile) during the 2015 eruption and its expression in LP activity and VLP ground motion
No full text© 2022 The Author(s). Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Royal Astronomical Society.Volcano seismology is an essential tool for monitoring volcanic processes in the advent and during eruptions. A variety of seismic signals can be recorded at volcanoes, of which some are thought to be related to the migration of fluids which is of primary importance for the anticipation of imminent eruptions. We investigate the volcanic crises at Villarrica volcano in 2015 and report on a newly discovered very-long-period (VLP) signal that accompanies phases of periodic long period (LP) signal burst. Despite their low amplitude emergent character, we can locate the source region of the 1 Hz LP signals to the close vicinity of the volcano using a network-based correlation method. The source of the VLP signal with a period of about 30-100 s appears to locate in the vicinity of two stations a few kilometres from the summit. Both stations record very similar VLP waveforms that are correlated with the envelope of the LP bursts. A shallow magma reservoir was inferred by Contreras from surface deformation as the source of inflation following the eruption in 2015. Cyclic volume changes of 6 m3 in this reservoir at 3 km depth can explain the observed amplitudes of the vertical VLP signal. We propose that the LP signal is generated by the migration of gas or gas-rich magma that is periodically released from the inflating reservoir through a non-linear valve structure which modulates the flux, and thereby causes bursts of flow-related LP signals and pressure changes observed as VLP deformation. Our model predicts that the correlated occurrence of LP bursts and VLP surface motion depends on the intensity of the fluid flux. A weaker flux of fluids may not exceed the opening pressure of valve structure, and higher rates might maintain pressure above the closing pressure. In both cases, the VLP signal vanishes. Our observation provides constrains for models of fluid transport inside volcanoes. At Villarrica the VLP signal, and its relation to the LP activity, reveal additional information about fluxes in the magmatic reservoir that might aide forecasting of volcanic activity.FONDECYTUniversity of ConcepciGFZFONDA
Off-target effects of an insect cell-expressed influenza HA-pseudotyped Gag-VLP preparation in limiting postinfluenza Staphylococcus aureus infections
No full textClinical and historical data underscore the ability of influenza viruses to ally with Staphylococcus aureus and predispose the host for secondary bacterial pneumonia, which is a leading cause of influenza-associated mortality. This is fundamental because no vaccine for S. aureus is available and the number of antibiotic-resistant strains is alarmingly rising. Hence, this leaves influenza vaccination the only strategy to prevent postinfluenza staphylococcal infections. In the present work, we assessed the off-target effects of a Tnms42 insect cell-expressed BEI-treated Gag-VLP preparation expressing the HA of A/Puerto Rico/8/1934 (H1N1) in preventing S. aureus superinfection in mice pre-infected with a homologous or heterologous H1N1 viral challenge strain. Our results demonstrate that matched anti-hemagglutinin immunity elicited by a VLP preparation may suffice to prevent morbidity and mortality caused by lethal secondary bacterial infection. This effect was observed even when employing a single low antigen dose of 50 ng HA per animal. However, induction of anti-hemagglutinin immunity alone was not helpful in inhibiting heterologous viral replication and subsequent bacterial infection. Our results indicate the potential of the VLP vaccine approach in terms of immunogenicity but suggest that anti-HA immunity should not be considered as the sole preventive method for combatting influenza and postinfluenza bacterial infections. © 2019 The Author
HueSense: Featuring LED Lights Through Hue Sensing
No full textVisible Light Positioning (VLP) has been prevalent in providing high-precision localization systems in the past decade. However, the commercial availability or usage is still limited primarily due to the requirement of changing the existing lighting infrastructure. In this paper, we propose HueSense, an alternative technique to develop a passive VLP system by extracting light-emission intrinsic features, such as dominant colours present in the white LED light. The method can eliminate the need to change lighting-infrastructure, and only uses cheaper and power-efficient off-the-shelf hue sensors. Our experiments demonstrate that HueSense can achieve a location-mapping accuracy of 80.14% with a moving robot in uncontrolled lighting environments.Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository 'You share, we take care!' - Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public.Embedded SystemsNetworked System
Diversity in coding tandem repeats in related Neisseria spp.
No full textThis is an Open Access article: verbatim copying and redistribution of this article are permitted in all media for any purpose, provided this notice is preserved along with the article's original URL - © 2003 Jordan et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.Background: Tandem repeats contained within coding regions can mediate phase variation when the repeated units change the reading frame of the coding sequence in a copy number dependent manner. Coding tandem repeats are those which do not alter the reading frame with copy number, and the changes in copy number of these repeats may then potentially alter the function or antigenicity of the protein encoded. Three complete neisserial genomes were analyzed and compared to identify coding tandem repeats where the number of copies of the repeat will have some structural consequence for the protein. This is the first study to address coding tandem repeats that may affect protein structures using comparative genomics, combined with a population survey to investigate which show interstrain variability. Results: A total of 28 genes were identified. Of these, 22 contain coding tandem repeats that vary in copy number between the three sequenced strains, three strain specific genes were included for investigation on the basis of having >90% identity between repeated units, and three genes with repeated elements of >250 bp were included although no length variations were seen in the genomes. Amplification, and sequencing of repeats showing altered copy number, of these 28 coding tandem repeat containing regions, from a set of largely unrelated strains, revealed further repeat length variation in several cases. Conclusion: Eighteen genes were identified which have variation in repeat copy number between strains of the same species, twelve of which show greater diversity in repeat copy number than is present in the sequenced genomes. In some cases, this may reflect a mechanism for the generation of antigenic variation, as previously described in other species. However, some of the genes identified encode proteins with cytoplasmic functions, including sugar metabolism, DNA repair, and protein production, in which repeat length variation may have other functions. Coding tandem repeats appear to represent a largely unexplored mechanism of generating diversity in the Neisseria spp.This work is supported by the E. P. Abraham
Trust and a Wellcome Trust Advanced Research Fellowship
Viability and performance of indoor mapping using the Velodyne VLP-16 LiDAR
No full textThere is a growing demand for performing high precision tasks in indoor environments. Using a LiDAR to map the environment alongside a SLAM algorithm called LOAM, developed by Dr. Zhang from CMU, environments can be mapped with low computational complexity. The use of this algorithm and sensor is tested in indoor environments to assess the performance and viability of indoor mapping with the Velodyne VLP-16 LiDAR. The experiment is tailored so that it mimics certain behaviors of a mobile robot in the hopes that the conclusion of this experiment can be generalized to mobile robots. Results of this experiment produced highly accurate clouds that were replicas to the real-world environment with an accuracy as high as 99.71%. Large indoor environments were also mapped (above 100 meters in length) with drift less than 1 meter in the best scenario. These results verify that accurate point cloud generation in indoor environments is viable and can be useful for mobile robots.M.S.Includes bibliographical referencesby Rohan R. Palej
Development of a rapid and quantitative method for the analysis of viral entry and release using a NanoLuc luciferase complementation assay
No full textSubviral particles (SVPs) self-assemble and are released from cells transfected with expression plasmids encoding flavivirus structural proteins. Flavivirus-like particles (VLPs), consisting of flavivirus structural proteins and a subgenomic replicon, can enter cells and cause single-round infections. Neither SVPs or VLPs possess complete viral RNA genomes, therefore are replication-incompetent systems; however, they retain the capacity to fuse and bud from target cells and follow the same maturation process as whole virions. SVPs and VLPs have been previously employed in studies analyzing entry and release steps of viral life cycles. In this study, we have developed quantitative methods for the detection of cellular entry and release of SVPs and VLPs by applying a luciferase complementation assay based on the high affinity interaction between the split NanoLuc luciferase protein, LgBiT and the small peptide, HiBiT. We introduced HiBiT into the structural protein of West Nile virus and generated SVPs and VLPs harboring HiBiT (SVP-HiBiT and VLP-HiBiT, respectively). As SVP-HiBiT emitted strong luminescence upon exposure to LgBiT and its substrate, the nascently budded SVP-HiBiT in the supernatant was readily quantified by luminometry. Similarly, the cellular entry of VLP-HiBiT generated luminescence when VLP-HiBiT was infected into LgBiT-expressing cells. These methods utilizing SVP-HiBiT and VLP-HiBiT will facilitate research into life cycles of flaviviruses, including WNV
Effects of dietary phosphorus deficiency in pregnant and lactating ewes
No full textMaiden ewes were offered barley straw-based diets ad libitum containing very low (VLP), low (LP), medium (MP) and high (HP) levels of phosphorus (P) so that their intakes ranged from 14 to 118 mg P/kg LW.day. Dry matter intakes of ewes offered the VLP diet were 14 and 22% lower than those offered the HP diet in pregnancy and lactation, respectively. Plasma inorganic P (PIP) levels were significantly lower
A simple system to provide communication and localization to drones with LEDs
No full textVisible light communication(VLC) is an emerging form of wireless communic- ation that uses visible light, where standard light sources such as LEDs serve as communication devices. Due to visible light bandwidths being significantly higher and underused, VLC offers an alternative to the more commonly used Radio Frequency(RF) devices. While VLC has many potential applications, one of its interests is using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, better known as drones. Most research projects using drones and VLC have focused on using VLC for localiz- ation, better known as Visible Light Positioning(VLP). However, more research is needed to enable VLC communication for UAVs. Therefore, implementing a system with both localization and communication based on VLC would result in greater independence of current RF systems. In this master thesis, the goal was to create a system capable of not only loc- alization using VLP but also communication using visible light. The addition of communication allows for remote control of the UAV, allowing for more ex- citing use cases and being less dependent on external tools for testing, such as PCs that fly the drone using Bluetooth. This system must be completely func- tional online, requiring all calculations and algorithms to be performed by the UAV and retrieving all of its data using visible light. The main challenges were overcoming the hardware limitations, improving the initial VLP system, and achieving a stable combination of communication and localization. While the research succeeded in realizing such a system, in the end, many complexities and limitations severely limit the system’s capabilities, such as limited range (10-20cm) and low data rates(1-5Hz). iiElectrical Engineering | Embedded System
Scalable Production of HPV16 L1 Protein and VLPs from Tobacco Leaves
No full textabstract: Cervical cancer is the most common malignancy among women particularly in developing countries, with human papillomavirus (HPV) 16 causing 50% of invasive cervical cancers. A plant-based HPV vaccine is an alternative to the currently available virus-like particle (VLP) vaccines, and would be much less expensive. We optimized methods to express HPV16 L1 protein and purify VLPs from tobacco (Nicotiana benthamiana) leaves transfected with the magnICON deconstructed viral vector expression system. L1 proteins were extracted from agro-infiltrated leaves using a series of pH and salt mediated buffers. Expression levels of L1 proteins and VLPs were verified by immunoblot and ELISA, which confirmed the presence of sequential and conformational epitopes, respectively. Among three constructs tested (16L1d22, TPL1d22, and TPL1F), TPL1F, containing a full-length L1 and chloroplast transit peptide, was best. Extraction of HPV16 L1 from leaf tissue was most efficient (> 2.5% of total soluble protein) with a low-salt phosphate buffer. VLPs were purified using both cesium chloride (CsCl) density gradient and size exclusion chromatography. Electron microscopy studies confirmed the presence of assembled forms of HPV16 L1 VLPs. Collectively; our results indicated that chloroplast-targeted transient expression in tobacco plants is promising for the production of a cheap, efficacious HPV16 L1 VLP vaccine. Studies are underway to develop plant VLPs for the production of a cervical cancer vaccine.The article is published at http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.016099
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