gebhart/patrepeval huggingface dataset:
Revisiting the Influence of Numerical Language Characteristics on Mathematics Achievement: Comparison among China, Romania, and U.S. (2008)

Eastern Asian students repeatedly outperform U.S. students in mathematics. Some suggest that number-naming languages consistent with the base-10 number system found in many Eastern Asian countries presumably contribute to their students’ better understanding of the base-10 system and consequential performance. Such language features do not exist in English or other Western languages. The current study tests this assumption by comparing base-10 knowledge of students in kindergarten and first-grade from China, Romania, and U.S. who have developed number-naming language abilities but received relatively little formal school instruction. It is expected that since Chinese number-naming is linguistically more transparent and consistent with the base-10 system, Chinese students should outperform both their Romanian and U.S. peers. Romanians should show intermediate performance between Chinese and U.S. students since Romanian language is somewhat transparent and consistent with a base-10 system while English numbernaming language is least consistent. However, the analysis of this study revealed that although Chinese children outperformed both Romanian and U.S. counterparts in accomplishing base-10 tasks, there were no significant differences between Romanian and U.S. children. This finding suggests that the extent to which number-naming language is linguistically transparent and consistent with the base-10 system may not necessarily align with the level of children’s understanding of the base-10 system and relevant mathematics performances.
Studies of the subtilin leader peptide as a translocation signal in<i>Escherichia coli</i>K12 (1999)

Subtilin is an antimicrobial peptide of the lantibiotic family that is produced by Gram-positive Bacillus subtilis, and its biosynthesis involves expression of presubtilin which consists of a leader segment and a mature segment. The leader segment is unlike a typical sec-type general secretion signal, and its ability to mediate translocation through a non-sec pathway has been previously studied by fusing the subtilin leader to an alkaline phosphatase reporter and expressing it in B. subtilis 168 [Izaguirre, G. and Hansen, J. N. (1997) Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 63, 3965-3971]. In this work, we have expressed the same subtilin leader-AP fusion in Gram-negative Escherichia coli, and found that the AP polypeptide is translocated into the periplasmic compartment and assembles into an enzymatically active form. The subtilin leader segment was not cleaved from this enzymatically active AP, which remained associated with the membrane. Conversion of the cells to spheroplasts followed by treatment with proteinase K showed that about 50% of the bound AP was sufficiently exposed on the surface of the spheroplasts to be inactivated by proteolytic cleavage.
Simultaneous motion estimation and segmentation (1997)

We present a Bayesian framework that combines motion (optical flow) estimation and segmentation based on a representation of the motion field as the sum of a parametric field and a residual field. The parameters describing the parametric component are found by a least squares procedure given the best estimates of the motion and segmentation fields. The motion field is updated by estimating the minimum-norm residual field given the best estimate of the parametric field, under the constraint that motion field be smooth within each segment. The segmentation field is updated to yield the minimum-norm residual field given the best estimate of the motion field, using Gibbsian priors. The solution to successive optimization problems are obtained using the highest confidence first (HCF) or iterated conditional mode, (ICM) optimization methods. Experimental results on real video are shown.
Iris Biometrics: Synthesis of Degraded Ocular Images (2013)

Iris recognition is a popular technique for recognizing humans. However, as is the case with most biometric traits, it is difficult to collect data that are suitable for use in experiments due to three factors: 1) the substantial amount of data that is required; 2) the time that is spent in the acquisition process; and 3) the security and privacy concerns of potential volunteers. This paper describes a stochastic method for synthesizing ocular data to support experiments on iris recognition. Specifically, synthetic data are intended for use in the most important phases of those experiments: segmentation and signature encoding/matching. The resulting data have an important characteristic: they simulate image acquisition under uncontrolled conditions. We have experimentally confirmed that the proposed strategy can mimic the data degradation factors that usually result from such conditions. Finally, we announce the availability of an online platform for generating degraded synthetic ocular data. This platform is freely accessible worldwide.
Extendable and Adaptive Message-Level Security Enforcement Framework (2006)

The work presented in this paper describes a framework for message level enforcement of among others security, QoS and reliability policies. Particular emphasis has been placed on dynamic "just in time" formation of the enforcement action chains based on the context of an individual message and configuration options of the actual framework. The enforcement framework itself can be extended with additional enforcement options as well as can be configured to utilize functional capabilities of the external services. Multiple deployment options are also considered and presented in this paper.
Robust Fault-Tolerant Control for a Class of Second-Order Nonlinear Systems Using an Adaptive Third-Order Sliding Mode Control (2016)

Due to the robustness against the uncertainties, conventional sliding mode control (SMC) has been extensively developed for fault-tolerant control (FTC) system. However, the FTCs based on conventional SMC provide several disadvantages such as large transient state error, less robustness, and large chattering, that limit its application for real application. In order to enhance the performance, a novel adaptive third-order SMC, which combines a novel third-order sliding mode surface, a continuous strategy and an adaptation law, is proposed. Compared with other innovation approaches, the proposed controller has an excellent capability to tackle several types of actuator faults with an enhancing on robustness, precision, chattering reduction, and time of convergence. The proposed method is then applied for an attitude control of a spacecraft and the results demonstrate the superior performance.
Coupling of Open Tubular Liquid Chromatography to Electrospray Mass Spectrometry with a Nanospray Interface (1999)

The concept of interfacing open tubular liquid chromatography (OTLC) to electrospray ionization mass spectroscopy (ESI-MS) is here introduced. This combination has the potential of becoming a powerful and generic tool for separation and quantification of various complex mixtures. We can demonstrate here how easy and straightforward it is to connect an open capillary LC column to nano-ESI, simply by drawing the column through a stainless steel tube onto which the high voltage (HV) is supplied. This method is compared with applying the HV to a gold-coated column tip and the standard dynamic nanospray interface supplied by the ESI-MS manufacturer. Reliability and stability are documented. OTLC-ESI-MS is demonstrated by separation of fatty acids in the negative mode.
Inhibition of Polo-like kinase 1 reduces beta-amyloid-induced neuronal cell death in Alzheimer's disease (2011)

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive and fatal brain disease, but the pathogenesis of AD is still not understood. Aberrant cell-cycle re-entry of neuronal cells is emerging as a potential pathological mechanism in AD. Polo-like kinase 1 (Plk1) is an established regulator of many cell cycle-related events. Interestingly, Plk1 is present in susceptible hippocampal and cortical neurons of AD patients but not age-matched controls. However, whether Plk1 is involved in the pathogenesis of AD remains elusive. In this study, we showed that Plk1 activity is elevated in AD patient brain as indicated by the increased phosphorylation signal of p150Glued, a Plk1-specific substrate. Furthermore, we demonstrated that Plk1 is elevated during the cell-cycle re-entry of neuronal cells in an in vitro cell-culture model. Significantly, inhibition of Plk1 kinase activity or depletion of Plk1 by RNAi reduces β-amyloid (Aβ)-induced neuronal cell death. These results validate Plk1 as a possible target for AD therapy.
Alizarin Yellow-Modified β-Cyclodextrin as a Guest-Responsive Absorption Change Sensor (1997)

Alizarin yellow-modified β-cyclodextrin (ACD), in which alizarin yellow is linked to β-cyclodextrin via an ethylenediamine spacer, was synthesized as a new absorption change indicator for molecules. Alizarin yellow is a pH indicator that exhibits absorption peaks at 360 and 480 nm in the neutral region and in the alkaline region, respectively, with pKa = 10.98 for an equilibrium between two forms. ACD has two parts to be deprotonated: one is the phenolic hydroxyl group of alizarin yellow residue and the other is the secondary amine group of the spacer. ACD exhibits pH dependency very different from that of alizarin yellow. We obtained two pKa values, 4.88 (pKa1) and 8.89 (pKa2), for ACD by pH titration of its absorption intensity. The pKa1 and pKa2 values were suggested to be the pKa values of the phenolic hydroxyl group of alizarin yellow residue and the secondary amine group, respectively. Upon addition of guest species, the pKa1 and pKa2 values shifted to 5.11 and 7.56, respectively, indicating a larger shift in the pKa for the amine group than for the hydroxyl group. The guest-induced pKa shift in the alkaline region suggests that deprotonation of the amine group of ACD occurs when the alizarin yellow moiety is excluded from the cyclodextrin cavity associated with guest accommodation and exposed to an alkaline environment. The sensitivities of this host to various guests were examined by absorption changes at 475 nm in pH 8.3 phosphate buffer, and the order of the sensitivities was found to be adamantane derivatives > borneol > bile acids. This order is not parallel with that of the binding constants, suggesting that the structural features of the host−guest complexes are important. All these results demonstrate that ACD can be used as an effective chemosensor for molecules.
One-Directional Crystal Growth in Charged Colloidal Silica Dispersions Driven by Diffusion of Base (2004)

Aqueous dispersions of charged colloidal silica particles showed a novel one-directional crystal growth by diffusion of a weak base, pyridine. The colloidal crystal consisted of pillar-shaped crystal grains whose height and width were in the order of centimeter and subcentimeter, respectively. The growth process was explainable in terms of (i) the diffusion of pyridine with neutralization reactions between weakly acidic silica surfaces, (ii) charging up of the silica particles, and (iii) the charge-induced crystallization of the dispersions.
Terahertz time-lapse imaging of hydration in physiological tissues (2011)

This study describes terahertz (THz) imaging of hydration changes in physiological tissues with high water concentration sensitivity. A fast-scanning, pulsed THz imaging system (centered at 525 GHz; 125 GHz bandwidth) was utilized to acquire a 35 mm x 35 mm field-of-view with 0.5 mm x 0.5 mm pixels in less than two minutes. THz time-lapsed images were taken on three sample systems: (1) a simple binary system of water evaporating from a polypropylene towel, (2) the accumulation of fluid at the site of a sulfuric acid burn on <i>ex vivo</i> porcine skin, and (3) the evaporative dehydration of an ex vivo porcine cornea. The diffusion-regulating behavior of corneal tissue is elucidated, and the correlation of THz reflectivity with tissue hydration is measured using THz spectroscopy on four ex vivo corneas. We conclude that THz imaging can discern small differences in the distribution of water in physiological tissues and is a good candidate for burn and corneal imaging.
Mutational analysis of the Shiga toxin and Shiga-like toxin II enzymatic subunits (1990)

The A-subunit polypeptides of Shiga toxin, the Shiga-like toxins (SLTs), and the plant lectin ricin inactivate eucaryotic ribosomes by enzymatically depurinating 28S rRNA. Comparison of the amino acid sequences of the members of the Shiga toxin family and ricin revealed two regions of significant homology that lie within a proposed active-site cleft of the ricin A chain. In previous studies, these conserved sequences of the SLT-I and ricin A subunits have been implicated as active sites. To establish the importance of these regions of homology, we used site-directed mutagenesis to alter the A-subunit sequences of two members of the Shiga toxin family. Substitution of an aspartic acid for glutamic acid 166 of the Slt-IIA subunit decreased the capacity of the polypeptides to inhibit protein synthesis at least 100-fold in a cell-free translation system. However, this mutation did not prevent the expression of immunoreactive, full-length Slt-IIA. In addition, SLT-II holotoxin containing the mutated A subunit was 1,000-fold less toxic to Vero cells. Finally, site-directed mutagenesis was used to delete sequences encoding amino acids 202 through 213 of the Shiga toxin A subunit. Although this deletion did not prevent holotoxin assembly, it abolished cytotoxic activity.
Mapping and characterization of novel parthenocarpy QTLs in tomato (2008)

Parthenocarpy is the development of the fruit in absence of pollination and/or fertilization. In tomato, parthenocarpy is considered as an attractive trait to solve the problems of fruit setting under unfavorable conditions. We studied the genetics of parthenocarpy in two different lines, IL5-1 and IVT-line 1, both carrying Solanum habrochaites chromosome segments. Parthenocarpy in IL5-1 is under the control of two QTLs, one on chromosome 4 (pat4.1) and one on chromosome 5 (pat5.1). IVT-line 1 also contains two parthenocarpy QTLs, one on chromosome 4 (pat4.2) and one on chromosome 9 (pat9.1). In addition, we identified one stigma exsertion locus in IL5-1, located on the long arm of chromosome 5 (se5.1). It is likely that pat4.1, from IL5-1 and pat4.2, from IVT-line 1, both located near the centromere of chromosome 4 are allelic. By making use of the microsynteny between tomato and Arabidopsis in this genetic region, we identified ARF8 as a potential candidate gene for these two QTLs. ARF8 is known to act as an inhibitor for further carpel development in Arabidopsis, in absence of pollination/fertilization. Expression of an aberrant form of the Arabidopsis ARF8 gene, in tomato, has been found to cause parthenocarpy. This candidate gene approach may lead to the first isolation of a parthenocarpy gene in tomato and will allow further use in several crop species.
Imaging of caspase‐3 activation in HeLa cells stimulated with etoposide using a novel fluorescent probe (1999)

Microscopic visualization of intracellular enzyme activity can provide information about the physiological role of the enzyme. Caspases are cysteine proteases that have critical roles in the execution of apoptosis. General fluorometric substrates of caspase-3, such as DEVD-MCA, are unsuitable for imaging because they are excited at short wavelength, so we designed and synthesized novel fluorescent probes that are excited at suitable wavelengths for detecting caspase-3 activity in living cells. Using one of these probes, we succeeded in microscopic visualization of caspase-3-like activity within HeLa cells treated with etoposide. The caspase-3-like activity was increased in the cytosol at first, then expanded to the whole cell.
Anti-Inflammatory and Immunomodulating Properties of a Sterol Fraction from Sideritis foetens Clem. (2001)

A sterol fraction composed of campesterol (7.6%), stigmasterol (28.4%) and beta-sitosterol (61.1%) was obtained by activity-guided fractionation of the acetone extract of Sideritis foetens Clem. This sterol fraction showed anti-inflammatory activity in in vivo murine models of inflammation. It decreased carrageenan paw oedema in mice after oral administration of 30 and 60 mg/kg and inhibited mouse ear oedema induced by 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol acetate (TPA) after topical application. Quantitation of the neutrophil specific marker myeloperoxidase (MPO) demonstrated that its topical anti-inflammatory activity was associated with reduction in neutrophil infiltration into inflamed tissues. Non-cytotoxic concentrations of the sterol fraction inhibited leukocyte granular enzyme release (beta-glucuronidase) and superoxide generation. However, it did not shown any significant inhibitory effect on histamine release from mast cells. In vitro modulatory activity towards the classical pathway of the complement system shown by this fraction would correlate with the anti-inflammatory profile shown in vivo.
Pertussis: Microbiology, Disease, Treatment, and Prevention (2016)

Pertussis is a severe respiratory infection caused by Bordetella pertussis, and in 2008, pertussis was associated with an estimated 16 million cases and 195,000 deaths globally. Sizeable outbreaks of pertussis have been reported over the past 5 years, and disease reemergence has been the focus of international attention to develop a deeper understanding of pathogen virulence and genetic evolution of B. pertussis strains. During the past 20 years, the scientific community has recognized pertussis among adults as well as infants and children. Increased recognition that older children and adolescents are at risk for disease and may transmit B. pertussis to younger siblings has underscored the need to better understand the role of innate, humoral, and cell-mediated immunity, including the role of waning immunity. Although recognition of adult pertussis has increased in tandem with a better understanding of B. pertussis pathogenesis, pertussis in neonates and adults can manifest with atypical clinical presentations. Such disease patterns make pertussis recognition difficult and lead to delays in treatment. Ongoing research using newer tools for molecular analysis holds promise for improved understanding of pertussis epidemiology, bacterial pathogenesis, bioinformatics, and immunology. Together, these advances provide a foundation for the development of new-generation diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines.
The Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Complex and the Control of Gene Expression (2008)

The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) is a ligand-activated transcription factor that controls the expression of a diverse set of genes. The toxicity of the potent AhR ligand 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin is almost exclusively mediated through this receptor. However, the key alterations in gene expression that mediate toxicity are poorly understood. It has been established through characterization of AhR-null mice that the AhR has a required physiological function, yet how endogenous mediators regulate this orphan receptor remains to be established. A picture as to how the AhR/ARNT heterodimer actually mediates gene transcription is starting to emerge. The AhR/ARNT complex can alter transcription both by binding to its cognate response element and through tethering to other transcription factors. In addition, many of the coregulatory proteins necessary for AhR-mediated transcription have been identified. Cross talk between the estrogen receptor and the AhR at the promoter of target genes appears to be an important mode of regulation. Inflammatory signaling pathways and the AhR also appear to be another important site of cross talk at the level of transcription. A major focus of this review is to highlight experimental efforts to characterize nonclassical mechanisms of AhR-mediated modulation of gene transcription.
Polishing approach with fully connected flow‐through purification for therapeutic monoclonal antibody (2018)

The biopharmaceutical industry is evolving toward process intensification that can offer increased productivity and improved economics without sacrificing process robustness. A semi-continuous downstream process linking purification/polishing unit operations in series can reduce or eliminate intermediate holding tanks and reduce overall processing time. Accordingly, we have developed a therapeutic monoclonal antibody polishing template comprised of a connected flow-through polishing technologies that include activated carbon, cation exchange, and anion-exchange chromatography. In this report, we evaluated fully-connected pool-less polishing with three flow-through technologies, operating as a single skid to streamline and improve an mAb purification platform. Laboratory-scale pool-less processing was achieved without utilizing in-line pH adjustment and conductivity dilution based on the previously optimized single process parameter. Two connected flow-through configurations of polishing steps were evaluated: a two-step process using anion exchange and cation exchange and a three step process using activated carbon, anion exchange and cation exchange chromatography. Laboratory-scale proof of concept studies showed comparable performance between the batch purification process and the pool-less process configuration. Three step polishing highly intensified the processes and provided higher process loading and achieved bulk drug specification with higher impurity clearance (>95%) and high overall mAb yield (>95%).
The IBM z13 multithreaded microprocessor (2015)

The IBM z13™ system is the latest generation of the IBM z Systems™ mainframes. The z13 microprocessor improves upon the IBM zEnterprise® EC12 (zEC12) processor with two vector execution units, higher instruction execution parallelism, and a simultaneous multithreaded (SMT) architecture that supports concurrent execution of two threads. These advances yield performance gains in legacy online transaction processing and business analytics workloads. This latest generation system features an eight-core processor chip, a robust cache hierarchy, and large multiprocessor system design optimized for enterprise database and transaction processing workloads. The microprocessor core features a wide super-scalar, out-of-order pipeline that can sustain an instruction fetch, decode, dispatch, and completion rate of six z/Architecture® instructions per cycle. The instruction execution path is predicted by multi-level branch direction and target prediction logic. Complex instructions are split into two or more simpler micro-operations. Instructions are issued out of program order from an instruction issue queue to multiple RISC (reduced instruction set computer) execution units. The super-scalar design can sustain an issue and execution rate of ten micro-operations per cycle: two load/store type instructions, four fixed point (integer) instructions, two floating point or vector instructions, and two branch instructions.