gebhart/patrepeval huggingface dataset:
Fieldbus applications for electrical industrial systems (2002)

The authors investigate the possibility of using fieldbus communication techniques to automate electrical networks in an industrial environment. A digital connection among all the devices operating in a distribution network, such as breakers, contactors, and relays, may allow a large amount of data to be exchanged between such devices and from/to the control system. A survey of the existing techniques for interfacing the plant and the control system is presented, and the configurations that will be possible by using a fieldbus are examined. The possibility of integrating the control of the electrical system with the process control system is discussed. Specifications and functional requirements of different communication protocols are described with respect to the performances that can be achieved by the control devices of an electrical system. The benefits that could be derived from the use of fieldbus techniques to control electrical systems in the various phases (design, erection, start-up, and management) are highlighted.< <ETX xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">&gt;</ETX>
Evaporative Cooling of Actuators for Humanoid Robots (2013)

Autonomous humanoid robots need high torque actuators to be able to walk and run. One problem in this context is the heat generated. In this paper we propose to use water evaporation to improve cooling of the motors. Simulations based on thermodynamic calculations as well as measurements on real actuators show that, under the assumption of the load of a soccer game, cooling can be considerably improved with relatively small amounts of water.
Sensitization of human cervical carcinoma cells to cis-diamminedichloroplatinum(II) by bryostatin 1. (1992)

Bryostatins are an important class of protein kinase C (PKC) activators. We have investigated the effect of bryostatin 1 on the antiproliferative activity of cis-diamminedichloroplatinum(II) (CP). A 24-h pretreatment of HeLa cells with 1 nM bryostatin 1 increased cellular sensitivity to CP by 4-fold. The effect of bryostatin 1 on the IC50 of CP (concentration of drug required to inhibit cell proliferation by 50%) was concentration-dependent and biphasic; the maximum effect of bryostatin 1 was seen with 1 nM, but higher concentrations of bryostatin 1 (greater than or equal to 10 nM) produced less CP sensitization. Although bryostatin 1 and phorbol esters caused an equivalent stimulation of HeLa cell PKC in cell-free systems, bryostatin 1 was less effective than phorbol esters in sensitizing cells to CP. Additionally, higher concentrations of bryostatin 1 (greater than or equal to 10 nM) antagonized CP sensitization by phorbol esters. Bryostatin 1 was even more potent than 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate in inducing PKC down-regulation, and the maximum down-regulation was achieved with 10 nM bryostatin 1. Bryostatin 1 also increased cellular sensitivity to a CP analogue, cis-dichloro(ethylenediamine)platinum(II). A 24-h pretreatment with 1 nM bryostatin 1 increased cellular cis-[3H]DEP by 60%. The concentration- and time-dependent enhancement in CP sensitivity by bryostatin 1 was related to the increase in cis-[3H]DEP level. Thus, cellular accumulation of CP may be regulated by a PKC-dependent phosphorylation event.
Graft polymerization of acrylamide and 2‐acrylamido‐2‐methylpropanesulfonic acid onto starch (1979)

Abstract Mixtures of acrylamide and 2‐acrylamido‐2‐methylpropanesulfonic acid (AASO 3 H) were graft polymerized onto starch by cobalt‐60 irradiation, and the water absorbency and water solubility of the resulting products were determined. The conversion of monomers to polymer was nearly quantitative when pregelatinized wheat starch and a water solution of the two monomers were simultaneously irradiated (simultaneous irradiation conditions). Products with high water absorbency were obtained with equal weights of starch and total monomers when acrylamide:AASO 3 H ratios ranged from 9:1 to 1:3. Water solubility of these polymers was over 50%. Neither of the two monomers gave absorbent polymers when graft polymerized individually onto starch. Although highly absorbent products were also obtained at a total monomer:starch ratio of 2:5, ratios of 1:5 and lower gave products with poor absorbency. Neutralization of AASO 3 H with sodium hydroxide before graft polymerization drastically reduced both the water solubility and absorbency of the final products. A reaction with granular starch was also carried out under simultaneous irradiation with a total monomer:starch ratio of 2:5 and with equal weights of the two monomers. Conversion of monomers to polymer was once again nearly quantitative. To obtain good water absorbency from this granular product, it was necessary to first neutralize the AASO 3 H portion with alkali, then disperse the polymer in hot water, and finally dry the resulting water dispersion. Graft copolymers with good water absorbency were also obtained by adding preirradiated starch to a water solution of acrylamide and AASO 3 H, although only partial conversions of monomers to polymer were realized. Selected products from the various graft polymerizations were fractionated by extraction with either water or a 1% solution of sodium chloride. The synthetic polymer content of the resulting fractions and the percentage of AASO 3 H in the synthetic portion of each polymer were determined. The M n of some of the synthetic polymers was also determined after removal of carbohydrate by enzymatic hydrolysis.
Combinatorial Mutagenesis of the Voltage-Sensing Domain Enables the Optical Resolution of Action Potentials Firing at 60 Hz by a Genetically Encoded Fluorescent Sensor of Membrane Potential (2015)

ArcLight is a genetically encoded fluorescent voltage sensor using the voltage-sensing domain of the voltage-sensing phosphatase from Ciona intestinalis that gives a large but slow-responding optical signal in response to changes in membrane potential (Jin et al., 2012). Fluorescent voltage sensors using the voltage-sensing domain from other species give faster yet weaker optical signals (Baker et al., 2012; Han et al., 2013). Sequence alignment of voltage-sensing phosphatases from different species revealed conserved polar and charged residues at 7 aa intervals in the S1-S3 transmembrane segments of the voltage-sensing domain, suggesting potential coil-coil interactions. The contribution of these residues to the voltage-induced optical signal was tested using a cassette mutagenesis screen by flanking each transmembrane segment with unique restriction sites to allow for the testing of individual mutations in each transmembrane segment, as well as combinations in all four transmembrane segments. Addition of a counter charge in S2 improved the kinetics of the optical response. A double mutation in the S4 domain dramatically reduced the slow component of the optical signal seen in ArcLight. Combining that double S4 mutant with the mutation in the S2 domain yielded a probe with kinetics <10 ms. Optimization of the linker sequence between S4 and the fluorescent protein resulted in a new ArcLight-derived probe, Bongwoori, capable of resolving action potentials in a hippocampal neuron firing at 60 Hz. Additional manipulation of the voltage-sensing domain could potentially lead to fluorescent sensors capable of optically resolving neuronal inhibition and subthreshold synaptic activity.
Increased cathepsin B activity in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of multiple sclerosis patients (1994)

Proteinase levels are increased in multiple sclerosis (MS) lesions and are implicated in demyelination. The cellular origins of the activity are not known, but inflammatory cells of hematogenous origin are one possibility. We studied the levels of two lysosomal proteinases implicated in the proteolysis of myelin basic protein, cathepsin B (CB) and cathepsin D (CD), in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of 20 stable relapsing-remitting MS patients. We prepared and assayed cell lysates of PBMCs from the MS patients, 10 patients with other neurologic diseases (OND), and 12 normal controls (NC). Mean CB activity expressed as milliunits of activity per million cells was significantly increased in MS patients (7.86 +/- 0.54) compared with OND (6.80 +/- 0.74) and NC (5.94 +/- 0.28) cells (p < 0.05). CD levels were not significantly increased. To determine whether the increase was generalized or limited to a subset of cells, PBMCs were fractionated by plate adherence. CB levels in the adherent fraction (AD) of the 20 MS patients were higher than in the nonadherent fraction (NA), and the AD:NA ratio of CB in MS was higher than that in controls. This would be consistent with an increase in CB levels in monocytes and macrophages, cells known to be activated in the peripheral blood of MS patients and implicated as effectors of demyelination.
Tropical secondary forests (1990)

ABSTRACT The literature on tropical secondary forests, defined as those resulting from human disturbance (e.g. logged forests and forest fallows), is reviewed to address questions related to their extent, rates of formation, ecological characteristics, values and uses to humans, and potential for management. Secondary forests are extensive in the tropics, accounting for about 40% of the total forest area and their rates of formation are about 9 million ha yr −1 . Geographical differences in the extent, rates of formation and types of forest being converted exist. Secondary forests appear to accumulate woody plant species at a relatively rapid rate but the mechanisms involved are complex and no clear pattern emerged. Compared to mature forests, the structure of secondary forest vegetation is simple, although age, climate and soil type are modifying factors. Biomass accumulates rapidly in secondary forests, up to 100 t ha −1 during the first 15 yr or so, but history of disturbance may modify this trend. Like biomass, high rates of litter production are established relatively quickly, up to 12–13 t ha −1 yr −1 by age 12–15 yr. And, in younger secondary forests (&lt; 20 yr), litter production is a higher fraction of the net primary productivity than stemwood biomass production. More organic matter is pro duced and transferred to the soil in younger secondary forests than is stored in above-ground vegetation. The impact of this on soil organic matter is significant and explains why the recovery of organic matter in the soil under secondary forests is relatively fast (50 yr or so). Nutrients are accumulated rapidly in secondary vegetation, and are returned quickly by litterfall and decomposition for uptake by roots. We propose a model of the gains and losses, yields and costs, and benefits and tradeoffs to people from the current land-use changes occurring in the tropics. When the conversion of forest lands to secondary forests and agriculture is too fast or land-use stages are skipped, society loses goods and services. To avoid such a loss, we advocate management of tropical forest lands within a landscape perspective, a possibility in the tropics because land tenures and development projects are often large.
Sulfation-dependent recognition of high endothelial venules (HEV)-ligands by L-selectin and MECA 79, and adhesion-blocking monoclonal antibody. (1994)

L-selectin is a lectin-like receptor that mediates the attachment of lymphocytes to high endothelial venules (HEV) of lymph nodes during the process of lymphocyte recirculation. Two sulfated, mucin-like glycoproteins known as Sgp50/GlyCAM-1 and Sgp90/CD34 have previously been identified as HEV-associated ligands for L-selectin. These proteins were originally detected with an L-selectin/Ig chimera called LEC-IgG. GlyCAM-1 and CD34 are also recognized by an antiperipheral node addressin (PNAd) mAb called MECA 79, which blocks L-selectin-dependent adhesion and selectively stains lymph node HEV. The present study compares the requirements for the binding of MECA 79 and LEC-IgG to HEV-ligands. Whereas desialylation of GlyCAM-1 and CD34 drastically reduced binding to LEC-IgG, this treatment enhanced the binding of GlyCAM-1 to MECA 79. In contrast, the binding of both MECA 79 and LEC-IgG to GlyCAM-1 and CD34 was greatly decreased when the sulfation of these ligands was reduced with chlorate, a metabolic inhibitor of sulfation. Because MECA 79 stains HEV-like vessels at various sites of inflammation, recognition by L-selectin of ligands outside of secondary lymphoid organs may depend on sulfation. In addition to their reactivity with GlyCAM-1 and CD34, both MECA 79 and LEC-IgG recognize an independent molecule of approximately 200 kD in a sulfate-dependent manner. Thus, this molecule, which we designate Sgp200, is an additional ligand for L-selectin.
Molecular Typing of Treponema pallidum: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (2011)

Primary lesion was a better specimen for obtaining T. pallidum DNA than blood. There was wide geographic variation in T. pallidum subtypes. More research is needed on the relationship between clinical presentation and subtype, and further validation of ear lobe blood for obtaining T. pallidum DNA would be useful for future molecular studies of syphilis.
Progress in Transcriptionally Targeted and Regulatable Vectors for Genetic Therapy (1997)

Safety is an important consideration in the development of genetic therapy protocols; for example, proteins that are therapeutic in the context of one tissue may be harmful in another. This is particularly relevant to suicide gene strategies for cancer, which require in vivo delivery of DNA and which, in general, demand that the therapeutic product be limited as far as possible to malignant cells. This has led to a requirement for “transcriptionally targeted” vectors that can restrict the expression of the therapeutic sequence to appropriate cells. Furthermore, there may be a therapeutic window for certain proteins such that levels of expression below and above certain thresholds may be ineffective or toxic, respectively. Therefore, it would also be desirable to create vectors that allow exogenous control of expression, so that levels of the therapeutic protein can be raised or lowered according to therapeutic need. In the context of transcriptional targeting, one may sometimes use cis-acting sequences to limit transgene expression to the target cell type. In genetic therapy for cancer, for example, it may be possible to identify and use transcriptional control elements that drive expression of proteins unique to, or over-expressed in, malignant cells. These controls would greatly reduce collateral expression of the transgene, and hence reduce toxicity to healthy cells. With regard to exogenous control of expression subsequent to transduction, several synthetic gene regulation systems have now been produced. In these systems, an inducer or repressor acts on a synthetic transcription factor that recognizes motifs unique to the promoter of the transgene; this allows regulated expression of the therapeutic protein without nonspecific effects on cellular promoters. It is likely that a vector will soon be produced in which tissue-restricted expression of the synthetic transcription factor is combined with regulatable transgene expression thereby allowing precise control of therapeutic protein production in specific tissues via administration of an inducing or repressing agent. If gene transfer vectors can be produced that incorporate mechanisms for restricting expression to the target tissue, and, within that tissue, for precisely regulating expression, they may increase the safety and effectiveness of therapeutic gene transfer protocols. One safety mechanism is the use of cis-acting transcriptional controls to restrict transgene expression to appropriate cell types. Another mechanism is exogenous regulation of transgene expression, usually by means of a synthetic induction or repression system. Here we summarize progress in transcriptionally targeted and regulatable vectors for genetic therapy.
A Fiber-Optic-Cable Connector (1975)

A technique has been developed that is potentially suitable for field-splicing an optical cable containing linear arrays of optical fibers. Linear arrays of fibers (which may reside in fiber ribbons) are placed between spacers that are grooved top and bottom to form stacked, rectangular arrays. This operation can be done without microscopes or micromanipulators. After potting, the ends of the two stacked arrays are polished to form cable terminations that are brought together in a butt joint splice. A 12 × 12 array using this technique exhibited a mean loss of 0.42 dB for 138 splices with 70 percent of the losses less than 0.5 dB. Subsequent single ribbon-to-ribbon splices had average losses less than 0.2 dB. Launching conditions can be duplicated and splice losses are repeatably low for reassembled splices; this presumably is due to polished fiber ends and accurate alignment. Experience gained thus far indicates that this mass splicing method will probably produce large array splices with a maximum loss of 0.5 dB.
Akt activation prevents the force drop induced by eccentric contractions in dystrophin-deficient skeletal muscle (2008)

Skeletal muscles of the mdx mouse, a model of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, show an excessive reduction in the maximal tetanic force following eccentric contractions. This specific sign of the susceptibility of dystrophin-deficient muscles to mechanical stress can be used as a quantitative test to measure the efficacy of therapeutic interventions. Using inducible transgenesis in mice, we show that when Akt activity is increased the force drop induced by eccentric contractions in mdx mice becomes similar to that of wild-type mice. This effect is not correlated with muscle hypertrophy and is not blocked by rapamycin treatment. The force drop induced by eccentric contractions is similar in skinned muscle fibers from mdx and Akt-mdx mice when stretch is applied directly to skinned fibers. However, skinned fibers isolated from mdx muscles exposed to eccentric contractions in vivo develop less isometric force than wild-type fibers and this force depression is completely prevented by Akt activation. These experiments indicate that the myofibrillar-cytoskeletal system of dystrophin-deficient muscle is highly susceptible to a damage caused by eccentric contraction when elongation is applied in vivo, and this damage can be prevented by Akt activation. Microarray and PCR analyses indicate that Akt activation induces up-regulation of genes coding for proteins associated with Z-disks and costameres, and for proteins with anti-oxidant or chaperone function. The protein levels of utrophin and dysferlin are also increased by Akt activation.
The influence of drug polarity on the absorption of opioid drugs into CSF and subsequent cephalad migration following lumbar epidural administration: application to morphine and pethidine (1987)

This study examines the influence of drug polarity on the rate and extent of drug absorption into cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) following lumbar epidural administration. Twelve patients with pain secondary to cancer were simultaneously administered both morphine (10 mg) and pethidine (50 mg) in 10 ml of normal saline via an epidural catheter inserted in the lumbar region (usually L2,3) and attached to a subcutaneously implanted portal reservoir. Frequent blood samples were collected to characterise the vascular uptake of both opioids. In addition, a single CSF sample was collected in each patient from the C7-T1 interspace at one of the following times: 10, 30, 60, 120, 180 and 240 min. There was a rapid vascular uptake of morphine from the epidural space with a mean (+/- S.D.) peak concentration of 173 +/- 80 ng/ml (range 52-345 ng/ml) and a time-to-peak concentration of 8 +/- 6 min (range 2-17 min). In contrast, the vascular uptake of pethidine was more variable with a mean (+/- S.D.) concentration of 274 +/- 294 ng/ml (range 80-1113 ng/ml) and the time-to-peak concentration was 21 +/- 26 min (range 2-75 min). There was a rapid absorption of pethidine across the dura mater into the CSF with peak CSF concentrations between 1400 and 1650 ng/ml occurring between 10 and 60 min in samples collected cephalad (C7-T1 interspace) from the administration point in the lumbar region. However, the peak morphine concentration in CSF was delayed relative to the pethidine peak and occurred at 120 min.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
TonB protein appears to transduce energy by shuttling between the cytoplasmic membrane and the outer membrane in Escherichia coli (1997)

The energy source for active transport of iron-siderophore complexes and vitamin B12 across the outer membrane in Gram-negative bacteria is the cytoplasmic membrane proton-motive force (pmf). TonB protein is required in this process to transduce cytoplasmic membrane energy to the outer membrane. In this study, Escherichia coli TonB was found to be distributed in sucrose density gradients approximately equally between the cytoplasmic membrane and the outer membrane fractions, while two proteins with which it is known to interact, ExbB and ExbD, as well as the NADH oxidase activity characteristic of the cytoplasmic membrane, were localized in the cytoplasmic membrane fraction. Neither the N-terminus of TonB nor the cytoplasmic membrane pmf, both of which are essential for TonB activity, were required for TonB to associate with the outer membrane. When the TonB C-terminus was absent, TonB was found associated with the cytoplasmic membrane, suggesting that the C-terminus was required for outer membrane association. When ExbB and ExbD, as well as their cross-talk-competent homologues ToIQ and ToIR, were absent, TonB was found associated with the outer membrane. TetA-TonB protein, which cannot interact with ExbB/D, was likewise found associated with the outer membrane. These results indicated that the role of ExbB/D in energy transduction is to bring TonB that has reached the outer membrane back to associate with the cytoplasmic membrane. Two possible explanations exist for the observations presented in this study. One possibility is that TonB transduces energy by shuttling between membranes, and, at some stages in the energy-transduction cycle, is associated with either the cytoplasmic membrane or the outer membrane, but not with both at the same time. This hypothesis, together with the alternative interpretation that TonB remains localized in the cytoplasmic membrane and changes its affinity for the outer and cytoplasmic membrane during energy transduction, are incorporated with previous observations into two new models, consistent with the novel aspects of this system, that describe a mechanism for TonB-dependent energy transduction.
Absorption of carbonyl iron. (1986)

The mechanism of carbonyl iron absorption has been studied in rats. Solubilization by gastric acid was a prerequisite for subsequent absorption. The slow rate of solubilization resulted in a more prolonged absorption, responsible for the low toxicity of carbonyl iron. Large doses of carbonyl iron were held for several days by the gastric mucosa of iron-deficient animals. Once it had been solubilized, the subsequent pathway of absorption by the intestinal mucosa and the amount absorbed was similar to that of ferrous ammonium sulfate.
Human multipotent mesenchymal stem cells improve healing after collagenase tendon injury in the rat (2014)

hMSCs can support tendon healing through better vascularization as well as through larger deposits and better organization of the extracellular matrix. The treatment procedure was found to be safe; however, cartilage and bone formation at the implantation site should be taken into account when planning subsequent in vivo and clinical trials on tendinopathy as an expected adverse event.