gebhart/patrepeval huggingface dataset:
Dialysate related cytokine induction and response to recombinant human erythropoietin in haemodialysis patients (2000)

Our data demonstrate that dialysate-related factors such as low bacterial contamination can induce the activation of monocytes, resulting in elevated serum levels of IL-6. Dialysate-related cytokine induction might diminish erythropoiesis. The use of pyrogen free ultrapure dialysate resulted in a better response to rHuEpo. Not only would it save money, but it would also help to maintain an optimal haemoglobin level without further increase in rHuEpo dosage.
Color and texture descriptors (2001)

This paper presents an overview of color and texture descriptors that have been approved for the Final Committee Draft of the MPEG-7 standard. The color and texture descriptors that are described in this paper have undergone extensive evaluation and development during the past two years. Evaluation criteria include effectiveness of the descriptors in similarity retrieval, as well as extraction, storage, and representation complexities. The color descriptors in the standard include a histogram descriptor that is coded using the Haar transform, a color structure histogram, a dominant color descriptor, and a color layout descriptor. The three texture descriptors include one that characterizes homogeneous texture regions and another that represents the local edge distribution. A compact descriptor that facilitates texture browsing is also defined. Each of the descriptors is explained in detail by their semantics, extraction and usage. The effectiveness is documented by experimental results.
Effects of Excipients on Swelling and Drug Release from Compressed Matrices (1997)

Polymers, and particularly hydrogels, are becoming very popular in formulating controlled-release tablets because they are excellent drug carriers. The effects of hydrophilic and hydrophobic polymers, incorporated in matrices containing soluble (propranolol HCl) or less soluble (flurbiprofen) drugs, on swelling and release kinetics were investigated. The results indicate that swelling and release profiles were affected by the amount of ingredients, the characteristics of the polymer, and the drug substances incorporated in the matrices. Swelling may influence the release rate of the drugs from the matrices. The data obtained from the in vitro dissolution study were evaluated on the basis of a theoretical dissolution equation, by linear transformation of the dissolution curve, and by the Peppas equation. The release mechanisms appeared complex and are affected by the composition of the matrix
Signaling through CD38 induces NK cell activation (2001)

Human CD38 is a signal transduction molecule, and, concurrently, an ectoenzyme catalyzing the synthesis and degradation of cyclic ADP-ribose (cADPR), a potent Ca2+ mobilizer. One facet of CD38 that has not yet been addressed is its role in NK cells. To this end, the events triggered by CD38 ligation with agonistic mAb were analyzed on freshly purified human NK cells. Ligation was followed by (i) a significant rise in the intracellular level of Ca2+, (ii) increased expression of HLA class II and CD25, and (iii) tyrosine phosphorylation of discrete cytoplasmic substrates. The phosphorylation cascade involved CD3-zeta and FcepsilonRIgamma chains, zeta-associated protein (ZAP)-70 and the proto-oncogene product c-Cbl. NK effector functions were then analyzed: CD38 signaling was able (iv) to induce release of IFN-gamma and, more prominently, of granulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor, as assessed by measuring both mRNA and protein products; and, lastly, (v) to induce cytolytic effector functions on target cells after IL-2 activation, as shown both by cytotoxicity assays and ultrastructural changes. The tyrosine-phosphorylated substrates and all the effects mediated by CD38 were similar to those observed following triggering via CD16 (FcgammaRIIIA); moreover, Ca2+ mobilization via CD38 no longer operated in NK-derived cell lines lacking CD16. These results suggest that the activation signals transduced by CD38 in NK cells elicit relevant cellular events. The effects are similar to those elicited via CD16 and possibly rely on common signaling pathways.
Multipath Diversity Reception; -e of Spread-Spectrum Multiple-Access Communications (1987)

The analysis of a multipath-combining receiver for direct- sequence spread-spectrum communications through a specular multipath channel is developed. The analysis applies to systems that use quad- riphase-shift-keyed, offset quadriphase-shift-keyed, minimum-shift- keyed, or binary phase-shift-keyed modulation. The measures of per- formance are the signal-to-noise ratio and approximations to the error probability involving the signal-to-noise ratio. The performance of a multipath-combining receiver is determined not only for the case of a single transmitter, but also for the case of multiple interfering transmit: ters. Furthermore, the performance of the system is determined in terms of parameters of the signature sequences. These parameters can be used as guides in selecting signature sequences for the system. Results are also given for the case of randomly generated signature sequences. N this paper, we consider the analysis of a multi- path-combining receiver related to those suggested in (l). The analysis applies to systems that use quadriphase-shift- keyed (QPSK), offset quadriphase-shift-keyed (OQPSK), min- imum-shift-keyed (MSK), or binary phase-shift-keyed (BPSK) modulation. We consider a multipath-combining receiver and determine the performance of the system not only for the case of a single transmitter, but also for the case of multiple interfering transmitters. Furthermore, we determine the per- formance of the system in terms of parameters of the signature sequences that are used in the system. These parameters can therefore be used as gpides in selecting signature sequences for the system. Results are also given for the case of randomly generated signature sequences. A complete analysis of the multipath-combining receiver
Semiconductor Nanowire: What’s Next? (2010)

In this perspective, we take a critical look at the research progress within the nanowire community for the past decade. We discuss issues on the discovery of fundamentally new phenomena versus performance benchmarking for many of the nanowire applications. We also notice that both the bottom-up and top-down approaches have played important roles in advancing our fundamental understanding of this new class of nanostructures. Finally we attempt to look into the future and offer our personal opinions on what the future trends will be in nanowire research.
Caries risk determination and cost-effectiveness of targeted prevention in adolescents (2002)

The aim of this study was to assess a series of caries risk indicators to find a suitable model for screening adolescents for risk cases, and to evaluate the long-term efficacy and cost-effectiveness of an one-year intervention programme provided for the resulting risk groups. To reduce the spread of infectious diseases at 20 day-care centres, risk factors for the occurrence of salivary mutans streptococci were surveyed in 345 children before and after 8 months of intervention, i.e. withdrawal of tooth brushing in 10 centres. Dental health habits were evaluated by means of questionnaires. Four clinical and six salivary tests were related to 11-month caries increment in 181 adolescents. The 109 high-risk subjects presenting four or more risk factors were provided either with chlorhexidine or fluoride treatment, the low-risk group receiving basic prevention. An age and sex-matched control group was chosen. Life-long data on all 390 subjects were collected from their dental records. Survival analysis was applied, taking as the starting point the time of tooth eruption and as the event the first filling due to caries. The costs of the intervention and the number of fillings were compared between the groups. The dental health of the risk groups tended to approach the average level for the control group. One tooth surface per subject was saved from filling. The costs of fillings for the control group were twice as great as those for the risk groups at the end of the intervention, but only slightly more after the five-year follow-up period. The model (DFS, Candida and sucrase) offers additive information for finding adolescents at risk of caries, and for targeting preventive measures at the individual level and for the motivation of patients. The results stress the importance of dental age and of providing preventive procedures at the time of tooth eruption. The present risk-based strategy proved to be of moderate benefit to dental health by comparison with the costs of normal preventive and restorative care and cannot be recommended as such for a target population with a high risk of caries.
Reduced resting-state brain activity in the “default network” in normal aging (2007)

Normal aging is associated with cognitive decline. Functions such as attention, information processing, and working memory are compromised. It has been hypothesized that not only regional changes, but also alterations in the integration of regional brain activity (functional brain connectivity) underlie the observed age-related deficits. Here, we examined the functional properties of brain networks based on spontaneous fluctuations within brain systems using functional magnetic resonance imaging. We hypothesized that functional connectivity of intrinsic brain activity in the "default-mode" network (DMN) is affected by normal aging and that this relates to cognitive function. Ten younger and 22 older subjects were scanned at "rest," that is, lying awake with eyes closed. Our results show decreased activity in older versus younger subjects in 2 resting-state networks (RSNs) resembling the previously described DMN, containing the superior and middle frontal gyrus, posterior cingulate, middle temporal gyrus, and the superior parietal region. These results remain significant after correction for RSN-specific gray matter volume. The relevance of these findings is illustrated by the correlation between reduced activity of one of these RSNs and less effective executive functioning/processing speed in the older group.
The contribution of macrophyte‐derived organic matter to microbial biomass in salt‐marsh sediments: Stable carbon isotope analysis of microbial biomarkers (1999)

Stable carbon isotope ratios of bacterial biomarkers were determined to infer sources of organic carbon used by bacteria in the sediments of three salt marshes. Biomarkers studied were polar lipid‐derived fatty acids (PLFA), mainly bacteria‐specific, methyl‐branched i15:0 and a15:0. Experiments showed that isotopic fractionation between substrate and biomarkers was relatively constant (–4 to –6‰, on average) compared to the wide range in 13 C/ 12 C ratios of carbon sources found in the studied marshes. At the Spartina site of the Waarde Marsh (The Netherlands), biomarker 13 C/ 12 C ratios were depleted by approximately 6‰ more than expected for bacteria growing on Spartina litter and were similar to an unvegetated control sediment. This pattern suggested that local macrophyte production was of little importance and that other material (probably of algal origin) was the dominant carbon source for bacterial growth. Spartina contributed about half of the carbon in bacterial PLFA at the Kattendijke Marsh (The Netherlands) and dominated at the Great Marshes (U.S.). The variation in bacterial carbon sources in these marshes was probably related to estimated inputs of nonmacrophyte organic matter to the sediment. At the Waarde Marsh, a clear plant species effect was found as coupling between plant and bacteria was more important in Scirpus maritimus than in Spartina anglica . The contribution of local plant production to bacterial biomass in salt‐marsh sediments is highly variable between marshes and depends on the input of nonmacrophyte material by sedimentation in comparison to local plant input, which in turn may differ among plant species.
The Laser-Assisted End-to-Side Microvascular Anastomosis (1989)

A simple method of performing the laser-assisted end-to-side microvascular anastomosis was devised. This technique was tested on 150 Sprague-Dawley rats in two separate series of experiments. In the first, end-to-side anastomoses were performed on the iliac artery under the normal tension due to the elastic recoil of severed vessels. Four stay sutures were placed 90 degrees apart, and the intervals were "spot welded" with a low-wattage CO2 microsurgical laser unit. The patency rate (96 percent) was equivalent to that found in a control group utilizing the conventional all-suture method (92 percent), but there was a significantly higher aneurysm rate (44 versus 11 percent). In a second model, an arterial bypass with very low anastomotic tension was performed around an obstruction created in the carotid artery. This model resulted in turbulent flow but low anastomotic tension. Here the laser-anastomosis patency rate was 98 percent, versus 42 percent for the conventional all-suture method. The placement of fewer sutures in association with turbulent flow in this model may account for the improved patency rate. The avoidance of excessive tension at the anastomotic site reduced the incidence of aneurysms to a negligible level.
The guidance receptor neogenin promotes pulmonary inflammation during lung injury (2011)

Lung injury is marked by a persistent self-propagating inflammation within the pulmonary tissue that is initiated by the migration of leukocytes into the alveolar space. Recent work has demonstrated that neuronal guidance proteins are involved into the orchestration of leukocyte migration. Neogenin is a crucial guidance receptor for axonal migration, yet its role during leukocyte migration and acute inflammation is to date unknown. Here, we report that neogenin influences neutrophil migration across endothelial HMEC-1 and alveolar A549 monolayers in vitro. In vivo, Neo1(-/-) mice demonstrated 59% reduced cell count, 41% reduced TNF-α, and 76% reduced IL-6 levels within the alveolar space during lung injury. In studies employing chimeric animals, the presence of Neo1(-/-) bone marrow was associated with a 42% reduction of cell count and reduced inflammatory changes within pulmonary tissue during lung injury. The functional inhibition of neogenin through antibody injection confirmed these results and the role of neogenin for the inflammatory changes within the alveolar space. Previously unappreciated, the guidance receptor neogenin has a significant effect on the orchestration of leukocyte migration and the control of acute inflammation.
Path loss statistics and mechanisms of transhorizonpropagation over a sea path (1996)

Carrier amplitude data at 11.6 GHz captured on four parallel transhorizon links over the sea have been divided into four groups according to the identified dominating propagation mechanisms. The statistics of path loss are each found to be lognormal. The rate of occurrence of the mechanisms is investigated relative to transmitter/receiver heights, diffraction and evaporation ducting.
O/W Microemulsions (1980)

ABSTRACT The stability regions for O/W microemulsions in the system water pentanol, sodium dodecyl sulphate and different hydrocarbons were determined by titration and long term storage in thermostated conditions. The microemulsion regions were highly dependent on the nature of the hydrocarbon and pronounced kinetic stability was encountered. The results formed a basis for simple rules to prepare O/W microemulsions with optimal stability.
Determination of the Metal Ion Separation and Energies of the Three Lowest Electronic States of Dimanganese(II,II) Complexes and Enzymes: Catalase and Liver Arginase (1995)

The dimanganese (II,II) catalase from Thermus thermophilus, MnCat(II,II), arginase from rat liver, Arg(II,II), and several dimanganese(II,II) compounds, LMn2XY2, which are functional catalase mimics, all possess a pair of coupled Mn(II) ions in their catalytic sites. For each of these, we have measured by EPR spectroscopy the relative energies separating the three lowest electronic states (singlet, triplet, and quintet), described a general method for extracting the individual spectra for these states by multicomponent analysis, and determined the Mn-Mn separation. The triplet-singlet and quintet-singlet energy gaps were modeled well by fitting the temperature dependence of the EPR intensities to a Boltzmann expression for a pair of Mn(II) ions coupled by isotropic Heisenberg spin exchange (-2JS1S2). This dependence indicates diamagnetic ground states with delta E10 (cm-1) = magnitude of 2J = 4 and 11.2 cm-1 for Arg-(II,II)(+borate) and MnCat(II,II)(phosphate), respectively. This large difference in magnitude of 2J reflects either a difference in the bridging ligands or, possibly, a weaker ligand field (larger ionization potential) for the Mn(II) ions in arginase. In n-butanol/CH2Cl2 the triplet-singlet energy gaps for [LMn2(CH3CO2)](C1O4)2 (1), [LMn2(CH3CO2)3] (2), and [LMn2Cl3] (3), where HL = N,N,N',N'-tetrakis(2-methylenebenzimidazole)-1,3-diaminopropan+ ++-2-ol, are 23-24 cm-1. Comparison of the Heisenberg exchange interaction constants for more than 30 dimanganese(II,II) complexes suggests a possible bridging structure of (mu-OH)(mu-carboxylate)1-2 for MnCat(II,II), while the 3-fold weaker coupling in Arg(II,II) suggests mu-aqua in place of mu-hydroxide. EPR spectra of both the triplet and quintet electronic states were extracted and found to exhibit zero-field splittings (ZFS) and resolved 55Mn hyperfine splittings indicating spin-coupled Mn2-(II,II) species. The major ZFS interaction could be attributed to the magnetic dipole-dipole interaction between the Mn(II) ions. A linear correlation is observed between the crystallographically determined Mn-Mn distance and the ZFS of the quintet state (D2) for five dimanganese pairs for which both data sets are available. Using this correlation, the Mn-Mn distance in Arg(II,II) is predicted to be 3.36-3.57 A for the native enzyme (multiple forms) and 3.59 A for MnCat(II,II)(phosphate). Addition of the inhibitor borate to Arg(II,II) simplifies the ZFS, indicative of conversion to a single species with mean Mn-Mn separation of 3.50 A. The second metal ion in dinuclear complexes possessing a shared bridging ligand has been shown to attenuate the strength of the mu-ligand field potential, as monitored by the strength of the single ion ZFS.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Isolation and characterization of the circulating form of human endostatin (1997)

Recently, fragments of extracellular proteins, including endostatin, were defined as a novel group of angiogenesis inhibitors. In this study, human plasma equivalent hemofiltrate was used as a source for the purification of high molecular weight peptides (10-20 kDa), and the isolation and identification of circulating human endostatin are described. The purification of this C-terminal fragment of collagen alpha1(XVIII) was guided by MALDI-MS and the exact molecular mass determined by ESI-MS was found to be 18 494 Da. N-terminal sequencing revealed the identity of this putative angiogenesis inhibitor and its close relation to mouse endostatin. The cysteine residues 1-3 and 2-4 in the molecule are linked by disulfide bridges. In vitro biological characterization of the native protein demonstrated no anti-proliferative activity on different endothelial cell types. These data indicate that human endostatin, which is a putative angiogenesis inhibitor, is present in the circulation.
Growth hormone treatment stimulates thymulin production in aged dogs. (1987)

Diminished thymic morphology and function and a decreased provocative growth hormone (GH) response are characteristic of normal ageing. We have previously demonstrated that bovine growth hormone (bGH) treatment of adult dogs tends to result in a rejuvenation of thymic morphology. The purpose of this study was twofold: (1) to determine concentrations of thymulin (a thymic hormone) in plasma from dogs of various ages, and (2) to evaluate the effect of bGH administration on plasma thymulin concentration and thymus morphology in 'middle-aged' and 'old-aged' dogs. 'Young' (4 months), 'middle-aged' (33-55 months) and 'old-aged' (63-83 months) female beagles served as subjects for this study. Middle- and old-aged dogs were injected with either bGH or bovine serum albumin (control) for 1 month. Thymulin concentration in plasma was determined by the rosette-inhibition bioassay. An age-associated decline in the plasma concentration of thymulin was detected. Plasma thymulin concentration increased in every bGH-treated dog. In middle-aged but not old-aged dogs, bGH treatment resulted in rejuvenation of thymic morphological features as determined by stereological and histomorphological procedures. The results suggest that exogenous GH may be useful for restoration of some immune functions in aged individuals.
Optoelectronic Plethysmography in Intensive Care Patients (2000)

We used optoelectronic plethysmography to study 11 normal subjects during quiet and deep breathing, six sedated and paralyzed patients with acute lung injury and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ALI/ARDS) receiving continuous positive pressure ventilation (CPPV) (positive end-expiratory pressure [PEEP] = 10 cm H(2)O, tidal volume [VT] = 300, 600, 900 ml), and seven ALI/ARDS patients receiving pressure support ventilation (PSV) (PEEP 10 cm H(2)O, pressure support = 5, 10, 15, 25 cm H(2)O). The volumes measured using optoelectronic plethysmography were compared with measurements taken using spirometry and pneumotachography. The three methods were highly correlated. The discrepancies found were 1.7 +/- 5.9%, -1.6 +/- 5.4%, and 4.9 +/- 6.4% when comparing optoelectronic plethysmography with spirometry, optoelectronic plethysmography with pneumotachography, and spirometry with pneumotachography, respectively. Accuracy of the compartmentalization procedure (upper thorax, lower thorax, and abdomen) was assessed by calculating compartmental volume changes during isovolume maneuvers. The discrepancy from the ideal zero line was -2.1 +/- 48.3 ml. Abdominal contribution to inspired volume was greater for normal subjects than for PSV patients (63 +/- 11% versus 43 +/- 14%, p < 0.001). It decreased with VT for normal subjects (48.5 +/- 15%, p < 0.05), whereas it increased for CPPV patients (61 +/- 10%, p < 0.05). No significant distribution differences were found between 5 and 25 cm H(2)O PSV. We conclude that optoelectronic plethysmography is a feasible technique able to provide unique data on the distribution of chest wall volume changes in intensive care patients.
A Watt-Level Stacked-FET Linear Power Amplifier in Silicon-on-Insulator CMOS (2009)

A single-stage stacked field-effect transistor (FET) linear power amplifier (PA) is demonstrated using 0.28-¿m 2.5-V standard I/O FETs in a 0.13-¿m silicon-on-insulator (SOI) CMOS technology. To overcome the low breakdown voltage limit of MOSFETs, a stacked-FET structure is employed, where four transistors are connected in series so that their output voltage swings are added in phase. With a 6.5-V supply, the measured PA achieves a small-signal gain of 14.6 dB, a saturated output power of 32.4 dBm, and a maximum power-added efficiency (PAE) of 47% at 1.9 GHz. Using a reverse-link IS-95 code division multiple access modulated signal, the PA shows an average output power of up to 28.7 dBm with a PAE of 41.2% while meeting the adjacent channel power ratio requirement. Using an uplink wideband code division multiple access modulated signal, the PA shows an average output power of up to 29.4 dBm with a PAE of 41.4% while meeting the adjacent channel leakage ratio requirement. The stacked-FET PA is designed to withstand up to 9 V of supply voltage before reaching its breakdown limit. This is the first reported stacked-FET linear PA in submicrometer SOI CMOS technology that delivers watt-level output power in the gigahertz frequency range with efficiency and linearity performance comparable to those of GaAs-based PAs.