gebhart/patrepeval huggingface dataset:
Dimensional reduction for reward-based learning (2006)

Reward-based learning in neural systems is challenging because a large number of parameters that affect network function must be optimized solely on the basis of a reward signal that indicates improved performance. Searching the parameter space for an optimal solution is particularly difficult if the network is large. We show that Hebbian forms of synaptic plasticity applied to synapses between a supervisor circuit and the network it is controlling can effectively reduce the dimension of the space of parameters being searched to support efficient reinforcement-based learning in large networks. The critical element is that the connections between the supervisor units and the network must be reciprocal. Once the appropriate connections have been set up by Hebbian plasticity, a reinforcement-based learning procedure leads to rapid learning in a function approximation task. Hebbian plasticity within the network being supervised ultimately allows the network to perform the task without input from the supervisor.
Insulin/insulin‐like growth factor I and other epigenetic modulators of myelin basic protein expression in isolated oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (1988)

The expression of myelin basic protein by the oligodendrocyte is an integral event in the maturation of central nervous system function. Although much is known concerning the various myelin basic protein species, their temporal expression, and processing of RNA transcripts, little is known about the epigenetic factors responsible for the regulation of myelin basic protein (MBP) expression. In this study, we present evidence that insulin/insulin-like growth factor-I can increase the levels of MBP protein in isolated oligodendrocyte progenitor cells cultured in a serumless, chemically defined medium (ODM). Insulin was found to increase MBP protein in a dose-responsive manner, reaching a maximal level at 72 hr of exposure. Both insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) and insulin were demonstrated to have no effect on MBP RNA levels. These data indicate that insulin/IGF-I increased MBP protein levels at a level distal to transcription The dose response of insulin action suggests that it may have a MBP regulatory function, distinct from IGF-I. When added individually, the other supplements of ODM, transferrin (500 ng/ml), and basic fibroblast growth factor (5 ng/ml) had no effect on MBP expression. However, when all three components were combined, a synergistic effect resulting in increased MBP protein and total RNA levels was found. The phorbol ester 12-O-tetradecanoyl phorbol acetate was found to reduce intracellular MBP RNA levels. The cAMP analogue/dibutyryl cAMP had contrasting effects on MBP RNA levels; no effect occurred in cultures grown in fetal calf serum, but a reduction in RNA levels was found in cultures grown in ODM. These data suggest that only a select range of extrinsic factors may be involved in MBP regulation, and depending on the environmental milieu, epigenetic agents may modulate gene activity differently.
Poly(amidoamine) Dendrimer‐Based Multifunctional Nanoparticles (2007)

This chapter contains sections titled: Overview PAMAM Dendrimers: Structure and Biological Properties PAMAM Dendrimers as a Vehicle for Molecular Delivery into Cells PAMAM Dendrimers as Encapsulation Complexes Multifunctional Covalent PAMAM Dendrimer Conjugates PAMAM Dendrimers as MRI Contrast Agents Application of Multifunctional Clusters of PAMAM Dendrimer Methods Synthesis and Characterization of PAMAM Dendrimers PAMAM Dendrimer: Determination of Physical Parameters Quantification of Fluorescence of Targeted PAMAM Conjugates Outlook References
Automatic identification of user goals in Web search (2005)

There has been recent interests in studying the "goal" behind a user's Web query, so that this goal can be used to improve the quality of a search engine's results. Previous studies have mainly focused on using manual query-log investigation to identify Web query goals. In this paper we study whether and how we can automate this goal-identification process. We first present our results from a human subject study that strongly indicate the feasibility of automatic query-goal identification. We then propose two types of features for the goal-identification task: user-click behavior and anchor-link distribution. Our experimental evaluation shows that by combining these features we can correctly identify the goals for 90% of the queries studied.
Alteration of Intestinal Microflora Is Associated With Reduction in Abdominal Bloating and Pain in Patients With Irritable Bowel Syndrome (2000)

OBJECTIVE: The influence of the gastrointestinal (GI) microflora in patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) has not been clearly elucidated. This study was undertaken to see if patients with IBS have an imbalance in their normal colonic flora, as some bacterial taxa are more prone to gas production than others. We also wanted to study whether the flora could be altered by exogenous supplementation. In a previous study we have characterized the mucosa-associated lactobacilli in healthy individuals and found some strains with good colonizing ability. Upon colonization, they seemed to reduce gas formation. METHODS: The study comprised 60 patients with IBS and a normal colonoscopy or barium enema. Patients fulfilling the Rome criteria, without a history of malabsorption, and with normal blood tests underwent a sigmoidoscopy with biopsy. They were randomized into two groups, one receiving 400 ml per day of a rose-hip drink containing 5 × 107 cfu/ml of Lactobacillus plantarum (DSM 9843) and 0.009 g/ml oat flour, and the other group receiving a plain rose-hip drink, comparable in color, texture, and taste. The administration lasted for 4 wk. The patients recorded their own GI function, starting 2 wk before the study and continuing throughout the study period. Twelve months after the end of the study all patients were asked to complete the same questionnaire regarding their symptomatology as at the start of the study. RESULTS: All patients tolerated the products well. The patients receiving Lb. plantarum had these bacteria on rectal biopsies. There were no major changes of Enterobacteriaceae in either group, before or after the study, but the Enterococci increased in the placebo group and remained unchanged in the test group. Flatulence was rapidly and significantly reduced in the test group compared with the placebo group (number of days with abundant gas production, test group 6.5 before, 3.1 after vs 7.4 before and 5.6 after for the placebo group). Abdominal pain was reduced in both groups. At the 12-month follow-up, patients in the test group maintained a better overall GI function than control patients. There was no difference between the groups regarding bloating. Fifty-nine percent of the test group patients had a continuous intake of fermented products, whereas the corresponding figure for the control patients was 73%. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the study indicate that the administration of Lb. plantarum with known probiotic properties decreased pain and flatulence in patients with IBS. The fiber content of the test solution was minimal and it is unlikely that the fiber content could have had any effect. This type of probiotic therapy warrants further studies in IBS patients.
Encoder-Decoder with Atrous Separable Convolution for Semantic Image Segmentation (2018)

Spatial pyramid pooling module or encode-decoder structure are used in deep neural networks for semantic segmentation task. The former networks are able to encode multi-scale contextual information by probing the incoming features with filters or pooling operations at multiple rates and multiple effective fields-of-view, while the latter networks can capture sharper object boundaries by gradually recovering the spatial information. In this work, we propose to combine the advantages from both methods. Specifically, our proposed model, DeepLabv3+, extends DeepLabv3 by adding a simple yet effective decoder module to refine the segmentation results especially along object boundaries. We further explore the Xception model and apply the depthwise separable convolution to both Atrous Spatial Pyramid Pooling and decoder modules, resulting in a faster and stronger encoder-decoder network. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed model on PASCAL VOC 2012 and Cityscapes datasets, achieving the test set performance of 89.0\% and 82.1\% without any post-processing. Our paper is accompanied with a publicly available reference implementation of the proposed models in Tensorflow at \url{https://github.com/tensorflow/models/tree/master/research/deeplab}.
Improved Upper Airway Patency Elicited by Electrical Stimulation of the Hypoglossus Nerves (1996)

The present study evaluated the mechanisms by which upper airway (UAW)-dilating muscle contraction, elicited by hypoglossus nerve (HGN) stimulation, improved UAW patency. Pressure-flow (P-V) relationships of the isolated UAW as well as the negative intraluminal pressures required to cause UAW collapse were assessed before and during electrical stimulation of the HGN in 8 anesthetized, ventilated dogs. Sectioning of the HGN shifted the P-V relationship to the left, while electrical stimulation resulted in a substantial shift of the curve to the right, indicating UAW dilatation. UAW resistance decreased from 9.0 +/- 1.5 to 0.3 +/- 0.1 cm H2O.1(-1).s during HGn stimulation (p < 0.01). The magnitude of negative intraluminal pressure at which UAW collapse occurred (the critical pressure) increased from -2.7 +/- 0.7 to -13.2 +/- 2.1 cm H2O (p < 0.002). The increase in UAW conductance and stability raised the maximal flow which could be sustained without collapse from 0.28 +/- 0.07 to 2.07 +/- 0.35 l/s during HGN stimulation (p < 0.001). These findings indicate that in the anesthetized dog, UAW muscle contraction improves UAW patency both by dilating the UAW and by stiffening its walls.
On-Column Micro Gas Chromatography Detection with Capillary-Based Optical Ring Resonators (2008)

We developed a novel on-column micro gas chromatography (microGC) detector using capillary based optical ring resonators (CBORRs). The CBORR is a thin-walled fused silica capillary with an inner diameter ranging from a few tens to a few hundreds of micrometers. The interior surface of the CBORR is coated with a layer of stationary phase for gas separation. The circular cross section of the CBORR forms a ring resonator and supports whispering gallery modes (WGMs) that circulate along the ring resonator circumference hundreds of times. The evanescent field extends into the core and is sensitive to the refractive index change induced by the interaction between the gas sample and the stationary phase. The WGM can be excited and monitored at any location along the CBORR by placing a tapered optical fiber against the CBORR, thus enabling on-column real-time detection. Rapid separation of both polar and nonpolar samples was demonstrated with subsecond detection speed. Theoretical work was also established to explain the CBORR detection mechanism. While low-nanogram detection limits are observed in these preliminary tests, many methods for improvements are under investigation. The CBORR is directly compatible with traditional capillary GC columns without any dead volumes. Therefore, the CBORR-based muGC is a very promising technology platform for rapid, sensitive, and portable analytical devices.
Differential Binding of Apolipoprotein E Isoforms to Tau and Other Cytoskeletal Proteins (1996)

The apolipoprotein E4 (apoE4) gene dose is a major risk factor for late-onset and sporadic Alzheimer's disease with 50% of homozygous patients developing the disease by age 70. Previous studies have shown localization of apoE to the cytoplasm of certain neurons within the brain. In addition, apoE3, but not apoE4, forms SDS-stable complexes with the microtubule-associated proteins tau and MAP-2. To extend these studies and quantitate the association of apoE with other proteins, the association of apoE3 and apoE4 with several cytoskeletal proteins was examined using both gel shift and overlay assays. In the gel shift assay, apoE3 formed SDS-stable complexes with the longest isoform of human recombinant tau (T4L), the shortest isoform of human recombinant tau (T3), and the 160-kDa neurofilament protein (NFM). ApoE4 did not bind T3, T4L, or NFM in this assay. The association of apoE3 and apoE4 with T4L, actin, or tubulin was further examined in an overlay assay with known amounts of the cytoskeletal proteins slot-blotted onto nitrocellulose and incubated in 0.15 microM (5 microg/ml) apoE3 or apoE4. In this assay, apoE3 and apoE4 bound T4L and tubulin equally well. In contrast, apoE3 bound actin with a significantly greater affinity than did apoE4. These results indicate that apoE isoforms interact with cytoskeletal proteins with at least two different binding affinities. The more avid interaction results in the formation of complexes which are SDS stable and occurs almost exclusively with apoE3, while the other interactions between apoE and cytoskeletal proteins are specific for apoE3.
Protective Effects of Towne Cytomegalovirus Vaccine Against Low-Passage Cytomegalovirus Administered as a Challenge (1989)

To test the protective effect of Towne live attenuated human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) vaccine in normal individuals, we developed a parenteral challenge consisting of a low-passage isolate (Toledo stain) inoculated subcutaneously in graded doses. This challenge virus caused a mild mononucleosis syndrome in seronegative individuals at doses of 10 or 100 pfu. The illness was accompanied by atypical lymphocytosis, raised hepatic enzymes, excretion of HCMV and HCMV-specific immune responses. Naturally seropositive volunteers also developed clinical and laboratory evidence of infection after challenge with 1,000 pfu of Toledo but resisted 10 or 100 pfu. Volunteers who had been vaccinated 1 y earlier also were resistant to disease caused by 10 or 100 pfu of Toledo, although some were asymptomatically infected by the 100 pfu dose. Vaccine-induced immunity to HCMV was as complete as naturally induced immunity when the challenge dose of Toledo was 10 pfu.
Interrelations Between Brachial Endothelial Function and Carotid Intima-Media Thickness in Young Adults (2004)

Brachial FMD is inversely associated with carotid IMT. The number of risk factors in young adults is correlated with increased IMT in subjects with evidence of endothelial dysfunction, but not in subjects with preserved endothelial function. These observations suggest that endothelial dysfunction is an early event in atherosclerosis and that the status of systemic endothelial function may modify the association between risk factors and atherosclerosis.
Airborne Direct Georeferencing of Frame Imagery: An Error Budget (2001)

This paper presents an error analysis for the airborne direct georeferencing technique, where integrated GPS/IMU positioning and navigation systems are used in conjunction with aerial cameras for airborne mapping. The technical specifications for the Applanix POS/AV TM family of airborne positioning and attitude determination systems are used in this study. Two cases are discussed herein, namely the standard stereo model case and the single photo case. The first example is based upon standard map production - where the aerotriangulation step is ultimately bypassed when using the direct exterior orientation information, measured by the POS/AV TM systems during image data acquisition. The second case is not as widely used, yet provides a more economical alternative. In this example, single photos are processed together with the available DEMs to produce orthorectified quads/images. The effect of exterior orientation parameter accuracy on the ground point positioning accuracy is discussed in some detail. In addition to the theoretical analysis, an error breakdown is performed to an airborne set of data where the POS/AV TM 510 system was used to directly georeference or to aid the georeferencing of the aerial frame imagery. Finally, a comparison between the theoretical and practical investigations is presented. The results show that the use of POS/AV enables a variety of mapping products to be generated from airborne navigation and imagery data using ground control only for Q/A purposes.
Microchip-based immunomagnetic detection of circulating tumor cells (2011)

Screening for circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in blood has been an object of interest for evidence of progressive disease, status of disease activity, recognition of clonal evolution of molecular changes and for possible early diagnosis of cancer. We describe a new method of microchip-based immunomagnetic CTC detection, in which the benefits of both immunomagnetic assay and the microfluidic device are combined. As the blood sample flows through the microchannel closely above arrayed magnets, cancer cells labeled with magnetic nanoparticles are separated from blood flow and deposited at the bottom wall of the glass coverslip, which allows direct observation of captured cells with a fluorescence microscope. A polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-based microchannel fixed on a glass coverslip was used to screen blood samples. The thin, flat dimensions of the microchannel, combined with the sharp magnetic field gradient in the vicinity of arrayed magnets with alternate polarities, lead to an effective capture of labeled cells. Compared to the commercially available CellSearch™ system, fewer (25%) magnetic particles are required to achieve a comparable capture rate, while the screening speed (at an optimal blood flow rate of 10 mL h(-1)) is more than five times faster than those reported previously with a microchannel-based assay. For the screening experiment, blood drawn from healthy subjects into CellSave™ tubes was spiked with cultured cancer cell lines of COLO205 and SKBR3. The blood was then kept at room temperature for 48 hours before the screening, emulating the actual clinical cases of blood screening. Customized Fe(3)O(4) magnetic nanoparticles (Veridex Ferrofluid™) conjugated to anti-epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) antibodies were introduced into the blood samples to label cancer cells, and the blood was then run through the microchip device to capture the labelled cells. After capture, the cells were stained with fluorescent labelled anti-cytokeratin, DAPI and anti-CD45. Subsequent immunofluorescence images were taken for the captured cells, followed by comprehensive computer aided analysis based on fluorescence intensities and cell morphology. Rare cancer cells (from ∼1000 cells down to ∼5 cells per mL) with very low tumor cell to blood cell ratios (about 1 : 10(7) to 10(9), including red blood cells) were successfully detected. Cancer cell capture rates of 90% and 86% were demonstrated for COLO205 and SKBR3 cells, respectively.
Methyl 17β-Carboxyester Derivatives of Natural and Synthetic Glucocorticoids: Correlation Between Receptor Binding and Inhibition of in vitro Phytohaemagglutinin-Induced Lymphocyte Blastogenesis (1983)

Several methyl 17 beta-carboxyester derivatives of natural and fluorinated glucocorticoids were synthesized in order to compare their potency to compete for [3H]dexamethasone binding sites in human spleen tumour cytosols (as a source of large quantities of white blood cells) with their potency to inhibit phytohaemagglutinin-induced blastogenesis of normal human peripheral lymphocytes. The 17 beta-carboxylic acids neither show binding activity nor inhibition of blastogenesis. Methylation partially restores the binding capacity and the intensity of this effect depends on the kind of ring substitutions. The sequence of binding potency is identical compared to that of parent steroids and was found to be in the following order: desoxymethasone greater than dexamethasone greater than corticosterone greater than cortisol greater than progesterone greater than 17-hydroxyprogesterone. The phytohaemagglutinin-induced stimulation of [3H]thymidine incorporation resembles the order of binding potency. The methyl 17 beta-carboxyester derivatives of progesterone, 17-hydroxyprogesterone and betamethasone are inactive. The N-benzyl 17 beta-carboxamide analogs of dexamethasone and betamethasone behave like their corresponding carboxyesters, suggesting an important influence of the side chain conformation of 17 beta-carboxyl derivatives on glucocorticoid receptor binding.
Structural Features of L-Tryptophan Required for Activation of TRAP, the trp RNA-binding Attenuation Protein of Bacillus subtilis (1995)

A filter binding assay was used to determine the structural features of L-tryptophan required for activation of TRAP, the trp RNA-binding attenuation protein of Bacillus subtilis. We examined the ability of L-tryptophan and 26 of its analogs to activate TRAP. Our findings show that TRAP activation by L-tryptophan is highly cooperative. We also observed that TRAP activation is stereospecific; D-tryptophan did not activate. Our results further indicate that the alpha-amino group and the carbonyl moiety of the alpha-carboxyl group of the ligand are required for TRAP activation and that the heterocyclic amino nitrogen of L-tryptophan greatly enhances TRAP activation. We also found that changes at several positions of the indole ring of L-tryptophan resulted in reduced TRAP activation. In addition, indole and 5-methylindole were shown to be effective competitors of L-tryptophan activation of TRAP.
The Role of Notch 1 Activation in Cardiosphere Derived Cell Differentiation (2012)

Cardiosphere derived cells (CDC) are present in the human heart and include heterogeneous cell populations of cardiac progenitor cells, multipotent progenitors that play critical roles in the physiological and pathological turnover of heart tissue. Little is known about the molecular pathways that control the differentiation of CDC. In this study, we examined the role of Notch 1/J kappa-recombining binding protein (RBPJ) signaling, a critical cell-fate decision pathway, in CDC differentiation. We isolated CDC from mouse cardiospheres and analyzed the differentiation of transduced cells expressing the Notch1 intracellular domain (N1-ICD), the active form of Notch1, using a terminal differentiation marker polymerase chain reaction (PCR) array. We found that Notch1 primarily supported the differentiation of CDC into smooth muscle cells (SMC), as demonstrated by the upreguation of key SMC proteins, including smooth muscle myosin heavy chain (Myh11) and SM22α (Tagln), in N1-ICD expressing CDC. Conversely, genetic ablation of RBPJ in CDC diminished the expression of SMC differentiation markers, confirming that SMC differentiation CDC is dependent on RBPJ. Finally, in vivo experiments demonstrate enhanced numbers of smooth muscle actin-expressing implanted cells after an injection of N1-ICD-expressing CDC into ischemic myocardium (44±8/high power field (hpf) vs. 11±4/high power field (hpf), n=7 sections, P<0.05). Taken together, these results provide strong evidence that Notch1 promotes SMC differentiation of CDC through an RBPJ-dependent signaling pathway in vitro, which may have important implications for progenitor cell-mediated angiogenesis.
Patient-Controlled Transdermal Fentanyl Hydrochloride vs Intravenous Morphine Pump for Postoperative Pain (2004)

An investigational PCA transdermal system using iontophoresis to deliver fentanyl provided postsurgical pain control equivalent to that of a standard intravenous morphine regimen delivered by a PCA pump.
Selection for Haploidy Inducing Potential in Maize1 (1978)

In maize, enhancement of maternal haploid frequency may be obtained by using specific inducer lines as pollen parent. Haploidy induction potential of an inducer material was increased, through three cycles of full sib selection, from 0⋅16% to more than 3%. Results from the selection experiment suggest that high haploidy inducing potential is a highly heritable trait not appreciably influenced by environment and is controlled by a large number of genes with additive effect. Further improvement in haploidy induction frequency in the inducer line may be obtained through testing and selection.