gebhart/patrepeval huggingface dataset:
The economic impact of insomnia in managed care: a clearer picture emerges. (2006)

An important question for managed care organizations is whether insomnia is associated with increased consumption of healthcare resources. Even though a large number of adults complain of insomnia, few actually receive a diagnostic code for the condition. Consequently, it has been challenging to consistently measure both direct medical costs and indirect costs attributable to insomnia. Recent data have provided a clearer picture showing that insomnia is a costly medical condition. This paper summarizes current understanding of the prevalence of insomnia and explores its impact on health-related quality of life, workplace productivity, and healthcare resource utilization.
Cell Signaling Arising From Nanotopography: Implications for Nanomedical Devices (2006)

This review discusses the roles in signaling to cells by nanochemical, nanostructural (nanotopography) and mechanical means, as well as recent work and trends in nanobioscience that are relevant to therapeutic applications. It is suggested that the mechanical results may often integrate the other two types of signal. Although the field is still in an almost embryonic but rapidly developing state, it is possible to envisage potential medical devices. Nanoparticle-based therapies are recognized as having some appreciable hazards, while those based on extended nanofeatured surfaces probably have fewer risks.
Structure and properties of zwitterionic polysoaps: functionalization by redox-switchable moieties (2007)

Redoxactive monomeric and polymeric surfactants containing viologen and N-alkylated nicotinic acid moieties were synthesized. These systems are potentially able to trigger reversible changes of self-organization by creation or removal of a charge via a redox reaction. Hence, they are investigated with respect to solubility, aggregation behavior, and their electrochemical properties in water. — All monomers, but only the viologen polymers are water-soluble and drastically decrease the surface tension of water. Critical micelle concentrations are observed for the monomers only. — The chemical reversibility of the redox reactions of the compounds in water was investigated using cyclic voltammetry. The redox reaction of N-alkylated nicotinic acid moieties proves to be only partially reversible, whereas the viologen moiety shows a reversible redox reaction for both monomers and polymers. Thus, viologen is a promissing redox moiety to trigger reversible changes in self-organization of polysoaps.
Color Vision For Road Following (1989)

At Carnegie Mellon University, we have two new vision systems for outdoor road following. The first system, called SCARF (Supervised Classification Applied to Road Following), is designed to be fast and robust when the vehicle is running in both sunshine and shadows under constant illumination. The second system, UNSCARF (UNSupervised Classification Applied to Road Following), is slower, but provides good results even if the sun is alternately covered by clouds or uncovered. SCARF incorporates our results from our previous experience with road tracking by supervised classification. It is an adaptive supervised classification scheme using color data from two cameras to form a new six dimensional color space. The road is localized by a Hough space technique. SCARF is specifically designed for fast implementation on the WARP supercomputer, an experimental parallel architecture developed at Carnegie Mellon. UNSCARF uses an unsupervised classification algorithm to group the pixels in the image into regions. The road is detected by finding the set of regions which, grouped together, best match the road shape. UNSCARF can be expanded easily to perform unsupervised classification on any number of features, and to use any combination of constraints to select the best combination of regions. The basic unsupervised classification segmentation will also have applications outside the realm of road following.
Antimicrobial peptides and endotoxin inhibit cytokine and nitric oxide release but amplify respiratory burst response in human and murine macrophages (2005)

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), in addition to their antibacterial properties, are also chemotactic and signalling molecules that connect the innate and adaptive immune responses. The role of AMP [alpha defensins, LL-37, a cathepsin G-derived peptide (CG117-136), protegrins (PG-1), polymyxin B (PMX) and LLP1] in modulating the respiratory burst response in human and murine macrophages in the presence of bacterial endotoxin [lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or lipooligosaccharide (LOS)] was investigated. AMP were found to neutralize endotoxin induction of nitric oxide and TNFalpha release in macrophages in a dose-dependent manner. In contrast, macrophages primed overnight with AMP and LOS or LPS significantly enhanced reactive oxygen species (ROS) release compared with cells primed with endotoxin or AMP alone, while no responses were seen in unprimed cells. This enhanced ROS release by macrophages was seen in all cell lines including those obtained from C3H/HeJ (TLR4-/-) mice. Similar effects were also seen when AMP and endotoxin were added directly with zymosan to trigger phagocytosis and the respiratory burst in unprimed RAW 264.7 and C3H/HeJ macrophages. Amplification of ROS release was also demonstrated in a cell-free system of xanthine and xanthine oxidase. Although AMP inhibited cytokine and nitric oxide induction by endotoxin in a TLR4-dependent manner, AMP and endotoxin amplified ROS release in a TLR4-independent manner possibly by exerting a prolonged catalytic effect on the ROS generating enzymes such as the NADPH-oxidase complex.
Scaling analysis of phase-change memory technology (2004)

The scaling capability of chalcogenide-based phase-change memory (PCM) is discussed. Experimental and numerical results are presented, showing that the reset current scales down with the device contact area, reaching values as low as 50 /spl mu/A. The impact of thermal cross-talk between adjacent bits is investigated, showing that thermal disturbs will not limit the scaling of PCM down to the 65 nm technology node. Finally, scaling rules for the PCM technology are provided.
Ceramic systems for long‐term delivery of chemicals and biologicals (1988)

Evaluation of devices, drugs, and drug delivery systems have been investigated by both in vitro and in vivo procedures. Ceramic drug delivery systems can be used to evaluate chemicals and biologicals by both in vitro and in vivo procedures. The system can also reduce handling of the animals and facilitate long-term evaluations before conducting clinical trials. To date, ceramic systems have been used to deliver aldosterone, androstanedione, beta-lactoglobulin, bovine serum albumin, chymotrypsin, danazol, difluoromeythylornithine, dihydrotestosterone, estradiol, gamma globulin, gonadotrophic releasing hormone, gossypol, growth hormone, insulin, methylene blue, pepsin, progesterone, and testosterone. The data obtained suggest that ceramic delivery systems can be used in the near future to treat diseases requiring long-term chronic drug therapy as well as disorders caused by deficiency of certain hormones.
Effects of heat treatment of barley starches on in vitro digestibility and glucose responses in rats. (1996)

Starches were purified from barley flours milled from Waxbar, Glacier, high-amylose Glacier (HAG) and hull-less high-amylose Glacier (HHAG) cultivars. Wheat starch, maize amylopectin, maize amylose, and normal maize starch were used for comparative controls. Starches were either boiled or moisture-autoclaved (3 or 12 times) with subsequent cooling overnight, after which enzyme-resistant starch (ERS) was measured. In vitro digestibility and hydrolysis rates over time were determined. Postprandial glucose responses in rats were investigated with starches from Waxbar, Glacier, HAG, and wheat. Production of ERS varied from 0.6% in waxy starches to 18.6% in the high-amylose barleys, compared to 44.2% in maize amylose starch. Boiling of starches produced only marginal effects on digestibility and hydrolysis rates, and no effects on blood Both rate and extent of starch hydrolysis in vitro are regarded as predictors of metabolic responses to complex carbohydrate in vitro (O'Dea and Holm 1985). It has been well established that starch hydrolysis differences correlate with postprandial blood glucose changes in humans under experimental conditions (Brand et al 1985, Bornet et al 1989, Lund and Johnson 1991). Amylomaize starch has been shown to be less susceptible to amylolysis than normal maize (Dreher et al 1984). High-amylose maize starch has been shown to have a positive lowering effect on blood glucose and insulin levels, as well as triglycerides and cholesterol in humans (Behall et al 1988, 1989; Amelsvoort and Weststrate 1992). Goddard et al (1984) observed similar responses from high-amylose rice. Behall et al (1989) concluded that longterm intake of a high-amylose starch may benefit individuals with elevated glucose and insulin levels and apparent insulin resistance, as in early adult-onset diabetes and for hyperlipidemic subjects. High-amylose barley starch purified from the high-amylose mutant of Glacier (HAG) was also found to be less susceptible to ox-amylase than was normal barley starch (Pomeranz et al 1972). Calvert et al (1976) reported that rats consumed less of a purified diet prepared with HAG starch than of a similar diet containing starch prepared from normal Glacier (NG) and, consequently, gained at a slower rate. In another study, Calvert et al (1981) fed diets prepared with HAG and NG to growing swine and found that barley starch type did not significantly affect gain or feed consumption. Rubin et al (1974) demonstrated HAG to be nutritionally superior to five other barleys, including Glacier, as measured by growth of weanling rats. Newman et al ( 1978) confirmed these findings and suggested that the superiority of the HAG was due to a higher lysine content of HAG protein as compared to NG protein.
Fractal stacked monopole with very wide bandwidth (1999)

A parallel feed stacked fractal antenna using the square Sierpinski and diamond Sierpinski carpet is introduced. The design achieves a good input impedance match throughout the passband (1 – 20 GHz) but occasional slight mismatch occurs. Three different experimental results are shown and the measured gain of these antennas is generally &gt; 0 dBi. These antennas are suitable for applications in picocell environments for the operating bands of GSM, DECT and WLAN systems.
Distortion Cancellation in Time-Stretch Analog-to-Digital Converter (2007)

We show that the symmetry properties of the two outputs from a push-pull Mach-Zehnder modulator can be exploited to reject dispersion-induced second-order distortions in the time-stretch analog-to-digital converter (TS-ADC). Using differential operation and signal processing in the digital domain, we experimentally demonstrate suppression of the signal harmonics generated due to system nonlinearities. Simulations predict that distortion-limited dynamic range improves from 34 to 57 dB. In addition, differential signaling improves the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) by 3 dB and rejects an even-order nonlinear distortion added by an electronic digitizer in the TS-ADC. It is also shown that this approach is robust even in the presence of mismatches in the differential signal paths. In general, the approach can also be applied to any ultrawideband (multioctave) optical link to obtain a high dynamic-range system.
Realization of digital filters using block-floating-point arithmetic (1970)

Recently, statistical models for the effects of roundoff noise in fixed-point and floating-point realizations of digital filters have been proposed and verified, and a comparison between these realizations presented. In this paper a structure for implementing digital filters using block-floating-point arithmetic is proposed and a statistical analysis of the effects of roundoff noise is carried out. On the basis of this analysis, block-floating-point is compared to fixed-point and floating-point arithmetic with regard to roundoff noise effects.
Early Hyperglycemia Detected by Continuous Glucose Monitoring in Children at Risk for Type 1 Diabetes (2014)

CGM can detect early hyperglycemia in Ab+ children who are at high risk for progression to diabetes. Proposed CGM predictors of progression to diabetes require further validation.
Concentration of Dihydrotestosterone and 3α-Androstanediol in Naturally Occurring and Androgen- Induced Prostatic Hyperplasia in the Dog (1979)

Previous studies have suggested that dihydrotestosterone accumulation in the prostate may be involved in the pathogenesis of prostatic hyperplasia in man and dog. However, the fact that the administration of 10 mg dihydrotestosterone/d to castrated, mongrel dogs (0.5 mg/kg body wt) causes little growth in the prostate, whereas identical doses of 3alpha- androstanediol regularly induce prostatic hyperplasia (> 14 g weight) has raised the possibility that the dihydrotestosterone accumulation may be the result rather than the cause of the pathology. To investigate the mechanism of this phenomenon, we measured the levels of dihydrotestosterone and 3alpha-androstanediol in prostates from 75 dogs. In both naturally occurring and 3alpha-androstanediol-induced prostatic hyperplasia, the levels of dihydrotestosterone were high (>5 ng/g), whereas in immature glands and glands from dihydrotestosterone-treated animals, levels were similar (2.1 and 2.6 ng/g, respectively). 3alpha-Androstanediol levels were no different in animals treated with dihydrotestosterone or 3alpha-androstanediol.Therefore, because exogenous 3alpha-androstanediol is a better precursor of prostatic dihydrotestosterone than exogenous dihydrotestosterone itself, the effects of treatment with larger doses (2.5 mg/kg per d) of dihydrotestosterone and 3alpha-androstanediol for 12 wk were examined. In these amounts, dihydrotestosterone was as effective as 3alpha-androstanediol in inducing the development of prostatic hyperplasia and in elevating prostatic dihydrotestosterone concentration. Because dihydrotestosterone accumulates in spontaneous prostatic hyperplasia, because the administration of sufficient amounts of dihydrotestosterone to the castrated dog can induce the development of prostatic hyperplasia, and because 3alpha-androstanediol induces the development of hyperplasia via conversion to dihydrotestosterone, we conclude that accumulation of dihydrotestosterone is the cause of canine prostatic hyperplasia.
Steady-State Kinetics of 5-Aminosalicylic Acid and Sulfapyridine during Sulfasalazine Prophylaxis in Ulcerative Colitis (1986)

Fifteen adult and 19 pediatric outpatients with ulcerative colitis were studied to determine the steady-state kinetics of 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA) released from salazosulfapyridine (SASP). Results of excretion in adults (mean 24-h recovery of 5-ASA, 21% in urine and 57% in feces) were compatible with those of healthy volunteers. Since mean SASP dose/kg body weight (about 50 mg/kg) and compliance (reflected in sulfapyridine recovery) were equal in adults and pediatric patients, the results of the patient groups could be compared. Near-complete azo reduction of SASP occurs in children. Absorption and excretion of 5-ASA and metabolism to acetyl-5-ASA did not differ statistically between pediatric and adult patients. However, the fecal excretion of the drug and its metabolites was significantly lower in young patients, although fecal concentrations were the same. The present results demonstrate that SASP is an excellent sustained-release drug for the delivery of 5-ASA to the lower part of the bowel system and provide a reference for comparison of 5-ASA kinetics after treatment with newer 5-ASA preparations.
8.1: Invited Paper : Applications of the Sensics Panoramic HMD (2008)

Abstract The Sensics HMD is a panoramic, wearable display based on OLED microdisplays. Using a tiled design, it simultaneously provides both wide field‐of‐view and high resolution. The display has found application around the world, especially in design/prototyping applications and research into human performance. This paper describes the design and operation of the HMD and some of the applications of the HMD to date.
Proteolytic activation of bacterial toxins by eukaryotic cells is performed by furin and by additional cellular proteases (1995)

Before intoxication can occur, anthrax toxin protective antigen (PA), Pseudomonas exotoxin A (PE), and diphtheria toxin (DT) must be activated by proteolytic cleavage at specific amino acid sequences. Previously, it was shown that PA and DT can be activated by furin. In Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, wild-type (RKKR) and cleavage site mutants of PA, each administered with a modified form of anthrax toxin lethal factor (the N terminus of lethal factor fused to PE domain III), had the following potencies: RKKR (wild type) (concentration causing 50% cell death [EC50] = 12 ng/ml) > or = RAAR (EC50 = 18 ng/ml) > FTKR (EC50 = 24 ng/ml) > STRR (EC50 = 49 ng/ml). In vitro cleavage of PA and cleavage site mutants of PA by furin demonstrated that native PA (RKKR) and PA with the cleavage sequence RAAR are substrates for furin. To characterize eukaryotic proteases that play a role in activating bacterial toxins, furin-deficient CHO cells were selected after chemical mutagenesis. Furin-deficient cells were resistant to PE, whose cleavage site, RQPR, constitutes a furin recognition site and to all PA cleavage site mutants, but were sensitive to DT (EC50 = 2.9 ng/ml) and PA (EC50 = 23 ng/ml), whose respective cleavage sites, RKKR and RVRR, contain additional basic residues. Furin-deficient cells that were transfected with the furin gene regained sensitivity to PE and PA cleavage site mutants. These studies provide evidence that furin can activate the three toxins and that one or more additional proteases contribute to the activation of DT and PA.
Increased resistance to oxidative stress in transgenic tobacco plants overexpressing bacterial serine acetyltransferase (1999)

Plant expression cassettes containing the Escherichia coli cysE gene alleles (encoding SAT) were constructed. After the Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of tobacco, we identified stable transformed plants containing several-fold higher SAT activity in comparison to the control plant. Determination of non-protein thiol contents indicated two- to threefold higher cysteine and glutathione levels in some of these transgenic plants. The maximal elevation of the cysteine level was about fourfold while that of GSH was about twofold higher than in the controls. The most striking physiological consequence of the modification of sulfur metabolite levels in the transgenic plants, however, was their several-fold increased resistance to oxidative stress generated by exogenous hydrogen peroxide.
Nrf2 is a critical regulator of the innate immune response and survival during experimental sepsis (2006)

Host genetic factors that regulate innate immunity determine susceptibility to sepsis. Disruption of nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), a basic leucine zipper transcription factor that regulates redox balance and stress response, dramatically increased the mortality of mice in response to endotoxin- and cecal ligation and puncture-induced septic shock. LPS as well as TNF-alpha stimulus resulted in greater lung inflammation in Nrf2-deficient mice. Temporal analysis of pulmonary global gene expression after LPS challenge revealed augmented expression of large numbers of proinflammatory genes associated with the innate immune response at as early as 30 minutes in lungs of Nrf2-deficient mice, indicating severe immune dysregulation. The expression profile indicated that Nrf2 has a global influence on both MyD88-dependent and -independent signaling. Nrf2-deficient mouse embryonic fibroblasts showed greater activation of NF-kappaB and interferon regulatory factor 3 in response to LPS and polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid [poly(I:C)] stimulus, corroborating the effect of Nrf2 on MyD88-dependent and -independent signaling. Nrf2's regulation of cellular glutathione and other antioxidants is critical for optimal NF-kappaB activation in response to LPS and TNF-alpha. Our study reveals Nrf2 as a novel modifier gene of sepsis that determines survival by mounting an appropriate innate immune response.
Feedforward cancellation of remodulation crosstalk in WDM PON using self-seeded RSOAs (2015)

Remodulation crosstalk in WDM PON using self-seeded RSOAs is characterized by its pulse response. Feedforward cancellation of remodulation crosstalk is proposed and demonstrated, for the first time, using a simple feedforward differentiation method. Experimental results show significant reduction in remodulation crosstalk and 1.7dB improvement in transmission performance at 2.5Gb/s.
Conceptual Considerations for Device-Based Therapy in Acute Decompensated Heart Failure (2020)

Acute decompensated heart failure remains the most common cause of hospitalization in older adults, and studies of pharmacological therapies have yielded limited progress in improving outcomes for these patients. This has prompted the development of novel device-based interventions, classified mechanistically based on the way in which they intend to improve central hemodynamics, increase renal perfusion, remove salt and water from the body, and result in clinically meaningful degrees of decongestion. In this review, we provide an overview of the pathophysiology of acute decompensated heart failure, current management strategies, and failed pharmacological therapies. We provide an in depth description of seven investigational device classes designed to target one or more of the pathophysiologic derangements in acute decompensated heart failure, denoted by the acronym DRI<sub>2</sub>P<sub>2</sub>S. Dilators decrease central pressures by increasing venous capacitance through splanchnic nerve modulation. Removers remove excess fluid through peritoneal dialysis, aquaphoresis, or hemodialysis. Inotropes directly modulate the cardiac nerve plexus to enhance ventricular contractility. Interstitial devices enhance volume removal through lymphatic duct decompression. Pushers are novel descending aorta rotary pumps that directly increase renal artery pressure. Pullers reduce central venous pressures or renal venous pressures to increase renal perfusion. Selective intrarenal artery catheters facilitate direct delivery of short acting vasodilator therapy. We also discuss challenges posed in clinical trial design for these novel device-based strategies including optimal patient selection and appropriate end points to establish efficacy.
Risk Identification for the Ecological Environment of Flood Disasters Based on the Life Cycle (2015)

Aiming at the complexity of ecological environment risk of flood disaster,the life cycle of flood disaster is defined based on the relevant literatures,which is divided into incubation period,development period,outbreak period,recession period and extinction period.The characteristics of each period are analyzed.Further,the main risks for ecological environment faced at each stage under the life cycle of flood disaster are studied systematically to form the systematic ecological environment risk system for flood disaster.
Is Antioxidant and n–3 Supplementation Able to Improve Functional Status in Poststroke Patients? Results from the Nutristroke Trial (2009)

Malnutrition is widely observed in patients admitted to a rehabilitative hospital for stroke rehabilitation, and dietary supplementation, even if not able to improve rehabilitation results, is likely to reduce mortality at the 1-year follow-up.