gebhart/patrepeval huggingface dataset:
Local structures around Mn luminescent centers in Mn-doped nanocrystals of ZnS (1994)

X-ray-absorption fine-structure measurements were carried out to probe the local environment surrounding Mn ions in Mn-doped nanocrystals of ZnS with different size distributions ranging from 30--35 \AA{} to 50--55 \AA{}. The interatomic distances between Mn and neighboring atoms, the coordination number, local disorder, and effective valency determined for the nanocrystals are compared with those in bulk Mn-doped ZnS. The Mn ions are found to substitute for the Zn sites in the host ZnS but with significant size-dependent local structural changes. The questions of Mn-cluster formation and the presence of Mn impurities on the surface of the nanocrystals are addressed. Near-edge x-ray-absorption fine structures indicate that the effective valency of Mn ions in the nanocrystals is close to +2 with a weak size dependence. These local structures are believed to be closely related to the novel optical properties observed in this new class of semiconductors.
Detection of multiple, novel reverse transcriptase coding sequences in human nucleic acids: relation to primate retroviruses (1989)

A variety of chemically synthesized oligonucleotides designed on the basis of amino acid and/or nucleotide sequence data were used to detect a large number of novel reverse transcriptase coding sequences in human and mouse DNAs. Procedures involving Southern blotting, library screening, and the polymerase chain reaction were all used to detect such sequences; the polymerase chain reaction was the most rapid and productive approach. In the polymerase chain reaction, oligonucleotide mixtures based on consensus sequence homologies to reverse transcriptase coding sequences and unique oligonucleotides containing perfect homology to the coding sequences of human T-cell leukemia virus types I and II were both effective in amplifying reverse transcriptase-related DNA. It is shown that human DNA contains a wide spectrum of retrovirus-related reverse transcriptase coding sequences, including some that are clearly related to human T-cell leukemia virus types I and II, some that are related to the L-1 family of long interspersed nucleotide sequences, and others that are related to previously described human endogenous proviral DNAs. In addition, human T-cell leukemia virus type I-related sequences appear to be transcribed in both normal human T cells and in a cell line derived from a human teratocarcinoma.
Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis. Report of 122 children from the International Registry. FHL Study Group of the Histiocyte Society. (1996)

Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a rare, often fatal, disease of early infancy. The diagnosis of HLH is frequently delayed or made at autopsy because no genetic or biologic marker has been identified. To improve the classification and treatment of HLH, the Histiocyte Society has established an 'International Registry for HLH'. Data collected included family history, clinical and laboratory features at the onset of illness, and treatment outcome. Stringent diagnostic criteria (ie fever, splenomegaly, cytopenia, hypertriglyceridemia, and/or hypofibrinogenemia, and hemophagocytosis without evidence of malignancy) were used for patient selection. One hundred and twenty-two patients (61 males, 61 females) were enrolled from 17 centers in 11 countries. The rate of parental consanguinity was 24%. A positive family history was reported in 49% of cases including two pairs of affected male twins. The median age at disease onset was 2.9 months, with no difference between familial and sporadic cases. Age at onset was similar in affected sibs from 10 of 14 families, but in four up to 3-year differences were observed. Hemophagocytosis was present at diagnosis in 75%. An associated infection (usually by common viral pathogens) was reported in 50 of the 122 (41%) cases, of which 25 had familial disease. Natural killer activity was impaired in 36 of 37 patients studied. Chromosome analysis was normal in all tested patients. A decreased frequency of HLA-B7 and B8 alleles and increased frequency of HLA-B21 and DQ3 were observed. The estimated 5-year survival (SE) was 21% (18.7) for all patients. It was 66% (37.8) for patients who received allogeneic bone marrow transplant and 10.1% (9.6) for patients treated with chemotherapy alone (P=0.0001). None of the previously proposed prognostic indicators (age, associated infection, cerebrospinal fluid pleocytosis, family history) correlated with treatment outcome.
An empirical analysis of spreadsheet calculation (1988)

Abstract Spreadsheet calculation is a powerful tool in simple administrative data processing. Formulae in spreadsheets have similar forms to expressions in traditional programming languages, but the implementation of control structures is totally different. This paper contains an analysis of 101 spreadsheets made and used in business and government. The analysis concerns general properties, such as cell contents and referencing, the role of input, output and computation, and the different ways iteration is implemented. Finally some effects of expertise are studied. The results show that less than half of the available functions are really used, only one cell in 25 contains computation, and iteration is implemented in at least four different ways. Formulae are found to differ in their contents from expressions of programming languages, as control structures are implemented differently in these systems. Summation with a constant skip is suggested to be included in the set of functions of spreadsheet calculation.
Prefrontal cognition in schizophrenia and bipolar illness in relation to Val66Met polymorphism of the brain‐derived neurotrophic factor gene (2006)

The measures of prefrontal cognition have been used as endophenotype in molecular-genetic studies. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) has been implicated in cognitive functions and in the pathogenesis of major psychoses. This study investigates the relationship between Val66Met polymorphisms of the BDNF gene and prefrontal cognitive function in 129 patients with schizophrenia and 111 patients with bipolar mood disorder. Cognitive tests included the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), with such domains as number of perseverative errors, non-perseverative errors, completed corrected categories, conceptual level responses, and set to the first category, and the N-back test, where mean reaction time and percent of correct reactions were measured. Genotyping for Val66Met BDNF polymorphism was done by polymerase chain reaction method. In schizophrenia, no relationship between Val66Met polymorphism of the BDNF gene and the results of the WCST was observed. Patients with Val/Val genotype had a higher percentage of correct reactions in the N-back test than those with the remaining genotypes. Bipolar patients with Val/Val genotype obtained significantly better results on three of five domains of the WCST. No relationship between BDNF polymorphism and the results of the N-back test was found in this group. A limitation to the results could be variable psychopathological state and medication during cognitive testing and lack of Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium in schizophrenia group. Val66Met polymorphism of the BDNF gene may be associated with cognitive performance on the WCST in bipolar mood disorder but not in schizophrenia. An association of this polymorphism with performance on the N-back test in schizophrenia and not in bipolar illness may suggest that in schizophrenia, the BDNF system may be connected with early phases of information processing.
Finite element analysis of transcranial electrical stimulation for intraoperative monitoring (2005)

Transcranial electrical stimulation (TES) is an important intraoperative monitoring procedure. When neurosurgery is performed at certain difficult locations within the central nervous system (CNS), TES evaluates CNS functions during surgical manipulations to prevent post-operative complications. However, the parameters currently utilized in TES are usually experimentally determined which may not be optimal. We have constructed a finite elements model to analyze TES based on a 2D volume conductor model. A realistically shaped simulation domain is constructed by taking the inhomogeneous electrical conductivity values of different tissues into account. Laplace's equation is numerically solved with a set of appropriately selected boundary conditions using the finite element method. Our simulation has yielded clear maps of potential and current distributions within the intracranial space, providing valuable information to optimize the TES procedure.
Effects of lipid-lowering therapy on total and coronary mortality (1995)

The results of several lipid-lowering randomized trials were released during the past year. The Scandinavian Simvastatin Survival Study has contributed significantly to the understanding of lipid-lowering on all-cause and coronary mortality outcome. An approximate 25% net difference in cholesterol between the simvastatin and placebo group produced a 30% reduction in total mortality in the simvastatin group (P < 0.01). No increase in noncardiovascular mortality or nonfatal diseases was observed. Although angiographic trials that study atherosclerosis are not designed to show the effect on clinical outcome, several new trials such as the Asymptomatic Carotid Artery Progression Study, the Multicentre Anti-Atheroma Study, the Canadian Coronary Atherosclerosis Intervention Trial and the Stanford Coronary Risk Intervention Project all add information that is consistent with the results from the Scandinavian Simvastatin Survival Study. The meta-analysis of randomized cholesterol-lowering trials also indicates that no excess of all-cause mortality is present when the degree of cholesterol reduction and treatment modality is adjusted. It is probable that the excess mortality from noncardiovascular causes found in unadjusted analyses is due to specific effects of hormones and fibrate drug treatments to reduce cholesterol. It is concluded that the lipid hypothesis is confirmed more solidly than ever before.
Inhaled nitric oxide reduction in systolic pulmonary artery pressure is less in patients with decreased left ventricular ejection fraction. (1997)

These data imply that in patients with left ventricular ejection fraction of 0.25 or less, nitric oxide may not decrease systolic pulmonary artery pressure. Nitric oxide inhalation may result in a paradoxical increase in systolic pulmonary artery pressure in patients with severely depressed left ventricular ejection fraction. This effect would significantly limit the therapeutic role of nitric oxide in patients with severe heart failure.
Corneal innervation and sensitivity to noxious stimuli in trkA knockout mice (1998)

Most primary sensory neurones depend on neurotrophins for survival. Mutant mice in which TrkA, the high-affinity receptor for nerve growth factor (NGF), has been inactivated lack nociceptive neurones in sensory ganglia and do not respond to noxious stimuli. The cornea of the eye is innervated by trigeminal neurones that are activated by noxious mechanical, thermal and chemical stimuli. In the human cornea, these stimuli evoke only sensations of pain. We have analysed the innervation pattern and the response to noxious stimulation of the cornea of trkA (-/-) mutant mice. Corneal nerves were stained with the gold chloride impregnation method. Corneal sensitivity to noxious stimuli was assessed by counting blinking movements evoked by von Frey hairs, topical application of saline at different temperatures and application of acetic acid and capsaicin at different concentrations. In the cornea of trkA (-/-) mutant animals, we observed a drastic reduction in the number of nerve trunks and branches in the corneal stroma. Furthermore, quantitative analysis of the number of thin nerve terminals revealed a marked decrease in the corneal epithelium of trkA (-/-) mice when compared to those present in wild type and trkA (+/-) animals. The blinking response of trkA (-/-) mice to mechanical, thermal and chemical noxious stimuli was also significantly reduced. These results indicate that the population of corneal sensory neurones is markedly depleted in trkA (-/-) mutant mice. However, a small portion of corneal sensory neurones survive in these mice suggesting that they may be NGF independent. On the basis of our results, we propose that these surviving cells are polymodal nociceptive neurones, sensitive to mechanical stimulation, noxious heat and acid.
Induction of a Protective Response in Mice by the Dengue Virus NS3 Protein Using DNA Vaccines (2011)

The dengue non-structural 3 (NS3) is a multifunctional protein, containing a serino-protease domain, located at the N-terminal portion, and helicase, NTPase and RTPase domains present in the C-terminal region. This protein is considered the main target for CD4+ and CD8+ T cell responses during dengue infection, which may be involved in protection. However, few studies have been undertaken evaluating the use of this protein as a protective antigen against dengue, as well as other flavivirus. In the present work, we investigate the protective efficacy of DNA vaccines based on the NS3 protein from DENV2. Different recombinant plasmids were constructed, encoding either the full-length NS3 protein or only its functional domains (protease and helicase), fused or not to a signal peptide (t-PA). The recombinant proteins were successfully expressed in transfected BHK-21 cells, and only plasmids encoding the t-PA signal sequence mediated protein secretion. Balb/c mice were immunized with the different DNA vaccines and challenged with a lethal dose of DENV2. Most animals immunized with plasmids encoding the full-length NS3 or the helicase domain survived challenge, regardless of the presence of the t-PA. However, some mice presented clinical signs of infection with high morbidity (hind leg paralysis and hunched posture), mainly in animal groups immunized with the DNA vaccines based on the helicase domain. On the other hand, inoculation with plasmids encoding the protease domain did not induce any protection, since mortality and morbidity rates in these mouse groups were similar to those detected in the control animals. The cellular immune response was analyzed by ELISPOT with a specific-CD8+ T cell NS3 peptide. Results revealed that the DNA vaccines based on the full-length protein induced the production of INF-γ, thus suggesting the involvement of this branch of the immune system in the protection.
Study and comparison of several permanent-magnet excited rotor types regarding their applicability in electric vehicles (2010)

Due to the limited available space and the high demands in power density and overall efficiency, the permanent magnet synchronous machine (PMSM) is the mainly applied machine type in parallel hybrid electric vehicles (HEV). This machine is used as well in many full electric vehicles (EV). In this work, several permanent-magnet excited rotor types are studied regarding their applicability in EVs and HEVs, and are compared in terms of among others: their maximum torque and power, power density, their efficiency map, field-weakening capability, overload capacity and torque ripple.
Lipopolysaccharide Rapidly Traffics to and from the Golgi Apparatus with the Toll-like Receptor 4-MD-2-CD14 Complex in a Process That Is Distinct from the Initiation of Signal Transduction (2002)

Mammalian responses to LPS require the expression of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), CD14, and MD-2. We expressed fluorescent TLR4 in cell lines and found that TLR4 densely localized to the surface and the Golgi. Similar distributions were observed in human monocytes. Confocal imaging revealed rapid recycling of TLR4-CD14-MD-2 complexes between the Golgi and the plasma membrane. Fluorescent LPS followed these trafficking pathways in CD14-positive cells. The TLR4- adapter protein, MyD88, translocated to the cell surface upon LPS exposure, and cross-linking of surface TLR4 with antibody induced signaling. Golgi-associated TLR4 expression was disrupted by brefeldin A, yet LPS signaling was preserved. We conclude that LPS signaling may be initiated by surface aggregation of TLR4 and is not dependent upon LPS trafficking to the Golgi.
Structural features of double-stranded polyribonucleotides required for immunological specificity and interferon induction. (1975)

Purified antibody to poly(adenylic acid)-poly(uridylic acid) was used in quantitative microcomplement fixation assays to detect conformational variations among several double-helical polyribonucleotide analogs of poly(adenylic acid)-poly(uridylic acid) or poly(inosinic acid)-poly(cytidylic acid) that had been previously evaluated for their ability to induce interferon. Modification at the furanose 2'-position of one or both strands resulted in a dramatic decrease in serological reactivity. Most modifications of the bases caused smaller serological changes, and no base modification caused complete loss of reactivity. The reaction patterns support the conclusion that the structure of the furanose and the overall conformation of the helix are critical in the formation of antigenic determinants. The backbones of both strands appear to be involved in forming a single antigenic site, and base modifications may alter the steric relationship between the backbones. In addition, the same structural changes that substantially alter recognition by antibody also lead to large changes in the interferon-inducing ability of the nucleic acid.
Treatment of implanted mammary tumors with recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus targeted to Her2/neu (2007)

Vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) is being developed for cancer therapy. We have created a recombinant replicating VSV (rrVSV) that targeted to Her2/neu expressing breast cancer cells and expresses mouse GM-CSF. We now tested the efficacy of this rrVSV in the treatment of peritoneal tumor implants of D2F2/E2 cells, a BALB/c mouse mammary tumor cell line, which was stably transfected to express Her2/neu. Mice were treated 1 day following tumor implantation with either 2 x 10(8) infectious doses rrVSV or conditioned media (CM). All control animals developed massive peritoneal tumor with a median survival of 16 days. Nine of 10 rrVSV treated mice survived long term with no evidence of tumor. rrVSV had much less efficacy in treating implants of the parent D2F2 cells that did not express Her2/neu. The median survival was 13.5 days in mice treated with CM and 21 days in those treated with rrVSV. There was one long term survivor in the rrVSV treated group. None of the rrVSV treated animals showed evidence of viral toxicity. Three of 7 long term survivors did not develop tumor when rechallenged first with D2F2/E2 and then with D2F2 cells. Both successful therapy and resistance to rechallenge were T-cell dependent. These studies demonstrate that targeted rrVSV eliminated peritoneal implants of Her2/neu expressing tumor and elicited an anti-tumor T-cell immunologic response.
Subunit Architecture of the Conserved Oligomeric Golgi Complex (2005)

The conserved oligomeric Golgi (COG) complex is thought to function in intra-Golgi retrograde trafficking mediated by coat protein I vesicles, a pathway essential for the proper structure and function of the Golgi apparatus. Previous work suggested that COG might act as a tethering factor to mediate the initial attachment between coat protein I vesicles and Golgi membranes. Here, we present extensive in vitro co-translation and immunoprecipitation experiments leading to a new model for the overall architecture of the mammalian COG complex. The eight COG subunits (Cog1-8) are found to form two heterotrimeric subassemblies (Cog2/3/4 and Cog5/6/7) linked by a heterodimer composed of the remaining subunits (Cog1/8). This model is in excellent agreement with in vivo data presented in an accompanying paper (Oka, T., Vasile, E., Penman, M., Novina, C. D., Dykxhoorn, D. M., Ungar, D., Hughson, F. M., and Krieger, M. (2005) J. Biol. Chem. 280, 32736-32745).
3D noncontrast MR angiography of the distal lower extremities using flow‐sensitive dephasing (FSD)‐prepared balanced SSFP (2009)

While three-dimensional contrast-enhanced MR angiography (MRA) is becoming the method of choice for clinical peripheral arterial disease (PAD) examinations, safety concerns with contrast administration in patients with renal insufficiency have triggered a renaissance of noncontrast MRA. In this work, a noncontrast-MRA technique using electrocardiography-triggered three-dimensional segmented balanced steady-state free precession with flow-sensitive dephasing (FSD) magnetization preparation was developed and tested in the distal lower extremities. FSD preparation was used to induce arterial flow voids at systolic cardiac phase while having little effect on venous blood and static tissues. High-spatial-resolution MRA was obtained by means of magnitude subtraction between a dark-artery scan with FSD preparation at systole and a bright-artery scan without FSD preparation at mid-diastole. In nine healthy volunteers, FSD parameters, including the gradient waveform and the first-order gradient moment, were optimized for excellent MRA image quality. Furthermore, arterial stenosis and occlusion in two peripheral arterial disease patients were identified using the noncontrast-MRA technique, as confirmed by contrast-enhanced MRA. In conclusion, FSD-prepared balanced steady-state free precession in conjunction with electrocardiography gating and image subtraction provides a promising noncontrast-MRA strategy for the distal lower extremities.
Differential effect of IL-10 on dendritic cell-induced T cell proliferation and IFN-gamma production (1993)

IL-10 has previously been shown to inhibit cytokine production by Th1 cells by blocking macrophage accessory cell function. In this study we demonstrate that dendritic cell-induced Th1 proliferation was unaffected by IL-10, whereas macrophage-stimulated proliferation was inhibited in the same system. In contrast dendritic cell induced IFN-gamma production by the Th1 clones was down-regulated by IL-10. Inasmuch as dendritic cells have been shown to be potent APC for T cells in primary responses we determined the effect of IL-10 on dendritic cell-induced proliferation and IFN-gamma production by CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. Dendritic cells were effective at stimulating both proliferation and IFN-gamma secretion of CD4+ or CD8+ T cells in a primary allogeneic mixed leukocyte response. In contrast, IL-10 markedly inhibited dendritic cell driven IFN-gamma production by purified CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. Down-regulation of dendritic cell-induced IFN-gamma production suggests a role for IL-10 in inhibiting the initiation of cell-mediated immune responses.
LIGSITEcsc: predicting ligand binding sites using the Connolly surface and degree of conservation. (2006)

The use of the Connolly surface leads to slight improvements, the prediction re-ranking by conservation to significant improvements of the binding site predictions. A web server for LIGSITEcsc and its source code is available at scoppi.biotec.tu-dresden.de/pocket