gebhart/patrepeval huggingface dataset:
Positive chronotropic and inotropic effects of C-type natriuretic peptide in dogs (1997)

We have recently reported that C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP) has a positive chronotropic effect in dogs. We further investigated the effect of CNP on canine cardiac functions: 1) in situ, by exploring the effects of isoproterenol (10 microg), angiotensin II (ANG II, 5 microg), and CNP (40 microg) injections (n = 8) on computerized epicardial mapping of atrial activation to detect a shift in pacemaker location; 2) by examining the presence of natriuretic peptide receptor (NPR)-A and -B mRNAs in atrial and nodal tissues using semiquantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction; 3) in vitro, using spontaneously beating right atrial preparations (n = 6), by recording the transmembrane potentials of sinoatrial node (SAN) cells before and after injection of CNP (25 microg); and 4) by observing the effects of CNP (25 microg) on contractile force of paced isolated right atrial preparations (n = 6). The results indicate that 1) the site of earliest extracellular electrical activation in the SAN remains mostly unchanged in response to CNP, whereas it shifts to the superior region of the SAN after isoproterenol and ANG II injections; 2) NPR-A and -B mRNAs are present in atrial and nodal tissues; 3) CNP significantly increases the maximal rate of diastolic depolarization and decreases the action potential duration at 75 and 90% of repolarization; and 4) CNP significantly increases atrial contractile force. These results suggest that CNP modifies cardiac ionic currents to produce positive chronotropic and inotropic effects by stimulation of NPR-B receptors, located in the SAN region, and that CNP plays a role in the modulation of cardiac function.
Prussian Blue Nanoparticles Protected by Poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (2003)

Prussian blue (PB) nanoparticles protected by poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) were prepared by mixing aqueous Fe2+, Fe(CN)63-, and PVP solutions together and were characterized by UV-vis, IR, XRPD, and TEM. Averaged dimensions of the nanoparticles were controlled between 12 and 27 nm depending on initial Fe ion concentrations and feed ratios of Fe ion to PVP. Solubility of PB bulk in organic solvents is considerably low; nevertheless, formations of the PB nanoparticles dramatically increase the solubility in a variety of organic solvents. It is noteworthy that the PVP-protected PB nanoparticles stably maintain the cluster formations without further aggregations and dissociation in CHCl3 over 1 month. Measurement of the critical temperature (Tc) where PB nanoparticles exhibit a ferromagnetic property showed a gradual decrease of Tc for the nanoparticles as the particle sizes become smaller. This result could be ascribed to the reduction of the averaged numbers of magnetic interacted neighbors.
Generation of Steady Liquid Microthreads and Micron-Sized Monodisperse Sprays in Gas Streams (1998)

A new class of microscopic jet flows is here reported: for a certain range of physical parameters and geometrical configurations, a perfectly steady microscopic liquid thread can be formed by a laminar accelerating gas stream, eventually giving rise to a nearly monodisperse fine spray. Some interesting characteristics for many applications of this robust and versatile flow and related atomization technique are highlighted. Concentric multicomponent liquid threads can also be produced. A theoretical model is presented that shows agreement with experiments.
Die Attach Film Application in Multi Die Stack Package (2006)

The trend for package miniaturization has created challenges to conventional die attach process. When wafers need to be thinned down beyond 100 mum, challenges in die attach process become great and die attach paste may not be suitable in most cases [Paydenkar, 2004]. The selection of die attach material becomes critical to ensure package robustness and reliability. When die paddle of a package is reduced to less than 0.3mm, the control of bleed out of paste becomes critical. The rheology of paste results in creeping of the material to the edge of die and contaminate the bonding pad when the die is placed and seated upon a certain amount of dispensed paste. New generation of die attach material has been introduced amid this complication, die attach film (DAF) is commonly used for thin die stacked package (< 100 mum). DAF replaces paste in stacked packages for its good control of paste bleed, creeping effect to die edge and also consistent bondline thickness (BLT) at desired thickness. New generation of DAF tape incorporates wafer dicing tape and adhesive in one, namely the dicing die attach film (DDAF), which is mounted onto the back of wafer. The wafer which is mounted with DDAF was diced into the predetermined die size and the diced chip was picked and placed directly to a leadframe or substrate with adhesive at the back . Today, DDAF has been proved to reduce manufacturing process steps and improve productivity. The gain in productivity has improved total package cost, irrespective of the higher material cost when conventional die attach paste is replaced by DDAF
Spatially Resolved Transcriptomics Enables Dissection of Genetic Heterogeneity in Stage III Cutaneous Malignant Melanoma (2018)

Cutaneous malignant melanoma (melanoma) is characterized by a high mutational load, extensive intertumoral and intratumoral genetic heterogeneity, and complex tumor microenvironment (TME) interactions. Further insights into the mechanisms underlying melanoma are crucial for understanding tumor progression and responses to treatment. Here we adapted the technology of spatial transcriptomics (ST) to melanoma lymph node biopsies and successfully sequenced the transcriptomes of over 2,200 tissue domains. Deconvolution combined with traditional approaches for dimensional reduction of transcriptome-wide data enabled us to both visualize the transcriptional landscape within the tissue and identify gene expression profiles linked to specific histologic entities. Our unsupervised analysis revealed a complex spatial intratumoral composition of melanoma metastases that was not evident through morphologic annotation. Each biopsy showed distinct gene expression profiles and included examples of the coexistence of multiple melanoma signatures within a single tumor region as well as shared profiles for lymphoid tissue characterized according to their spatial location and gene expression profiles. The lymphoid area in close proximity to the tumor region displayed a specific expression pattern, which may reflect the TME, a key component to fully understanding tumor progression. In conclusion, using the ST technology to generate gene expression profiles reveals a detailed landscape of melanoma metastases. This should inspire researchers to integrate spatial information into analyses aiming to identify the factors underlying tumor progression and therapy outcome.<b>Significance:</b> Applying ST technology to gene expression profiling in melanoma lymph node metastases reveals a complex transcriptional landscape in a spatial context, which is essential for understanding the multiple components of tumor progression and therapy outcome. <i>Cancer Res; 78(20); 5970-9. ©2018 AACR</i>.
Effect of recombinant erythropoietin in interaction with stromal factors on cord blood hematopoiesis (1996)

To investigate the effect of recombinant erythropoietin (Epo) on primitive human hematopoietic progenitor cells, we cultured cord blood mononuclear cells (CBMNC) and CB CD34+ cells in a Dexter-type long-term culture system (LTC), to which various concentrations of Epo were added at day 0 or 7, with or without direct contact with irradiated allogeneic human marrow stromal layers. In regular stroma-contact cultures, when CBMNC were inoculated, the addition of Epo at 1 to 10 U/mL induced a significant increase in LTC-initiating cells (LTC-IC), particularly in the myeloid component, compared with the control without Epo. Significantly more LTC-IC were generated by the delayed addition of Epo on day 7 than on day 0. On the other hand, when CD34+ cells were inoculated, physiologic concentrations of Epo (0.1 U/mL) induced a more than twofold increase in LTC-IC, which was attributed equally to both the myeloid and erythroid lineages, only when added on day 0. In stroma-noncontact cultures, which were created using a Transwell 0.4-micron microporous membrane filter, dose-dependent suppression of the myeloid component of LTC-IC was observed with a higher concentration of Epo (1 to 100 U/mL) when CBMNC was inoculated. On the other hand, without Epo, fourfold more LTC-IC was generated from CD34+ cells in stroma-noncontact than in stroma-contact cultures, which was then significantly augmented by the addition of Epo (0.1 or 10 U/mL) on day 0. This increase was due to both the myeloid and erythroid lineages. A higher concentration of Epo (100 U/mL) resulted in a decrease in LTC-IC, mainly in myeloid progeny, in all of the culture conditions. Hence, Epo may play an important physiologic role in the maintenance and proliferation of immature stem/progenitor cells, in close interaction with factors from marrow stromal cells.
Screening and Identification of An Organic-solvent-stable Protease-producing Strain (2009)

In this study, 56 organic-solvent-tolerant strains were isolated from oil-pollution water by using MLB medium with 10% benzene (V/V) addition. Among them, the high-yield strain DS1 was finally obtained through the first screening with SMA plate and the second screening with shake flask fermentation. The strain DS1 was identified as Bacillus aquaemaris by its morphological, physiological, biochemical characteristics and 16S rDNA sequence homology. The verifying test showed that the strain DS1 can tolerant organic solvents at different levels, and the organic-solvent-tolerant protease excreted by strain DS1 also has a nice tolerance to organic solvents. This protease is stable in 25% organic solvents with logPow equal to or more than 1.8, and may keep above 70% activity after 14-d cultivation at 30 ℃ and 140 r/min. It was expected that both of the strain DS1 and its protease can be used as catalysts for reactions in organic phase, and have huge potential in industrial application.
3′,5′-Cyclic Diguanylic Acid Reduces the Virulence of Biofilm-Forming Staphylococcus aureus Strains in a Mouse Model of Mastitis Infection (2005)

The cyclic dinucleotide 3',5'-cyclic diguanylic acid (c-di-GMP) is a naturally occurring small molecule that regulates important signaling systems in bacteria. We have recently shown that c-di-GMP inhibits Staphylococcus aureus biofilm formation in vitro and its adherence to HeLa cells. We now report that c-di-GMP treatment has an antimicrobial and antipathogenic activity in vivo and reduces, in a dose-dependent manner, bacterial colonization by biofilm-forming S. aureus strains in a mouse model of mastitis infection. Intramammary injections of 5 and 50 nmol of c-di-GMP decreased colonization (bacterial CFU per gram of gland) by 0.79 (P > 0.05) and 1.44 (P < 0.01) logs, respectively, whereas 200-nmol doses allowed clearance of the bacteria below the detection limit with a reduction of more than 4 logs (P < 0.001) compared to the untreated control groups. These results indicate that cyclic dinucleotides potentially represent an attractive and novel drug platform which could be used alone or in combination with other agents or drugs in the prevention, treatment, or control of infection.
Overlapped speech detection for improved speaker diarization in multiparty meetings (2008)

State-of-the-art speaker diarization systems for meetings are now at a point where overlapped speech contributes significantly to the errors made by the system. However, little if no work has yet been done on detecting overlapped speech. We present our initial work toward developing an overlap detection system for improved meeting diarization. We investigate various features, with a focus on high-precision performance for use in the detector, and examine performance results on a subset of the AMI Meeting Corpus. For the high-quality signal case of a single mixed-headset channel signal, we demonstrate a relative improvement of about 7.4% DER over the baseline diarization system, while for the more challenging case of the single far-field channel signal relative improvement is 3.6%. We also outline steps towards improvement and moving beyond this initial phase.
Wnt signals mediate a fate decision between otic placode and epidermis (2006)

The otic placode, the anlagen of the inner ear, develops from an ectodermal field characterized by expression of the transcription factor Pax2. Previous fate mapping studies suggest that these Pax2(+) cells will give rise to both otic placode tissue and epidermis, but the signals that divide the Pax2(+) field into placodal and epidermal territories are unknown. We report that Wnt signaling is normally activated in a subset of Pax2(+) cells, and that conditional inactivation of beta-catenin in these cells causes an expansion of epidermal markers at the expense of the otic placode. Conversely, conditional activation of beta-catenin in Pax2(+) cells causes an expansion of the otic placode at the expense of epidermis, and the resulting otic tissue expresses exclusively dorsal otocyst markers. Together, these results suggest that Wnt signaling acts instructively to direct Pax2(+) cells to an otic placodal, rather than an epidermal, fate and promotes dorsal cell identities in the otocyst.
Solubilized and insolubilized bone morphogenetic protein. (1979)

A bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) obtained in solution by digestion of demineralized rabbit cortical bone matrix with bacterial collagenase retains its biologically active conformation in a neutral salt/ethylene glycol mixture. BMP may be insolubilized by coprecipitation with calcium phosphate and resolubilized by chemical extraction with a neutral salt in the same solvent mixture. Upon concanavalin A-Sepharose chromatography, BMP is bound by hydrophobic interaction and carbohydrate recognition and is recovered by elution with either alpha-methyl mannoside or ethylene glycol solvent mixture. Implants of both eluates and the extracts of the coprecipitate in double-walled diffusion chambers induce transmembrane bone morphogenesis. BMP is not species specific; rabbit BMP induces new bone formation in the rat. The present observations indicate that BMP is a glycoprotein.
Bolus dynamics: theoretical and experimental aspects. (1997)

This paper analyses the arterial enhancement produced by short intravenous boluses of iodinated contrast medium, with particular attention to the differences between various types of contrast media. A theoretical discussion is presented, followed by a small experimental study. The characteristics of the arterial time-attenuation curve are a function of the rate of contrast medium transit to the extracellular fluid (ECF), osmolality driven transit of water from the ECF into the plasma, direct effects on the heart and pulmonary circulation, the distribution of transit times in the cardiopulmonary circulation and recirculation. Theory predicts that while differences in peak arterial attenuation/peak height (PH) will be small, alterations in the areas under the time-attenuation curve (AUC) will reflect early-phase rate constants in the absence of major inotropic effects. The AUC should be higher for non-ionic than ionic media reflecting these lower rate constants. An experimental study on three healthy dogs confirmed these theoretical observations, with a slightly higher PH (6.5% higher) using a non-ionic medium but a substantially higher AUC (22% higher). (Differences significant at the 5% level, two-tailed paired t-test.) Our theoretical predictions and experimental findings suggest non-ionic media produce superior vascular enhancement, particularly shortly after injection. Possible clinical implications, particularly in dynamic enhanced computed tomography, are discussed.
Kinetics of intermolecular cleavage by hammerhead ribozymes (1992)

The hammerhead catalytic RNA effects cleavage of the phosphodiester backbone of RNA through a transesterification mechanism that generates products with 2'-3'-cyclic phosphate and 5'-hydroxyl termini. A minimal kinetic mechanism for the intermolecular hammerhead cleavage reaction includes substrate binding, cleavage, and product release. Elemental rate constants for these steps were measured with six hammerhead sequences. Changes in substrate length and sequence had little effect on the rate of the cleavage step, but dramatic differences were observed in the substrate dissociation and product release steps that require helix-coil transitions. Rates of substrate binding and product dissociation correlated well with predictions based on the behavior of simple RNA duplexes, but substrate dissociation rates were significantly faster than expected. Ribozyme and substrate alterations that eliminated catalytic activity increased the stability of the hammerhead complex. These results suggest that substrate destabilization may play a role in hammerhead catalysis.
Plasma synthesis of nanostructures for improved thermoelectric properties (2011)

The utilization of silicon-based materials for thermoelectrics is studied with respect to the synthesis and processing of doped silicon nanoparticles from gas phase plasma synthesis. It is found that plasma synthesis enables the formation of spherical, highly crystalline and soft-agglomerated materials. We discuss the requirements for the formation of dense sintered bodies, while keeping the crystallite size small. Small particles a few tens of nanometres and below that are easily achievable from plasma synthesis, and a weak surface oxidation, both lead to a pronounced sinter activity about 350 K below the temperature usually needed for the successful densification of silicon. The thermoelectric properties of our sintered materials are comparable to the best results found for nanocrystalline silicon prepared by methods other than plasma synthesis.
Evaluation of Heterologous Vaginal SHIV SF162p4 Infection Following Vaccination with a Polyvalent Clade B Virus-Like Particle Vaccine (2012)

The vast diversity of HIV-1 infections has greatly impeded the development of a successful HIV-1/AIDS vaccine. Previous vaccine work has demonstrated limited levels of protection against SHIV/SIV infection, but protection was observed only when the challenge virus was directly matched to the vaccine strain. As it is likely impossible to directly match the vaccine strain to all infecting strains in nature, it is necessary to develop an HIV-1 vaccine that can protect against a heterologous viral challenge. In this study we investigated the ability of polyvalent and consensus vaccines to protect against a heterologous clade B challenge. Rhesus macaques were vaccinated with ConB or PolyB virus-like particle vaccines. All vaccines were highly immunogenic with high titers of antibody found in all vaccinated groups against SIV Gag. Antibody responses were also observed against a diverse panel of clade B envelopes. Following vaccination nonhuman primates (NHPs) were challenged via the vaginal route with SHIV(SF162p4). The PolyB vaccine induced a 66.7% reduction in the rate of infection as well as causing a two log reduction in viral burden if infection was not blocked. ConB vaccination had no effect on either the infection rate or viral burden. These results indicate that a polyvalent clade-matched vaccine is better able to protect against a heterologous challenge as compared to a consensus vaccine.
EndoS from Streptococcus pyogenes is hydrolyzed by the cysteine proteinase SpeB and requires glutamic acid 235 and tryptophans for IgG glycan-hydrolyzing activity (2008)

We present novel information about the amino acid requirements for IgG glycan-hydrolyzing activity of the immunomodulating enzyme EndoS. Furthermore, we show that the cysteine proteinase SpeB processes/degrades EndoS and thus emphasize the importance of the SpeB as a degrading/processing enzyme of proteins from the bacterium itself.
Efficient per-nonlinearity distortion analysis for analog and RF circuits (2003)

An efficient distortion analysis methodology is presented for analog and RF circuits that utilizes linear-centric circuit models to generate individual distortion contributions due to each nonlinear component in a circuit. The per-nonlinearity distortion results are obtained via a straightforward post-simulation step that is simpler and more efficient than the Volterra series-based approaches and does not require high-order device-model derivatives. For this reason, the order of analysis can be significantly higher than that for a Volterra series-based implementation while fully accounting for all distortion effects using most existing device models. Moreover, the proposed methodology can also analyze per-nonlinearity distortion for active switching mixers and switch capacitor circuits when they are modeled as periodically time-varying weakly nonlinear systems. The proposed methodology provides important design insights regarding the relationships between design parameters and circuit linearity, hence, the overall system performance. Circuit examples are used to demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed approach, and interesting insights are observed for RF switching mixers in particular.
Simultaneous Photographing of Oxygen and pH In Vivo Using Sensor Films (2011)

Two kinds of imaging: A fluorescent sensor membrane is presented that responds to pH and to pO2 at different emission wavelengths. The fluorescence intensities can be imaged with a digital camera using the red-green-blue (RGB) data storage option.
Numerical Simulation of Advanced Monolithic Microcooler Designs for High Heat Flux Microelectronics (2015)

This study considers CFD simulations with conjugate heat transfer performed in the framework of designing a complex micro-scale cooling geometry. The numerical investigation of the three-dimensional, laminar flow (Reynolds number smaller than 480) and the solid conduction is done on a reduced model of the heat sink micro-structure to enable exploring a variety of configurations at a limited computational cost. The reduced model represents a unit-cell, and uses periodic and symmetry boundary conditions to mimic the conditions in the entire cooling manifold. A simulation of the entire heat sink micro-structure was performed to verify the unit-cell set-up, and the comparison demonstrated that the unit-cell simulations allow reducing the computational cost by two orders of magnitude while retaining accurate results. The baseline design for the unit-cell represents a configuration used in traditional electronic heat sinks, i.e. a simple channel geometry with a rectangular cross section, with a diameter of 50 μm, where the fluid flows between two cooling fins. Subsequently three types of modified geometries with feature sizes of 50 μm were considered: baffled geometries that guide the flow towards the hotspot region, geometries where the fins are connected by crossbars, and a woodpile structure without cooling fins. Three different mass-flow rates were tested. Based on the medium mass-flow rate considered, the woodpile geometry showed the highest heat transfer coefficient with an increase of 70% compared to the baseline geometry, but at the cost of increasing the pressure drop by more than 300%. The crossbar geometries were shown to be promising configurations, with increases in the heat transfer coefficient of more than 20% for a 70% increase in pressure drop. The potential for further optimization of the crossbar configurations by adding or removing individual crossbars will be investigated in a follow up study. The results presented demonstrate the increase in performance that can be obtained by investigating a variety of designs for single phase cooling devices using unit-cell conjugate heat transfer simulations.