gebhart/patrepeval huggingface dataset:
Structural requirements for assembly of dimeric IgA probed by site-directed mutagenesis of J chain and a cysteine residue of the α-chain CH2 domain (1997)

The structural features of J chain required for interaction with IgA in IgA dimer assembly were investigated by coexpression of wild-type and mutant forms of J chain with IgA1 in CHO cells. With wild-type J chain, a mixture of J chain-containing dimers and monomers was secreted. Substitution of Cys14 of J chain with Ser resulted in expression of only monomer IgA covalently associated with J chain. Similarly, mutation of Cys68 to Ser also resulted in expression predominantly of a monomer IgA-J chain species. These results suggest that Cys14 and Cys68 play critical roles in formation of J chain-containing IgA dimers, with each forming a disulfide bridge to an IgA monomer. Substitution of Asn48 with Ala, to prevent attachment of N-linked carbohydrate to J chain, also resulted in markedly reduced dimer assembly, suggesting a requirement for the sugar moiety in J chain function. We also mutated Cys311 on the C alpha2 domain of the IgA heavy chain to Ser. When coexpressed with wild-type J chain, this mutant was still capable of forming dimers, indicating that this residue was not involved in dimerization. Taken together, our results are consistent with an arrangement in which IgA monomers are linked end-to-end with J chain interposed.
Node popularity as a hypertext browsing aid (1991)

SUMMARY We have performed a user study where the popularity of each node in a hypertext database was presented with the links leading to that node. Popularity was computed by counting the number of users who had previously visited the node. Our users clearly incorporated popularity information in their decisions; we compare their browsing patterns with a control group for whom the popularity information was not provided. One possible use of popularity can be to offset the previously documented trait of users to over-select items near the top or bottom of a linear list. We document that popularity information affects user behavior, but we do not necessarily advocate its use. Incorporating popularity information raises other questions of design and ethics which are beyond the scope of this paper.
Optical and Interferometric Lithography - Nanotechnology Enablers (2005)

Interferometric lithography (IL), the interference of a small number of coherent optical beams, is a powerful technique for the fabrication of a wide array of samples of interest for nanoscience and nanotechnology. The techniques and limits of IL are discussed with particular attention to the smallest scales achievable. With immersion techniques, the smallest pattern size for a single exposure is a half-pitch of /spl lambda//4n where /spl lambda/ is the optical wavelength and n is the refractive index of the immersion material. Currently with a 193-nm excimer laser source and H/sub 2/O immersion, this limiting dimension is /spl sim/34 nm. With nonlinear spatial frequency multiplication techniques, this limit is extended by factors of 1/2, 1/3, etc.-extending well into the nanoscale regime. IL provides an inexpensive, large-area capability as a result of its parallelism. Multiple exposures, multiple beams, and mix-and-match with other lithographies extend the range of applicability. Imaging IL provides an approach to arbitrary structures with comparable resolution. Numerous application areas, including nanoscale epitaxial growth for semiconductor heterostructures; nanofluidics for biological separations; nanomagnetics for increased storage density; nanophotonics including distributed feedback and distributed Bragg reflectors, two- and three-dimensional photonic crystals, metamaterials, and negative refractive index materials for enhanced optical interactions are briefly reviewed.
Robust reconstruction of B1+ maps by projection into a spherical functions space (2013)

A spherical functions model can well approximate the magnetic fields inside the body with few basis terms. Exploiting this compression capability, B1 (+) maps are reconstructed in regions of unknown or corrupted values.
Management of Multiple Sclerosis (1997)

Multiple sclerosis is a common disease of the central nervous system affecting approximately 1 million young adults, mostly women, worldwide.1 It is characterized by episodic neurologic symptoms that are often followed by fixed neurologic deficits, increasing disability, and medical, socioeconomic, and physical decline over a period of 30 to 40 years.For most of the 20th century, multiple sclerosis was considered untreatable. In 1982, the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada and the National Multiple Sclerosis Society of the United States sponsored the first international workshop on therapeutic trials.2 This workshop served to usher in an era of activism and optimism . . .
Hormonal and Environmental Regulation of the Carrot lea-Class Gene Dc3 (1992)

Dc3 is a carrot lea-class gene belonging to a small gene family that encodes Dc3 and Dc3-like RNA sequences. We have examined the responsiveness to water deficit and abscisic acid (ABA) of the promoter/enhancer complex of Dc3 fused to a beta-glucuronidase (GUS) reporter gene in vegetative cells of transgenic tobacco. In 56-d tobacco, GUS expression in leaves increased about 200-fold during a 3-d drying cycle, during which there were small decreases (3 atmospheres or less) in leaf water potential and a 16-fold increase in free ABA. These effects were reversed by rewatering. Changes in GUS activity were closely paralleled by changes in GUS transcript levels during the desiccation/watering cycle, indicating transcriptional regulation of GUS gene expression. The Dc3 promoter responds to exogenous ABA; the effect is time and concentration dependent, with greater than 10-fold induction in 8 h with 10 mum ABA. Histochemical visualization of GUS activity in seedlings induced by water deficit or exogenous ABA revealed Dc3-driven GUS expression in all organs of transgenic tobacco seedlings. We suggest that the Dc3/GUS reporter system is a sensitive analytical tool to study various environmental effects on plant growth and development.
Pro‐inflammatory cytokines and prostaglandins induce maturation of potent immunostimulatory dendritic cells under fetal calf serum‐free conditions (1997)

Culture conditions for human dendritic cells (DC) have been developed by several laboratories. Most of these culture methods, however, have used conditions involving fetal calf serum (FCS) to generate DC in the presence of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor and interleukin (IL)-4. Recently, alternative culture conditions have been described using an additional stimulation with monocyte-conditioned medium (MCM) and FCS-free media to generate DC. As MCM is a rather undefined cocktail, the yield and quality of DC generated by these cultures varies substantially. We report that a defined cocktail of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, IL-1beta and IL-6 equals MCM in its potency to generate DC. Addition of prostaglandin (PG)E2 to the cytokine cocktail further enhanced the yield, maturation, migratory and immunostimulatory capacity of the DC generated. More importantly, culture conditions also influenced the outcome of the T cell response induced. DC cultured with TNF-alpha/IL-1/IL-6 or MCM alone induced CD4+ T cells that release intermediate levels of interferon (IFN)-gamma and no IL-4 or IL-10. Production of IFN-gamma was significantly induced by addition of PGE2, while no effect on production of IL-4 or IL-10 was observed. Even more striking differences were observed for CD8+ T cells. While MCM conditions only induced IFN-gamma(low), IL-4(neg) cells, TNF-alpha/IL-1/IL-6 promoted growth of IFN-gamma(intermediate), IL-4(neg) CD8+ T cells. Addition of PGE2 again only further polarized this pattern enhancing IFN-gamma production by alloreactive CD8+ T cells in both cultures without inducing type 2 cytokines. Taken together, the data indicate that the defined cocktail TNF-alpha/IL-1/IL-6 can substitute for MCM and that addition of PGE2 further enhances the yield and quality of DC generated. TNF-alpha/IL-1, IL-6 + PGE2-cultured DC seem to be optimal for generation of IFN-gamma-producing CD4/CD8+ T cells.
Blood replacement in dogs by dextran–hemoglobin (1978)

Exchange transfusions in dogs were performed with a solution of either dextran or a covalent complex between dextran and human hemoglobin. Dogs transfused with dextran alone died when their hematocrit was lowered to 6-10%. Dogs transfused with dextran-hemoglobin complex, however, survived a reduction of their hematocrit to 2% or below. In the latter animals, the dextran-hemoglobin complex disappeared from the circulation with an average half-life of 2.4 days. Correcting for oxidation of the hemoglobin moiety to methemoglobin, the half-life of functional unoxidized dextran-hemoglobin in the circulation was 1.9 days. In compensation for the loss of dextran-hemoglobin, vigorous erythropoiesis was observed at a rate of close to 5% hematocrit per day over the first 2 days following the exchange transfusion. As a result, the total hemoglobin concentration in blood was maintained at 5-6% during this period, and the animals went on to complete recovery in room air without the need for further transfusion with dextran-hemoglobin.
Adaptively controlled supercontinuum pulse from a microstructure fiber for two-photon excited fluorescence microscopy (2007)

Selective fluorescence excitation of specific molecular species is demonstrated by using coherent control of two-photon excitation with supercontinuum pulses generated with a microstructure fiber. Pulse shaping prior to pulse propagation through the fiber is controlled by a self-learning optimization loop so that the highest fluorescence signal contrast between two fluorescent proteins is obtainable. The self-learning optimization loop successfully controls both the optical nonlinarity of the microstructure fiber and the two-photon excitation of the fluorescent proteins.
Protective effects of oleanolic acid on cerebral ischemic damagein vivoand H2O2-induced injuryin vitro (2010)

These results demonstrate that oleanolic acid effectively alleviates cerebral ischemic damage in vivo and oxidative injury in vitro, which may be in part due to the modulation of endogenous antioxidants and the improvement of mitochondrial function. Oleanolic acid may be a potential medicine for attenuating ischemic stroke.
PsOr1, a potential target for RNA interference‐based pest management (2010)

Insect pests cause billions of dollars in agricultural losses, and attempts to kill them have resulted in growing threats from insecticide resistance, dietary pesticide pollution and environmental destruction. New approaches to control refractory insect pests are therefore needed. The host-plant preferences of insect pests rely on olfaction and are mediated via a seven transmembrane-domain odorant receptor (Or) family. The present study reports the cloning and characterization of PsOr1, the first candidate member of the Or gene family from Phyllotreta striolata, a devastating beetle pest that causes damage worldwide. PsOr1 is remarkably well conserved with respect to other insect orthologues, including DmOr83b from Drosophila melanogaster. These insect orthologues form an essential non-conventional Or sub-family and may play an important and generalized role in insect olfaction. We designed double-stranded (ds) RNA directly against the PsOr1 gene and exploited RNA interference (RNAi) to control P. striolata. The chemotactic behavioural measurements showed that adult beetles were unable to sense the attractant or repellent odour stimulus after microinjection of dsRNA against PsOr1. Reverse Transcription (RT)-PCR analysis showed specific down-regulation of mRNA transcript levels for this gene. Furthermore, host-plant preference experiments confirmed that silencing PsOr1 by RNAi treatment impaired the host-plant preferences of P. striolata for cruciferous vegetables. These results demonstrate that this insect control approach of using RNAi to target PsOr1 and its orthologues might be effective in blocking host-plant-seeking behaviours in diverse insect pests. The results also support the theory that this unique receptor type plays an essential general role in insect olfaction.
Novel BF3OEt2/R−OH Initiating System for Controlled Cationic Polymerization of Styrene in the Presence of Water (2001)

A controlled cationic polymerization of styrene was achieved with an alcohol [water−vinyl monomer adduct: CH3CR(Ph)OH; −R = −H (2), −CH3 (3)] as an initiator coupled with BF3OEt2. In the presence of a fairly large amount of water, the polymerization gave polymers with molecular weights that increased in direct proportion to monomer conversion and agreed well with the calculated values, assuming that one initiator molecule generates one polymer chain, although the molecular weight distributions (MWDs) were broad (Mw/Mn ∼ 2). 2,6-Di-tert-butyl-4-methylpyridine (DTBMP) and tetrabutylammounium hydroxide (n-Bu4NOH) retarded the polymerization and narrowed the MWDs. 1H NMR and MALDI−TOF−MS analysis supported the polymerization mechanism where BF3OEt2 selectively and reversibly activates the terminal C−OH bond derived from the initiator to generate the growing cationic species. Similar controlled polymerizations of p-chlorostyrene (pClSt) and p-methylstyrene (pMS) were also achieved by the R−OH/BF3OEt2 system with a proper ratio of water and DTBMP. This is the first example of a controlled cationic polymerization of styrene via reversible activation of the C−OH bond mediated by BF3OEt2 in the presence of water.
A novel antiviral agent which inhibits the endonuclease of influenza viruses (1996)

A novel anti-influenza virus compound, flutimide, was identified in extracts of a recently identified fungal species, Delitschia confertaspora (F. Pelaez, J.D. Polishook, M. Valldosera, and J.Guarro, Mycotaxon 50:115-122, 1994). The compound, a substituted 2,6-diketopiperazine, selectively inhibited the cap-dependent transcriptase of influenza A and B viruses and had no effect on the activities of other polymerases. Similar to the 4-substituted 2,4-dioxobutanoic acids, a series of transcriptase inhibitors which we described previously (J. Tomassini, H. Selnick, M.E. Davies, M.E. Armstrong, J. Baldwin, M. Bourgeois, J.Hastings, D. Hazuda, J. Lewis, W. McClements, G. Ponticello, E. Radzilowski, G. Smith, A. Tebben, and A. Wolfe, Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 38:2827-2837, 1994), this inhibitor, which is a natural product, affected neither the initiation nor the elongation of influenza virus mRNA synthesis, but it specifically targeted the cap-dependent endonuclease of the transcriptase. Additionally, the compound was inhibitory to the replication of influenza A and B viruses in cell culture. The selective antiviral properties of this compound further demonstrate the utility of influenza virus endonuclease as a target of antiviral agents.
Mechanism for Production of Pharmacologically Active Metabolite of CS-747, A New Anti-Platelet Agent (2001)

CS-747, a prodrug-type thienopyridine anti-platelet agent, was converted to pharmacologically active metabolites in vitro in isolated rat hepatocytes. The active metabolites had a free sulfhydryl group, and were associated with 2 asymmetric carbons. Of 4 optical isomers of the active metabolites, one optical isomer showed a high activity in inhibiting the platelet aggregation. Other metabolites of CS-747 without having free sulfhydryl group, produced by rat hepatocytes in vitro, were pharmacologically inactive. The active metabolites were also detectable in plasma after oral administration of CS-747 to rats and dogs. In the plasma of rats and dogs after administration of 14C-CS-747, disulfide-type cysteine conjugates of the active metabolites were detected as the most major metabolite. The cysteine conjugates of the active metabolites were not pharmacologically active in vitro while these were active in vivo after intravenous administration to rats, suggesting their conversion to the active metabolite after disulfide reduction. The activity to produce the active metabolite in 9000g supernatant fraction of rat liver was NADPH-dependent and inducible by phenobarbital, suggesting an involvement of cytochrome P450. Experiments using various isoforms of expressed human liver cytochrome P450 indicated that CYP3A4 and CYP2B6 are involved in this metabolic activation.
Biological Considerations in the Development of a Human Immunodeficiency Virus Vaccine (2000)

Over the last 12 years, many human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) vaccine candidates have been tried in humans, with disappointing results. In particular, recombinant envelope proteins have failed to elicit strong cellular immune responses or neutralizing antibody against many wild-type isolates of HIV-1. Attenuated strains of simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV), although capable of protecting against virulent strains of SIV, often retain residual pathogenicity. These difficulties suggest that it will be necessary to address a number of biological questions that underpin the rational development of an AIDS vaccine: (1) Will natural infection with HIV protect against superinfection? (2) Is partial protection induced by an HIV vaccine adequate to prevent AIDS? (3) What are the immune correlates of protection for an AIDS vaccine? (4) Will a monotypic HIV-1 vaccine confer cross-clade immunity? (5) Is mucosal immunity important for an effective AIDS vaccine? (6) Is there a rationale for therapeutic immunization? Ongoing research that is addressing these questions should lead to the formulation of a safe and effective AIDS vaccine.
Disease-associated loss of erythrocyte complement receptors (CR1, C3b receptors) in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus and other diseases involving autoantibodies and/or complement activation. (1985)

Although surface membrane density of complement receptor type one (CR1) on erythrocytes (E) is probably an inherited trait among normal individuals, recent evidence from our laboratories suggests that the reduced number of CR1 per E observed in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) results from acquired as well as genetic factors. In the present investigation, the number of CR1 per E was quantitated with 125I-monoclonal anti-CR1 and was found to vary inversely with disease activity in patients with SLE who were followed serially for as long as 14 mo. Although evidence for E surface-bound immune complexes or fixed C3b/iC3b was not obtained, periods of disease activity and low amounts of CR1 per E correlated with the presence of 100 to 800 molecules per E of fixed C3dg fragments (less than 100 C3dg per E in normal subjects). Reduced CR1 and excess fixed C3dg on E also were observed in patients with other disorders associated with complement activation, including chronic cold agglutinin disease, autoimmune hemolytic anemia, paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH), Sjögren's syndrome, and mycoplasma pneumonia. A significant negative correlation (r = -0.498) between CR1/E and fixed C3dg/E was demonstrable in 255 individual assays evaluated by regression analysis. CR1 decreased and fixed C3dg increased during active disease; the converse was obtained during remission. In patients with active SLE, both serum complement activity and E CR1 decreased, whereas fixed C3dg fragments increased. By piecewise linear regression analysis, the appearance of 100 to 400 C3dg molecules on patients' E corresponded to a 27 to 60%, reduction in the number of CR1 per E (p less than 0.0002), confirming that fixation of C3 to E was correlated with a loss of CR1. In patients with PNH, low values for CR1 were observed on moderately complement-sensitive PNH type II E in association with increased fixed C3 fragments; however, the markedly complement-sensitive PNH type III E had essentially normal amounts of CR1 and bore little fixed C3. The addition of soluble DNA/anti-DNA immune complexes to normal blood generated levels of fixed C3dg fragments on E comparable to those observed on E from patients with SLE. Kinetic experiments indicated that C3b was fixed to E during the process of immune complex binding and release from E CR1, and that this fixed C3b was subsequently degraded rapidly to fixed iC3b and more slowly to fixed C3dg without the loss of CR1 that occurs in vivo.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Energy Conversion and Transmission Modules for Space Solar Power (2013)

This paper begins with an introduction to the concept of space solar power (SSP) and summarizes selected prior studies of proposed solar power satellite (SPS) systems. The functional components of a generic SPS are delineated, and various approaches and promising concepts from prior and current development efforts are elucidated. The fundamentals of wireless power transfer for the SPS application are reviewed, including a discussion of retrodirective beam control approaches. A survey of related technology research and development campaigns for energy conversion and transmission modules for recently proposed modular architectures is outlined. Advances in solid state amplifier technology with relevance to SSP are reviewed, with areas of particular criticality highlighted. Performance metrics for proposed SPS systems and their components are enumerated, and efforts to design, fabricate, and test a prototype conversion module operating at 2.45 GHz in a space-like environment are described.
Increased local expression of coagulation factor X contributes to the fibrotic response in human and murine lung injury (2009)

Uncontrolled activation of the coagulation cascade contributes to the pathophysiology of several conditions, including acute and chronic lung diseases. Coagulation zymogens are considered to be largely derived from the circulation and locally activated in response to tissue injury and microvascular leak. Here we report that expression of coagulation factor X (FX) is locally increased in human and murine fibrotic lung tissue, with marked immunostaining associated with bronchial and alveolar epithelia. FXa was a potent inducer of the myofibroblast differentiation program in cultured primary human adult lung fibroblasts via TGF-beta activation that was mediated by proteinase-activated receptor-1 (PAR1) and integrin alphavbeta5. PAR1, alphavbeta5, and alpha-SMA colocalized to fibrotic foci in lung biopsy specimens from individuals with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Moreover, we demonstrated a causal link between FXa and fibrosis development by showing that a direct FXa inhibitor attenuated bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis in mice. These data support what we believe to be a novel pathogenetic mechanism by which FXa, a central proteinase of the coagulation cascade, is locally expressed and drives the fibrotic response to lung injury. These findings herald a shift in our understanding of the origins of excessive procoagulant activity and place PAR1 central to the cross-talk between local procoagulant signaling and tissue remodeling.
LUNG CANCER SCREENING (2015)

Screening is the systematic testing of individuals who are asymptomatic with respect to some target disease. The purpose of screening is to prevent, interrupt or delay the development of advanced disease in the subset with a pre-clinical form of the target disease through early detection and treatment.