gebhart/patrepeval huggingface dataset:
Biodegradable Polymers for Microencapsulation of Drugs (2005)

Drug delivery has become increasingly important mainly due to the awareness of the difficulties associated with a variety of old and new drugs. Of the many polymeric drug delivery systems, biodegradable polymers have been used widely as drug delivery systems because of their biocompatibility and biodegradability. The majority of biodegradable polymers have been used in the form of microparticles, from which the incorporated drug is released to the environment in a controlled manner. The factors responsible for controlling the drug release rate are physicochemical properties of drugs, degradation rate of polymers, and the morphology and size of microparticles. This review discusses the conventional and recent technologies for microencapsulation of the drugs using biodegradable polymers. In addition, this review presents characteristics and degradation behaviors of biodegradable polymers which are currently used in drug delivery.
The Binding Site of Human Adenosine Deaminase for Cd26/Dipeptidyl Peptidase IV (2000)

Human, but not murine, adenosine deaminase (ADA) forms a complex with the cell membrane protein CD26/dipeptidyl peptidase IV. CD26-bound ADA has been postulated to regulate extracellular adenosine levels and to modulate the costimulatory function of CD26 on T lymphocytes. Absence of ADA-CD26 binding has been implicated in causing severe combined immunodeficiency due to ADA deficiency. Using human-mouse ADA hybrids and ADA point mutants, we have localized the amino acids critical for CD26 binding to the helical segment 126-143. Arg142 in human ADA and Gln142 in mouse ADA largely determine the capacity to bind CD26. Recombinant human ADA bearing the R142Q mutation had normal catalytic activity per molecule, but markedly impaired binding to a CD26(+) ADA-deficient human T cell line. Reduced CD26 binding was also found with ADA from red cells and T cells of a healthy individual whose only expressed ADA has the R142Q mutation. Conversely, ADA with the E217K active site mutation, the only ADA expressed by a severely immunodeficient patient, showed normal CD26 binding. These findings argue that ADA binding to CD26 is not essential for immune function in humans.
Chemistry Future: Priorities and Opportunities from the Sustainability Perspective (2016)

To celebrate the 10 year anniversary of ChemSusChem, we as the chairmen of the editorial board are writing this Essay to summarize important scientific contributions to our journal during the past decade in terms of sustainable science and technology. Bibliometric analysis of published papers show that biorefinery, solar energy conversion, energy-storage materials, and carbon dioxide utilizations attracted most attention in this area. According to our own knowledge and understanding and from the sustainability point of view, we are also pointing out those research directions that we believe can play key roles in the future chemistry to meet the grand challenges in energy and environment. Hopefully, these perspective aspects will provide the readers with new angles to look at the chemistry in the coming decades and inspire the development of new technologies to make our society sustainable.
Calcium Phosphate Ceramics as Hard Tissue Prosthetics (1981)

JARCHO, MICHAEL PH.D.Editor(s): CRACCHIOLO, ANDREA III M.D.; HELAL, BASIL M. CH., F.R.C.S. Author Information
K+ Channel Expression during B Cell Differentiation: Implications for Immunomodulation and Autoimmunity (2004)

Using whole-cell patch-clamp, fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry, we demonstrate a switch in potassium channel expression during differentiation of human B cells from naive to memory cells. Naive and IgD(+)CD27(+) memory B cells express small numbers of the voltage-gated Kv1.3 and the Ca(2+)-activated intermediate-conductance IKCa1 channel when quiescent, and increase IKCa1 expression 45-fold upon activation with no change in Kv1.3 levels. In contrast, quiescent class-switched memory B cells express high levels of Kv1.3 ( approximately 2000 channels/cell) and maintain their Kv1.3(high) expression after activation. Consistent with their channel phenotypes, proliferation of naive and IgD(+)CD27(+) memory B cells is suppressed by the specific IKCa1 inhibitor TRAM-34 but not by the potent Kv1.3 blocker Stichodactyla helianthus toxin, whereas the proliferation of class-switched memory B cells is suppressed by Stichodactyla helianthus toxin but not TRAM-34. These changes parallel those reported for T cells. Therefore, specific Kv1.3 and IKCa1 inhibitors may have use in therapeutic manipulation of selective lymphocyte subsets in immunological disorders.
2015 American Heart Association/American Stroke Association Focused Update of the 2013 Guidelines for the Early Management of Patients With Acute Ischemic Stroke Regarding Endovascular Treatment (2015)

Certain endovascular procedures have been demonstrated to provide clinical benefit in selected patients with acute ischemic stroke. Systems of care should be organized to facilitate the delivery of this care.
Cytokines and the hepatic acute phase response (1997)

The acute phase response is an orchestrated response to tissue injury, infection or inflammation. A prominent feature of this response is the induction of acute phase proteins, which are involved in the restoration of homeostasis. Cytokines are important mediators of the acute phase response. Uncontrolled and prolonged action of cytokines is potentially harmful, therefore mechanisms exist which limit the activity of cytokines; these include soluble cytokine receptors and receptor antagonists. The cytokine signal is transmitted into the cell via membrane-bound receptors. Different intracellular signalling pathways are activated by different cytokine-receptor interactions. Eventually, cytokine-inducible transcription factors interact with their response elements in the promotor region of acute phase genes and transcription is induced. Systemic inflammation results in a systemic acute phase response. However, local inflammatory or injurious processes in the liver may also induce an acute phase response, for example after partial hepatectomy and during hepatic fibrosis. The acute phase proteins induced in these conditions probably act to limit proteolytic and/or fibrogenic activity and tissue damage. The possible function of the acute phase protein alpha 2-macroglobulin in hepatic fibrosis is discussed in some detail.
Lubricin is a product of megakaryocyte stimulating factor gene expression by human synovial fibroblasts. (2000)

Lubricin is secreted by synovial fibroblasts via expression of the MSF gene. Lubricin is constructed of MSF exons 6 through 9 but the presence of other exons cannot be excluded. Lubricin/MSF is the only lubricating component in the final lubricating fraction of human synovial fluid.
In vitro optimization of truncated stem-loop II variants of the hammerhead ribozyme for cleavage in low concentrations of magnesium under non-turnover conditions. (1997)

By truncating helix II to two base pairs in a hammerhead ribozyme having long flanking sequences (greater than 30 bases), the rate of cleavage in 1 mM magnesium can be increased roughly 100-fold. Replacing most of the nucleotides in a typical stem-loop II with 1-4 randomized nucleotides gave an RNA library that, even before selection, was more active in 1 mM magnesium than the parent ribozyme, but considerably less active than the truncated stem-loop II ribozyme. A novel, multiround selection for intermolecular cleavage was exploited to optimize this library for cleavage in low concentrations of magnesium. After three rounds of selection at sequentially lower concentrations of magnesium, the library cleaved substrate RNA 20-fold faster than the initial pool and was cloned. This pool was heavily enriched for one particular sequence (5'-CGUG-3') that represented 16 of 52 isolates (the next most common sequence was represented only six times). This sequence also represented the most active sequence, exceeding the activity of the short helix II variant under the conditions of the selection, thereby demonstrating the effectiveness of the selection technique. Analysis of the cleavage rates of RNAs made from eight isolates having different four-base insert sequences allowed assignment of highly preferred bases at each position in the insert. Analysis of pool clones having insert of differing lengths showed that, in general, activity decreased as the length of the insert decreased from 4 to 1. This supports the suggested role of stem-loop II in stabilizing the non-Watson-Crick interactions between the conserved bases of the catalytic core.
19.8% efficient “honeycomb” textured multicrystalline and 24.4% monocrystalline silicon solar cells (1998)

Multicrystalline silicon wafers, widely used in commercial photovoltaic cell production, traditionally give much poorer cell performance than monocrystalline wafers (the previously highest performance laboratory devices have solar energy conversion efficiencies of 18.6% and 24.0%, respectively). A substantially improved efficiency for a multicrystalline silicon solar cell of 19.8% is reported together with an incremental improvement in monocrystalline cell efficiency to 24.4%. The improved multicrystalline cell performance results from enshrouding cell surfaces in thermally grown oxide to reduce their detrimental electronic activity and from isotropic etching to form an hexagonally symmetric “honeycomb” surface texture. This texture reduces reflection loss as well as substantially increasing the cell’s effective optical thickness by causing light to be trapped within the cell by total internal reflection.
Biochemical Interaction Analysis on ATR Devices:  A Wet Chemistry Approach for Surface Functionalization (2006)

A new generic device suitable for the investigation of ligand-receptor interactions is presented. In particular, the research focused on optical waveguides constituted by an attenuated total internal reflection (ATR) element, transparent in the infrared and whose surfaces were activated in view of covalently binding a receptor. Silicon and germanium ATR elements were considered. The original method is based on the grafting of bifunctional spacer molecules directly at the surface of the germanium crystal, avoiding the deposition of an intermediate metal layer. The grafting of these binding molecules (under their N-hydroxysuccinimidyl ester forms) was performed either by wet chemistry or by photochemistry. The functionalized surfaces, which allow the binding of molecules bearing peripherical NH2 groups, were successfully used, e.g., for the detection of proteins (streptavidin) or of small molecules (biotin). In the latter case, the biotin was readily detected for concentrations as low as 10(-12) M.
[3H]xanthine amine congener of 1,3-dipropyl-8-phenylxanthine: an antagonist radioligand for adenosine receptors. (1986)

An amine-functionalized derivative of 1,3-dipropyl-8-phenylxanthine has been prepared in tritiated form as a xanthine amine congener ([3H]XAC) for use as an antagonist radioligand for adenosine receptors. [3H]XAC has higher receptor affinity, higher specific activity, lower nonspecific membrane binding, and more favorable hydrophilicity than 1,3-diethyl-8-[3H]phenylxanthine, the xanthine commonly used for adenosine receptor binding. In rat cerebral cortical membranes, [3H]XAC exhibits saturable, specific binding with a Kd of 1.23 nM and a Bmax of 580 fmol/mg of protein at 37 degrees C. N6-(R-Phenylisopropyl)adenosine is a more potent inhibitor of [3H]XAC binding than is 5'-N-ethylcarboxamidoadenosine, indicating that binding is to an A1-adenosine receptor. In the absence of GTP, the inhibition curves for adenosine agonists versus [3H]XAC binding are biphasic, indicating that [3H]XAC is binding to low- and high-affinity agonist states of the A1 receptor. In the presence of GTP, adenosine analogs exhibit monophasic, low-affinity inhibition of binding of [3H]XAC. Inhibition of [3H]XAC binding by theophylline or by various 8-phenylxanthines is monophasic, and the potencies are commensurate with the potencies of these xanthines as adenosine receptor antagonists. The receptor sites in calf brain membranes exhibit a higher affinity (Kd = 0.17 nM) for [3H]XAC, whereas sites in guinea pig exhibit a slightly lower affinity (Kd = 3.0 nM). Densities of [3H]XAC binding sites are similar in brain membranes from all species.
Methods of Loading and Releasing Low Molecular Weight Cationic Molecules in Weak Polyelectrolyte Multilayer Films (2002)

This work studied the loading capabilities and release behavior of poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) and poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH) multilayer films, using methylene blue dye (MB) as an indicator. PAA/PAH multilayers assembled at pH = 2.5/2.5 loaded MB throughout the multilayers due to available binding sites and a permeable structure. The amount of MB loaded increased linearly with increasing film thickness. Use of buffered MB solutions enabled faster and more uniform MB loading into the multilayers, because ions within the MB solution caused further swelling of the multilayer film. Release studies demonstrated a pH-sensitive release mechanism, where lower pH environments increased the release rate. Buffered environments also increased the release rate of MB from the multilayer films. By assembling capping layers of PAA/PAH at pH 6.5/6.5 on top of 2.5/2.5 PAA/PAH multilayers, the diffusion of MB through the multilayers was better controlled under nonbuffered conditions. Under buffered conditions, however, the permeability of the 6.5/6.5 PAA/PAH capping layers increased due to swelling, and MB diffusion was not hindered. Further work needs to be done to slow release of MB under buffered conditions. The controlled loading capabilities and pH-sensitive release behavior of weak polyelectrolyte multilayer films demonstrated here may be useful toward drug delivery applications.
Substrate Specificities of Caspase Family Proteases (1997)

The caspase family represents a new class of intracellular cysteine proteases with known or suspected roles in cytokine maturation and apoptosis. These enzymes display a preference for Asp in the P1 position of substrates. To clarify differences in the biological roles of the interleukin-1beta converting enzyme (ICE) family proteases, we have examined in detail the specificities beyond the P1 position of caspase-1, -2, -3, -4, -6, and -7 toward minimal length peptide substrates in vitro. We find differences and similarities between the enzymes that suggest a functional subgrouping of the family different from that based on overall sequence alignment. The primary specificities of ICE homologs explain many observed enzyme preferences for macromolecular substrates and can be used to support predictions of their natural function(s). The results also suggest the design of optimal peptidic substrates and inhibitors.
Tolerance of Acyclic Residues in the β-Peptide 12-Helix:  Access to Diverse Side-Chain Arrays for Biological Applications (2002)

Oligomeric backbones with well-defined conformational propensities can serve as scaffolds for displaying sets of functional groups in specific three-dimensional arrangements. beta-Peptides are particularly interesting in this regard because several distinct secondary structures can be induced by appropriate choice of beta-amino acid substitution pattern.3 The beta-peptide 12-helix (defined by 12-membered ring C=O(i)- -H-N(i + 3) hydrogen bonds) is of particular interest because this helix resembles the alpha-helix. To date 12-helices have been observed in beta-peptides comprised exclusively of residues containing a five-membered ring constraint. Here we show that 12-helical propensity is maintained when some cyclic beta-amino acid residues are replaced with more flexible acyclic residues. This result is important because use of acyclic residues greatly facilitates introduction of diverse side chains at specific sites along the 12-helix. We demonstrate the utility of this advance in the context of antibiotic design.
Biophysical Characteristics of the Pig Kidney Na+/Glucose Cotransporter SGLT2 Reveal a Common Mechanism for SGLT1 and SGLT2 (1996)

The Na+-dependent, low affinity glucose transporter SGLT2 cloned from pig kidney is 76% identical (at the amino acid level) to its high affinity homologue SGLT1. Using two-microelectrode voltage clamp, we have characterized the presteady-state and steady-state kinetics of SGLT2 expressed in Xenopus oocytes. The kinetic properties of the steady-state sugar-evoked currents as a function of external Na+ and alpha-methyl-D-glucopyranoside (alphaMG) concentrations were consistent with an ordered, simultaneous transport model in which Na+ binds first. Na+ binding was voltage-dependent and saturated with hyperpolarizing voltages. Phlorizin was a potent inhibitor of the sugar-evoked currents (KiPz approximately 10 microM) and blocked an inward Na+ current in the absence of sugar. SGLT2 exhibited Na+-dependent presteady-state currents with time constants 3-7 ms. Charge movements were described by Boltzmann relations with apparent valence approximately 1 and maximal charge transfer approximately 11 nC, and were reduced by the addition of sugar or phlorizin. The differences between SGLT1 and SGLT2 were that (i) the apparent affinity constant (K0.5) for alphaMG (approximately 3 mM) was an order of magnitude higher for SGLT2; (ii) SGLT2 excluded galactose, suggesting discrete sugar binding; (iii) K0.5 for Na+ was lower in SGLT2; and (iv) the Hill coefficient for Na+ was 1 for SGLT2 but 2 for SGLT1. Simulations of the six-state kinetic model previously proposed for SGLT1 indicated that many of the kinetic properties observed in SGLT2 are expected by simply reducing the Na+/glucose coupling from 2 to 1.
Strain and composition distributions in wurtzite InGaN/GaN layers extracted from x-ray reciprocal space mapping (2002)

Strain and composition distributions within wurtzite InGaN/GaN layers are investigated by high-resolution reciprocal space mapping (RSM). We illustrate the potential of RSM to detect composition and strain gradients independently. This information is extracted from the elongation of broadened reciprocal lattice points (RLP) in asymmetric x-ray reflections. Three InxGa1−xN/GaN (nominal x=0.25) samples with layer thickness of 60, 120, and 240 nm, were grown in a commercial metal-organic chemical vapor deposition reactor. The RSMs around the (105) reflection show that the strain profile is nonuniform over depth in InGaN. The directions of “pure” strain relaxation in the reciprocal space, for a given In content (isocomposition lines), are calculated based on elastic theory. Comparison between these directions and measured distributions of the RLP shows that the relaxation process does not follow a specific isocomposition line. The In mole fraction (x) increases as the films relax. At the start of growth all the films have x∼0.2 and are coherent to GaN. As they relax, x progressively increases towards the nominal value (0.25). Compositional gradients along the growth direction extracted from the RSM analysis are confirmed by complementary Rutherford backscattering measurements.
Packing Messages and Optimizing Bootstrapping in GSW-FHE (2015)

We construct the first fully homomorphic encryption (FHE) scheme that encrypts matrices and supports homomorphic matrix addition and multiplication. This is a natural extension of packed FHE and thus supports more complicated homomorphic operations. We optimize the bootstrapping procedure of Alperin-Sheriff and Peikert (CRYPTO 2014) by applying our scheme. Our optimization decreases the lattice approximation factor from Õ(n3) to Õ(n2.5). By taking a lattice dimension as a larger polynomial in a security parameter, we can also obtain the same approximation factor as the best known one of standard lattice-based public-key encryption without successive dimension-modulus reduction, which was essential for achieving the best factor in prior works on bootstrapping of standard lattice-based FHE.
Fzf1p of Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a positive regulator of SSU1 transcription and its first zinc finger region is required for DNA binding (1999)

The FZF1 gene of Saccharomyces cerevisiae encodes a five-zinc-finger transcription factor involved in sulphite tolerance. Previous work based on multicopy suppression analysis placed FZF1 upstream of SSU1, which encodes a plasma membrane protein and putative transporter also implicated in sulphite detoxification. Consistent with this analysis, Fzf1p was found to be a positive regulator of SSU1 transcription. The SSU1 promoter region involved in activation by FZF1 was defined, and the Fzf1 protein was shown to bind to it directly in vitro. Deletion of a single, amino-terminal zinc finger of Fzf1p resulted in loss of DNA binding, while the fourth and fifth zinc fingers were found to be dispensable. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Enhanced step coverage by oblique angle physical vapor deposition (2005)

We present the use of an oblique angle physical vapor deposition (OAPVD) technique with substrate rotation to obtain conformal thin films with enhanced step coverage on patterned surfaces. We report the results of ruthenium (Ru) films sputter deposited on trench structures with aspect ratio ∼2 and show that OAPVD with an incidence angle less that 30° with respect to the substrate surface normal one can create a more conformal coating without overhangs and voids compared to that obtained by normal incidence deposition. A simple geometrical shadowing effect is presented to explain the results. The technique has the potential of extending the present PVD technique to future chip interconnect fabrication.
Shape from focus: an effective approach for rough surfaces (2002)

Two algorithms for depth estimation are presented. The first algorithm simply looks for the focus level that maximizes the focus measure at each image point. The second algorithm uses a Gaussian model to interpolate the focus measures to obtain more accurate depth estimates. The algorithms were implemented and tested on surfaces of different roughness and reflectance properties. The results indicate that the shape-from-focus method may be applied to a variety of industrial vision problems.< <ETX xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">&gt;</ETX>
Induction of transformation and continuous cell lines from normal human mammary epithelial cells after exposure to benzo[a]pyrene. (1985)

Rapidly growing primary cultures of normal human mammary epithelial cells (HMEC) were exposed to 1 microgram of benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) per ml for two or three 24-hr periods. The B[a]P-treated populations consistently contained cells displaying a longer period of active growth in culture compared to the untreated control cells. Widespread heterogeneity in morphology and growth patterns was evidenced in these "extended life" (EL) cultures, with multiple sequential changes in these parameters occurring during the course of their life in culture. Two apparently immortal continuous cell lines have thus far emerged from these EL cultures. These lines have been characterized to be of human mammary epithelial origin and derived from the originally treated HMEC specimen. The continuous lines do not appear to be malignantly transformed as they do not cause tumor formation in nude mice and show little or no anchorage-independent growth. Nonetheless, they have acquired several properties characteristic of tumor-derived HMEC, which distinguish them from their normal progenitors. These cell lines, as well as the EL strains, may provide useful substrates for studies to determine what agents can induce further transforming events. Additionally, analysis of the multiple steps occurring in the El cultures, as well as in the emergence of the continuous cell lines, could potentially elucidate the processes occurring during human epithelial cell carcinogenesis and escape from senescence.