gebhart/patrepeval huggingface dataset:
Double-Labeled Fluorescent Probes for 5′ Nuclease Assays: Purification and Performance Evaluation (1997)

An inexpensive method for the purification and evaluation of user-synthesized or crude commercially prepared double-labeled fluorescent probes is presented. These probes exhibit the characteristics required for use in 5'-nuclease assays, including efficient reporter dye quenching, target specificity and susceptibility to cleavage by Taq DNA polymerase during PCR amplification. The method is suitable for research laboratories that wish to develop 5' nuclease assays for the detection of PCR-amplified target sequences to eliminate the requirement for agarose gels and to advance throughput.
Cloning and Characterization of cDNA Encoding Cardosin A, an RGD-containing Plant Aspartic Proteinase (1999)

Cardosin A is an abundant aspartic proteinase from pistils of Cynara cardunculus L. whose milk-clotting activity has been exploited for the manufacture of cheese. Here we report the cloning and characterization of cardosin A cDNA. The deduced amino acid sequence contains the conserved features of plant aspartic proteinases, including the plant-specific insertion (PSI), and revealed the presence of an Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) motif, which is known to function in cell surface receptor binding by extracellular proteins. Cardosin A mRNA was detected predominantly in young flower buds but not in mature or senescent pistils, suggesting that its expression is likely to be developmentally regulated. Procardosin A, the single chain precursor, was found associated with microsomal membranes of flower buds, whereas the active two-chain enzyme generated upon removal of PSI is soluble. This result implies a role for PSI in promoting the association of plant aspartic proteinase precursors to cell membranes. To get further insights about cardosin A, the functional relevance of the RGD motif was also investigated. A 100-kDa protein that interacts specifically with the RGD sequence was isolated from octyl glucoside pollen extracts by affinity chromatography on cardosin A-Sepharose. This result suggests that the 100-kDa protein is a cardosin A receptor and indicates that the interaction between these two proteins is apparently mediated through RGD recognition. It is possible therefore that cardosin A may have a role in adhesion-mediated proteolytic mechanisms involved in pollen recognition and growth.
Pomegranate as a Functional Food and Nutraceutical Source (2011)

Pomegranate, a fruit native to the Middle East, has gained widespread popularity as a functional food and nutraceutical source. The health effects of the whole fruit, as well as its juices and extracts, have been studied in relation to a variety of chronic diseases. Promising results against cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and prostate cancer have been reported from human clinical trials. The in vitro antioxidant activity of pomegranate has been attributed to its high polyphenolic content, specifically punicalagins, punicalins, gallagic acid, and ellagic acid. These compounds are metabolized during digestion to ellagic acid and urolithins, suggesting that the bioactive compounds that provide in vivo antioxidant activity may not be the same as those present in the whole food. Anthocyanins and the unique fatty acid profile of the seed oil may also play a role in pomegranate's health effects. A more complete characterization of pomegranate components and their physiological fate may provide mechanistic insight into the potential health benefits observed in clinical trials.
Polymers from Renewable Resources: A Perspective for a Special Issue of Polymer Reviews (2008)

The field of polymers derived from non‐petrochemical feedstocks is gaining a great deal of momentum from both a commercial and academic sense. Using annually renewable feedstocks, such as biomass, for the production of new plastics can have both economic and environmental benefits. Fundamental research in the production, modification, property enhancement, and new applications of these materials is an important undertaking. The new materials, concepts, and utilizations that result from these efforts will shape the future of polymers from renewable resources. This issue of Polymer Reviews focuses on the production and properties of renewable resource polymers and highlights current trends and research directions.
Altered cortical excitability in obsessive–compulsive disorder (2000)

The data suggest abnormal cortical excitability in obsessive-compulsive disorder. These findings are congruent with the hypothesis that Tourette's syndrome and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) are analogous disorders with overlapping dysfunction in corticobasal circuits. Patients with tic-related OCD may have more abnormal motor cortex excitability than OCD patients without tics.
Genetic analysis and developmental regulation of testis-specific RNA expression of Mos, Abl, actin and Hox-1.4. (1988)

The pattern of Mos proto-oncogene RNA expression in the gonads of the sterile mouse mutants, dominant spotting (W), sex reversal (Sxr), testicular feminization (Tfm), hypogonadal (hpg), quaking (qk), two t-haplotypes, three X-autosomal translocations, and the YPOS strain, is consistent with its presence in haploid spermatids in the testes and in oocytes in the ovaries. In the male-sterile mouse mutants the pattern of expression of the testis-specific transcripts for Abl, actin, and the mouse homeobox Hox-1.4 genes is identical to that observed for Mos. However, during the postnatal onset of normal spermatogenesis we detected differences in the time of the appearance of the four transcripts. We detected Hox-1.4 transcripts at day 20, Mos at day 25, and Abl and actin at day 30, demonstrating a specific regulation of expression of each of these genes during haploid spermatid maturation in the mouse. Furthermore, comparison of Mos, Abl and actin RNA expression in mouse and rat testes revealed species-specific variations in the regulation of gene expression.
Adenoviral E1A primes alveolar epithelial cells to PM10-induced transcription of interleukin-8 (2001)

The presence of the adenoviral early region 1A (E1A) protein in human lungs has been associated with an increased risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), possibly by a mechanism involving amplification of proinflammatory responses. We hypothesize that enhanced inflammation results from increased transcription factor activation in E1A-carrying cells, which may afford susceptibility to environmental particulate matter < 10 microm (PM(10))-mediated oxidative stress. We measured interleukin (IL)-8 mRNA expression and protein release in human alveolar epithelial cells (A549) transfected with the E1A gene (E1A+ve). Both E1A+ve and -ve cells released IL-8 after incubation with TNF-alpha, but only E1A+ve cells were sensitive to LPS stimulation in IL-8 mRNA expression and protein release. E1A+ve cells showed an enhanced IL-8 mRNA and protein response after treatment with H(2)O(2) and PM(10). E1A-enhanced induction of IL-8 was accompanied by increases in activator protein-1 and nuclear factor-kappa B nuclear binding in E1A+ve cells, which also showed higher basal nuclear binding of these transcription factors. These data suggest that the presence of E1A primes the cell transcriptional machinery for oxidative stress signaling and therefore facilitates amplification of proinflammatory responses. By this mechanism, susceptibility to exacerbation of COPD in response to particulate air pollution may occur in individuals harboring E1A.
Adjuvant and Haemolytic Activities of 47 Saponins Derived from Medicinal and Food Plants (2000)

Adjuvant and haemolytic activities of 47 saponins purified from medicinal and food plants were examined. The compounds showed various levels of both adjuvant and haemolytic activities. Soyasaponins and lablabosides showed strong adjuvant activity but little haemolytic activity. Jujubosides showed strong adjuvant and haemolytic activities. Escins showed weaker adjuvant activity than the adjuvant-control, but strong haemolytic activity. Comparison of the functional groups of each saponin revealed that the acyl residue in saponin, the aldehyde group at carbon 4 in aglycone, and branched sugar chains attached to aglycone, were not essential for adjuvant activity. Furthermore, saponins with an acyl residue or oxide-ring moiety tended to show haemolytic activity. These results suggest that the adjuvant activity of saponins does not relate with haemolytic activity. It is considered that not only the functional groups themselves, but the overall conformation harmoniously consisting of such functional groups, affects adjuvant activity of saponins.
Household Epidemiology of Cryptosporidium parvum Infection in an Urban Community in Northeast Brazil (1994)

Cryptosporidium parvum is highly transmissible and infective in the family setting, with transmission rates similar to other highly infectious enteric pathogens such as Shigella species. These data are cause for added concern because of the rapidly increasing rate of seropositivity for human immunodeficiency virus.
Proposal of Optical Near-Field Probe Using Evanescent Field of Microdisk Laser (1998)

We propose an active optical near-field probe constructed of a semiconductor microdisk laser and a monitor detector. When a microdisk is placed close to an object, the evanescent field of the whispering gallery mode in the microdisk is scattered and the lasing characteristic is modulated. It was theoretically shown that a probe, made by using a circular disk with a diameter almost equal to the lasing wavelength λ and fixing the standing mode wave by a defect at the disk edge, shows a lateral resolution of 0.17λ × 0.23λ. Modulated light power by objects can be on the order of 100 µW with a bias current of 1 mA, which is sufficient for high-contrast imaging. Cleavage and selective wet etching were investigated as fabrication methods of such probes that project over the substrate edge. High-speed microscopy will be realized through the use of a large-scale array integration of this probe.
Synthesis of Lung Surfactant-Associated Glycoproteins by A549 Cells: Description of an in Vitro Model for Human Type II Cell Dysfunction (1984)

Immunocytochemical, ultrastructural, and biochemical approaches were used in a series of in vitro and in vivo experiments designed to identify characteristic changes reflecting differentiated type II cell function of A549 cells. Monolayers of A549 cells and A549 clones were maintained in culture for up to 3 weeks. Using an immunoperoxidase (PAP) technique, we demonstrated that variable proportions of A549 cells and of cells in several A549 clones reacted specifically with antibodies to high molecular weight (greater than 400,000) human surfactant-associated glycoproteins (HSAG). The cells of one clone, A549-C12, were consistently negative for HSAG, but their lamellar bodies were similar in appearance and distribution to those found in a PAP-positive clone, A549-C11, as well as in A549 cells. In addition, both C11 and C12 clones displayed time-dependent, divergent differentiation predominantly toward type II epithelium and nonciliated bronchiolar and bronchial cells. Surfactant isolated from either C11 or C12 cells revealed reduced content of disaturated phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylglycerol when compared to human surfactant; however, a 95,000-dalton peptide immunologically related to HSAG was identified in surfactant from C11 cells but not from the PAP-negative C12 clone. Tumor xenografts produced in athymic (nude) mice following inoculation with cells from C11 and C12 clones exhibited prominent immunoperoxidase staining involving most tumor cells. Cell lines derived from these xenografts (T-11 and T-12) were also enriched in PAP-positive cells. Immunoelectron microscopy indicated that HSAG was localized in the rough endoplasmic reticulum, multivesicular bodies (MVB), intermediate MVB-lamellar forms, and abnormal pleomorphic inclusions. Moreover, two HSAG peptides, both larger than the 34,000-dalton peptide subunit found in normal human surfactant, were present in cells and media from monolayers of the T-11 cell line. We conclude that A549 cells synthesize "defective" HSAG and that the synthesis may be modulated by host factors. The results indicate that appropriate A549 clones can be used effectively as model systems for selected type II cell dysfunctions.
Characterization of a Lineage‐Negative Stem‐Progenitor Cell Population Optimized for Ex Vivo Expansion and Enriched for LTC‐IC (2004)

Current hematopoietic stem cell transplantation protocols rely heavily upon CD34+ cells to estimate hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell (HSPC) yield. We and others previously reported CD133+ cells to represent a more primitive cell population than their CD34+ counterparts. However, both CD34+ and CD133+ cells still encompass cells at various stages of maturation, possibly impairing long-term marrow engraftment. Recent studies demonstrated that cells lacking CD34 and hematopoietic lineage markers have the potential of reconstituting long-term in vivo hematopoiesis. We report here an optimized, rapid negative-isolation method that depletes umbilical cord blood (UCB) mononucleated cells (MNC) from cells expressing hematopoietic markers (CD45, glycophorin-A, CD38, CD7, CD33, CD56, CD16, CD3, and CD2) and isolates a discrete lineage-negative (Lin-) cell population (0.10% +/- 0.02% MNC, n=12). This primitive Lin- cell population encompassed CD34+/- and CD133+/- HSPC and was also enriched for surface markers involved in HSPC migration, adhesion, and homing to the bone marrow (CD164, CD162, and CXCR4). Moreover, our depletion method resulted in Lin- cells being highly enriched for long-term culture-initiating cells when compared with both CD133+ cells and MNC. Furthermore, over 8 weeks in liquid culture stimulated by a cytokine cocktail optimized for HSPC expansion, TPOFLK (thrombopoietin 10 ng/ml, Flt3 ligand 50 ng/ml, c-Kit ligand 20 ng/ml) Lin- cells underwent slow proliferation but maintained/expanded more primitive HSPC than CD133+ cells. Therefore, our Lin- stem cell offers a promising alternative to current HSPC selection methods. Additionally, this work provides an optimized and well-characterized cell population for expansion of UCB for a wider therapeutic potential, including adult stem cell transplantation.
Diversity in the Major Polysaccharide Antigen of Acinetobacter Baumannii Assessed by DNA Sequencing, and Development of a Molecular Serotyping Scheme (2013)

We have sequenced the gene clusters for type strains of the Acinetobacter baumannii serotyping scheme developed in the 1990s, and used the sequences to better understand diversity in surface polysaccharides of the genus. We obtained genome sequences for 27 available serovar type strains, and identified 25 polysaccharide gene cluster sequences. There are structures for 12 of these polysaccharides, and in general the genes present are appropriate to the structure where known. This greatly facilitates interpretation. We also find 53 different glycosyltransferase genes, and for 7 strains can provisionally allocate specific genes to all linkages. We identified primers that will distinguish the 25 sequence forms by PCR or microarray, or alternatively the genes can be used to determine serotype by "molecular serology". We applied the latter to 190 Acinetobacter genome-derived gene-clusters, and found 76 that have one of the 25 gene-cluster forms. We also found novel gene clusters and added 52 new gene-cluster sequence forms with different wzy genes and different gene contents. Altogether, the strains that have one of the original 25 sequence forms include 98 A. baumannii (24 from our strains) and 5 A. nosocomialis (3 from our strains), whereas 32 genomes from 12 species other than A. baumannii or A. nosocomialis, all have new sequence forms. One of the 25 serovar type sequences is found to be in European clone I (EC I), 2 are in EC II but none in EC III. The public genome strains add an additional 52 new sequence forms, and also bring the number found in EC I to 5, in EC II to 9 and in EC III to 2.
The Breed of Strains with Resistance for Lily (2003)

Zhang Yanni(Northeast Forestry University)Taking the Northeast Forestry University Flower Institute as experiment base, tw enty lily species and varieties at home and abroad were collected from 1996 to 2 002. Thirty-five crossing groups were carried out by general crossing method and incising flower pole pollination method. Hybrid young seedlings were obtained f rom thirteen crossing groups. Hybrid young seedlings of six crossing groups amon g thirteen crossing groups bloomed, from which two varieties with better viewing and admiring characters as well as stronger cold-resistance ability were select ed. Ten variation species were separated from the first offspring of Asia lily‘ Red knight’by natural pollination, from which five strains were selected out wi th better decorative characters and stronger cold-resistance ability. Thus these five new species were bred.
On-Chip Electro Membrane Extraction with Online Ultraviolet and Mass Spectrometric Detection (2010)

Electro membrane extraction was demonstrated in a microfluidic device. The device was composed of a 25 μm thick porous polypropylene membrane bonded between two poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) substrates, each having 50 μm deep channel structures facing the membrane. The supported liquid membrane (SLM) consisted of 2-nitrophenyl octyl ether (NPOE) immobilized in the pores of the membrane. The driving force for the extraction was a 15 V direct current (DC) electrical potential applied across the SLM. Samples containing the basic drugs pethidine, nortriptyline, methadone, haloperidol, loperamide, and amitriptyline were used to characterize the system. Extraction recoveries were typically in the range of 65-86% for the different analytes when the device was operated with a sample flow of 2.0 μL/min and an acceptor flow of 1.0 μL/min. With the sample flow at 9.0 μL/min and the acceptor flow at 0.0 μL/min, enrichment factors exceeding 75 were obtained during 12 min of operation from a total sample volume of only 108 μL. The on-chip electro membrane system was coupled online to electrospray ionization mass spectrometry and used to monitor online and real-time metabolism of amitriptyline by rat liver microsomes.
Distributed-feedback grating used as a lateral-mode selector in phase-locked antiguided arrays (1997)

We show here, for the first time, that a distributed-feedback (DFB) grating can act as a lateral-mode discriminator if located below the active region of a phase-locked antiguided array. Spatial-mode selection from such a lower-DFB (LDFB) grating in a resonant antiguided structure (ROW-LDFB) relies on the fact that the optical field distribution below the active region is strongly array-mode dependent. In particular, it is shown that at and near resonance a ROW-LDFB structure strongly favors resonant-mode oscillation, while suppressing oscillation of high-order modes. ROW-LDFB devices thus accomplish both spatial- and frequency-mode selection in a single structure. Furthermore, for effective intermodal discrimination, there is no need for interelement loss or Talbot-type filters, thus eliminating all potential sources of self-pulsations.
MRI of diffuse liver disease: the common and uncommon etiologies (2013)

Diffuse liver disease, including all causes of chronic liver disease, affects tens of millions of people worldwide. There is a growing need for diagnostic evaluation as treatments become more readily available, particularly for viral liver disease. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) provides unique capabilities for noninvasive characterization of liver tissue that rival or surpass the diagnostic utility of liver biopsies. There has been incremental improvement in the use of standardized MRI sequences, acquired before and after administration of contrast for the evaluation of diffuse liver disease, and this includes study of the liver parenchyma and blood supply. More recent developments have led to methods for quantifying important liver metabolites, including fat and iron, and liver fibrosis, which is the hallmark for chronic liver disease. In this study, we review the MRI techniques and diagnostic features associated with common and uncommon etiologies of diffuse liver diseases, including processes that lead to abnormal perfusion (e.g. Budd-Chiari syndrome, congestive hepatomegaly), deposition diseases (e.g. fatty liver, hemochromatosis, Wilson's disease), and abnormalities that are related to inflammation and fibrosis (e.g. primary sclerosing cholangitis, sarcoidosis).
On the delivery of small interfering RNAs into mammalian cells (2005)

RNA interference is becoming the technique of choice for analysing gene function and drug target validation. In this process, sequence-specific gene inhibition is initiated by small RNA duplexes, known as small interfering RNAs (siRNAs). The possibility that exogenously delivered siRNAs or endogenously expressed hairpin siRNAs can cause the destruction of specific target mRNA in vitro and in animal models has been demonstrated. However, the key challenges for the development of siRNAs as human therapeutics is largely dependent on the development of suitable delivery agents and improved siRNA specificity. This review highlights recent advances in siRNA delivery, as well as challenging problems related to immune stimulation.
Human Olfactory Receptor Families and Their Odorants (2008)

The human nose detects volatile chemical stimuli by at least three different receptor families: odorant receptors, trace amine-associated receptors, and vomeronasal type-1 receptors. As G protein-coupled receptors, all of the few functionally characterized olfactory receptors share major functional features: when expressed in heterologous cell systems, they 1) respond to odorants of certain chemical groups, e.g., amines, aliphatic carboxylic acids or aldehydes, floral or fruity odorants, including certain key-food odorants, and putative pheromones, and 2) transduce their signals to intracellular cAMP signaling. However, little is known yet about specific differences in the functional designation of the three olfactory receptor families. Recently, two heterologous cell systems expressing olfactory signaling molecules have been developed. Different screening strategies will shed light on the yet sparsely available odorant specificity profiles and structure-function relationships of olfactory receptors, as well as the structure-activity relationships of their odorants.
An ultrathin invisibility skin cloak for visible light (2015)

Metamaterial-based optical cloaks have thus far used volumetric distribution of the material properties to gradually bend light and thereby obscure the cloaked region. Hence, they are bulky and hard to scale up and, more critically, typical carpet cloaks introduce unnecessary phase shifts in the reflected light, making the cloaks detectable. Here, we demonstrate experimentally an ultrathin invisibility skin cloak wrapped over an object. This skin cloak conceals a three-dimensional arbitrarily shaped object by complete restoration of the phase of the reflected light at 730-nanometer wavelength. The skin cloak comprises a metasurface with distributed phase shifts rerouting light and rendering the object invisible. In contrast to bulky cloaks with volumetric index variation, our device is only 80 nanometer (about one-ninth of the wavelength) thick and potentially scalable for hiding macroscopic objects.