gebhart/patrepeval huggingface dataset:
Testing life history theory in a contemporary African population (2008)

There is accumulating evidence that the evolutionary trade-off between body maintenance and fertility is also present in humans. Several studies have shown this trade-off in historic data sets. Other studies found no evidence for the trade-off. This could, in part, be explained by the fact that the populations under study resided in a modern affluent environment characterized by low mortality and fertility rates, i.e. having past the epidemiologic transition. Lycett et al for instance demonstrated that the trade-off was stronger under conditions of poverty. Accordingly, it has been shown, that the trade-off disappeared in the British aristocracy when environmental conditions markedly improved after 1700 and initiated a demographic transition. Similar trends over time were found in other studies.\nThe objective of this thesis was to test the hypothesis that fertility trades off with early survival in a contemporary population that is still exposed to adverse environmental conditions. Therefore all the studies were performed in the upper east region of Ghana, Africa. The results can be divided into two parts. Part A, Chapters 2, 3 and 4, describes the research population analyzes whether or not the epidemiologic transition has taken place. Part B, Chapters 5, 6 and 7, describes the actual testing of the hypothesis.
A portable electrochemical sensing platform for serotonin detection based on surface-modified carbon fiber microelectrodes (2023)

Serotonin (5-HT) is one of the key neurotransmitters in the human body, regulating numerous physiological functions. A disruption in 5-HT homeostasis could result in serious health problems, including neurodegenerative disorders, depression, and 5-HT syndrome. Detection of 5-HT concentrations in biological fluids, such as urine, is a potential solution for early diagnosis of these diseases. In this study, we developed a novel, simple, and low-cost electrochemical sensing platform consisting of a portable workstation with customized electrodes for 5-HT detection in artificial biological fluids. Nafion/carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and electrochemically modified carbon fiber microelectrodes (Nafion-CNT/EC CFMEs) displayed improved 5-HT sensitivity and selectivity. Together with a customized Ag/AgCl reference electrode and Pt counter electrode, the portable 5-HT sensing platform had a sensitivity of 0.074 μA μM<sup>-1</sup> and a limit of detection (LOD) of 140 nM. This system was also assessed to measure 5-HT spiked in artificial urine samples, showing nearly full recovery rates. These satisfactory results demonstrated that the portable system exhibits outstanding performance and confirmed the feasibility of 5-HT detection, which can be used to provide point-of-care analysis in actual biological samples.
Motivation und Aufbau des Buches (2018)

Die digitale Transformation ist derzeit ein viel debattiertes Thema und gut geeignet, in absehbarer Zukunft die Agenda von Unternehmen weltweit zu bestimmen. Die zunehmende Digitalisierung unseres privaten, beruflichen und öffentlichen Lebens wird häufig als Veränderungsprozess bezeichnet, der die Art wie Unternehmen untereinander konkurrieren, Werte schaffen und mit ihren Geschäftspartnern und Kunden interagieren grundlegend verändert.
Large Eddy Simulation of a Bluff Body Stabilized Lean Premixed Flame (2013)

The present study is devoted to verify current capabilities of Large Eddy Simulation (LES) methodology in the modeling of lean premixed flames in the typical turbulent combustion regime of Dry Low gas turbine combustors. A relatively simple reactive test case, presenting all main aspects of turbulent combustion interaction and flame stabilization of gas turbine lean premixed combustors, was chosen as an affordable test to evaluate the feasibility of the technique also in more complex test cases. A comparison between LES and RANS modeling approach is performed in order to discuss modeling requirements, possible gains, and computational overloads associated with the former. Such comparison comprehends a sensitivity study to mesh refinement and combustion model characteristic constants, computational costs, and robustness of the approach. In order to expand the overview on different methods simulations were performed with both commercial and open-source codes switching from quasi-2D to fully 3D computations.
ChemInform Abstract: Synthetic Approaches to Functional Derivatives of Cycl[3.2.2]azine‐1,2‐dicarboxylic Acid — Perspective Building Blocks for π‐Extended Macrocyclic Compounds (2015)

Abstract Review: 18 refs.
A Cell Penetrating Peptide from Type I Interferon Protects the Retina in a Mouse Model of Autoimmune Uveitis (2019)

Abstract Experimental autoimmune uveitis (EAU) in rodents recapitulates many features of the disease in humans and has served as a useful tool for the development of therapeutics. A peptide from C-terminus of interferon α1, conjugated to palmitoyl-lysine for cell penetration, denoted as IFNα–C, was tested for its anti-inflammatory properties in ARPE-19 cells, followed by testing in a mouse model of EAU. Treatment with IFNα–C and evaluation by RT-qPCR showed the induction of anti-inflammatory cytokines and chemokine. Inflammatory markers induced by treatment with TNFα were suppressed when IFNα–C was simultaneously present. TNF-α mediated induction of NF-kB and signaling by IL-17A were attenuated by IFNα–C. Differentiated ARPE-19 cells were treated with TNFα in the presence or absence IFNα–C and analyzed by immmunhistochemistry. IFNα–C protected against the disruption integrity of tight junction proteins. Similarly, loss of transepithelial resistance caused by TNFα was prevented by IFNα–C. B10.RIII mice were immunized with a peptide from interphotoreceptor binding protein (IRBP) and treated by gavage with IFNα–C. Development of uveitis was monitored by histology, fundoscopy, SD-OCT, and ERG. Treatment with IFNα–C prevented uveitis in mice immunized with the IRBP peptide. Splenocytes isolated from mice with ongoing EAU exhibited antigenspecific T cell proliferation that was inhibited in the presence of IFNα–C. IFNα–C peptide exhibits anti-inflammatory properties and protects mice against damage to retinal structure and function suggesting that it has therapeutic potential for the treatment of autoimmune uveitis.
COMPARATIVE STUDY OF Ta AND TaN(N) IN THE BARRIER/ULTRA LOW k STRUCTURES FOR DEEP SUBMICRON INTEGRATED CIRCUITS (2004)

Two kinds of barrier layers, Ta and TaN , deposited on an ultra low k dielectric porous polymer film with k=2.3 were evaluated using various techniques after thermal treatments at 400°C for different periods of time. It was found that the sheet resistance of the Ta barrier increased significantly after being annealed for 60 min while that of TaN increased after 120 min due to Ta-O compound formation as revealed by X-ray diffraction and secondary ion mass spectrometry. The better integrity of the TaN compared Ta is due to N incorporation, which limits the diffusion of Ta and O . The diffusion coefficient of Ta in the porous polymer is 0.023±0.001 nm 2 / s , while the diffusion coefficient of TaN is only 0.0033±0.0001 nm 2 / s .
Operative Outcomes of Adult-to-Adult Right Lobe Live Donor Liver Transplantation (2006)

RLDLT results in favorable operative outcomes comparable with those of CWLT. However, there is a significantly higher incidence of biliary stricture associated with RLDLT.
Proline and Hydroxyproline Excretion and Vitamin C Status in Elderly Human Subjects (1977)

1. Plasma and buffy-coat vitamin C, urinary proline, hydroxyproline, creatinine and total amino acid concentrations were meausred in 23 healthy elderly subjects at intervals of 3 months. 2. There was a strong positive correlation between plasma vitamin C and buffy-coat vititamin C. 3. There were not significant correlations between plasma or buffy-coat vitamin CPAMIN C. 3. There were not significant correlations between plasma or buffy-coat vitamin C and total urinary hydroxyproline, whether expressed on a creatinine basis or on a total amino acid basis. Similarly, no significant correlations could be detected involving the proline/hydroxyproline ratio in urine hydrolysates. 4. There was a significant negative correlation between plasma or buffy-coat vitamin C and total urinary proline, when expressed per unit of total urinary proline, when expressed per unit of total urinary proline, when expressed per unit of total amino acids in the hydrolysates. This correlation was not observed with unhydrolysed urine, and it appeared to reside in the diffusible fraction, part of whose proline could be liberated by prolidase digestion. In addition, in the man, there was some evidence for a positive correlation between plasma or buffy-coat vitamin C and the ratio of total urinary amino acids to creatinine. 5. These results support the view that poor vitamin C status in elderly humans may be associated with a defect in collagen proline hydroxylation, reflected by increased excretion of proline-rich, collagen-derived peptides. If this interpretation is correct, it indicates a potential defect in connective tissue repair, and could form the basis of a functional test for subclinical vitamin C deficiency.
Pathogenic variants in PIDD1 lead to an autosomal recessive neurodevelopmental disorder with pachygyria and psychiatric features (2021)

The PIDDosome is a multiprotein complex, composed by the p53-induced death domain protein 1 (PIDD1), the bipartite linker protein CRADD (also known as RAIDD) and the proform of caspase-2 that induces apoptosis in response to DNA damage. In the recent years, biallelic pathogenic variants in CRADD have been associated with a neurodevelopmental disorder (MRT34; MIM 614499) characterized by pachygyria with a predominant anterior gradient, megalencephaly, epilepsy and intellectual disability. More recently, biallelic pathogenic variants in PIDD1 have been described in a few families with apparently nonsydnromic intellectual disability. Here, we aim to delineate the genetic and radio-clinical features of PIDD1-related disorder. Exome sequencing was carried out in six consanguineous families. Thorough clinical and neuroradiological evaluation was performed for all the affected individuals as well as reviewing all the data from previously reported cases. We identified five distinct novel homozygous variants (c.2584C>T p.(Arg862Trp), c.1340G>A p.(Trp447*), c.2116_2120del p.(Val706Hisfs*30), c.1564_1565delCA p.(Gln522fs*44), and c.1804_1805del p.(Gly602fs*26) in eleven subjects displaying intellectual disability, behaviorial and psychiatric features, and a typical anterior-predominant pachygyria, remarkably resembling the CRADD-related neuroimaging pattern. In summary, we outlin`e the phenotypic and molecular spectrum of PIDD1 biallelic variants supporting the evidence that the PIDD1/CRADD/caspase-2 signaling is crucial for normal gyration of the developing human neocortex as well as cognition and behavior.
Dominant Active Alleles of RIM101(PRR2) Bypass the pH Restriction on Filamentation of Candida albicans (2000)

Morphological development of the fungal pathogen Candida albicans is profoundly affected by ambient pH. Acidic pH restricts growth to the yeast form, whereas neutral pH permits development of the filamentous form. Superimposed on the pH restriction is a temperature requirement of approximately 37 degrees C for filamentation. The role of pH in development was investigated by selecting revertants of phr2Delta mutants that had gained the ability to grow at acid pH. The extragenic suppressors in two independent revertants were identified as nonsense mutations in the pH response regulator RIM101 (PRR2) that resulted in a carboxy-terminal truncation of the open reading frame. These dominant active alleles conferred the ability to filament at acidic pH, to express PHR1, an alkaline-expressed gene, at acidic pH, and to repress the acid-expressed gene PHR2. It was also observed that both the wild-type and mutant alleles could act as multicopy suppressors of the temperature restriction on filamentation, allowing extensive filamentation at 29 degrees C. The ability of the activated alleles to promote filamentation was dependent upon the developmental regulator EFG1. The results suggest that RIM101 is responsible for the pH dependence of hyphal development.
Sustainable Iron Recovery and Biodiesel Yield by Acid-Adapted Microalgae, Desmodesmus sp. MAS1 and Heterochlorella sp. MAS3, Grown in Synthetic Acid Mine Drainage (2020)

Sustainable resource recovery is the key to manage the overburden of various waste entities of mining practices. The present study demonstrates for the first time a novel approach for iron recovery and biodiesel yield from two acid-adapted microalgae, <i>Desmodesmus</i> sp. MAS1 and <i>Heterochlorella</i> sp. MAS3, grown in synthetic acid mine drainage (SAMD). Virtually, there was no difference in the growth of the strain MAS3 both in Bold's basal medium (control) and SAMD. Using the IC<sub>50</sub> level (200 mg L<sup>-1</sup>) and a lower concentration (50 mg L<sup>-1</sup>) of iron in SAMD, the cell granularity, exopolysaccharide (EPS) secretion, iron recovery, and biodiesel were assessed in both the strains. Both cell granularity and accumulation of EPS were significantly altered under metal stress in SAMD, resulting in an increase in total accumulation of iron. Growth of the microalgal strains in SAMD yielded 12-20% biodiesel, with no traces of heavy metals, from the biomass. The entire amount of iron, accumulated intracellularly, was recovered in the residual biomass. Our results on the ability of the acid-adapted microalgal strains in iron recovery and yield of biodiesel when grown in SAMD indicate that they could be the potential candidates for use in bioremediation of extreme habitats like AMD.
Connective tissue progenitor cell growth characteristics on textured substrates. (2007)

Growth characteristics of human connective tissue progenitor (CTP) cells were investigated on smooth and textured substrates, which were produced using MEMS (microelectromechanical systems) fabrication technology. Human bone marrow derived cells were cultured for 9 days under conditions promoting osteoblastic differentiation on polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) substrates comprising smooth (non-patterned) surfaces (SMOOTH), 4 different cylindrical post micro-textures (POSTS) that were 7-10 microm high and 5, 10, 20, and 40 microm diameter, respectively, and channel micro-textures (CHANNELS) with curved cross-sections that were 11 microm high, 45 microm wide, and separated by 5 microm wide ridges. Standard glass-tissue culture surfaces were used as controls. Micro-textures resulted in the modification of CTP morphology, attachment, migration, and proliferation characteristics. Specifically, cells on POSTS exhibited more contoured morphology with closely packed cytoskeletal actin microfilaments compared to the more random orientation in cells grown on SMOOTH. CTP colonies on 10 gm-diameter POSTS exhibited higher cell number than any other POSTS, and a significant increase in cell number (442%) compared to colonies on SMOOTH (71%). On CHANNELS, colonies tended to be denser (229%) than on POSTS (up to 140% on 10 microm POSTS), and significantly more so compared to those on SMOOTH (104%).
Globally optimal surface segmentation using regional properties of segmented objects (2008)

Efficient segmentation of globally optimal surfaces in volumetric images is a central problem in many medical image analysis applications. Intra-class variance has been successfully utilized, for instance, in the Chan-Vese model especially for images without prominent edges. In this paper, we study the optimization problem of detecting a region (volume) between two coupled smooth surfaces by minimizing the intra-class variance using an efficient polynomial-time algorithm. Our algorithm is based on the shape probing technique in computational geometry and computes a sequence of minimum-cost closed sets in a derived parametric graph. The method has been validated on computer-synthetic volumetric images and in X-ray CT-scanned datasets of plexiglas tubes of known sizes. Its applicability to clinical data sets was demonstrated in human CT image data. The achieved results were highly accurate with mean signed surface positioning errors of the inner and outer walls of the tubes of +0.013mm and 0.012mm, respectively, given a voxel size of 0.39 × 0.39 × 0.6mm <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">3</sup> . Comparing with the original Chan-Vese method [8], our algorithm expressed higher robustness. With its polynomialtime efficiency, our algorithm is ready to be extended to higher-dimensional image segmentation. In addition, the developed technique is of its own interest. We expect that it can shed some light on solving other important optimization problems arising in computer vision. To the best of our knowledge, the shape probing technique is for the first time introduced into the field of computer vision.
How Can We Emit Enough Energy From a Marine Seismic Vibrator? (2018)

Summary Environmentally, marine seismic vibrators offer a safer way to emit acoustic energy into the earth. Even though they might produce a similar sound exposure level (SEL) to a corresponding airgun array, the SEL injury threshold for marine mammals is significantly higher for continuous sounds than it is for impulsive sounds. It is this reduced animal sensitivity, rather than the vibrator’s lower peak pressure, that gives the vibrator its environmental advantage over airguns for marine mammals. Geophysically, there has always been concern about the marine vibrator’s ability to generate enough energy, especially at the low frequencies. For all pulsating acoustic sources, there is an inherent reduction of output at low frequencies. It is indeed difficult to generate enough acoustic energy from a marine seismic vibrator array if the energy requirement is to match the spectrum of an airgun array. But airgun arrays typically produce an excess of energy. By configuring the sweep so as to emit only as much energy as is actually needed to produce the required image signal-to-noise ratio we can make marine vibrators viable.
Multi‐functional polyacrylate polymers in detergents (1985)

Abstract Alkali metal salts of polyacrylic acids are water‐soluble, multifunctional polyelectrolytes which exhibit a variety of solution properties useful in laundry and dishwashing detergents. This paper describes a number of studies carried out to identify the multifunctionality of polyacrylates under simulated detergent use conditions. Solution properties of several commercially available polyacrylates, with average molecular weight ranging from about 2500 to 250,000, are presented. These include: adsorption onto model particulate soil materials and fabrics, particulate soil and lime‐soap dispersancy, sequestration of calcium, magnesium and ferric ions, calcium carbonate precipitation inhibition, buffer action and detergency. Where appropriate, these solution properties are compared with those of commonly used non‐polymeric detergent ingredients.
Worldwide Status of CCUS Technologies and Their Development and Challenges in China (2017)

Carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) is a gas injection technology that enables the storage of CO 2 underground. The aims are twofold, on one hand to reduce the emissions of CO 2 into the atmosphere and on the other hand to increase oil/gas/heat recovery. Different types of CCUS technologies and related engineering projects have a long history of research and operation in the USA. However, in China they have a short development period ca. 10 years. Unlike CO 2 capture and CO 2 -EOR technologies that are already operating on a commercial scale in China, research into other CCUS technologies is still in its infancy or at the pilot-scale. This paper first reviews the status and development of the different types of CCUS technologies and related engineering projects worldwide. Then it focuses on their developments in China in the last decade. The main research projects, international cooperation, and pilot-scale engineering projects in China are summarized and compared. Finally, the paper examines the challenges and prospects to be experienced through the industrialization of CCUS engineering projects in China. It can be concluded that the CCUS technologies have still large potential in China. It can only be unlocked by overcoming the technical and social challenges.
Self-Assembled Silica-Carbonate Structures and Detection of Ancient Microfossils (2003)

We have synthesized inorganic micron-sized filaments, whose microstucture consists of silica-coated nanometer-sized carbonate crystals, arranged with strong orientational order. They exhibit noncrystallographic, curved, helical morphologies, reminiscent of biological forms. The filaments are similar to supposed cyanobacterial microfossils from the Precambrian Warrawoona chert formation in Western Australia, reputed to be the oldest terrestrial microfossils. Simple organic hydrocarbons, whose sources may also be abiotic and indeed inorganic, readily condense onto these filaments and subsequently polymerize under gentle heating to yield kerogenous products. Our results demonstrate that abiotic and morphologically complex microstructures that are identical to currently accepted biogenic materials can be synthesized inorganically.
Reactive Electrospinning of Cross-Linked Poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) Nanofibers and Elastic Properties of Individual Hydrogel Nanofibers in Aqueous Solutions (2005)

Elastomeric nanofibers composed of cross-linked poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) are synthesized via a reactive electrospinning process. In this process, the photoinduced polymerization and cross-linking of polymers take place simultaneously during the electrospinning process. The produced nanofibers are mostly within the diameter range of 100−500 nm in the dry state. When they are immersed in aqueous solution, the nanofibers exhibit remarkably large elastic properties characteristic of bulk hydrogel materials.
Optimizing time and cost using goal programming and FMS scheduling (2018)

Recently port container terminals plan to minimize dwelling time. In this context we utilize process business model to optimize time and cost of the activities. First, Flexible Manufacturing System (FMS) scheduling algorithm is employed to generate alternative routes, which have ascending order of times. Then, the time and cost of the alternative routes became to input of Goal Programming, which obtain the best route with optimal time and cost. The result of this research showed that scheduling can increase work time so that the execution time becomes more optimal, whereas Goal Programming lower the production costs in accordance with the desired target in the company.
Crop genome‐wide association study: a harvest of biological relevance (2018)

With the advent of rapid genotyping and next-generation sequencing technologies, genome-wide association study (GWAS) has become a routine strategy for decoding genotype-phenotype associations in many species. More than 1000 such studies over the last decade have revealed substantial genotype-phenotype associations in crops and provided unparalleled opportunities to probe functional genomics. Beyond the many 'hits' obtained, this review summarizes recent efforts to increase our understanding of the genetic architecture of complex traits by focusing on non-main effects including epistasis, pleiotropy, and phenotypic plasticity. We also discuss how these achievements and the remaining gaps in our knowledge will guide future studies. Synthetic association is highlighted as leading to false causality, which is prevalent but largely underestimated. Furthermore, validation evidence is appealing for future GWAS, especially in the context of emerging genome-editing technologies.