gebhart/patrepeval huggingface dataset:
Uncertainty Analysis of Hydrocarbon Flow Calibration Facility (2nd Report, Uncertainty Analysis of Mass Measurement) (2006)

The uncertainty of mass measurement for the hydrocarbon flow calibration facility, which is a national standard of Japan, has been evaluated experimentally and analytically in detail in accordance with the “ISO Guide to the expression of uncertainty in measurement”. The kerosene and light oil flow calibration rigs have a large weighing tank with a 10 t weighing scale and a small tank with a 1 t weighing scale, one of which is selected to measure the reference flow rate depending on the flow rates. The combined standard uncertainty is estimated to be between 2.7 and 7.7×10-5s which varies depending on the flowrate and used liquids. The main source of combined uncertainty of mass measurement at high flow rate is the correction factor for weighing scales. On the other hand, uncertainty due to the loss of oil caused by oil mist and vapor in the diverter and in the weighing tank is dominant to the uncertainty of mass measurement using the kerosene 10 t weighing scale and 1 t weighing scales at low flow rate.
Oxidation-resistant interfacial coatings for continuous fiber ceramic composites (1995)

Developing an oxidation-resistant interfacial coating for continuous fiber ceramic composites (CFCCs) continues to be a major challenge. CFCCs` mechanical behavior are influenced by the interfacial bonding characteristics between the fiber and the matrix. Finite element modeling studies suggest that a low-modulus interfacial coating material will be effective in reducing the residual thermal stresses that are generated upon cooling from processing temperatures. Nicalon/SiC composites with carbon, alumina and mullite interfacial coatings were fabricated with the SiC matrix deposited using a forced-flow chemical vapor infiltration process. Composites with mullite interfacial coatings exhibited considerable fiber pull-out even after oxidation and have potential as a composite system.
Connecting Pressure-Dependent Dynamics to Dynamics under Confinement: The Cooperative Free Volume Model Applied to Poly(4-chlorostyrene) Bulk and Thin Films (2018)

We apply our cooperative free volume (CFV) rate model for pressure-dependent dynamics to describe the relaxation times for poly(4-chlorostyrene) (P4ClS) bulk and thin films. The CFV model expresses segmental relaxation times, τ, as a function of temperature, T, and thermodynamic free volume, Vfree = V – Vhc, where the limiting hard core volume, Vhc, is obtained via analysis of a polymer’s experimental PVT data using the locally correlated lattice (LCL) model equation of state. In adapting CFV to describe thin films, we assume that the main effect of confinement is that the interface serves to change the average free volume (average density) compared to bulk. We formulate a simple weighted average expression (involving just a single interface related parameter) to describe the free volume of a film as a function of thickness, h, and use this h-dependent Vfree within the CFV model expression. Using just ambient pressure relaxation time data on bulk P4ClS, along with PVT data, we parametrize the CFV model, which is then able to predict both the P-dependent dynamics for the P4ClS bulk and the thickness-dependent dynamics of P4ClS films; the CFV parameters are transferable for either scenario. Analysis of the bulk P-dependent dynamics predictions for P4ClS indicates a strong sensitivity to volume changes, and this leads to a strong sensitivity to confinement (h). In addition, we show that the effect of confinement, e.g., for a 15 nm P4ClS film, is analogous to the effect of a P decrease on the order of about 25 MPa or so. The model τ vs h behavior is in close agreement with the form of the isothermal experimental data. Furthermore, we show predictions for the film behavior at other temperatures, based on analysis of the limited (T = 433 K) experimental data that are available.
Carrier-driven coupling in ferromagnetic oxide heterostructures (2017)

Transition metal oxides are well known for their complex magnetic and electrical properties. When brought together in heterostructure geometries, they show particular promise for spintronics and colossal magnetoresistance applications. In this article, we propose a carrier-driven coupling mechanism in heterostructures composed of itinerant ferromagnetic materials. The coupling is mediated by charge carriers that strive to maximally delocalize through the heterostructure to gain kinetic energy. In doing so, they force a ferromagnetic or antiferromagnetic coupling between the constituent layers. To illustrate this, we focus on heterostructures composed of ${\mathrm{SrRuO}}_{3}$ and ${\mathrm{La}}_{1\ensuremath{-}x}{\mathrm{A}}_{x}{\mathrm{MnO}}_{3}$ (A = Ca/Sr). Using the minority-carrier nature of ${\mathrm{SrRuO}}_{3}$, we provide a simple explanation for antiferromagnetic alignment that is known to occur in multilayers. We present a phenomenological Kondo-lattice model which reproduces the known magnetization properties of multilayers. In addition, we discuss a quantum well model for heterostructures and argue that the spin-dependent density of states determines the nature of the coupling. As a smoking gun signature, we propose that bilayers with the same constituents will oscillate between ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic coupling upon tuning the relative thicknesses of the layers. We present ab initio results that support this prediction.
Testing new chemistries for mask repair with focused ion beam gas assisted etching (2003)

In modern photolithography mask repair, shorter exposure wavelengths, smaller dimensions, and tighter process latitudes pose new challenges. We have systematically investigated focused ion beam (FIB) gas assisted etching (GAE) of chrome and mask transmission at 193 nm ultraviolet (UV) irradiation for various FIB parameters. The gases, used either alone or in binary combinations, include XeF2, Cl2, NH3, CO, CO2, Br2, H2O, and O2. While the bromine GAE appears to be the most effective among single gases in etching chrome, the quartz transmission after chrome removal remains ∼50% compared with unexposed material, and residue is present. The gas mixtures NH3/Br2 and CO2/Br2 were found to reduce the amount of residue and to enhance the chromium mask etching rate compared to Br2-only etching. This enhancement occurs in a narrow range of gas partial pressures, and the FIB process may need to be optimized further. The best transmission at 193 nm UV irradiation of the FIB GAE repaired regions achieved to date with no postprocessing is ∼95% of the transmission of a blank mask. We also applied laser power to heat the area where the ion beam is incident. No increase in Cr removal rate was seen for the Br based chemistries. Some increase in removal rate was seen for Cl2+O2 and XeF2 but the overall rate with both gas and laser power was barely higher than sputtering alone.
Pushing the limits of stereo using variational stereo estimation (2012)

We examine high accuracy stereo estimation for binocular sequences that where obtained from a mobile platform. The ultimate goal is to improve the range of stereo systems without altering the setup. Based on a well-known variational optical flow model, we introduce a novel stereo model that features a second-order regularization, which both allows sub-pixel accurate solutions and piecewise planar disparity maps. The model incorporates a robust fidelity term to account for adverse illumination conditions that frequently arise in real-world scenes. Using several sequences that were taken from a mobile platform we show the robustness and accuracy of the proposed model.
A 1.5-V 12-bit 75M-samples/s fully-differential low-power sample-and-hold amplifier in 0.25-μm CMOS (2004)

The most power-hungry block in a pipelined analog-to-digital converter is the front-end sample-and-hold amplifier. When the sampling rate or the resolution is increased or the supply voltage is scaled down, the power is increased. In this paper, several approaches have been used to reduce the power consumption in low-voltage fast-settling operational amplifiers used for SHA. These techniques include the cascode-Miller compensation, utilizing a new class-AB output stage and a novel simple optimum allocation of settling time parameters. Design considerations for a 1.5-V very-low-power operational amplifier merging these techniques are addressed. HSPICE simulation results of the circuit in a 0.25-/spl mu/m CMOS process confirm the effectiveness of the approaches to considerably reduce the power consumption in the sample-and-hold amplifier.
Community detection with spiking neural networks for neuromorphic\n hardware (2017)

We present results related to the performance of an algorithm for community\ndetection which incorporates event-driven computation. We define a mapping\nwhich takes a graph G to a system of spiking neurons. Using a fully connected\nspiking neuron system, with both inhibitory and excitatory synaptic\nconnections, the firing patterns of neurons within the same community can be\ndistinguished from firing patterns of neurons in different communities. On a\nrandom graph with 128 vertices and known community structure we show that by\nusing binary decoding and a Hamming-distance based metric, individual\ncommunities can be identified from spike train similarities. Using bipolar\ndecoding and finite rate thresholding, we verify that inhibitory connections\nprevent the spread of spiking patterns.\n
Constraint satisfaction as a basis for designing nonmasking fault-tolerance (1996)

We present a method for the design of nonmasking fault-tolerant programs. In our method, a set of constraints is associated with each program. As long as faults do not occur, the constraints are continually satisfied under the execution of program ac
Changing Motor Synergies in Chronic Stroke (2007)

Synergies are thought to be the building blocks of vertebrate movements. The inability to execute synergies in properly timed and graded fashion precludes adequate functional motor performance. In humans with stroke, abnormal synergies are a sign of persistent neurological deficit and result in loss of independent joint control, which disrupts the kinematics of voluntary movements. This study aimed at characterizing training-related changes in synergies apparent from movement kinematics and, specifically, at assessing: 1) the extent to which they characterize recovery and 2) whether they follow a pattern of augmentation of existing abnormal synergies or, conversely, are characterized by a process of extinction of the abnormal synergies. We used a robotic therapy device to train and analyze paretic arm movements of 117 persons with chronic stroke. In a task for which they received no training, subjects were better able to draw circles by discharge. Comparison with performance at admission on kinematic robot-derived metrics showed that subjects were able to execute shoulder and elbow joint movements with significantly greater independence or, using the clinical description, with more isolated control. We argue that the changes we observed in the proposed metrics reflect changes in synergies. We show that they capture a significant portion of the recovery process, as measured by the clinical Fugl-Meyer scale. A process of "tuning" or augmentation of existing abnormal synergies, not extinction of the abnormal synergies, appears to underlie recovery.
Corrosion behaviour of steel reinforced mortars based on alkali activated materials (2012)

Recently a great interest has been addressed towards the use of new binders with zero cement. In order to promote sustainability principles in the field of civil/building engineering, the set up and mix design of new building materials free of cements are very important goals. For this reason alkali activated materials have been largely investigated in these last years to evaluate if they can be used as new binder and cement replacement for specific applications. Between the properties that alkaline materials must fulfil, it is very important to investigate their interaction with steel and to understand if they can work as protective coating in aggressive atmosphere, such as marine environment. For this purpose, alkaline activated materials based on metakaolin and electric arc furnace slag, have been used to prepare steel reinforced mortar samples and their behavior as protective coating has been compared with the one shown by traditional cement based mortar. The results of electrochemical tests and microstructure analysis highlight that the investigated new binders are promising and can represent a valid green alternative to traditional cement
Image coding design considerations for cascaded encoding-decoding cycles and image editing: analysis of JPEG 1, JPEG 2000, and JPEG XR / HD Photo (2008)

This paper discusses cascaded multiple encoding/decoding cycles and their effect on image quality for lossy image coding designs. Cascaded multiple encoding/decoding is an important operating scenario in professional editing industries. In such scenarios, it is common for a single image to be edited by several people while the image is compressed between editors for transit and archival. In these cases, it is important that decoding followed by re-encoding introduce minimal (or no) distortion across generations. A significant number of potential sources of distortion introduction exist in a cascade of decoding and re-encoding, especially if such processes as conversion between RGB and YUV color representations, 4:2:0 resampling, etc., are considered (and operations like spatial shifting, resizing, and changes of the quantization process or coding format). This paper highlights various aspects of distortion introduced by decoding and re-encoding, and remarks on the impact of these issues in the context of three still-image coding designs: JPEG, JPEG 2000, and JPEG XR. JPEG XR is a draft standard under development in the JPEG committee based on Microsoft technology known as HD Photo. The paper focuses particularly on the JPEG XR technology, and suggests that the design of the draft JPEG XR standard has several quite good characteristics in regard to re-encoding robustness.
A characterisation of dark-field imaging of colloidal gold labels in a scanning transmission X-ray microscope (1996)

While X-ray microscopes provide images of biological specimens for which the contrast is mainly due to the difference in the absorption of carbon and oxygen when X-rays transmitted through the specimen are detected, signals other than absorption can also be used to form images. Using the Stony Brook scanning transmission X-ray microscope at the National Synchrotron Light Source, high-angle dark-field images have been formed of cells labelled with colloidal gold, with and without silver enhancement. The high density of the colloidal gold particles, or the silver particles seeded by the gold, leads to a large scattering signal, and the fact that the particle diameters are comparable to the width of the microscope point spread function results in good localisation of the label with high contrast. The dark-field images can have a greater signal to noise ratio than bright-field images acquired with the same incident X-ray dose. The theory of dark-and bright-field imaging is reviewed. Theoretical calculations of scattering from gold and silver particles are presented and good agreement is found between these and experimental dark-field images of 30 nm diameter gold particles. The signal to noise ratios of experimental bright-and dark-field images are measured and found to be in agreement with theory. Images are presented of cells labelled by immunolabelling and in situ hybridisation.
Age-related decline in RMR in physically active men: relation to exercise volume and energy intake (2001)

We tested the hypothesis that resting metabolic rate (RMR) declines with age in physically active men (endurance exercise > or =3 times/wk) and that this decline is related to weekly exercise volume (h/wk) and/or daily energy intake. Accordingly, we studied 137 healthy adult men who had been weight stable for > or =6 mo: 32 young [26 +/- 1 (SE) yr] and 34 older (62 +/- 1 yr) sedentary males (internal controls); and 39 young (27 +/- 1 yr) and 32 older (63 +/- 2 yr) physically active males (regular endurance exercise). RMR was measured by indirect calorimetry (ventilated hood system) after an overnight fast and approximately 24 h after exercise. Because RMR is related to fat-free mass (FFM; r = 0.76, P < 0.001, current study), FFM was covaried to adjust RMR (RMR(adj)). RMR(adj) was lower with age in both the sedentary (72.0 +/- 2.0 vs. 64.0 +/- 1.3 kcal/h, P < 0.01) and the physically active (76.6 +/- 1.1 vs. 67.9 +/- 1.2 kcal/h, P < 0.01) males. In the physically active men, RMR(adj) was related to both exercise volume (no. of h/wk, regardless of intensity; r = 0.56, P < 0.001) and estimated energy intake (r = 0.58, P < 0.001). Consistent with these relations, RMR(adj) was not significantly different in subgroups of young and older physically active men matched either for exercise volume (h/wk; n = 11 each) or estimated energy intake (kcal/day; n = 6 each). These results indicate that 1) RMR, per unit FFM, declines with age in highly physically active men; and 2) this decline is related to age-associated reductions in exercise volume and energy intake and does not occur in men who maintain exercise volume and/or energy intake at a level similar to that of young physically active men.
Lack of association between alpha 1-antichymotrypsin polymorphism, Alzheimer's disease, and allele epsilon 4 of apolipoprotein E (1996)

We investigated the possibility that a polymorphism of alpha 1-antichymotrypsin modifies the risk for Alzheimer's disease (AD). Testing 147 AD patients and 74 controls, we did not find evidence of an association between alpha 1-antichymotrypsin polymorphism and AD and also failed to detect a modifying effect of this polymorphism in patients carrying at least one epsilon 4 allele of apolipoprotein E.
The Development of Productive Structures of EU Member Countries and Their International Competitiveness (2013)

This study examines the development of the productive structures of the EU using international trade data and methods from complexity theory referred to as the "product space" approach. The results show that the set of products for which a country has already a comparative advantage in international trade is a strong predictor for the type of products in which it will develop a comparative advantage and obtain significant world market shares. This implies that the development of the productive structures of a country is a highly cumulative process and any upgrading is necessarily deeply rooted in current capabilities and industrial specialisation. Complementary factors and competencies have to be built up. This makes it more difficult for countries to change their productive structures. In the light of the results of this study the smart specialisation strategy which the European Commission pursues in its cohesion policy for the years 2014-2020 seems to be well placed to foster the competitiveness of the European Union in general and the European regions in particular. Some caveats however apply.
Post-translational Succinylation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Enoyl-CoA Hydratase EchA19 Slows Catalytic Hydration of Cholesterol Catabolite 3-Oxo-chol-4,22-diene-24-oyl-CoA (2020)

Cholesterol is a major carbon source for <i>Mycobacterium tuberculosis</i> (<i>Mtb</i>) during infection, and cholesterol utilization plays a significant role in persistence and virulence within host macrophages. Elucidating the mechanism by which cholesterol is degraded may permit the identification of new therapeutic targets. Here, we characterized EchA19 (Rv3516), an enoyl-CoA hydratase involved in cholesterol side-chain catabolism. Steady-state kinetics assays demonstrated that EchA19 preferentially hydrates cholesterol enoyl-CoA metabolite 3-oxo-chol-4,22-diene-24-oyl-CoA, an intermediate of side-chain β-oxidation. In addition, succinyl-CoA, a downstream catabolite of propionyl-CoA that forms during cholesterol degradation, covalently modifies targeted mycobacterial proteins, including EchA19. Inspection of a 1.9 Å resolution X-ray crystallography structure of <i>Mtb</i> EchA19 suggests that succinylation of Lys132 and Lys139 may perturb enzymatic activity by modifying the entrance to the substrate binding site. Treatment of EchA19 with succinyl-CoA revealed that these two residues are hotspots for succinylation. Replacement of these specific lysine residues with negatively charged glutamate reduced the rate of catalytic hydration of 3-oxo-chol-4,22-diene-24-oyl-CoA by EchA19, as does succinylation of EchA19. Our findings suggest that succinylation is a negative feedback regulator of cholesterol metabolism, thereby adding another layer of complexity to <i>Mtb</i> physiology in the host. These regulatory pathways are potential noncatabolic targets for antimicrobial drugs.
Systematic Comparison of Three Methods for Fragmentation of Long-Range PCR Products for Next Generation Sequencing (2011)

Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) technologies are gaining importance in the routine clinical diagnostic setting. It is thus desirable to simplify the workflow for high-throughput diagnostics. Fragmentation of DNA is a crucial step for preparation of template libraries and various methods are currently known. Here we evaluated the performance of nebulization, sonication and random enzymatic digestion of long-range PCR products on the results of NGS. All three methods produced high-quality sequencing libraries for the 454 platform. However, if long-range PCR products of different length were pooled equimolarly, sequence coverage drastically dropped for fragments below 3,000 bp. All three methods performed equally well with regard to overall sequence quality (PHRED) and read length. Enzymatic fragmentation showed highest consistency between three library preparations but performed slightly worse than sonication and nebulization with regard to insertions/deletions in the raw sequence reads. After filtering for homopolymer errors, enzymatic fragmentation performed best if compared to the results of classic Sanger sequencing. As the overall performance of all three methods was equal with only minor differences, a fragmentation method can be chosen solely according to lab facilities, feasibility and experimental design.
Homogeneous hydrogenation of electron‐deficient alkenes by iridium complexes (2011)

Abstract The catalytic homogeneous hydrogenation of electron‐deficient alkenes (nucleophilic hydrogenation) was achieved in the presence of iridium complexes and a base as co‐catalyst. Contrary to hydrogenation of electron‐rich alkenes, which is inactivated by bases, the hydrogenation of the electron‐deficient alkenes turned out to be base activated. Here, we present a more thorough study on the capacities but also limitations of this new reaction mechanism using screenings of the reaction conditions as well as different Ir complexes and substrates. The formation of a catalytically active Ir complex is proposed. The active complex usually attacks a soft electron‐deficient atom, if more than one possibility exists (as shown by density functional theory computations). Additionally, first examples of enantiomeric enrichments in the presence of chiral Ir complexes are presented. The high catalyst load needed and the moderate yields show that the active complex is very unstable under conditions of nucleophilic hydrogenation and is quickly deactivated, which has to be addressed in further studies. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley &amp; Sons, Ltd.