gebhart/patrepeval huggingface dataset:
Quantitative spectroscopic imaging of the human brain (1998)

A method to provide B1 correction and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) referencing is developed and applied to spectroscopic imaging of the human brain at 4.1 T using a volume head coil. The B1 image allows rapid determination of the spatially dependent B1 that is then used to compensate for the B1 sensitivity of the spectroscopic sequence. The reference signal is acquired from CSF located in a lateral ventricular position using a point-resolved echo spectroscopy (PRESS) acquisition. The CSF spectrum is also corrected for B1 dependence. Together with T2 and T1 corrections, this method is used to provide quantitative values of N-acetylaspartate (NAA), creatine (Cr), and choline (Ch). The metabolite concentrations obtained from a spectroscopic imaging slice through the ventricles in seven normal controls are in good agreement with previously published literature values. This method is applied in a patient with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis, showing separate areas of abnormalities in both NAA and Cr.
Machine-learning classification identifies patients with early systemic sclerosis as abatacept responders via CD28 pathway modulation (2022)

Here, the efficacy of abatacept in patients with early diffuse systemic sclerosis (dcSSc) was analyzed to test the hypothesis that patients in the inflammatory intrinsic subset would show the most significant clinical improvement. Eighty-four participants with dcSSc were randomized to receive abatacept or placebo for 12 months. RNA-Seq was performed on 233 skin paired biopsies at baseline and at 3 and 6 months. Improvement was defined as a 5-point or more than 20% change in modified Rodnan skin score (mRSS) between baseline and 12 months. Samples were assigned to intrinsic gene expression subsets (inflammatory, fibroproliferative, or normal-like subsets). In the abatacept arm, change in mRSS was most pronounced for the inflammatory and normal-like subsets relative to the placebo subset. Gene expression for participants on placebo remained in the original molecular subset, whereas inflammatory participants treated with abatacept had gene expression that moved toward the normal-like subset. The Costimulation of the CD28 Family Reactome Pathway decreased in patients who improved on abatacept and was specific to the inflammatory subset. Patients in the inflammatory subset had elevation of the Costimulation of the CD28 Family pathway at baseline relative to that of participants in the fibroproliferative and normal-like subsets. There was a correlation between improved ΔmRSS and baseline expression of the Costimulation of the CD28 Family pathway. This study provides an example of precision medicine in systemic sclerosis clinical trials.
Imaging near-borehole structure using directional acoustic-wave measurement (2004)

Abstract This study shows how to image the structure of a near-borehole geologic formation and determine its orientation using a directional acoustic measurement tool in the borehole. The advantage of the directional tool over a conventional monopole tool is that the former uses a dipole source and/or receiver to obtain multiple component data that are sensitive to the orientation of the structure. To preserve the orientation information in the presence of tool rotation, the multiple component data are converted from the tool-frame coordinates into a fixed coordinate system using the recorded tool azimuth. The component data in the fixed coordinates are then used to image the formation structure and determine its orientation. The application of the method and procedure is demonstrated with a four-component cross-dipole data set measured in a deviated borehole. Using the directionality of the compressional waves in the dipole data, the method successfully obtains the orientation of bed boundaries crossing the borehole. In addition, the low-frequency content (about 2–3 kHz) of the data allows for imaging the radial extent of the formation structure up to 15 m, greatly enhancing the penetration depth as compared to that obtained using conventional monopole compressional-wave data.
Increased Expression of the Chemokine Fractalkine in Crohn's Disease and Association of the Fractalkine Receptor T280M Polymorphism with a Fibrostenosing Disease Phenotype (2005)

The expression of the chemokine fractalkine is upregulated by proinflammatory cytokines and enhanced in inflamed CD lesions. The CX3CR1 T280M polymorphism appears to influence CD phenotype and localization.
An Assessment of Persistent Acoustic Monitoring of a Nuclear Reactor during Full Power Generation (2023)

Persistent low-frequency (&lt;180 Hz) acoustic detection took place within the boundaries of Oak Ridge National Laboratory to monitor full power operations of the High Flux Isotope Reactor. Three acoustic sensors were installed at distances of 69, 101, and 914 m from the northeast corner of the cooling towers to monitor and assess four reactor power generation cycles. Features were extracted from power spectral density calculations where data were collected during reactor on and off operations. Diverse spectral features were present during full reactor power, including a 21.4 Hz fundamental frequency and ascending harmonics. Using bandpass filters, these related frequencies were isolated and summed, and the root mean square energy was calculated. The method of isolating and summing characteristic features provided a significant improvement in identifying acoustic behavior related to reactor power when the raw signals were obscured by noise.
Effectiveness of Continuous Positive Airway Pressure in Mild Sleep Apnea–Hypopnea Syndrome (2001)

The aim of this trial was to evaluate the effectiveness of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) in patients with mild sleep apnea- hypopnea syndrome (SAHS). One hundred forty-two consecutive patients with mild SAHS (apnea-hypopnea index 10-30, without severe sleepiness) were randomly assigned to receive conservative treatment (CT)-sleep hygiene and weight loss-(65 patients) or CT plus CPAP (77 patients), and 125 patients (86% males, age: 54 +/- 9 yr, BMI: 29 +/- 4 kg/m(2), AHI: 20 +/- 6, ESS: 12 +/- 4) completed the follow-up. The following outcomes were assessed at inclusion and after 3 and 6 mo of treatment: sleepiness (Epworth scale, multiple sleep latency test [MSLT]), other symptoms related to SAHS, cognitive function, and perceived health status (Functional Outcomes of Sleep Questionnaire [FOSQ], Nottingham Health profile). The relief of SAHS-related clinical symptoms was significantly greater in the CPAP group than in the CT group; the Epworth scale and FOSQ also showed more improvement in the CPAP group but did not reach significance. There were no significant differences in the other tests performed probably because the baseline values were normal. CPAP compliance was 4.8 +/- 2.2 h and treatment continuation was accepted by 62% of the patients at the end of the study. These results suggest that CPAP can be considered in treating patients with mild SAHS on the basis of an improvement in symptoms.
Inhibitory Effects of Androgens on Preoptic Area Dopaminergic Neurons in Castrate Rats (1980)

The present study was undertaken to determine the effects of androgen implants in the preoptic area-suprachiasmatic nucleus (POA-SCN) on catecholamine turnover in the POA-SCN and the medial basal hypothalamus (MBH) in orchidectomized rats. Bilateral implants of testosterone (T) or dihydrotestosterone (DHT) in the POA-SCN of orchidectomized rats did not affect serum concentrations of LH and FSH or the turnover of dopamine (DA) and norepinephrine (NE) in the MBH. In the area surrounding the implants in the POA-SCN, T and DHT decreased dopamine turnover by 67 and 37%, respectively, without influencing the POA-SCN norepinephrine turnover. These results indicate (i) that T implants in the POA-SCN selectively depress POA-SCN dopamine turnover, (ii) that this effect of T may occur following its conversion to DHT, and (iii) that these androgen effects probably do not mediate the negative feedback action of T on gonadotropin secretion.
Learning decision trees through Monte Carlo tree search: An empirical evaluation (2020)

Abstract Decision trees (DTs) are a widely used prediction tool, owing to their interpretability. Standard learning methods follow a locally optimal approach that trades off prediction performance for computational efficiency. Such methods can however be far from optimal, and it may pay off to spend more computational resources to increase performance. Monte Carlo tree search (MCTS) is an approach to approximate optimal choices in exponentially large search spaces. We propose a DT learning approach based on the Upper Confidence Bound applied to tree (UCT) algorithm, including procedures to expand and explore the space of DTs. To mitigate the computational cost of our method, we employ search pruning strategies that discard some branches of the search tree. The experiments show that proposed approach outperformed the C4.5 algorithm in 20 out of 31 datasets, with statistically significant improvements in the trade‐off between prediction performance and DT complexity. The approach improved locally optimal search for datasets with more than 1,000 instances, or for smaller datasets likely arising from complex distributions. This article is categorized under: Algorithmic Development &gt; Hierarchies and Trees Application Areas &gt; Data Mining Software Tools Fundamental Concepts of Data and Knowledge &gt; Data Concepts
Effect of Tool Stiffness and Cutting Edge Condition on Quality and Stretchability of Sheared Edge of Aluminum Blanks (2016)

&lt;div class="section abstract"&gt;&lt;div class="htmlview paragraph"&gt;Stamping die design recommendations attempt to limit the production of burrs through accurate alignment of the upper and lower trimming edges. For aluminum automotive exterior panels, this translates to a clearance less than 0.1 mm. However, quality of sheared edge and its stretchability are affected by stiffness of the cutting tool against opening of the clearance between the shearing edges.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="htmlview paragraph"&gt;The objective of the study is to investigate the influence of stiffness of trimming or piercing dies against opening of the cutting clearance on sheared edge stretchability of aluminum blanks 6111-T4. For experimental study, one side of the sample had sheared surface obtained by the trimming process while the other side of the sample had a smooth surface achieved by metal finish. Burr heights of the sheared edge after different trimming configurations with 10% clearance were measured. Subsequently, sheared edge stretchability of the specimens was evaluated by measuring major strains of 2 mm circle grids electro-etched on the surface of the samples along the sheared edge. Comparison of burr height and sheared edge stretchability was analyzed for variable tool stiffness for trimming and piercing processes.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
4‐Aminopyridine Improves Pulmonary Function in Quadriplegic Humans with Longstanding Spinal Cord Injury (1997)

The administration of a single dose of an immediate-release formulation of 4-AP to humans with longstanding, traumatic quadriplegia is associated with sustained, clinically meaningful, and statistically significant improvements in pulmonary function. We suggest that the administration of 4-AP may have a salutary effect in patients suffering from SCI and appears to be associated with potentially clinically significant reductions in the pathophysiologic pulmonary sequelae of SCI.
Iterative Control of Piezoactuator for Evaluating Biomimetic, Cilia-Based Micromixing (2012)

This paper evaluates the use of different excitation waveforms to improve biomimetic-cilia-based mixing in microfluidic applications. A challenge in such studies is that, at high frequencies, vibrations in the piezoactuator can distort the achieved excitation waveform. An iterative approach is used in this work to account for the vibrational dynamics and avoid unwanted vibrations in the achieved excitation waveforms, and thereby enable the evaluation of different excitation waveforms on mixing. The main contribution of this study is to use these controlled, excitation waveforms for showing that: 1) mixing time is substantially reduced by more than an order of magnitude with the use of cilia when compared to the case without cilia, and 2) mixing time with cilia can be further reduced, by more than half, by using an asymmetric excitation waveform when compared to symmetric sinusoidal excitation.
Recent Progress in the Pathophysiology and Treatment of FSGS Recurrence (2013)

Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) is a glomerular disease characterized by proteinuria, frequent progression to end-stage renal disease, and recurrence after kidney transplantation in ∼25% of patients, which negatively impacts long-term allograft survival. Experimental studies suggest that abnormalities in T and, possibly, B cells may represent one initial pathogenic trigger, leading to podocyte injury and progressive loss. New data also support the existence of circulating permeability factors able to damage the podocytes, but no single molecule has been consistently identified as the causal pathogenic element in FSGS recurrence. Unfortunately, major progress from mechanistic studies has not translated into substantial advancements in patient treatment, with plasmapheresis (PP) and high doses of cyclosporine (CsA) remaining the mainstays of therapy. Despite consistent experimental and clinical evidence that treatment of proteinuria slows renal function decline in proteinuric nephropathies, maximal use of antiproteinuric agents such as renin angiotensin system antagonists is not routine in the management of FSGS recurrence. More recently, encouraging results have been reported with anti-CD20 depleting antibody rituximab, but further studies are needed to establish its safety/efficacy profile.
Blood Cell Telomere Length Is a Dynamic Feature (2011)

There is a considerable heterogeneity in blood cell telomere length (TL) for individuals of similar age and recent studies have revealed that TL changes by time are dependent on TL at baseline. TL is partly inherited, but results from several studies indicate that e.g. life style and/or environmental factors can affect TL during life. Collectively, these studies imply that blood cell TL might fluctuate during a life time and that the actual TL at a defined time point is the result of potential regulatory mechanism(s) and environmental factors. We analyzed relative TL (RTL) in subsequent blood samples taken six months apart from 50 individuals and found significant associations between RTL changes and RTL at baseline. Individual RTL changes per month were more pronounced than the changes recorded in a previously studied population analyzed after 10 years' follow up. The data argues for an oscillating TL pattern which levels out at longer follow up times. In a separate group of five blood donors, a marked telomere loss was demonstrated within a six month period for one donor where after TL was stabilized. PCR determined RTL changes were verified by Southern blotting and STELA (single telomere elongation length analysis). The STELA demonstrated that for the donor with a marked telomere loss, the heterogeneity of the telomere distribution decreased considerably, with a noteworthy loss of the largest telomeres. In summary, the collected data support the concept that individual blood cell telomere length is a dynamic feature and this will be important to recognize in future studies of human telomere biology.
EEPROM device as a reconfigurable analog element for neural networks (2003)

An investigation into the use of EEPROMs (electrically erasable programmable read-only memories) for analog storage is presented, with special consideration given to the problem of reconfigurable weight storage in neural net implementations. Control of either programming voltage or programming time can be used to program the threshold voltage of industry-standard digital EEPROMs to any analog value. Variations in the programming curves of different devices on the same chip as well as changes in the programming curve of a single device with age suggest the need for feedback in any EEPROM-based analog programming strategy. EEPROM charge retention appears to be very good in the analog range and, to first order, temperature compensation of EEPROMs is no more complicated than that for conventional MOS circuits. A particular analog programming scheme which provides about 8 b of resolution per EEPROM device is presented, and the potential uses of EEPROMs in neural net designs are discussed.< <ETX xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">&gt;</ETX>
KJO24-1-8 : Self-Assembly of L-Lysine Derivatives into Nanofibers and Formation of Gels (2003)

New gemini organogelators linked by an oxall amide that can be easily, effectively, and cheaply synthesized have good organogelation abilities and their cyclohexane gels have superior thermal stabilities; especially 7 possessing the branched alkyl ester can gel at 0.7 wt% cyclohexane even at 70℃
Career Management (2015)

Abstract Career management is a core HR activity concerned with seeking to influence the careers of employees. Activities include management of internal labor markets, identifying and developing talent, and succession planning. The process faces challenges from organizational changes and changes in employees' values. Associated challenges include the growth of the protean career and career self‐management as well as arguments about boundaryless careers.
GFI1 tethers the NuRD complex to open and transcriptionally active chromatin in myeloid progenitors (2021)

Growth factor indepdendent 1 (GFI1) is a SNAG-domain, DNA binding transcriptional repressor which controls myeloid differentiation through molecular mechanisms and co-factors that still remain to be clearly identified. Here we show that GFI1 associates with the chromodomain helicase DNA binding protein 4 (CHD4) and other components of the Nucleosome remodeling and deacetylase (NuRD) complex. In granulo-monocytic precursors, GFI1, CHD4 or GFI1/CHD4 complexes occupy sites enriched for histone marks associated with active transcription suggesting that GFI1 recruits the NuRD complex to target genes regulated by active or bivalent promoters and enhancers. GFI1 and GFI1/CHD4 complexes occupy promoters that are either enriched for IRF1 or SPI1 consensus binding sites, respectively. During neutrophil differentiation, chromatin closure and depletion of H3K4me2 occurs at different degrees depending on whether GFI1, CHD4 or both are present, indicating that GFI1 is more efficient in depleting of H3K4me2 and -me1 marks when associated with CHD4. Our data suggest that GFI1/CHD4 complexes regulate histone modifications differentially to enable regulation of target genes affecting immune response, nucleosome organization or cellular metabolic processes and that both the target gene specificity and the activity of GFI1 during myeloid differentiation depends on the presence of chromatin remodeling complexes.
Controller design and consonantal contrast coding using a multi-finger tactual display (2009)

This paper presents the design and evaluation of a new controller for a multi-finger tactual display in speech communication. A two-degree-of-freedom controller consisting of a feedback controller and a prefilter and its application in a consonant contrasting experiment are presented. The feedback controller provides stable, fast, and robust response of the fingerpad interface and the prefilter shapes the frequency-response of the closed-loop system to match with the human detection-threshold function. The controller is subsequently used in a speech communication system that extracts spectral features from recorded speech signals and presents them as vibrational-motional waveforms to three digits on a receiver's left hand. Performance from a consonantal contrast test suggests that participants are able to identify tactual cues necessary for discriminating consonants in the initial position of consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC) segments. The average sensitivity indices for contrasting voicing, place, and manner features are 3.5, 2.7, and 3.4, respectively. The results show that the consonantal features can be successfully transmitted by utilizing a broad range of the kinesthetic-cutaneous sensory system. The present study also demonstrates the validity of designing controllers that take into account not only the electromechanical properties of the hardware, but the sensory characteristics of the human user.
Abstract 3526: The transcription factor ZEB1 shapes osteosarcoma aggressiveness by affecting tumor cell differentiation and stemness features (2023)

Abstract Osteosarcoma (OS) is a mesenchymal bone tumor affecting mainly children and young adults, characterized by a particularly aggressive behavior, with 20% of patients showing lung micro metastasis already at diagnosis. To date, treatment options for OS are still based on multi-drug chemotherapy and prognosis for metastatic patients is dismal, making urgent the identification of new therapies. OS is considered a differentiation disease, because of the incapability of mesenchymal stem cells or osteoblastic progenitors to proceed toward terminal differentiation. We tested the effects on OS cells of targeting ZEB1, a transcription factor known to be critical for the maintenance of mesenchymal and stemness features in cancer. We inhibited ZEB1 expression in a murine OS cell line by lentiviral vectors based on CRISPR-Cas9 technology. We firstly tested the effects of ZEB1 deficiency in vitro, evaluating OS cell stemness potential by sarcosphere forming assay and osteogenic differentiation by alkaline phosphatase (Alp) staining. Gene expression profile (GEP) comparing ZEB1 KO clones and control ones was also performed to investigate the transcriptional changes induced by ZEB1 deletion and potentially identify alternative, more easily druggable, therapeutic targets. We also investigated in vivo the effect of ZEB1 inhibition. ZEB1 KO clones showed decreased stemness potential and increased Alp staining, both features suggestive of a more differentiated phenotype. Preliminary GEP analysis showed 849 down-regulated genes and 1093 up-regulated genes in ZEB1 KO clones versus ZEB1-competent controls. Gene set enrichment analysis indicated a down-modulation of pathways related to cellular proliferation and survival such as MTORC1 signaling, MYC targets, GM2 checkpoint, E2F targets and oxidative phosphorylation in ZEB1 KO clones. In vivo we observed a reduced tumor growth in ZEB1 KO clones that were also characterized by a more differentiated morphology in comparison to controls. Interestingly, the absence of ZEB1 in tumor cells affected also the immune infiltrate, as tumors derived from ZEB1 KO clones were significantly less infiltrated by pro-tumoral CD206+ M2-like macrophages. Moreover, we observed a reduced metastatic potential in ZEB1 KO clones than controls when we inject the cells intravenously. Taken together, these results support the hypothesis of ZEB1 as a key factor in OS aggressiveness, affecting tumor cell differentiation, stemness ability and in vivo growth capability. Citation Format: Caterina Cascini, Daniele Lecis, Laura Botti, Chiara Ratti, Valeria Cancila, Katia Scotlandi, Claudio Tripodo, Mario Paolo Colombo, Claudia Chiodoni. The transcription factor ZEB1 shapes osteosarcoma aggressiveness by affecting tumor cell differentiation and stemness features. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2023; Part 1 (Regular and Invited Abstracts); 2023 Apr 14-19; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(7_Suppl):Abstract nr 3526.