gebhart/patrepeval huggingface dataset:
Optical density variations in CT films and their effect on image quality (2006)

It was recently reported that optical density (OD) variations were observed in CT films printed with a laser camera, depending on the printing format and the frame position within the film. The purpose of the present study was to investigate if these variations are common to both laser and dry-film printers and if the different OD settings along with day-to-day and frame-to-frame variations may affect the image quality. Eight laser and five dry-film printers installed at 12 different CT facilities were tested. For each one, the SMPTE test pattern was printed on all frames of a film using the same printing format. The ODs of the 0%, 10%, 40% and 70% patches of the 11-step greyscale of the SMPTE patterns were measured with a densitometer in all frames, while all films were examined on a viewing box to assess subjectively the image quality by visual inspection of the test pattern. A wide range of OD settings and variations were recorded. Frame-to-frame variations in the same film of up to 0.19, 0.15 and 0.21 OD, were observed for contrast index (CI, the OD difference of patches 10% and 70%), speed index (SI, the OD of patch 40%) and maximum OD (OD(max), the OD of patch 0%), respectively. The variations were not always of the same magnitude, nor always followed the same pattern, even for printers of the same model. Considering all films and frames, the CI ranged from 1.26 to 1.74, the SI from 0.68 to 1.43 and the OD(max) from 2.5 to 3.11 OD, well beyond the proposed settings and tolerances of 1.55+/-0.15, 1.15+/-0.1 and 2.45+/-0.1 given in the literature for CI, SI and OD(max), respectively. Despite these large differences, the various problems that were identified in image quality from the visual inspection of the films could not be directly attributed to OD settings, as films with similar CI, SI and OD(max) presented quite different image quality levels. Therefore, for routine quality control, thorough visual inspection of the SMPTE test pattern provides all the necessary information about the imaging chain status.
[Successful alectinib monotherapy for residual disease after brentuximab vedotin combined chemotherapy in ALK-positive anaplastic large cell lymphoma]. (2022)

A 28-year-old male patient presented with multiple lymphadenopathies and extranodal masses. He was diagnosed with stage IVB ALK-positive anaplastic large cell lymphoma after the right axillary lymph node biopsy. A partial metabolic response with fluorodeoxyglucose accumulation was observed in the residual disease of the upper left hilar lymph node after eight courses of brentuximab vedotin, cyclophosphamide, adriamycin, and prednisolone. We started alectinib at 600 mg daily, which achieved a complete metabolic response (CMR) after three months. The CMR was maintained and alectinib was continuously administered without adverse events at the last follow up. Alectinib showed high efficacy and tolerability, though the optimal period and long-term adverse effects of administration remain unclear. Therefore, further studies are necessary.
Comparison of Laser Versus Rotary Instrumentation- A Case Study. (2018)

The use of an erbium laser to treat carious teeth has proven to have several advantages when compared to rotary instruments. The clinician is able to remove a minimal amount of tooth structure, thus minimizing the risk of pulpal exposure. The extremely short pulses of erbium lasers combined with an aerosolized water spray have been shown to cool the pulp as opposed to rotary instruments which may create heat that could lead to a pulpitis. Bonding to the lased surfaces is improved because the smear layer is removed, bleeding is controlled, and the lased tooth surface appears etched with open dentinal tubules. The laser also provides a bactericidal effect and the need for local anesthetics is eliminated or reduced. The use of the erbium laser to prepare cavity preparations can be done as quickly, or oftentimes more quickly, than using a rotary instruments. In addition, patients appreciate the absence of the high speed drill noise and vibration.
Interspecific relation peculiarities between soil and phytophatogenic fungi. (2009)

Ecological methods of biological control of plant diseases became more and more popular in recent years. The aim of the investigation was to select soil fungi applicable for protection from causative agents of cultural plant diseases. Antagonistic activity of fungi was studied by pairing method using cultural blocs, cultural liquid and volatile metabolites. 43 fungal strains were examined against Alternaria brassicicola, A. radicina, A. tenuissima, Cladosporium cucumerinum, C. tenuissimum, Colletotrichum linicola, Fusarium culmorum, F. oxysporum, F. solani and Phoma sp. It was found that 36 of them showed varying degree of antagonistic activity against treated strains. Most strains suppressed the growth of Cladosporium genus phytopathogens and the growth of Fusarium genus strains was stopped rarely. Some of screened strains excreted fungicidal compounds to cultural liquid (for example, Trichoderma virens and Penicillium sp.) and some acted through their volatile metabolites (Arthrinium sphaerospermum and Trichoderma virens). The optimization of cultivation conditions as well as the choice of duration of cultivation is important factor to fungi ability to produce fungicidal compounds.
Planar transmission lines for soil water measurements (2007)

A comparative evaluation of the propagation characteristics of a conventional time domain reflectometry (TDR) probe and a planar (coplanar) transmission line is presented. Numerical analysis is done using quasi-static design equations obtained by conformal mapping. Results show that the coplanar line exhibits less attenuation, thereby possessing the ability to better sustain electromagnetic signals in lossy media. This work will facilitate the development of sensors for improved soil water measurements.
Microstructural analysis of carbon nanomaterials produced from pyrolysis/combustion of Styrene-Butadiene-Rubber (SBR) (2011)

Styrene-Butadiene-Rubber (SBR) is a synthetic rubber copolymer used to fabricate several products. This study aims to demonstrate the use of SBR as feedstock for carbon nanomaterials (nanofibers and nanotubes) growth, and therefore to establish a novel process for destination of waste products containing SBR. A three stage electrically heated flow reactor was used. Small pellets of rubber were pyrolyzed at a temperature of 1000 ºC. The pyrolyzates were mixed with oxygen-containing gases and were burned. The products of combustion were used to synthesize the carbon nanomaterials (CNMs) at the presence of a catalyst. CNMs have a wide range of potential applications due to their extraordinary mechanical, thermal and electrical properties. Produced materials were characterized by SEM and TEM, whereas combustion products were assessed using GC. Results showed that CNMs with outer diameters of 30-100 nm and lengths of about 30 µm were formed. Therefore, it was demonstrated that waste products containing SBR can be used to generate CNMs which are value-added products of intense technological interest.
Biofunctional Peptide FNIII14: Therapeutic Potential (2021)

Biofunctional peptide FNIII14, which is derived from the 14th fibronectin (FN) type III-like (FN-III) repeat of FN molecule, is capable of inhibiting cell adhesion to the extracellular matrix (ECM). This functional site is usually buried within the molecular structure of FN, but can be exposed by conformational changes and proteolytic cleavage. Peptide FNIII14 can induce a conformational change in β1-integrin from the active to the inactive form, causing functional inactivation. Based on this anti-adhesive activity, peptide FNIII14 exhibits therapeutic potential for several diseases such as metabolic diseases, organ fibrosis, and malignant tumors. Peptide FNIII14 blocks integrin-mediated signaling by a mechanism entirely distinct from that of conventional antagonisitic peptides, including Arg-Gly-Asp peptides that competitively inhibit the ECM binding of integrin.
Magnetoelectric coupling in Terfenol-D/polyvinylidenedifluoride composites (2002)

The elastic coupling in the ferromagnetic/ferroelectric composite Terfenol-D/polyvinylidenefluoride (PVDF) leads to a magnetic field induced magnetoelectric (ME) effect: an applied magnetic field creates a piezomagnetic strain in the Terfenol-D that in turn induces a piezoelectric charge or voltage in the PVDF. This letter reports a MEH coefficient of 1.43 V/(cm Oe) in agreement with an analytical calculation based on the properties of the components. The ME coupling coefficient of this composite is 11%.
Role of the chymotrypsin-like membrane-associated proteinase from Treponema denticola ATCC 35405 in inactivation of bioactive peptides (1995)

The ability of washed whole cells of Treponema denticola ATCC 35405 to hydrolyze (inactivate) substance P, bradykinin, and angiotensin I was studied. Substance P was attacked primarily at the Phe-8-Gly-9 bond by a chymotrypsin-like proteinase (CTLP), at Pro-4-Gln-5 by an endo-acting prolyl oligopeptidase (POPase), and at Gln-5-Gln-6 by an endopeptidase (FALGPA-peptidase). Bradykinin was cleaved at Phe-5-Ser-6 by the FALGPA-peptidase and at Pro-7-Phe-8 by the POPase. Angiotensin I was rapidly converted to angiotensin II by the CTLP, and both angiotensin I and angiotensin II were further hydrolyzed at Pro-7-Phe-8 by the POPase. All these enzymes were assumed to be cell associated and were easily extracted with a mild (0.05 to 0.1%) Triton X-100 treatment. Because it was conceivable that the hydrolysis of substance P at the Phe-8-Gly-9 bond was catalyzed by a CTLP described earlier (V.-J. Uitto, D. Grenier, E. C. S. Chan, and B. C. McBride, Infect. Immun. 56:2717-2722, 1988), the enzyme was purified to homogeneity by means of conventional fast protein liquid chromatography procedures. For kinetic studies, Phe-8(4-nitro)-substance P (NSP) (absorption maximum at 309.2 nm, epsilon = 545 M-1 cm-1) was synthesized to replace substance P as a substrate in kinetic studies. In reversed-phase chromatography, both NSP and substance P gave identical results with both whole cells and the purified enzyme. The CTLP has a mass of 95 kDa, and its activity is suggested to be based on an active seryl residue, on an active imidazole group, and on an active carboxyl group but not on metal cations. The enzyme hydrolyzes N-succinyl-L-Ala-L-Ala-L-Pro-L-Phe-p-nitroaniline (SAAPFNA, a typical chymotrypsin substrate) at a high rate and several proteins, such as calf thymus histone, human plasma fibrinogen, milk caseins, and gelatin. Among the substrates tested, substance P showed the highest affinity (Km = 0.22 mM) for the purified enzyme. Depending on conditions, clinically applicable chlorhexidine levels (3.2 mmol/liter, or 0.2%) strongly activated (up to fourfold) the hydrolysis of SAAPFNA by whole cells and the purified CTLP. The hydrolysis of NSP by whole cells and purified CTLP was slightly inhibited by chlorhexidine. The results demonstrated the versatility and the effectiveness of the outer membrane of T. denticola in occasioning a rapid breakdown and inactivation of human bioactive peptides and other peptidolytic catalyses.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Comparative Genomic Analysis of Lactobacillus rhamnosus BFE5264, a Probiotic Strain Isolated from Traditional Maasai Fermented Milk (2019)

Haeyoung Jeong , Sanghaeng Choi , Gun-Seok Park , Yosep Ji , Soyoung Park , Wilhelm Holzapfel , Julius Mathara and Jihee Kang . Microbiol. Biotechnol. Lett. 2019;47:25-33. https://doi.org/10.4014/mbl.1807.07008
Capture of bacterial pathogens in liquid streams by multiple layers of phage based bio-molecular filter (2018)

Foodborne illness is a common public health problem because food can be contaminated with pathogens at any point in the farm-to-table continuum. This paper presents a method of capturing a quantity of a specific bacterial pathogen in a large volume of liquid using a biomolecular recognition filter. The filter consists of support frames made of a soft magnetic material and solenoid coils for magnetization/demagnetization of the frames. This filter is a planar, multi-layered arrangement of strip-shaped, phage-immobilized magnetoelastic (ME) biosensors that are magnetically held and arrayed on the filter frames. As a large volume of liquid passes through the biomolecular filter, the pathogen of interest is captured by the phage immobilized ME biosensors. This biomolecular filter is designed to capture a specific pathogen and allow non-specific debris to pass, thus avoiding a common clogging issue in conventional bead filters. In this work, single layer, double layers and triple layers of filter were test to capture <i>Salmonella</i> Typhimurium in a large volume of water. The effects of multiplication of filter layers on <i>Salmonella</i> capture efficiency will be discussed.
Bullying, psychosoziale Gesundheit und Risikoverhalten im Jugendalter (2007)

Bullying also seems to be widespread in schools in Germany and is strongly associated with subjective health and substance-related risk behaviour. The results suggest that bullying is a critical issue that requires increasing attention in health research. The unique health problems of victims and perpetrators suggest different intervention strategies for both groups.
ChemInform Abstract: Intramolecular Barbier Reaction of a 3‐(3′‐Bromopropyl)bicyclo(2.2.2) oct‐5‐en‐2‐one. (1993)

Abstract ChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance that was extracted from about 100 leading journals. To access a ChemInform Abstract of an article which was published elsewhere, please select a “Full Text” option. The original article is trackable via the “References” option.
Evaluation of Outcome Prediction of Flow Diversion for Intracranial Aneurysms (2021)

Subject-specific computational fluid dynamics models of the hemodynamic conditions created immediately after implantation of flow-diverting devices in experimental aneurysms created in rabbits are capable of prospectively predicting, with a reasonable accuracy, which aneurysms will completely occlude and which ones will remain incompletely occluded.
Ramp metering with an objective to reduce fuel consumption (2011)

Ramp meters successfully decrease congestion but leave a burden on the traffic situation at on-ramps. Chaotic queuing leads to many stop-and-go movements and causes inefficiency where fuel consumption is concerned. As part of the eCoMove project, complementary strategies are being designed and evaluated to reduce fuel consumption at metered on-ramps, using vehicle-to-infrastructure communication. This paper presents the design of two strategies, as well as their effect as derived from simulation using AIMSUN. The first strategy uses virtual stop lines to halt upstream parts of the queue, keeping them from stopand-go movement, in combination with ‘turn off engine’ advices. Simulation shows that this strategy can reduce fuel consumption at on-ramps with 15 percent. The second strategy uses vehicle classification to discriminate between vehicles, lanes, branches and possible on-ramps. In this case, simulation shows that this strategy can reduce fuel consumption at on-ramps with 29.6 percent.
Study on methodological aspects regarding limit values for pollutants in aggregates in the context of the possible development of end-of-waste criteria under the EU Waste Framework Directive (2014)

This report provides a methodology proposal for establishing limit values for pollutants in waste-derived aggregates with a view of using such aggregates in a wide variety of construction projects, as part of possible end-of-waste criteria for aggregates in accordance with Article 6 of the Waste Framework Directive (2008/98/EC). More specifically, the study centres on aggregate substances that are subject to leaching and/or release through wear. The report focuses on identifying and assessing the pollution risks of using aggregates derived from waste, on reviewing how the use of aggregates is regulated today in the EU with respect to avoiding pollution, on assessing the need for including limit values for pollutants in end-of-waste criteria, on assessing the suitability of different types of pollutant limit values, on identifying and assessing the different methodological approaches for deriving pollutant limit values and on identifying the most suitable testing approaches and methods, including simplified modes of compliance.
Membranes with artificial free-volume for biofuel production (2015)

Abstract Free-volume of polymers governs transport of penetrants through polymeric films. Control over free-volume is thus important for the development of better membranes for a wide variety of applications such as gas separations, pharmaceutical purifications and energy storage. To date, methodologies used to create materials with different amounts of free-volume are based primarily on chemical synthesis of new polymers. Here we report a simple methodology for generating free-volume based on the self-assembly of polyethylene- b -polydimethylsiloxane- b -polyethylene triblock copolymers. We have used this method to fabricate a series of membranes with identical compositions but with different amounts of free-volume. We use the term artificial free-volume to refer to the additional free-volume created by self-assembly. The effect of artificial free-volume on selective transport through the membranes was tested using butanol/water and ethanol/water mixtures due to their importance in biofuel production. We found that the introduction of artificial free-volume improves both alcohol permeability and selectivity.
The Insulin-Like Growth Factor Type I Receptor Stimulates Growth and Suppresses Apoptosis in Prostatic Stromal Cells (1998)

Stromal cells derived from benign prostatic hyperplasia synthesize and secrete measurable levels of insulin-like growth factor (IGF). Seventy-two-hour conditioned medium obtained from these cells contains IGF-II at levels ranging from 125-177 ng/mL.10(6) cells. IGF-I is almost undetectable. RT-PCR analysis has demonstrated that the genes for both the type I IGF receptor (IGF-IR) and the type II IGF receptor (IGF-IIR) are expressed by benign stromal cells in vitro. Competition binding analysis for IGF-I and IGF-II confirmed the existence of binding sites for both ligands with respective Kd and binding capacities of 4.9 x 10(-9) mol/L and 6.6 x 10(5) sites/cell and 4.7 x 10(-9) mol/L and 3.8 x 10(6) sites/cell. Under serum-free conditions, IGF-I and IGF-II at 500 ng/mL induce 80% and 113% increases in stromal cell density, respectively, over a 96-h period. Incubation with the IGF-IR-neutralizing antibody alpha IR3 (50 micrograms/mL) reduces the rate of stromal cell proliferation by approximately 60-80% even in the presence of stimulatory concentrations of IGFs. Camptothecin-induced apoptosis is inhibited by the addition of IGF-I and -II (500 ng/mL). alpha IR3 suppresses these survival signals and itself induces cell death in the prostatic stroma. The data suggest that IGF-IR is a pivotal molecule in prostatic stromal cell maintenance, and that specific antagonism may offer a novel means of controlling the fibromuscular expansion characteristic of benign prostatic hyperplasia.
Discrete-continuous maximum likelihood for the estimation of nested logit models (2017)

In this paper we aim at integrating the selection of a nesting structure to the maximum likelihood framework of the parameter estimation. Given a finite set of nesting structures, the traditional approach is to estimate the models corresponding to each of them and select a posteriori the most appropriate one based on some fit statistics and informal testing procedures. However, the number of possible nesting structures grows as a function of the number of alternatives. Our approach simultaneously solves the problem of selecting the optimal nesting structure and estimating its corresponding parameters with maximum likelihood. We call this discrete-continuous maximum likelihood (DCML). We are able to linearize the logarithm in the objective function so that it results in a mixed integer linear problem.
Cigarette-Smoke- and Age-Dependent Oxidative Stress Effects in Rats (2014)

SUMMARY Oxidative stress is a basic mechanism involved in both ageand smoking-related diseases. To test whether smoking affects young, old, and calorie-restricted organisms to the same extent, we assessed oxidative stress parameters in the lung, heart, and liver of male Fischer 344 rats (4 months old and 19-22 months old) exposed to air or cigarette mainstream smoke. Smoke-related effects were seen for parameters of DNA damage, lipid peroxidation, protein oxidation, and glycoxidation. No smoke-related effects were observed for DNA damage in the lung and heart (Comet assay) and for malondialdehyde in the lung. The old rats showed higher smoke-related responses than the young rats for 8-hydroxy-desoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) in the heart and liver, DNA damage in the liver, and protein carbonyls in the lung; however, there was little evidence for an overadditive effect of smoking on aging. Caloric restriction, which is known to retard aging effects, also had little impact on smoke-related oxidative changes. [Beitr. Tabakforsch. Int. 26 (2014) 109-120]
Assessment of the sensitization potential of persulfate salts used for bleaching hair (2009)

All three persulfate salts need to be considered strong-to-moderate sensitizers according to the murine LLNA.
Volumetric ultrasound imaging using 2-D CMUT arrays (2003)

Recently, capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducers (CMUTs) have emerged as a candidate to overcome the difficulties in the realization of 2-D arrays for real-time 3-D imaging. In this paper, we present the first volumetric images obtained using a 2-D CMUT array. We have fabricated a 128 x 128-element 2-D CMUT array with through-wafer via interconnects and a 420-microm element pitch. As an experimental prototype, a 32 x 64-element portion of the 128 x 128-element array was diced and flip-chip bonded onto a glass fanout chip. This chip provides individual leads from a central 16 x 16-element portion of the array to surrounding bondpads. An 8 x 16-element portion of the array was used in the experiments along with a 128-channel data acquisition system. For imaging phantoms, we used a 2.37-mm diameter steel sphere located 10 mm from the array center and two 12-mm-thick Plexiglas plates located 20 mm and 60 mm from the array. A 4 x 4 group of elements in the middle of the 8 x 16-element array was used in transmit, and the remaining elements were used to receive the echo signals. The echo signal obtained from the spherical target presented a frequency spectrum centered at 4.37 MHz with a 100% fractional bandwidth, whereas the frequency spectrum for the echo signal from the parallel plate phantom was centered at 3.44 MHz with a 91% fractional bandwidth. The images were reconstructed by using RF beamforming and synthetic phased array approaches and visualized by surface rendering and multiplanar slicing techniques. The image of the spherical target has been used to approximate the point spread function of the system and is compared with theoretical expectations. This study experimentally demonstrates that 2-D CMUT arrays can be fabricated with high yield using silicon IC-fabrication processes, individual electrical connections can be provided using through-wafer vias, and flip-chip bonding can be used to integrate these dense 2-D arrays with electronic circuits for practical 3-D imaging applications.