gebhart/patrepeval huggingface dataset:
Enhancing Q-Learning for Optimal Asset Allocation (1997)

This paper enhances the Q-Iearning algorithm for optimal asset alloca-tion proposed in (Neuneier, 1996 [6]). The new formulation simplifies the approach by using only one value-function for many assets and al-lows model-free policy-iteration. After testing the new algorithm on real data, the possibility of risk management within the framework of Markov decision problems is analyzed. The proposed methods allows the construction of a multi-period portfolio management system which takes into account transaction costs, the risk preferences of the investor, and several constraints on the allocation. 1
Wideband Branch-Line Couplers With Single-Section Quarter-Wave Transformers for Arbitrary Coupling Levels (2011)

Wideband branch-line couplers with arbitrary coupling levels are demonstrated. By integrating single-section quarter-wave transformers at each port, wideband characteristic with excellent coupling flatness is achieved. Also, a method is demonstrated that introduces intentional mismatch for a further enhancement in bandwidth. Superior structural and design simplicity outperform previous wideband couplers. Branch-line couplers at 3 GHz are demonstrated experimentally that maintain the coupling level within 0.5 dB from the specified 10 dB in as much as a 50.9% bandwidth, with minimum return loss and isolation of 16.3 and 18.7 dB, respectively.
Metal ion transport quantified by ICP-MS in intact cells (2016)

The use of ICP-MS to measure metal ion content in biological tissues offers a highly sensitive means to study metal-dependent physiological processes. Here we describe the application of ICP-MS to measure membrane transport of Rb and K ions by the Na,K-ATPase in mouse skeletal muscles and human red blood cells. The ICP-MS method provides greater precision and statistical power than possible with conventional tracer flux methods. The method is widely applicable to studies of other metal ion transporters and metal-dependent processes in a range of cell types and conditions.
Doping of GaN by Mg diffusion (2005)

In this work, we report a study of GaN doping by Mg diffusion. GaN films were grown on sapphire or SiC substrates by MBE. The samples were characterized by Hall measurements and photoluminescence before and after the diffusion. The diffusion was performed in the following manner: Mg layer was deposited on the sample by thermal evaporation, followed by the deposition of a capping layer (metallic or SiO/sub 2/). Samples were subsequently annealed in N/sub 2/ flow at 850/spl deg/C or 900/spl deg/C for 6 hours. We show that Mg diffusion doping is feasible, and that the results are highly dependent on the capping layer. However, it should be pointed out that the obtained results for different samples with the same capping layer may show significant variations in spite of similar properties before the diffusion. This is most likely due to relationship between Mg doping and the presence of threading dislocations, which hinders the reproducibility of diffusion doping process.
Novel diagnostics for point-of-care bacterial detection and identification (2019)

In addition to limiting the effectiveness of antimicrobial agents, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a significant global health concern as it is responsible for significant mortality/morbidity and increased economic burdens on healthcare systems. Diagnostic tests have been suggested as a means of prolonging the effectiveness of current antimicrobials; culture and other conventional diagnostics are hindered in their practicality as they are time- and labour intensive to perform. Point-of-care (POC) testing is performed near where the patient is being treated and can provide timely results that allow evidence based clinical interventions to be made. This review aims to outline the chemical principles behind some novel and emerging diagnostic techniques which have the required speed, simplicity, effectiveness and low-cost for incorporation into POC devices which can be used to inform and optimize antimicrobial use.
Heart region segmentation from low-dose CT scans: an anatomy based approach (2012)

Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death in developed countries. The concurrent detection of heart diseases during low-dose whole-lung CT scans (LDCT), typically performed as part of a screening protocol, hinges on the accurate quantification of coronary calcification. The creation of fully automated methods is ideal as complete manual evaluation is imprecise, operator dependent, time consuming and thus costly. The technical challenges posed by LDCT scans in this context are mainly twofold. First, there is a high level image noise arising from the low radiation dose technique. Additionally, there is a variable amount of cardiac motion blurring due to the lack of electrocardiographic gating and the fact that heart rates differ between human subjects. As a consequence, the reliable segmentation of the heart, the first stage toward the implementation of morphologic heart abnormality detection, is also quite challenging. An automated computer method based on a sequential labeling of major organs and determination of anatomical landmarks has been evaluated on a public database of LDCT images. The novel algorithm builds from a robust segmentation of the bones and airways and embodies a stepwise refinement starting at the top of the lungs where image noise is at its lowest and where the carina provides a good calibration landmark. The segmentation is completed at the inferior wall of the heart where extensive image noise is accommodated. This method is based on the geometry of human anatomy and does not involve training through manual markings. Using visual inspection by an expert reader as a gold standard, the algorithm achieved successful heart and major vessel segmentation in 42 of 45 low-dose CT images. In the 3 remaining cases, the cardiac base was over segmented due to incorrect hemidiaphragm localization.
Learning-based occupational x-ray scatter estimation (2022)

<i>Objective.</i>During x-ray-guided interventional procedures, the medical staff is exposed to scattered ionizing radiation caused by the patient. To increase the staff's awareness of the invisible radiation and monitor dose online, computational scatter estimation methods are convenient. However, such methods are usually based on Monte Carlo (MC) simulations, which are inherently computationally expensive. Yet, in the interventional environment, immediate feedback to the personnel is desirable.<i>Approach</i>. In this work, we propose deep neural networks to mitigate the computational effort of MC simulations. Our learning-based models consider detailed models of the (outer) patient shape and (inner) anatomy, additional objects in the room, and the x-ray tube spectrum to cover imaging settings encountered in real interventional settings. We investigate two cases of scatter prediction. First, we employ network architectures to estimate the full three-dimensional (3D) scatter distribution. Second, we investigate the prediction of two-dimensional (2D) intensity projections that facilitate the intra-procedural visualization.<i>Main results.</i>Depending on the dimensionality of the estimated scatter distribution and the network architecture, the mean relative error of each network is in the range of 12% and 14% compared to MC simulations. However, 3D scatter distributions can be estimated within 60 ms and 2D distributions within 15 ms.<i>Significance.</i>Overall, our method is suitable to support the online assessment of scattered ionizing radiation in the interventional environment and can help to lower the occupational radiation risk.
Asparagine repeat function in a Plasmodium falciparum protein assessed via a regulatable fluorescent affinity tag (2011)

One in four proteins in Plasmodium falciparum contains asparagine repeats. We probed the function of one such 28-residue asparagine repeat present in the P. falciparum proteasome lid subunit 6, Rpn6. To aid our efforts, we developed a regulatable, fluorescent affinity (RFA) tag that allows cellular localization, manipulation of cellular levels, and affinity isolation of a chosen protein in P. falciparum. The tag comprises a degradation domain derived from Escherichia coli dihydrofolate reductase together with GFP. The expression of RFA-tagged proteins is regulated by the simple folate analog trimethoprim (TMP). Parasite lines were generated in which full-length Rpn6 and an asparagine repeat-deletion mutant of Rpn6 were fused to the RFA tag. The knockdown of Rpn6 upon removal of TMP revealed that this protein is essential for ubiquitinated protein degradation and for parasite survival, but the asparagine repeat is dispensable for protein expression, stability, and function. The data point to a genomic mechanism for repeat perpetuation rather than a positive cellular role. The RFA tag should facilitate study of the role of essential genes in parasite biology.
Simultaneously Monitoring Immune Response and Microbial Infections during Pregnancy through Plasma cfRNA Sequencing (2017)

Plasma cfRNA-seq demonstrates the potential to simultaneously monitor immune response and microbial infections during pregnancy.
Requirements for Developing System Behavioral Models by Composition of Available Discipline Specific Models (2010)

nal steps of the system design process. In this paper, necessary requirements for constructing system behavioral models are developed. These requirements are centered on ensuring system behavioral models are correct, can be developed progressively, are stable throughout system design, and are useful for evaluating a design’s performance. These requirements enable new or existing component models to be tested for successful integration into the system behavioral model structure. Such testing brings the use of system behavioral models in the early steps of system design closer to realization. This research concludes that these requirements are necessary but not sucient to construct usable system behavioral models. Sucient conditions are the subject of ongoing work by the authors.
Axial In-Place Behaviour of Unbonded Flexible Pipes (2022)

Abstract The axial behaviour of an unbonded flexible pipe is highly non-linear and may change throughout the load history and along the pipe. The axial stiffness and expansion coefficients (pressure and temperature) of a flexible pipe are given as two sets: one for the tension state and one for the compression state. Previously the typical interpretation has been that this tension/compression classification referred to the true wall axial force in the pipe. However, this approach is incomplete in several aspects: • The determining physical factor is whether the tensile armour layers are in contact with the underlying layers. • An unbonded flexible pipe consists of different layers with different axial force and orientation. It can be argued that the term “true wall axial force” does not make sense for an unbonded flexible pipe. • To determine the axial force for a given condition, a set of expansion coefficients and axial stiffness must be selected. Hence, it becomes a circular argument. Based on detailed analysis by the product supplier, a transition plane can be defined. The “Transition Plane Concept” offers an efficient way of implementing a realistic axial behaviour in the in-place design (incl. upheaval buckling). The axial behaviour during the in-place phase can be consistently defined by a transition plane and this can be implemented in the in-place analysis. Reduced risk for upheaval buckling of flexible pipes and removal of excessive conservatism can be achieved.
Container-based virtualization for byte-addressable NVM data storage (2016)

Container based virtualization is rapidly growing in popularity for cloud deployments and applications as a virtualization alternative due to the ease of deployment coupled with high-performance. Emerging byte-addressable, nonvolatile memories, commonly called Storage Class Memory or SCM, technologies are promising both byte-addressability and persistence near DRAM speeds operating on the main memory bus. These new memory alternatives open up a new realm of applications that no longer have to rely on slow, block-based persistence, but can rather operate directly on persistent data using ordinary loads and stores through the cache hierarchy coupled with transaction techniques. However, SCM presents a new challenge for container-based applications, which typically access persistent data through layers of block based file isolation. Traditional persistent data accesses in containers are performed through layered file access, which slows byte-addressable persistence and transactional guarantees, or through direct access to drivers, which do not provide for isolation guarantees or security. This paper presents a high-performance containerized version of byte-addressable, non-volatile memory (SCM) for applications running inside a container that solves performance challenges while providing isolation guarantees. We created an open-source container-aware Linux loadable Kernel Module (LKM) called Containerized Storage Class Memory, or CSCM, that presents SCM for application isolation and ease of portability. We performed evaluation using microbenchmarks, STREAMS, and Redis, a popular in-memory data structure store, and found our CSCM driver has near the same memory throughput for SCM applications as a non-containerized application running on a host and much higher throughput than persistent in-memory applications accessing SCM through Docker Storage or Volumes.
Improving haar cascade classifiers through the synthesis of new training examples (2012)

A Genetic Programming approach for the improvement of the performance of classifier systems through the synthesis of new training instances is explored. Genetic Programming is used to exploit shortcomings of classifiers systems and generate misclassified instances. The proposed approach performs multiple parallel evolutionary runs to generate a large number of potentially misclassified samples. A supervisor module determines which of the generated images have been misclassified and which should be added to the training set. New classifiers are trained based on the original training set augmented by the selected evolved instances. The results attained while using face detection classifiers are presented and discussed. Overall they indicate that significant improvements are attained when using multiple evolutionary runs.
Separation of Methane and Carbon Dioxide Gas Mixtures by Pressure Swing Adsorption (1988)

Abstract Two pressure swing adsorption processes for separation of methane and carbon dioxide gas mixtures are described. One process simultaneously produces a high purity CH4 and a high purity CO2 product with high recoveries of both components from the feed gas. The other process only produces a high purity CH4 product with high recovery. Test data for these processes are reported and their relative advantages are discussed.
Deterioration in biomechanical properties of the vagina following implantation of a high‐stiffness prolapse mesh (2012)

Deterioration of the mechanical properties of the vagina was highest following implantation with the stiffest mesh, Gynemesh PS. Such a decrease associated with implantation of a device of increased stiffness is consistent with findings from other systems employing prostheses for support.
A Homolog of the Cell Apoptosis Susceptibility Gene Involved in Ovary Development of Chinese Shrimp Fenneropenaeus chinensis1 (2011)

The cell apoptosis susceptibility (CAS) gene is a homolog of the yeast chromosome segregation (CSE1) gene, which functions in cell proliferation and apoptosis. In the present study, a homolog of CAS was cloned from Chinese shrimp Fenneropenaeus chinensis (FcCAS). The full-length FcCAS cDNA is 3534 bp and contains an open reading frame encoding 968 amino acids. The predicted tertiary FcCAS structure is highly similar to that of CSE1 from the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. RT-PCR analysis showed that the FcCAS gene is expressed mainly in testis, ovary, stomach, lymphoid organs, gills, and hemocytes. RNA in situ hybridization showed that FcCAS transcripts were distributed mainly in the cytoplasm of oocytes. Western blot analysis showed that FcCAS could be detected only in testis and ovary, and its expression levels differed at different developmental stages of ovaries. Immunohistochemical analysis showed that FcCAS existed in both the cytoplasm and the nucleus, which suggested that FcCAS might function as a nuclear protein. No transcript was detected in the abnormally developed ovaries of triploid shrimp. Therefore, we inferred that the FcCAS gene might be one of the key genes that is closely related to ovary development in shrimp.
Characteristics of fragmented IP traffic on internet links (2001)

Fragmented IP traffic is a unique component of the overall mix of traffic on the Internet. Many assertions about the nature and extent of fragmented traffic are anecdotal rather than empirical. In this paper we examine the causes and attributes of measured fragment traffic and contrast those results with commonly cited beliefs. In particular, the effects of NFS, streaming media, networked video games, and tunneled traffic are quantified, and we estimate the prevalence of packet fragmentation due to improperly configured machines.To understand the prevalence, causes, and effects of fragmented IP traffic, we have collected and analyzed seven multi-day traces from three sources. These sources include a university commodity access link, a highly aggregated commercial exchange point, and a local NAP. Although there is no practical method of ascertaining whether any data provide a representative sample of all Internet traffic, we do include data sources that cover several different types of WANs with traffic from commercial entities, educational and research institutions, and large government facilities.
Cyanide Detection from Nickel Electrodeposited in Modified Watts Baths Including Glycine and Cyanide Production at Anodic Sides in the Baths (2016)

Nickel films were electrodeposited from modified Watts baths including glycine of 0.2 mol/l and ammonium sulfate of 0.2 mol/l. Nickel electrodeposits were examined using temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Higher peaks of m/z = 27 and 52 derived from cyanides were recognized in TPD contour maps of nickel electrodeposits. Furthermore, the XPS N1s spectrum implied that cyanides were present on nickel electrodeposits. Free cyanide ions and total cyanides were detected from glycine solutions using commercial test after electric current of 5 A/cm2 was applied for five hours. To ascertain the electrode side at which cyanides were generated, a salt bridge was arranged between an anode chamber and a cathode chamber, consisting of glycine solution. Results show that cyanides were produced at the anode side after electric current was applied to electrodes in the chambers. These results suggest that cyanides were produced by oxidation of glycine at nickel or platinum anodes in Watts baths including glycine, which was induced by the application of electric currents. Moreover, cyanides remained on nickel electrodeposits after rinsing in water for 10 min as well as electrodeposition baths.
Kinetic model of irreversible photobleaching of dye-doped polymer waveguide materials (2004)

We consider the irreversible photobleaching of guest–host polymer combinations, those of benzocyclobutene and perfluorocyclobutene doped with 4-(dicyanomethylene)-2-methyl-6-(p-dimethyl aminostyryl)-4H-pyran. The time evolution of the absorption spectrum bleached by the 514-nm line of an Ar+-ion laser can be described by a change in amplitudes of the observed Gaussian-shaped absorption features as a function of the applied photobleaching dose. A phenomenological model that describes this time evolution compares favorably with the experimental data. A discussion of the reasons that so simple a model may be applicable to polymer systems doped with stilbenelike dyes is made.
An Epidermal Growth Factor Motif of Developmental Endothelial Locus 1 Protein Inhibits Efficient Angiogenesis in Explanted Squamous Cell Carcinoma In Vivo (2020)

These findings indicate that cancer gene therapy using a nonviral vector encoding E3C1 significantly improved life-span by inhibiting tumor angiogenesis.
Real-time RT-PCR and cDNA macroarray to study the impact of the genetic polymorphism at the αs1-casein locus on the expression of genes in the goat mammary gland during lactation (2003)

Milk fat has a large effect on nutritional, technological and sensorial properties of milk products. The milk fat content and composition are modulated by genetics and nutritional factors and imply a large number of enzymes. The regulation of their gene expression in the mammary gland still needs to be clarified. An association between the extensive polymorphism at the alphas1-casein (alphas1-Cas) locus and both the lipid content and the characteristics of this fraction in caprine milk has been demonstrated. In order to decipher the mechanism responsible for this impact, a quantification of the transcripts of four lipogenic key enzymes (acetyl-CoA carboxylase, fatty acid synthase, lipoprotein lipase and stearoyl-CoA desaturase) was performed using real-time RT-PCR, suggesting an absence of association between the alphas1-Cas genotype and expression variability of the studied genes. This approach has been completed by a more global analysis using a first generation of ruminant macroarray gathering 400 gene probes. The comparison of the expression profiles of lactating goat alphas1-Cas A/A (strong allele) and F/F (defective allele) mammary gland allowed to confirm the expected variability in the expression of known genes (such as those encoding the alphas1-casein) in ruminant mammary tissues as well as to identify up- and down-regulated genes. A second generation of ruminant cDNA macroarray extended to a few thousands of genes is currently in progress and will be applied to study different factors such as the nutritional regulation of gene expression in the mammary gland.
Modulação transcricional de genes associados à fosforilação oxidativa em genótipos contrastantes de feijão-caupi submetidos à desidratação radicular. (2013)

Mitocondrias sao conhecidas como as estacoes energeticas da celula. Elas abrigam o processo de fosforilacao oxidativa, atraves do qual o transporte de eletrons por meio de carreadores e acoplado ao bombeamento de protons para o espaco intermembranar gerando um gradiente eletroquimico que fornece energia para a sintese de ATP. Tal molecula e de suma importância para os organismos vivos, pois cede energia para os processos celulares. No presente trabalho, foi analisada, via unitags SuperSAGE e de acordo com a base de dados KEGG, a regulacao dos genes associados a enzimas participantes da fosforilacao oxidativa, em genotipos contrastantes de feijao-caupi cultivados em hidroponia e submetidos a desidratacao radicular por ate 150 min. Resultados apresentaram um painel de genes diferencialmente regulados, sendo as principais divergencias transcricionais entre os genotipos associadas a diferencas na regulacao dos genes formadores dos complexos II, IV e V. Entretanto, maiores analises sao necessarias para observar como essas diferencas influenciam fisiologicamente a especie analisada.
Synthesis and antifungal evaluation of novel dicyanoderivatives of rhodanine (2010)

Abstract This work describes the synthesis and antifungal evaluation of 5‐arylidene‐( Z )‐2‐(1,1‐dicyanomethylene)‐1,3‐thiazol‐4‐ones 5 obtained from the reaction of 2‐(1,1‐dicyanomethylene)‐1,3‐thiazol‐4‐one 3 and benzaldehydes 4. The starting material 3 was synthesized by a condensation reaction of rhodanine 1 and malononitrile 2. The structures of the obtained products were established by IR, NMR, mass spectrometry, and elemental analysis. J. Heterocyclic Chem., (2011).