gebhart/patrepeval huggingface dataset:
Performance evaluation of a self-tuning fuzzy controller (2003)

Using a self-tuning technique based on fuzzy metarules, the authors implemented a self-tuning fuzzy controller for a gas-fired water heater. They describe the implementation and its simulation results. The problem was to replace a proportional-integral-derivative (PID) control algorithm with a fuzzy controller, using initial guesses as to the fuzzy membership functions and rules; to tune the fuzzy controller for optimum performance; and to compare the performance results to those from a PID controller. When tuned for a given set of operating conditions, the fuzzy controller matches or exceeds the PID controller performance.< <ETX xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">></ETX>
Novel Fluoropyrimidines: Improving the Efficacy and Tolerability of Cytotoxic Therapy (2004)

The fluoropyrimidines were first synthesised nearly 50 years ago as rationally designed anti-cancer agents. Their target was pyrimidine and hence DNA synthesis. 5-Fluorouracil has been the most extensively used in a wide variety of malignancies. In more recent years a fuller understanding of the pharmacokinetics of these agents has lead to their utilisation as more effective and versatile anti-cancer drugs than might have been initially envisaged. This in part has occurred due to recognition of the schedule dependency of efficacy of 5-FU and modulation of its activity by leucovorin. However the development of novel fluropyrimidines such as capcetabine, UFT, and eniluracil which can be administered orally, has offered equal if not superior efficacy with improved tolerability and patient acceptance. It is now recognised that enzyme polymorphism's and heterogeneity of expression of key molecules are important determinants of the pharmacokinetic handling and pharmacodynamic effects of these drugs in individual patients. Further characterisation of such inter-individual and inter-tumoral variability, for example in enzymes such as DPD and thymidine phosphorylase is ongoing. This work offers the promise of improvements in efficacy and tolerability by the process of individualisation of chemotherapy (for both patient and tumour). In contrast to the advances made in the understanding of the pharmacokinetics, less progress has been made in Fluropyrimidine pharmacodynamics. The inhibition of thymidylate synthetase by dFUMP and thereby dTMP and DNA synthesis is thought to be the critical mechanism. The incorporation of FUTP and dFUTP into RNA and DNA are also postulated to be of importance. While these events have been well defined, exactly how they lead to cell death is less clearly understood. Similarly, the mechanism of selective cancer cell cytotoxicity is not well understood. Pharmacokinetics and cell cycle kinetics provide a partial explanation. There is some evidence to suggest that the most important factor in determining cytotoxicity is the cellular response to fluoropyrimidine induced biochemical abnormalities rather than the lesions themselves. In this hypothesis the difference in response between normal and cancer cells is of critical importance. Further improvements in efficacy and tolerability could be made by elucidation of the molecular mechanisms behind this process. This knowledge in combination with the advances already made (and ongoing) in pharmacokinetics may allow the full potential of fluoropyrimidines as anti-cancer agents to be realised in the future.
Fractionated Irradiation Leads to Restoration of Drug Sensitivity in MDR Cells that Correlates with Down-regulation of P-gp and DNA-Dependent Protein Kinase Activity (2004)

We showed that the drug sensitivity of multidrug-resistant (MDR) cells could be enhanced by fractionated irradiation. The molecular changes associated with fractionated radiation-induced chemosensitization were characterized. Irradiated cells of the multidrug-resistant CEM/MDR sublines (CEM/MDR/IR1, 2 and 3) showed a loss of P-glycoprotein (P-gp) and concurrent reduction of Ku DNA binding and DNA-PK activities with decreased level of Ku70/80 and increased level of DNA-PKcs, and these changes were followed by an increased susceptibility to anticancer drugs. These irradiated MDR cells also exhibited the reduction of other chemoresistance-related proteins, including BCL2, NF-kappaB, EGFR, MDM2 and Ku70/80, and the suppression of HIF-1alpha expression induced by hypoxia. In contrast, fractionated irradiation increased the levels of these proteins and induced drug resistance in the parental drug-sensitive CEM cells. These results suggest that the chemoresistance-related proteins are differentially modulated in drug-sensitive and MDR cells by fractionated irradiation, and the optimized treatment with fractionated radiation could lead to new chemoradiotherapeutic strategies to treat multidrug-resistant tumors.
Fast capacitance-to-digital converter with internal reference (2016)

Conventional capacitance-to-digital converters (CDC) widely used in IoTs particularly in portable applications tend to make use of complex analog-to-digital technologies. However this can be power hungry and take long conversion time. In addition, the analog parts are hard to implement in ASICs, especially under wide working conditions, such as energy harvesting scenarios. Recently digitalized CDCs were proposed to meet these challenges, but existing solutions still required long conversion time, and need external voltage references limiting their portability. A novel CDC with low energy consumption and short measuring time is presented in this paper. With a new internal time reference method, it is fully portable and achieves fast conversion response. A method of decoupling the sensing resolution from the discharge mechanism enhances the programmability of such sensors making energy to precision tradeoffs straightforward. This paper contains both theoretical analysis and the experimental demonstration of these methods. This new solution can reduce the conversion time by more than 20 times, and reduce energy consumption by half.
Monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 inhibits growth of rat vascular smooth muscle cells (1995)

The early atherosclerotic lesion is characterized by the migration of inflammatory cells, including monocytes, which may serve as a source of cytokines such as monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1), a homologue of mouse JE. We investigated the effect of MCP-1 on the growth of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) isolated from rat aortae. In Northern blot analysis, MCP-1/JE transcripts were not observed in unstimulated VSMC, but its expression was clearly observed by exposure to lipopolysaccharide (1 micrograms/ml) for 6 h. Human recombinant MCP-1 inhibited the uptake of [3H]thymidine by VSMC cultured in 0.5% fetal bovine serum (FBS) containing Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium (DMEM) in a dose-dependent manner. The inhibitory effect of MCP-1 on the growth of VSMC was also confirmed by a change in cell counts. The antiproliferative effect of MCP-1 was significantly blocked in the presence of an anti-MCP-1 antibody. MCP-1-induced inhibition of [3H]thymidine uptake was not affected in the presence of indomethacin (1 micrograms/ml) or NG-monomethyl-L-arginine (0.1 mM), and MCP-1 showed no effect on 6-ketoprostaglandin F1 alpha, guanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate, and adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate syntheses in VSMC. These results indicate that MCP-1 inhibits the proliferation of VSMC in vitro and that its effect is independent of prostaglandin or nitric oxide generation.
Disposable screen printed sensor for the electrochemical detection of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol in undiluted saliva (2016)

Rapid electrochemical detection of Δ(9)-THC in undiluted saliva has been demonstrated using a disposable sensor, however the sensitivity is lower than acceptable. Further optimization of the assay and sensor format is required to improve the sensitivity of response to Δ(9)-THC.
Pipeline Energy Consumption Optimization: A Novel Power Optimization Utility Software (2014)

Today pipeline operators are required to balance operational efficiency, financial performance, and long-term sustainability. Transporting hydrocarbons efficiently and safely is a demanding task, and energy consumption is one of the major operating costs and sources of emissions. New applications based on pipeline simulation can contribute to reducing energy costs and optimizing operations while continuing to achieve the required delivery schedules within the safety and operating margins. This simulation-based approach considers the different energy costs across the pipeline pump/compressor stations, utility contracts, pump/compressor efficiency, and the costs and benefits of using drag-reducing agents (DRAs). It is a valuable tool that allows energy managers and pipeline operators to optimize energy costs. It can be seamlessly integrated into the supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) infrastructure, which provides the realtime views and reporting of all energy and process variables, including the cost savings achieved. The SCADA system monitors and controls one or more complete pipelines used for transporting liquid or gas products from one location to another. Each pipeline may be very long and may have several branches.
A numerical study of automotive turbocharger mixed flow turbine inlet geometry for off design performance (2013)

Mixed flow turbines represent a potential solution to the increasing requirement for high pressure, low velocity ratio operation in turbocharger applications. While literature exists for the use of these turbines at such operating conditions, there is a lack of detailed design guidance for defining the basic geometry of the turbine, in particular, the cone angle – the angle at which the inlet of the mixed flow turbine is inclined to the axis. This investigates the effect and interaction of such mixed flow turbine design parameters. Computational Fluids Dynamics was initially used to investigate the performance of a modern radial turbine to create a baseline for subsequent mixed flow designs. Existing experimental data was used to validate this model. Using the CFD model, a number of mixed flow turbine designs were investigated. These included studies varying the cone angle and the associated inlet blade angle. The results of this analysis provide insight into the performance of a mixed flow turbine with respect to cone and inlet blade angle.
Analysis of the Putative Substrate Binding Region of Hyperthermophilic Endoglucanase from<i>Pyrococcus horikoshii</i> (2007)

A hyperthermophophilic beta-1,4 endoglucanase (family 5, cellulase) was identified in a hyperthermophilic archaeon Pyrococcus horikoshii and found to be capable of hydrolyzing crystalline cellulose at high temperatures. This hyperthermophilic enzyme has promise for applications in biomass utilization, but we have no information regarding the catalytic mechanism or structure of the enzyme. To determine its catalytic mechanism, we examined the roles of amino acids located in a loop near the speculative active site by the alanine scanning method. Ten mutants of the enzyme were constructed and expressed in Escherichia coli. The purified mutant enzymes were assayed for their hydrolytic activities on p-nitrophenyl cellobiose (pNG2), carboxylmethyl cellulose, and avicel. The results showed that His155, Arg156, and Ile162 play an important role in pNG2 binding capacity, and that H155 and I162 are important for catalysis.
Essential Oils as Antimicrobial Agents—Myth or Real Alternative? (2019)

Herbs and the essential oils derived from them have been used from the beginning of human history for different purposes. Their beneficial properties have been applied to mask unpleasant odors, attract the attention of other people, add flavor and aroma properties to prepared dishes, perfumes, and cosmetics, etc. Herbs and essential oils (EOs) have also been used in medicine because of their biological properties, such as larvicidal action, analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties, antioxidant, fungicide, and antitumor activities, and many more. Many EOs exhibit antimicrobial properties, which is extremely important in fields of science and industry, such as medicine, agriculture, or cosmetology. Among the 250 EOs which are commercially available, about a dozen possess high antimicrobial potential. According to available papers and patents, EOs seem to be a potential alternative to synthetic compounds, especially because of the resistance that has been increasingly developed by pathogenic microorganisms. In this review we summarize the latest research studies about the most-active EOs that are known and used because of their antimicrobial properties. Finally, it is noteworthy that the antimicrobial activities of EOs are not preeminent for all strains. Further investigations should, thus, focus on targeting EOs and microorganisms.
An analytical comparison among adaptive modulation, adaptive FEC, adaptive ARQ and hybrid systems for wireless ATM networks (2003)

Several adaptive transmission schemes have been proposed to improve the performance of wireless networks, with adaptive modulation and adaptive error control receiving a lot of attention in the last years. We compare the performances of adaptive forward error correction (FEC), adaptive automatic repeat request (ARQ) and adaptive modulation schemes. We have analysed a hybrid scheme, that uses adaptive FEC together with adaptive modulation, to improve the performance and decrease the complexity of the error correction code.
Synthesis and Physicochemical and Dynamic Mechanical Properties of a Water-Soluble Chitosan Derivative as a Biomaterial (2006)

The physicochemical and rheological properties of a water-soluble chitosan (WSC) derivative were characterized in order to facilitate its use as a novel material for biomedical applications. The WSC was prepared by conjugating glycidyltrimethylammonium chloride (GTMAC) onto chitosan chains. Varying the molar ratio of GTMAC to chitosan from 3:1 to 6:1 produced WSCs with a degree of substitution (DS) that ranged from 56% to 74%. The WSC with the highest DS was soluble in water up to concentrations of 25 g/dL at room temperature. An increase in the polymer concentration gradually increased both the pH and conductivity of the WSC solutions. The rheological properties of the WSC solutions were found to be dependent on the salt and polymer concentrations as well as the DS value. In the absence of salt, the rheological behavior of the WSC was found to be typical of that for a polyelectrolyte in the dilute solution regime. However, the addition of salt decreased the viscosity of the polymer solution due to the reduction of electrostatic repulsions by the positively charged trimethylated ammonium groups of the WSC. In the concentrated regime, the viscosity of the WSCs was found to follow a power-law expression. The lowest DS WSC had the more favorable viscoelastic properties that were attributed to its high molecular weight, as confirmed by the stress relaxation spectra and intrinsic viscosity measurements. The effect of DS on the degree of interaction between WSC and the lipid egg phosphatidylcholine was investigated by FTIR analysis. Overall, the lower DS WSC had enhanced rheological properties and was capable of engaging in stronger intermolecular physical interactions.
Analysis and synthesis of 3-D face image sequence based on model-based image coding scheme with an Internet browser (2003)

In this paper, an efficient analysis method for global head motion, and a synthesis method of 3-D face scenes using model-based image coding techniques on the Internet browser are presented. By applying the techniques of model-based image coding in facial image sequence, human face or anthropomorphic agents can be synthesized with real facial motion on the internet browser using VRML and/or JAVA. While typical model-based image coding produces synthetic face scenes in 2-D space at the receiver terminals, the proposed scheme can produce synthetic face scenes in 3-D space interactively supporting some visual standard. This enables users to synthesize 3-D face scenes at any terminals. In this sense, it improves the portability of synthesis in model-based image coding. To speed up the computation in the analysis process, a new method that generates referential frame dynamically is proposed. To produce a 3-D face model which is suitable for the purpose of application, an idea of automatic face modeling using different 3-D face models is presented. Experimental results show the usefulness of applying the techniques of model-based image coding to the analysis of facial motion and synthesis of 3-D face scene on the internet browser.
Effects of Tomato and Soy on Serum Adipokine Concentrations in Postmenopausal Women at Increased Breast Cancer Risk: A Cross-Over Dietary Intervention Trial (2013)

Increasing dietary consumption of tomato-based foods may beneficially increase serum adiponectin concentrations among postmenopausal women at increased breast cancer risk, especially those who are not obese. Additional studies are essential to confirm these effects and to elucidate the specific mechanisms that may make phytonutrients found in tomatoes practical as breast cancer chemopreventive agents.
The HBx protein of hepatitis B virus regulates the expression, intracellular distribution and functions of ribosomal protein S27a (2011)

The pleiotropic HBx protein of hepatitis B virus is linked functionally to the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) via effectors and signalling pathways of the host. To identify such effectors in a macrocarcinogenic environment, a PCR-based cDNA subtraction analysis was carried out in the X15-myc oncomouse model of HCC. Altogether, 19 categories of genes, mainly involved in protein biosynthesis and the electron-transport chain, were found to be upregulated in the liver of these mice. Ribosomal protein S27a (RPS27a), which is a natural fusion protein of N-terminal ubiquitin and C-terminal extension protein (CEP), topped the list of expressed genes, with >20-fold higher expression compared with its normal level. Sustained and elevated expression of RPS27a in the mouse liver and its moderate expression in cell culture in the presence of HBx suggested an indirect role of RPS27a in hepatocarcinogenesis. Nevertheless, a remarkable change in the intracellular distribution of ubiquitin from cytoplasm to late-endosomal lysosomes, and of CEP from nucleoli to the perinucleolar region/nuclear foci, was observed in the presence of HBx. RPS27a accelerated the progression of the cell cycle and cooperated with HBx in this process. Further, the knockdown of RPS27a expression by RNA interference in an HBx microenvironment led to retarded cell-cycle progression and reduced cell size. Thus, these results suggest strongly that RPS27a could be an effector of HBx-mediated hepatocarcinogenesis.
Improving robot navigation in structured outdoor environments by identifying vegetation from laser data (2009)

This paper addresses the problem of vegetation detection from laser measurements. The ability to detect vegetation is important for robots operating outdoors, since it enables a robot to navigate more efficiently and safely in such environments. In this paper, we propose a novel approach for detecting low, grass-like vegetation using laser remission values. In our algorithm, the laser remission is modeled as a function of distance, incidence angle, and material. We classify surface terrain based on 3D scans of the surroundings of the robot. The model is learned in a self-supervised way using vibration-based terrain classification. In all real world experiments we carried out, our approach yields a classification accuracy of over 99%. We furthermore illustrate how the learned classifier can improve the autonomous navigation capabilities of mobile robots.
Suppression of NF-κB activity via nanoparticle-based siRNA delivery alters early cartilage responses to injury (2016)

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a major cause of disability and morbidity in the aging population. Joint injury leads to cartilage damage, a known determinant for subsequent development of posttraumatic OA, which accounts for 12% of all OA. Understanding the early molecular and cellular responses postinjury may provide targets for therapeutic interventions that limit articular degeneration. Using a murine model of controlled knee joint impact injury that allows the examination of cartilage responses to injury at specific time points, we show that intraarticular delivery of a peptidic nanoparticle complexed to NF-κB siRNA significantly reduces early chondrocyte apoptosis and reactive synovitis. Our data suggest that NF-κB siRNA nanotherapy maintains cartilage homeostasis by enhancing AMPK signaling while suppressing mTORC1 and Wnt/β-catenin activity. These findings delineate an extensive crosstalk between NF-κB and signaling pathways that govern cartilage responses postinjury and suggest that delivery of NF-κB siRNA nanotherapy to attenuate early inflammation may limit the chronic consequences of joint injury. Therapeutic benefits of siRNA nanotherapy may also apply to primary OA in which NF-κB activation mediates chondrocyte catabolic responses. Additionally, a critical barrier to the successful development of OA treatment includes ineffective delivery of therapeutic agents to the resident chondrocytes in the avascular cartilage. Here, we show that the peptide-siRNA nanocomplexes are nonimmunogenic, are freely and deeply penetrant to human OA cartilage, and persist in chondrocyte lacunae for at least 2 wk. The peptide-siRNA platform thus provides a clinically relevant and promising approach to overcoming the obstacles of drug delivery to the highly inaccessible chondrocytes.
Contrasting Effects of Temperature on the Rheology of Normal and Reverse Wormlike Micelles (2006)

Wormlike micelles are flexible polymerlike chains formed by the self-assembly of amphiphilic molecules either in water ("normal" worms) or in oil ("reverse" worms). Normal and reverse worms have both been studied extensively and have generally been found to exhibit analogous rheological properties (e.g., Maxwell fluidlike behavior). Here, we report a hitherto unexplored difference between these two classes of micelles pertaining to the effect of temperature on their rheological properties. For normal worms, the plateau modulus remains constant as the sample is heated while the relaxation time exponentially decreases. For reverse worms, however, both the plateau modulus and the relaxation time decrease exponentially upon heating. Consequently, the zero-shear viscosity of reverse worms decreases more rapidly with temperature than for normal worms. To explain these differences, we propose that increasing the temperature weakens the driving force for micellization in reverse worms whereas it only accelerates the dynamics of surfactant exchange in normal worms.