gebhart/patrepeval huggingface dataset:
Highly aligned arrays of high aspect ratio barium titanate nanowires via hydrothermal synthesis (2015)

We report on the development of a hydrothermal synthesis procedure that results in the growth of highly aligned arrays of high aspect ratio barium titanate nanowires. Using a multiple step, scalable hydrothermal reaction, a textured titanium dioxide film is deposited on titanium foil upon which highly aligned nanowires are grown via homoepitaxy and converted to barium titanate. Scanning electron microscope images clearly illustrate the effect the textured film has on the degree of orientation of the nanowires. The alignment of nanowires is quantified by calculating the Herman's Orientation Factor, which reveals a 58% improvement in orientation as compared to growth in the absence of the textured film. The ferroelectric properties of barium titanate combined with the development of this scalable growth procedure provide a powerful route towards increasing the efficiency and performance of nanowire-based devices in future real-world applications such as sensing and power harvesting.
Ruthenium Olefin Metathesis Catalysts Bearing an <i>N</i>-Fluorophenyl-<i>N</i>-Mesityl-Substituted Unsymmetrical <i>N</i>-Heterocyclic Carbene (2007)

Two new ruthenium-based olefin metathesis catalysts, each bearing an unsymmetrical N-heterocyclic carbene ligand, have been synthesized and fully characterized. Their catalytic performance has been evaluated in ring-closing metathesis, cross metathesis, and ring-opening metathesis polymerization reactions.
DNA Vaccines against Malaria: Immunogenicity and Protection in a Rodent Model (1996)

Since the first demonstration of the technology a few years ago, DNA vaccines have emerged as a promising method of vaccination. In a variety of experimental systems, DNA vaccines have been shown not only to induce potent immune responses, but also to offer many advantages in terms of ease of construction, testing, and production. In this article we summarize the progress achieved in development of DNA vaccines that can protect mice from infection by the rodent malaria parasite Plasmodium yoelii, describe initial studies of immunogenicity of a malaria DNA vaccine in a primate model, and outline the strategies being employed to design the next generation of malaria DNA vaccines.
d-Fenfluramine suppresses the increased calorie and carbohydrate intakes and improves the mood of women with premenstrual depression (1991)

The ability of d-fenfluramine, a drug that releases brain serotonin and blocks its reuptake, to relieve premenstrual depression and excessive calorie and carbohydrate intakes was examined in 17 women with premenstrual syndrome. Subjects received d-fenfluramine (15 mg twice daily) or placebo, in random order, during the luteal phases of six menstrual cycles; ie, for three control and three treatment cycles each. Behavior was assessed with the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression and its Addendum, and intakes of calories and nutrients were measured by allowing subjects unlimited access to isocaloric meal and snack foods rich in carbohydrates or protein. Pre-treatment follicular scores using the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression and its Addendum were 2.0 +/- 0.5 and 0.5 +/- 0.5 (mean +/- SEM), respectively; corresponding luteal scores were 21.2 +/- 0.8 and 10.2 +/- 0.6 (P less than .0001). Luteal phase intakes of kilocalories, carbohydrates, and fats were also increased above follicular levels (P less than .01). d-Fenfluramine decreased premenstrual Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression and Addendum scores by 62% (P less than .001) and 60% (P less than .001), respectively; placebo reduced them by only 28% (P less than .02) and 30% (P less than .02). d-Fenfluramine also fully suppressed the premenstrual rise in kilocalorie, carbohydrate, and fat intakes (P less than .01).
Novel Self-Associating Poly(ethylene oxide)-<i>b</i><i>lock</i>-poly(ε-caprolactone) Block Copolymers with Functional Side Groups on the Polyester Block for Drug Delivery (2006)

The aim of this study was to develop micelle-forming poly(ethylene oxide)-block-poly(ε-caprolactone) (PEO-b-PCL)-based block copolymers bearing functional side groups on the PCL block. Substituted monomer, i.e, α-benzyl carboxylate-ε-caprolactone, was synthesized by anionic activation of ε-caprolactone and further treatment with benzyl chloroformate. Successful substitution of benzyl carboxylate on ε-caprolactone monomer was evidenced by 1H NMR and mass spectroscopy. Ring-opening polymerization of α-benzyl carboxylate-ε-caprolactone with methoxy PEO (5000 g mol-1) as initiator and stannous octoate as catalyst was used to prepare PEO-b-poly(α-benzyl carboxylate ε-caprolactone) (PEO-b-PBCL). Further catalytic debenzylation of PEO-b-PBCL produced PEO-b-poly(α-carboxyl-ε-caprolactone) (PEO-b-PCCL). Ring-opening polymerization of a ε-caprolactone/α-benzyl carboxylate-ε-caprolactone mixture and further reduction of the product were also used to prepare block copolymers with various degrees of benzyl carboxylate or carboxyl group substitution. The calculated molecular weights determined by 1H NMR and gel permeation chromatography (GPC) for block copolymers were in good agreement with the theoretical values. The polydispersity of PEO-b-PBCL and PEO-b-PCCL block copolymers was 1.74 and 1.52, respectively. PEO-b-PBCL and PEO-b-PCCL block copolymers assembled to spherical micelles having average diameters of 62 and 20 nm based on dynamic light scattering (DLS) measurement, respectively. PEO-b-PBCL formed micelles at extremely low concentrations (cmc of 9.8 × 10-2 μM). The presence of carboxylic group on the PCCL block raised the cmc of PEO-b-PCCL to 1220 × 10-2 μM. For block copolymers with PCL-co-PCCL core structures, a decrease in cmc as well as an increase in size was observed as the level of PCL to PCCL was raised. Novel PEO-b-poly(ester) block copolymers with aromatic and reactive side groups on the polyester block have tremendous potential in the design of optimized carriers for the delivery of various therapeutic agents, as they can assemble to biodegradable nanoscopic micelles with chemically tailorable core structures.
Insertable surgical imaging device with pan, tilt, zoom, and lighting (2008)

This paper describes work we have done in developing an insertable surgical imaging device with multiple degrees-of-freedom for minimally invasive surgery. The device is fully insertable into the abdomen using standard 12 mm trocars. It consists of a modular camera and lens system which has pan and tilt capability provided by 2 small DC servo motors. It also has its own integrated lighting system that is part of the camera assembly. Once the camera is inserted into the abdomen, the insertion port is available for additional tooling, motivating the idea of single port surgery. A third zoom axis has been designed for the camera as well, allowing close-up and far-away imaging of surgical sites with a single camera unit. In animal tests with the device we have performed surgical procedures including cholecystectomy, appendectomy, running (measuring) the bowel, suturing, and nephrectomy. The tests show that the new device is: (1) Easier and more intuitive to use than a standard laparoscope. (2) Joystick operation requires no specialized operator training. (3) Field of view and access to relevant regions of the body were superior to a standard laparoscope using a single port. (4) Time to perform procedures was better or equivalent to a standard laparoscope. We believe these insertable platforms will be an integral part of future surgical systems. The platforms can be used with tooling as well as imaging systems, allowing many surgical procedures to be done using such a platform.
A method for estimating annual cost reduction of IT service deals (2017)

Highly valued Information technology (IT) service contracts involve the delivery of complex IT services, such as migrating the client's IT infrastructure to the Cloud, Mainframes, among others. IT service providers usually compete to win these IT service contracts. In order to bid on such deals, IT service providers need to price/quote the solution that they propose to the client, trying to convince him to use their services. A few analytical methods in the literature have been provided for pricing these deals. However, these methods ignore an important characteristic of these services; that is they are typically characterized by a decreasing cost profile in subsequent years to the first year. Typically, these methods require solutioners to manually input these annual cost reductions. In this paper, we present an analytical way for calculating this cost reduction, if applicable, via mining historical data. We show that using our methodology could achieve significant increase in the accuracy of estimating the costs and prices of IT service deals.
Targeting Unique Epitopes on Highly Similar Proteins GDF-11 and GDF-8 with Modified DNA Aptamers (2019)

The mature forms of the TGF-β family members GDF-11 and GDF-8 are highly similar 25 kDa homodimers with 90% amino acid sequence identity and 99% similarity. Cross-reactivity of GDF-11 and GDF-8 binding reagents is common, making it difficult to attribute distinct roles of these two proteins in biology. We report the selection of GDF-11 and GDF-8 specific SOMAmer (Slow Off-rate Modified Aptamer) reagents aided by a combination of positive selection for one protein coupled with counter-selection against the other. We identified GDF-11 specific SOMAmer reagents from four modified DNA libraries that showed a high affinity (<i>K</i><sub>d</sub> range 0.05-1.2 nM) for GDF-11 but did not bind to GDF-8 (<i>K</i><sub>d</sub> > 1 μM). Conversely, we identified one SOMAmer reagent for GDF-8 from one of the modified libraries that demonstrated excellent affinity (<i>K</i><sub>d</sub> = 0.23 nM) and specificity. In contrast, standard protocols that utilized only positive selection produced binding reagents with similar affinity for both proteins. High affinity and specificity were efficiently encoded in minimal sequences of 21 nucleotides for GDF-11 and 24 nucleotides for GDF-8. Further characterization in pull-down, competition, sandwich-binding, and kinetic studies revealed robust binding under a wide range of buffer and assay conditions. For highly similar proteins like GDF-11 and GDF-8, our method of selection coupled with counter-selection was essential for identification of high-affinity, specific reagents that have the potential to elucidate the fundamental distinction of these growth factors in biology.
<i>Agrobacterium tumefaciens</i> Transformation of the Radiation Hypersensitive <i>Arabidopsis thaliana</i> Mutants <i>uvh1</i> and <i>rad5</i> (1998)

The Arabidopsis thaliana mutants uvh1 and rad5, originally identified as radiation hypersensitive, were reported to be deficient in T-DNA integration based on the relative efficiencies of stable transformation and T-DNA transfer. We reassessed these mutants for susceptibility to transformation by Agrobacterium tumefaciens. The mutant rad5 showed a significant reduction in the efficiency of transient as well as stable transformation, compared with its wild-type progenitor. These data indicate that rad5 is blocked at a step in the transformation process prior to T-DNA integration. We additionally found, using both an in vitro root inoculation and an in vivo flower bolt inoculation assay, that the mutant uvh1 is as susceptible to A. tumefaciens-mediated transformation as is its wild-type progenitor, C10.
A method for rapid quantitative assessment of biofilms with biomolecular staining and image analysis (2015)

The accumulation of bacteria in surface-attached biofilms can be detrimental to human health, dental hygiene, and many industrial processes. Natural biofilms are soft and often transparent, and they have heterogeneous biological composition and structure over micro- and macroscales. As a result, it is challenging to quantify the spatial distribution and overall intensity of biofilms. In this work, a new method was developed to enhance the visibility and quantification of bacterial biofilms. First, broad-spectrum biomolecular staining was used to enhance the visibility of the cells, nucleic acids, and proteins that make up biofilms. Then, an image analysis algorithm was developed to objectively and quantitatively measure biofilm accumulation from digital photographs and results were compared to independent measurements of cell density. This new method was used to quantify the growth intensity of Pseudomonas putida biofilms as they grew over time. This method is simple and fast, and can quantify biofilm growth over a large area with approximately the same precision as the more laborious cell counting method. Stained and processed images facilitate assessment of spatial heterogeneity of a biofilm across a surface. This new approach to biofilm analysis could be applied in studies of natural, industrial, and environmental biofilms.
Synthesis of <i>d</i>-Biotin Chiral Intermediates via a Biochemical Method (1993)

Abstract The enzyme-catalyzed kinetic resolution of (±)-(3aα,4α,6aα)-4-acetoxy-1,3-dibenzyl-3a,4,6,6a-tetrahydro-1H-thieno[3,4-d]imidazol-2(3H)-one [(RS)-(3a)] was examined. Lipase B from Pseudomonas fragi and rabbit liver esterase gave (−)-[3aR-(3aα,4α,6aα)]-1,3-dibenzyl-3a,4,6,6a-tetrahydro-4-hydroxy-1H-thieno[3,4-d]imidazol-2(3H)-one [(R)-(2)], while Streptomyces rochei var. volubilis gave the alcohol (S)-(2), which is a key intermediate in the synthesis of d-biotin, with high enantioselectivity.
A Personalized Classifier for Human Motion Activities With Semi-Supervised Learning (2020)

The motion activities performed by a mobile or wearable device user are characteristic of the user and the accuracy of detection of motion activity context can be improved by incorporating personalized samples of motion activity. But obtaining personalized samples of motion activity from device user is not practically feasible. In this article, a semi-supervised method is presented for improving the classification accuracy of the mobile or wearable device user's motion activities by deriving a classifier that is personalized to the user starting from a factory-set generalized classifier. The novelty lies in using information theoretic criterion to select personalized data samples from all the personalized data samples collected from the target user. This is useful in improving the motion activity detection accuracy, since each device user has a distinct gait personality as compared to the motion activity data patterns available in a generalized database that are used to train a generalized classifier. The average accuracy for 11 target users of a generalized classifier is 93.11% that increases to 96.50% using the proposed method when the device is used in in-hand mode. It is observed that the accuracy improvement with a personalized classifier over a generalized classifier is greater for those subjects whose accuracy is lower than others with the generalized classifier.
A self-propelling endoscopic system (2002)

The existing colonoscope requires a dexterous skill of surgeon to perform the insertion in entire colon. The procedure is painful to the patient. Therefore, biomedical and robotic researchers are developing a locomotive colonoscope that can travel safely in colon In this paper, we describe a new design and concept of semi-autonomous micro robot for colonoscopy. The micro robot comprises the actuation system, bow-shaped flexible supporters to keep the space between colon wall and the actuator camera and LED for diagnosis and steering system to pass through the acute angle in colon. We suggest two actuating methods. One is based on the reaction force, and the other on impact force. For the performance test, the preliminary experiments are carried out in rigid pipe to validate the concept.
Sub-Integer Frequency Synthesis Using Phase-Rotating Frequency Dividers (2008)

A generalized architecture and theory for realizing multimodulus, sub-integer frequency division is developed by extending the phase-switched divider technique. The sub-integer divider consists of a pre-scaler, a phase rotator, a post-sealer, and a modulus controller. Phase rotation is proposed as an effective technique to realize fine phase resolution and thereby low sub-integer division ratios, as well as to eliminate the glitch which has plagued phase-switched dividers. Program-swallowed counters are used as the modulus controller to realize a broad-range multimodulus divider. Expressions are derived for the range and resolution of such a program-swallowed, phase-rotating divider. Furthermore, the fractional spurs from this divider topology are derived and related to the linearity of the phase rotator. It is shown that very low (-60 to -75 dBc) fractional spurs at the output of the divider can be attained with reasonably accurate phase rotators. The benefit of this technique is in the ability to realize sub-integer frequency synthesizers which have the architectural simplicity of standard integer- <i xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">N</i> PLLs, but the finer frequency resolution capabilities due to sub-integer division.
Catalytic evaluation of Ni-based nano-catalysts in dry reformation of methane (2017)

Development of a highly efficient, nickel-based nano-catalyst in the carbon dioxide reformation of methane is reported. The alumina supported Ni-based catalyst with a metal loading of 5wt% was prepared via solution combustion synthesis (SCS) method and conventional wetness impregnation method. Compared to that of conventional Ni(I) catalyst, the Ni(SCS) catalyst exhibited high activity for methane conversion and superior selectivity for H <inf xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</inf> and CO production during dry reforming of methane. This difference in the catalytical performances of both catalysts during the dry reformation of methane was attributed to difference in morphology and chemical structures of the catalysts. The HAADF-EDS analysis of the Ni(SCS)catalyst revealed Ni was homogeneously distributed over the substrate with an average particle size of 7±2.31nm. Additionally, SAED patterns suggested that nickel was mainly observed in the NiAl <inf xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</inf> O <inf xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">4</inf> phase. These findings were affirmed by the XRD analysis. By contrast the Ni(I) catalyst revealed the presence of free NiO species only.
Histotripsy and the developing role of microbubbles in ultrasound therapy (2008)

Microbubbles in therapeutic ultrasound has seen increasing interest in recent years. Once thought to be problematic, bubble production and interactions with ultrasound fields are yielding promising new methods and this presentation will review two areas of collaborative research at the University of Michigan investigating therapeutic applications utilizing microbubbles. Histotripsy uses short pulses of high intensity ultrasound produce cavitation in vivo and subdivide tissue at a subcellular level. The highly localized bubble activity homogenizes tissue to the point of reducing acoustic backscatter enabling lesion detection. Lesion margins are remarkably fine, even yielding fractional disruption of cells. The homogenized material is readily absorbed thus debulking tissue with little residual scar. At the other end of the acoustic intensity scale, microbubbles can be produced by triggering vaporization of superheated liquid droplets, termed acoustic droplet vaporization (ADV). ADV requires diagnostic levels of ultrasound to yield localized microbubbles production. The method is being investigated for direct occlusion therapy and perfusion control to augment other therapeutic methods including drug delivery among other potential applications. These methods highlight the growing field of microbubble-based therapies, which will expand with our increasing understanding of microbubbles and their interactions with surrounding environments. Supported in part by NIH EB00281, HL077629 and EB006476.
Unifying Broadcast Encryption and Traitor Tracing for Content Protection (2009)

In this paper we study the design of efficient trace-revoke schemes for content protection. In state-of-art, broadcast encryption and traitor tracing are viewed as two orthogonal problems. Good traceability and efficient revocation seem to demand different types of design. When combined into trace-revoke schemes, existing schemes only offer efficiency on one aspect but weak on the other. Moreover, there are two major styles of pirate attacks, namely the clone device attack and anonymous re-broadcasting attack. In current state-of-art, defending against these two attacks are viewed as two different problems that demand different trace-revoke schemes. In current state-of-practice, a content protection system has to deploy two trace-revoke schemes in order to provide complete protections against both attacks. As a result, the system incurs the complexity of having to manage two schemes, even worse the overall strength of the system is the weakest link in either scheme. In this paper we present a unified trace-revoke system that can offer superior efficiency on both traceability and revocation capability as well as simultaneously defend against two attacks in a unified way. Our unified system offers everything that the original two schemes combined can provide, but our system is much simpler and more efficient. The design of our unified framework carries both scientific and real world practical significance. We reduce the tracing time from tens of years to hours. The much improved simplicity and efficiency of our unified system caused it to be adopted by the new version of AACS, advanced access content system, the industry content protection standard for the new Blu-ray high-definition-video optical discs. Scientifically our design shows it is possible to design an efficient broadcast encryption scheme and traitor tracing scheme in a unified way. We also showed the equivalence of the two major types of attacks which are currently viewed as different attacks. This opens brand new directions for future research on broadcast encryption and traitor tracing.
Naphthopyrans. Structural Features and Photochromic Properties (1997)

Abstract Structural modifications to photochromic 3H-naphtho[2,1 -b]pyrans and 2H-naphtho[1,2-b]pyrans have produced compounds that have found utility in plastic ophthalmic lens applications. The influence of substituents on color, optical density, and fade rate are reported. Synthetic routes to products and key intermediates are also outlined.
Why panic()? (2010)

The file system is one of the most critical components of the operating system. Almost all applications running in the operating system require file systems to be available for their proper operation. Though file-system availability is critical in many cases, very little work has been done on tolerating file system crashes. In this paper, we propose Membrane, a set of changes to the operating system to support restartable file systems. Membrane allows an operating system to tolerate a broad class of file system failures and does so while remaining transparent to running applications; upon failure, the file system restarts, its state is restored, and pending application requests are serviced as if no failure had occurred. Our initial evaluation ofMembrane with ext2 shows thatMembrane induces little performance overhead and can tolerate a wide range of file system crashes. More critically, Membrane does so with few changes to ext2, thus improving robustness to crashes without mandating intrusive changes to existing filesystem code.