gebhart/patrepeval huggingface dataset:
Acoustic-to-Word Attention-Based Model Complemented with Character-Level CTC-Based Model (2018)

This paper addresses end-to-end speech recognition which directly maps acoustic features to a word sequence. The acoustic-to-word model is attractive since it does not require an external language model and an elaborate decoder, resulting in extremely simple and fast decoding. The apparent drawback of this modeling is sparseness of training data, particularly for less frequent words. In this paper, we propose a framework complemented with a character-level model. Joint training of the word-level model with the character-level model enhances the generality of deep learning of feature extraction and classification processes, preventing it from overfitting. Moreover, the character-level model is used to decode out-of-vocabulary (OOV) words that are not covered by the word-level model. Since there are choices of connectionist temporal classification (CTC) and attention-based models in the end-to-end recognition, we also explore optimal combination for the hybrid system. Evaluations on the Corpus of Spontaneous Japanese (CSJ) show that (1) the acoustic-to-word attention-based model outperforms CTC, (2) multitask learning (MTL) with character-level CTC model is effective, and (3) the hybrid system achieves comparable or even better accuracy than the standard DNN-HMM system with a decoding speed faster by a factor of 25.
Cost Manipulation Games in Oligopoly, With Costs of Manipulating (2001)

We analyze a class of two‐stage games where rival firms incur real resource costs in manipulating their marginal costs, so as to influence the outcome of the game they want to play in stage two. Marginal costs may be manipulated by various means, such as redistribution of productive assets, choice of location, or creation of an internal input market. A general formulation of the game is provided, and several applications are analyzed. We show that the optimal allocation of resources within an oligopoly can be asymmetric, even for ex‐ante symmetric firms. This is an additional explanation of heterogeneity in oligopoly.
PURIFICATION OF CHLAMYDIAL EXOGLYCOLIPID BY AFFINITY-CHROMATOGRAPHY USING MONOCLONAL-ANTIBODIES (1988)

A885-A885
Optimization of the Inverted Emulsion Method for High‐Yield Production of Biomimetic Giant Unilamellar Vesicles (2019)

In the field of bottom-up synthetic biology, lipid vesicles provide an important role in the construction of artificial cells. Giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs), due to their membrane's similarity to natural biomembranes, have been widely used as cellular mimics. So far, several methods exist for the production of GUVs with the possibility to encapsulate biological macromolecules. The inverted emulsion-based method is one such technique, which has great potential for rapid production of GUVs with high encapsulation efficiencies for large biomolecules. However, the lack of understanding of various parameters that affect production yields has resulted in sparse adaptation within the membrane and bottom-up synthetic biology research communities. Here, we optimize various parameters of the inverted emulsion-based method to maximize the production of GUVs. We demonstrate that the density difference between the emulsion droplets, oil phase, and the outer aqueous phase plays a crucial role in vesicle formation. We also investigated the impact that centrifugation speed/time, lipid concentration, pH, temperature, and emulsion droplet volume has on vesicle yield and size. Compared to conventional electroformation, our preparation method was not found to significantly alter the membrane mechanical properties. Finally, we optimize the parameters to minimize the time from workbench to microscope and in this way open up the possibility of time-sensitive experiments. In conclusion, our findings will promote the usage of the inverted emulsion method for basic membrane biophysics studies as well as the development of GUVs for use as future artificial cells.
Demonstration and Characterization of High-Speed Silicon Depletion-Mode Mach–Zehnder Modulators (2014)

High-speed silicon depletion-mode Mach-Zehnder modulators are demonstrated and characterized in this paper. Based on the structural dimensions and material parameters, transmission-line parameters and frequency response performances of the modulators are calculated and predicted by a proposed distributed circuit model. Parasitic coupled-slotline mode excited by the modulator is analyzed and suppressed by gold-wire bridges. Using a spectrum analysis method, the effect of this modification on the modulated optical signal is simulated. Over a broad frequency range from 10 MHz to 40 GHz, silicon depletion-mode Mach-Zehnder modulators with flat electro-optic modulation responses and broad bandwidths have been experimentally demonstrated.
Regional Disease Vector Ecology Profile East Asia (2002)

Abstract : DVEPs summarize unclassified literature on medically important arthropods, vertebrates and plants that may adversely affect troops in specific countries or regions around the world. Primary emphasis is on the epidemiology of arthropod-borne diseases and the bionomics and control of disease vectors. DVEPs have proved to be of significant value to commanders, medical planners, preventive medicine personnel, and particularly medical entomologists. These people use the information condensed in DVEP to plan and implement prevention and control measures to protect deployed forces from disease, injury, and annoyance caused by vector and pest arthropods. Because the DVEP target audience is also responsible for protecting troops from venomous animals and poisonous plants, as well as zoonotic diseases for which arthropod vectors are unknown, limited material is provided on poisonous snakes, noxious plants and rodent-borne diseases such as hantavirus and leptospirosis. In this document vector-borne diseases are presented in two groups: those with immediate impact on military operations (incubation period 15 days). For each disease, information is presented on military importance, transmission cycle, vector profiles, and vector surveillance and suppression.
Diagnostic Tests: Bone mineral density: testing for osteoporosis (2016)

Primary osteoporosis is related to bone loss from ageing. Secondary osteoporosis results from specific conditions that may be reversible. A thoracolumbar X-ray is useful in identifying vertebral fractures, and dual energy X-ray absorptiometry is the preferred method of calculating bone mineral density. The density of the total hip is the best predictor for a hip fracture, while the lumbar spine is the best site for monitoring the effect of treatment. The T-score is a comparison of the patient's bone density with healthy, young individuals of the same sex. A negative T-score of -2.5 or less at the femoral neck defines osteoporosis. The Z-score is a comparison with the bone density of people of the same age and sex as the patient. A negative Z-score of -2.5 or less should raise suspicion of a secondary cause of osteoporosis. Clinical risk calculators can be used to predict the 10-year probability of a hip or major osteoporotic fracture. A probability of more than 5% for the hip or more than 20% for any fracture is abnormal and treatment may be warranted.
N,N,N′,N′,N”-Pentamethyldipropylenetriamine (PMDPTA): A Versatile Auxiliary for Site Selective Lithiation Reactions (1998)

Abstract Efficient lithiation processes were developed with PMDPTA, a tridentate ligand of butyllithium reagent for site selective metallation of aromatic and heteroaromatic compounds.
Recognizing Hand-Raising Gestures using HMM (2005)

Automatic attention-seeking gesture recognition is an enabling element of synchronous distance learning. Recognizing attention seeking gestures is complicated by the temporal nature of the signal that must be recognized and by the similarity between attention seeking gestures and non-attention seeking gestures. Here we describe two approaches to the recognition problem that utilize HMMs to learn the class of attention seeking gestures. An explicit approach that encodes the temporal nature of the gestures within the HMM, and an implicit approach that augments the input token sequence with temporal markers are presented. Experimental results demonstrate that the explicit approach is more accurate.
The Effect of MitoQ on Aging‐Related Biomarkers: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis (2018)

Mitochondria are metabolically active organelles that produce significant reactive oxygen species, linked with aging and degenerative diseases. In recent years, particular focus has been put on mitochondria-targeted antioxidants, to decrease the concentration of reactive oxygen species and help alleviate the accumulation of oxidative damage and associated aging. MitoQ is a mitochondria-targeted antioxidant of which is reported to support healthy aging. The aim of this systematic review is to investigate the effects of MitoQ on oxidative outcomes related to the aging process. A predeveloped search strategy was run against MEDLINE (Ovid), EMBASE (Ovid), and CINAHL databases, which identified 10,255 articles of interest, with 27 of these finalised for use after screening. Three outcomes had sufficient data to meta-analyse nitrotyrosine concentration (190 animals, SMD -0.67, 95% CI (-1.30, -0.05), <i>p</i> = 0.04), membrane potential (63 animals, MD 11.44, 95% CI (1.28-21.60), <i>p</i> = 0.03), and protein carbonyl concentration (182 animals, SMD -0.13, 95% CI (-0.44, 0.18), <i>p</i> = 0.41). MitoQ intervention produced a statistically significant reduction in nitrotyrosine concentration and increased membrane potential. MitoQ may be of some benefit in alleviating oxidative stress related to aging.
Catalytic Peptide Synthesis by Trypsin Modified with Polystyrene in Chloroform (1993)

Trypsin was modified with a hydrophobic synthetic polymer, polystyrene. The attachment was achieved by first coupling free amines in the trypsin with azo-bis(4-cyano-valeric acid) and then irradiating the product in the presence of styrene. Decomposition of the azo structure provided free radical initiation of styrene polymerization, with the trypsin thus becoming part of the end group for the polymer chain initiated. That the modified trypsin retained catalytic activity when dissolved in chloroform was demonstrated by using it to catalyze the formation of a peptide linkage between amino acids. The catalytic reaction was stereoselective.
Supraphysiological levels of <scp>GDF</scp> 11 induce striated muscle atrophy (2017)

Growth and differentiation factor (GDF) 11 is a member of the transforming growth factor β superfamily recently identified as a potential therapeutic for age-related cardiac and skeletal muscle decrements, despite high homology to myostatin (Mstn), a potent negative regulator of muscle mass. Though several reports have refuted these data, the <i>in vivo</i> effects of GDF11 on skeletal muscle mass have not been addressed. Using <i>in vitro</i> myoblast culture assays, we first demonstrate that GDF11 and Mstn have similar activities/potencies on activating p-SMAD2/3 and induce comparable levels of differentiated myotube atrophy. We further demonstrate that adeno-associated virus-mediated systemic overexpression of GDF11 in C57BL/6 mice results in substantial atrophy of skeletal and cardiac muscle, inducing a cachexic phenotype not seen in mice expressing similar levels of Mstn. Greater cardiac expression of <i>Tgfbr1</i> may explain this GDF11-specific cardiac phenotype. These data indicate that bioactive GDF11 at supraphysiological levels cause wasting of both skeletal and cardiac muscle. Rather than a therapeutic agent, GDF11 should be viewed as a potential deleterious biomarker in muscle wasting diseases.
Preclinical antitumor and antiangiogenic activity of a metronomic schedule of cisplatin against human transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) (2009)

e16018 Background: Conventional cisplatin every 3 weeks is frequently precluded in patients with TCC due to renal dysfunction. A metronomic schedule of other chemotherapeutic agents demonstrates anti-angiogenic and anti-tumor activity coupled with better tolerability. A rationale can be made to preclinically evaluate the activity of a metronomic (weekly or 3 days a week) schedule of cisplatin in a preclinical system of TCC. Methods: The activity of cisplatin was assessed in vitro against HUVECs (human umbilical vein endothelial cells). MTT, flow cytometry with Annexin-FITC and scratch assays were employed to assess proliferation, apoptosis and migration, respectively. The activity of cisplatin was evaluated in vivo in murine xenograft models of TCC. The subcutaneous xenografts included 5 × 10 6 RT4 or 5637 human TCC cells injected into 6- to 8-week-old female athymic BALB/c nu/nu mice. Cisplatin was administered 4 mg/kg IP (intraperitoneal) weekly for up to 6 weeks and compared with untreated mice. Then, 3 groups of tumor-bearing mice received either no therapy, cisplatin 6 mg/kg weekly or cisplatin 2 mg/kg for 3 days a week for up to 6 weeks. Tumor size is measured twice a week. Nephrotoxicity is assessed by serum creatinine and kidney histopathological examination. IHC (immunohistochemistry) of xenografts is performed to measure proliferation (ki-67), apoptosis (cleaved caspase-3) and angiogenesis (CD31). Results: Cisplatin demonstrated significant anti-proliferative, anti-migration and pro-apoptotic activity against HUVECs in vitro. Cisplatin 4 mg/kg weekly inhibited tumor growth, induced higher apoptosis and down-regulated angiogenesis and proliferation in vivo compared to controls. Results from the experiment comparing cisplatin 6 mg/kg weekly with 2 mg/kg 3 days a week (i.e. more metronomic, with potentially more anti-angiogenic and anti-tumor activity and less nephrotoxic) will be presented. Conclusions: A metronomic schedule of cisplatin inhibits tumor growth and demonstrates anti-angiogenic activity in a preclinical model of human TCC. The clinical evaluation of a metronomic schedule of cisplatin may be warranted. No significant financial relationships to disclose.
Metabolic trapping as a principle of oradiopharmaceutical design: some factors resposible for the biodistribution of [18F] 2-deoxy-2-fluoro-D-glucose. (1978)

Initially, [18F]2-deoxy-2-fluoro-D-glucose (F-18-DG) distributes to the kidneys, heart, brain, lungs, and liver of the mouse, and clears rapidly from all except the heart and, to a much lesser extent, the brain. The heart and brain showed the highest rates of phosphorylation both in vivo and in vitro. No detectable glucose-6-phosphatase activity was present in these organs when hexokinase activity was high and at pH 6.5. The rank order for hexokinase activity, measured in vitro, was brain > heart ≃ kidney > lung > liver, whereas glucose-6-phosphatase activity was found only in the liver and to a lesser extent in the kidney, at pH 6.5. The rate of appearance of F-18-DG-6 phosphate (F-18-DG-6-P) in vivo was significantly slower in the lungs, liver, and kidneys than in the heart and brain, and represented a small proportion of the initial radioactivity. The F-18-DG that clears from the organs is excreted into the urine mostly unchanged, apparently due to the lack of tubular resorption. The rapid excretion of F-18-DG from liver, lungs and kidneys, and the retention by the heart and brain, is the result of metabolic trapping within certain organs and is reflective of glucose utilization. These results may contribute to the clinical utility of F-18-DG by providing a basis for metabolic studies in vivo. Metabolic trapping can be considered as a principle in the design of radiopharmaceuticals as metabolic probes for function or tumor location.
Fluorescence‐Tagged Gold Nanoparticles for Rapidly Characterizing the Size‐Dependent Biodistribution in Tumor Models (2012)

Nanoparticle vehicles may improve the delivery of contrast agents and therapeutics to diseased tissues, but their rational design is currently impeded by a lack of robust technologies to characterize their in vivo behavior in real-time. This study demonstrates that fluorescent-labeled gold nanoparticles can be optimized for in vivo detection, perform pharmacokinetic analysis of nanoparticle designs, analyze tumor extravasation, and clearance kinetics in tumor-bearing animals. This optical imaging approach is non-invasive and high-throughput. Interestingly, these fluorescent gold nanoparticles can be used for multispectral imaging to compare several nanoparticle designs simultaneously within the same animal and eliminates the host-dependent variabilities across measured data. Together these results describe a novel platform for evaluating the performance of tumor-targeting nanoparticles, and provide new insights for the design of future nanotherapeutics.
Sialylation‐independent mechanism involved in the amelioration of murine immune thrombocytopenia using intravenous gammaglobulin (2012)

We conclude that IVIg ameliorates experimental ITP by a mechanism that is independent of sialylation either in the Fc or the Fab region of IVIg.
Modified algorithm for block truncation coding of monochrome images (1985)

Block truncation coding (BTC) is a recent technique used in the coding of image data. In the letter a modified technique for BTC coding of image data is presented which is algorithmically simple and hence easy to implement. This new technique uses only the first-order statistical information as ‘block overhead’. The new algorithm is shown to be optimum in the mean-square sense for a particular class of BTC algorithms. The letter presents the results of using the new algorithm for a typical image and compares the performance with that of the earlier algorithm for the same image.
Flexible Ureterorenoscopy Management of Calyceal Diverticular Calculi. (2019)

Flexible ureterorenoscopy with holmium laser lithotripsy is safe and effective, and it can be offered as a first line therapy for symptomatic caliceal diverticular calculi.
Yeast/<i>E. coli</i> shuttle vectors with multiple unique restriction sites (1986)

Two yeast/E. coli shuttle vectors have been constructed. The two vectors, YEp351 and YEp352, have the following properties: (1) they can replicate autonomously in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and in E. coli; (2) they contain the beta-lactamase gene and confer ampicillin resistance to E. coli; (3) they contain the entire sequence of pUC18; (4) all ten restriction sites of the multiple cloning region of pUC18 including EcoRI, SacI, KpnI, SmaI, BamHI, XbaI, SalI, PstI, SphI and HindIII are unique in YEp352; these sites are also unique in YEp351 except for EcoRI and KpnI, which occur twice; (5) recombinant plasmids with DNA inserts in the multiple cloning region of YEp351 and YEp352 can be recognised by loss of beta-galactosidase function in appropriate E. coli hosts; (6) YEp351 and YEp352 contain the yeast LEU2 and URA3 genes, respectively, allowing for selection of these auxotrophic markers in yeast and E. coli; (7) both plasmids are retained with high frequency in yeast grown under non-selective conditions indicative of high plasmid copy number. The above properties make the shuttle vectors suitable for construction of yeast genomic libraries and for cloning of DNA fragments defined by a large number of different restriction sites. The two vectors have been further modified by deletion of the sequences necessary for autonomous replication in yeast. The derivative plasmids YIp351 and YIp352 can therefore be used to integrate specific sequences into yeast chromosomal DNA.
Core affect and the psychological construction of emotion. (2003)

At the heart of emotion, mood, and any other emotionally charged event are states experienced as simply feeling good or bad, energized or enervated. These states--called core affect--influence reflexes, perception, cognition, and behavior and are influenced by many causes internal and external, but people have no direct access to these causal connections. Core affect can therefore be experienced as free-floating (mood) or can be attributed to some cause (and thereby begin an emotional episode). These basic processes spawn a broad framework that includes perception of the core-affect-altering properties of stimuli, motives, empathy, emotional meta-experience, and affect versus emotion regulation; it accounts for prototypical emotional episodes, such as fear and anger, as core affect attributed to something plus various nonemotional processes.
Hydrophobicity improvement of cellulose nanofibrils films by stearic acid and modified precipitated calcium carbonate coating (2022)

Abstract The development of a cellulose nanofibrils film with permanent hydrophobicity using green processes, avoiding hazardous solvents, through easy procedures, is a great challenge. The hydrophobicity of a layer of calcium carbonate modified with stearic acid has already been presented. However, the combination of a cellulose nanofibrils film with a layer of modified calcium carbonate to develop a permanent hydrophobic cellulose-based material rises the additional issue of adhesion between layers. In the present study, a set of cellulose nanofibrils films was coated with a layer of stearic acid and another set was additionally covered with modified precipitated calcium carbonate (0.4–6 µm sized particles with above 50% aragonite crystalline form), previously modified with a stearic acid suspension using ultrasounds. To investigate the issue of adhesion between layers, some films were subjected to heat treatments at 68 and 105 °C. Structural and physical analysis of the films, as well as barrier properties and static/dynamic contact angle measurements were performed. Results show that overall mechanical performance of the films was not substantially affected by the coating and posterior heat treatments. Heat treatments decreased the water vapor transmission rate of stearic acid coated films from 91.9 to 31.6 g m −2 day −1 and the oxygen permeability of stearic acid and modified calcium carbonate coated films from 26.4 to 2.6 cm 3 µm/(m 2 day kPa). The double layered coated cellulose nanofibrils films attained contact angle hysteresis of 3.1° and 5° and static contact angles of 150° and 140° with no heat treatment and with a heat treatment of 68 °C, respectively. The heat treatment enabled to permanently adhere modified calcium carbonate particles on the film, providing it with persistent hydrophobicity.
SkyLens: Visual Analysis of Skyline on Multi-dimensional Data (2017)

Skyline queries have wide-ranging applications in fields that involve multi-criteria decision making, including tourism, retail industry, and human resources. By automatically removing incompetent candidates, skyline queries allow users to focus on a subset of superior data items (i.e., the skyline), thus reducing the decision-making overhead. However, users are still required to interpret and compare these superior items manually before making a successful choice. This task is challenging because of two issues. First, people usually have fuzzy, unstable, and inconsistent preferences when presented with multiple candidates. Second, skyline queries do not reveal the reasons for the superiority of certain skyline points in a multi-dimensional space. To address these issues, we propose SkyLens, a visual analytic system aiming at revealing the superiority of skyline points from different perspectives and at different scales to aid users in their decision making. Two scenarios demonstrate the usefulness of SkyLens on two datasets with a dozen of attributes. A qualitative study is also conducted to show that users can efficiently accomplish skyline understanding and comparison tasks with SkyLens.
Highly efficient monolithic perovskite silicon tandem solar cells: analyzing the influence of current mismatch on device performance (2019)

We present a highly efficient monolithic perovskite/silicon tandem solar cell and analyze the tandem performance as a function of photocurrent mismatch with important implications for future device and energy yield optimizations.