gebhart/patrepeval huggingface dataset:
Myoblast transplantation: the current status of a potential therapeutic tool for myopathies. (2003)

The implantation of cultured myogenic cells into the body (myoblast transplantation) is an experimental strategy that is being explored for the potential treatment of myopathies. Its potential benefits should be: (1) to slow down or to stop muscle degeneration, and/or (2) to increase force in wasted muscles. For these objectives, myoblast transplantation may act by two actions: (1) genetic complementation (as a vehicle of normal genes in the case of genetic myopathies), and (2) increasing the myogenic pool of the muscle. During the last decade, myoblast transplantation seemed stagnant in a contradiction of experiments producing good results in mice, against the poor results of human trials. This contradiction was apparent, since the conditions used in mouse models were largely different from those used in dystrophic patients. Our monkey experiments demonstrated that promising results can be observed in large muscles of primates, but under conditions that differ from those previously used in patients. These conditions are: (1) an appropriate immunosuppression, and (2) a careful distribution of sufficient quantities of myoblasts into the recipient muscles. Most of the work on myoblast transplantation is addressed to improve this method by: (1) reducing or avoiding the toxicity of sustained immunosuppression, (2) favoring donor-myoblast migration into the recipient muscle, and (3) defining the factors implicated in the early donor-cell survival following intramuscular implantation. Other research subjects in this field are the potential use of pluripotent stem cells instead of satellite cells, and the potential delivery of the exogenous myogenic cells by the blood stream.
Measurement of the Effects of Temporal Clipping on Speech Quality (2006)

This paper investigates the effects of temporal clipping on perceived speech quality. Temporal clipping usually results from voice activity detection (VAD), or line echo canceller's nonlinear processor, and the clipped speech portions are replaced by comfort noise. A nonintrusive algorithm is proposed to predict speech quality based on the clipping statistics. Mean opinion score (MOS) is used as a metric for speech quality and is measured by perceptual evaluation of speech quality (PESQ). The impacts of speech frame size and noise spectrum on the algorithm are also investigated. The results show that the proposed algorithm can efficiently predict the speech quality. The correlation coefficient between the prediction and the measurement is about 0.975, and the root mean square error for the prediction is 0.20 MOS. The algorithm can be used as an integral part of a general speech quality assessment scheme in voice over Internet protocol (VoIP).
<i>Ad Hoc</i> Auto-Tuning of Aberrations Using High-Resolution STEM Images by Autocorrelation Function (2012)

A method for measurement of the aberration status from high-resolution dark-field images is developed using scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), called the Segmented Image Autocorrelation function Matrix (SIAM). The method employs an autocorrelation function from the segmented area in the defocused STEM images from an aligned crystalline specimen to measure the defocus and twofold astigmatism for the probe-forming system. The values measured using this method can be fed directly back to the instrument by changing the strength of the stigmator and the objective lens of the microscope. It is successfully demonstrated that the feedback system can automatically correct the defocus and twofold astigmatism of the microscope after several iterations using practical STEM images from an actual crystalline specimen.
Viewing angle controllable displays  with a blue-phase liquid crystal cell (2010)

We demonstrate a controllable viewing angle liquid crystal display (LCD) using an inserted blue-phase liquid crystal (BPLC) cell. The BPLC layer functions as a tunable positive C-film or a negative C-film, depending on whether the employed LC has a positive or negative dielectric anisotropy. Therefore, the viewing angle of the LCD panel can be controlled continuously by the applied voltage of the BPLC cell.
Monolithic double-grating phase mask for large-period highly coherent grating printing (2009)

A monolithic double-grating phase mask comprising three short-pitch grating sections of spatial frequencies k(1) and k(2) collocated at one side of a substrate produces a large-period interferogram without higher harmonics to print in a photoresist film a latent grating of small spatial frequency equal to twice k(2)-k(1). When incorporated in a write-on-the-fly scheme, the elements permit the fabrication of unlimitedly long gratings.
Miniemulsion ARGET ATRP via Interfacial and Ion-Pair Catalysis: From ppm to ppb of Residual Copper (2017)

It was recently reported that copper catalysts used in atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) can combine with anionic surfactants used in emulsion polymerization to form ion pairs. The ion pairs predominately reside at the surface of the monomer droplets, but they can also migrate inside the droplets and induce a controlled polymerization. This concept was applied to activator regenerated by electron transfer (ARGET) ATRP, with ascorbic acid as reducing agent. ATRP of <i>n</i>-butyl acrylate (BA) and <i>n</i>-butyl methacrylate (BMA) was carried out in miniemulsion using Cu<sup>II</sup>/tris(2-pyridylmethyl)amine (TPMA) as catalyst, with several anionic surfactants forming the reactive ion-pair complexes. The amount and structure of surfactant controlled both the polymerization rate and the final particle size. Well-controlled polymers were prepared with catalyst loadings as low as 50 ppm, leaving only 300 ppb of Cu in the precipitated polymer. Efficient chain extension of a poly(BMA)-Br macroinitiator confirmed high retention of chain-end functionality. This procedure was exploited to prepare polymers with complex architectures such as block copolymers, star polymers, and molecular brushes.
The TGFβ–miR200–MIG6 Pathway Orchestrates the EMT-Associated Kinase Switch That Induces Resistance to EGFR Inhibitors (2014)

Although specific mutations in the tyrosine kinase domain of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) identify tumors that are responsive to EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI), these genetic alterations are present in only a minority of patients. Patients with tumors expressing wild-type EGFR lack reliable predictive markers of their clinical response to EGFR TKIs. Although epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) has been inversely correlated with the response of cancers to EGFR-targeted therapy, the precise molecular mechanisms underlying this association have not been defined and no specific EMT-associated biomarker of clinical benefit has been identified. Here, we show that during transforming growth factor β (TGFβ)-mediated EMT, inhibition of the microRNAs 200 (miR200) family results in upregulated expression of the mitogen-inducible gene 6 (MIG6), a negative regulator of EGFR. The MIG6-mediated reduction of EGFR occurs concomitantly with a TGFβ-induced EMT-associated kinase switch of tumor cells to an AKT-activated EGFR-independent state. In a panel of 25 cancer cell lines of different tissue origins, we find that the ratio of the expression levels of MIG6 and miR200c is highly correlated with EMT and resistance to erlotinib. Analyses of primary tumor xenografts of patient-derived lung and pancreatic cancers carrying wild-type EGFR showed that the tumor MIG6(mRNA)/miR200 ratio was inversely correlated with response to erlotinib in vivo. Our data demonstrate that the TGFβ-miR200-MIG6 network orchestrates the EMT-associated kinase switch that induces resistance to EGFR inhibitors, and identify a low ratio of MIG6 to miR200 as a promising predictive biomarker of the response of tumors to EGFR TKIs.
Kinetics of Antiviral Activity by Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1-Specific Cytotoxic T Lymphocytes (CTL) and Rapid Selection of CTL Escape Virus In Vitro (1998)

The antiviral activity of a CD8(+) cytotoxic T-lymphocyte (CTL) clone (TCC108) directed against a newly identified HLA-B14-restricted epitope, human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) Rev(67-75) SAEPVPLQL, was analyzed with respect to its kinetics of target cell lysis and inhibition of HIV-1 production. Addition of TCC108 cells or CD8(+) reverse transcriptase-specific CTLs to HLA-matched CD4(+) T cells at different times after infection with HIV-1 IIIB showed that infected cells became susceptible to CTL-mediated lysis before peak virus production but after the onset of progeny virus release. When either of these CTLs were added to part of the infected cells immediately after infection, p55 expression and virus production were significantly suppressed. These data support a model in which CTLs, apart from exerting cytolytic activity which may prevent continued virus release, can interfere with viral protein expression during the eclipse phase via noncytolytic mechanisms. TCC108-mediated inhibition of virus replication in peripheral blood mononuclear cells caused rapid selection of a virus with a mutation (69E-->K) in the Rev(67-75) CTL epitope which abolished recognition by TCC108 cells. Taken together, these data suggest that both cytolytic and noncytolytic antiviral mechanisms of CTLs can be specifically targeted to HIV-1-infected cells.
Enhanced drug loading in polymerized micellar cargo (2010)

A new drug carrier system based on self-assembly and polymerization of polydiacetylenic amphiphiles is described. Although classical amphiphiles can help in solubilizing hydrophobic molecules upon self-arrangement into a variety of nanometric structures, a greater effect on drug loading was observed for our polymerized micelles as compared to the non-polymerized analogues. This permitted higher aqueous solubilization of lipophilic drugs with low micelle concentration. (14)C labeling of a model drug on one side and of the amphiphile on the other side permitted assessment, after intravenous injection, of biodistribution and excretion profiles of the drug cargo.
ADMM for Convex Quadratic Programs: Linear Convergence and Infeasibility Detection (2015)

In this paper, we analyze the convergence of Alternating Direction Method of Multipliers (ADMM) on convex quadratic programs (QPs) with linear equality and bound constraints. The ADMM formulation alternates between an equality constrained QP and a projection on the bounds. Under the assumptions of: (i) positive definiteness of the Hessian of the objective projected on the null space of equality constraints (reduced Hessian), and (ii) linear independence constraint qualification holding at the optimal solution we derive an upper bound on the rate of convergence to the solution at each iteration. In particular, we provide an explicit characterization of the rate of convergence in terms of: (a) the eigenvalues of the reduced Hessian, (b) the cosine of the Friedrichs angle between the subspace spanned by equality constraints and the subspace spanned by the gradients of the components that are active at the solution and (c) the distance of the inactive components of solution from the bounds. Using this analysis we show that if the QP is feasible, the iterates converge at a Q-linear rate and prescribe an optimal setting for the ADMM step-size parameter. For infeasible QPs, we show that the primal variables in ADMM converge to minimizers of the Euclidean distance between the hyperplane defined by the equality constraints and the convex set defined by the bounds. The multipliers for the bound constraints are shown to diverge along the range space of the equality constraints. Using this characterization, we also propose a termination criterion for ADMM. Numerical examples are provided to illustrate the theory through experiments.
High surface area sulfur-doped microporous carbons from inverse vulcanised polymers (2017)

Industrial by-products sulfur and dicyclopentadiene form a high surface-area microporous carbon with excellent potential to filter gold or mercury.
Techniques for the Evolution of Robust Pentose-fermenting Yeast for Bioconversion of Lignocellulose to Ethanol (2016)

Lignocellulosic biomass is an abundant, renewable feedstock useful for production of fuel-grade ethanol and other bio-products. Pretreatment and enzyme saccharification processes release sugars that can be fermented by yeast. Traditional industrial yeasts do not ferment xylose (comprising up to 40% of plant sugars) and are not able to function in concentrated hydrolyzates. Concentrated hydrolyzates are needed to support economical ethanol recovery, but they are laden with toxic byproducts generated during pretreatment. While detoxification methods can render hydrolyzates fermentable, they are costly and generate waste disposal liabilities. Here, adaptive evolution and isolation techniques are described and demonstrated to yield derivatives of the native Scheffersomyces stipitis strain NRRL Y-7124 that are able to efficiently convert hydrolyzates to economically recoverable ethanol despite adverse culture conditions. Improved individuals are enriched in an evolving population using multiple selection pressures reliant on natural genetic diversity of the S. stipitis population and mutations induced by exposures to two diverse hydrolyzates, ethanol or UV radiation. Final evolution cultures are dilution plated to harvest predominant isolates, while intermediate populations, frozen in glycerol at various stages of evolution, are enriched on selective media using appropriate stress gradients to recover most promising isolates through dilution plating. Isolates are screened on various hydrolyzate types and ranked using a novel procedure involving dimensionless relative performance index (RPI) transformations of the xylose uptake rate and ethanol yield data. Using the RPI statistical parameter, an overall relative performance average is calculated to rank isolates based on multiple factors, including culture conditions (varying in nutrients and inhibitors) and kinetic characteristics. Through application of these techniques, derivatives of the parent strain had the following improved features in enzyme saccharified hydrolyzates at pH 5-6: reduced initial lag phase preceding growth, reduced diauxic lag during glucose-xylose transition, significantly enhanced fermentation rates, improved ethanol tolerance and accumulation to 40 g/L.
A DNA Vaccine against Yellow Fever Virus: Development and Evaluation (2015)

Attenuated yellow fever (YF) virus 17D/17DD vaccines are the only available protection from YF infection, which remains a significant source of morbidity and mortality in the tropical areas of the world. The attenuated YF virus vaccine, which is used worldwide, generates both long-lasting neutralizing antibodies and strong T-cell responses. However, on rare occasions, this vaccine has toxic side effects that can be fatal. This study presents the design of two non-viral DNA-based antigen formulations and the characterization of their expression and immunological properties. The two antigen formulations consist of DNA encoding the full-length envelope protein (p/YFE) or the full-length envelope protein fused to the lysosomal-associated membrane protein signal, LAMP-1 (pL/YFE), aimed at diverting antigen processing/presentation through the major histocompatibility complex II precursor compartments. The immune responses triggered by these formulations were evaluated in H2b and H2d backgrounds, corresponding to the C57Bl/6 and BALB/c mice strains, respectively. Both DNA constructs were able to induce very strong T-cell responses of similar magnitude against almost all epitopes that are also generated by the YF 17DD vaccine. The pL/YFE formulation performed best overall. In addition to the T-cell response, it was also able to stimulate high titers of anti-YF neutralizing antibodies comparable to the levels elicited by the 17DD vaccine. More importantly, the pL/YFE vaccine conferred 100% protection against the YF virus in intracerebrally challenged mice. These results indicate that pL/YFE DNA is an excellent vaccine candidate and should be considered for further developmental studies.
Chemical Modification of Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell Catalysts with a Sulfonated Silane (2001)

The surface modification of carbon supported Pt fuel cell catalysts by attachment of a sulfonated silane is reported. Attachment of the silane to the carbon surface before Pt deposition yields higher performances than attachment after Pt deposition. Optimum performances for both types of modified catalyst were reached at a 10% Nafion loading in the fuel cell catalyst layer, and were significantly better than that for an untreated standard catalyst at 10% Nafion loading. However, the optimum performance of the untreated catalyst, at 30% Nafion loading, was slightly better than that of the best treated catalyst. These results are explained by the fact that both optimized catalyst layers contained approximately the same concentration of sulfonate groups. © 2001 The Electrochemical Society. All rights reserved.
Lost in translation (and rotation): Rapid extrinsic calibration for 2D and 3D LIDARs (2012)

This paper describes a novel method for determining the extrinsic calibration parameters between 2D and 3D LIDAR sensors with respect to a vehicle base frame. To recover the calibration parameters we attempt to optimize the quality of a 3D point cloud produced by the vehicle as it traverses an unknown, unmodified environment. The point cloud quality metric is derived from Rényi Quadratic Entropy and quantifies the compactness of the point distribution using only a single tuning parameter. We also present a fast approximate method to reduce the computational requirements of the entropy evaluation, allowing unsupervised calibration in vast environments with millions of points. The algorithm is analyzed using real world data gathered in many locations, showing robust calibration performance and substantial speed improvements from the approximations.
Development of elasticity sensors for instrumented socks and wearable devices (2015)

Accumulation of fluid in the lower legs occurs due to acute decompensated heart failure, venous deficiency, lymphedema, and a number of other medical conditions. An instrumented sock using an elasticity sensor is developed for the purpose of monitoring lower leg fluid status. The design and sensing principles of the sock are introduced. Two generations of prototype elasticity sensors have been constructed to verify the sensing principles. Their performances are analyzed and compared. Both in vivo and in vitro tests using the fabricated sensor prototypes show promising results.
Enhanced image quality in black‐blood MRI using the improved motion‐sensitized driven‐equilibrium (iMSDE) sequence (2010)

Compared to the traditional MSDE sequence, the iMSDE sequence can achieve improved soft-tissue SNR and CNR in carotid artery MRI without sacrificing flow suppression capability and time efficiency.
3‐D mitigation of surface‐wave noise in spatially inhomogeneous media (2008)

A method is developed for 3‐D mitigation of surface waves in spatially inhomogeneous media. Mitigation is enabled by modifying conventional phase‐matched filtering techniques to dynamically update the phase‐velocity estimates based on shot‐receiver locations of the record being processed. This update is achieved by first estimating local phase velocities over the survey area, and then by path‐averaging the local phase velocities for each shot‐receiver pair. It is shown that surface wave mitigation using the new method is superior to conventional methods when there is spatial variation in medium properties.
Is It Possible to Develop a “Universal” Influenza Virus Vaccine? (2017)

Influenza viruses cause seasonal epidemics as well as pandemics and are a significant concern for human health. Current influenza virus vaccines show efficacy when they are antigenically well matched to circulating strains. Seasonal influenza viruses undergo antigenic drift at a high rate and, therefore, current vaccines have to be reformulated and readministered on an annual basis. Mismatches between vaccine strains and circulating strains frequently occur, significantly decreasing vaccine efficacy. In addition, current seasonal influenza virus vaccines have limited efficacy against newly emerging pandemic viruses. A universal influenza virus vaccine that induces long-term protection against all influenza virus strains would abolish the need for annual readministration of seasonal influenza virus vaccines and would significantly enhance our pandemic preparedness. Here we discuss the characteristics of universal influenza virus vaccines, their potential target antigens, and critical aspects to consider on the path to successfully developing such vaccines.
Growth and properties of sputtered high-T/sub c/ oxide thin films (1989)

Superconducting YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7-x/ films of thicknesses ranging from 500 AA to 5 mu m have been successfully made by the reactive magnetron sputtering technique. The effects of composition, annealing condition, and thickness of an epitaxial film on its orientation are discussed. films show anisotropic resistivities and critical-current densities that are orientation-dependent.< <ETX xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">></ETX>
An improved universal CMOS current-mode analog function synthesizer: Performance analysis (2008)

In this paper, the performance analysis of the current-mode analog function synthesizer proposed in [1] is considered. Results obtained from Monte Carlo analysis on the effect of temperature variations, threshold voltages mismatches, aspect ratios (W/L) variations, process transconductance parameters mismatches and the DC supply voltages variations are presented. The results confirm there validity of the proposed analog function synthesizer.
Transmission of exogenous genes into the chicken. (1990)

Injection of infectious non-replicating REV vector directly beneath the chicken blastoderm leads to infection of embryonic stem cells. Vector sequences are present in a variety of specialized tissues of embryos and mature birds derived from infected blastoderms. Breeding studies show that replication-defective REV vectors can transfer heritable, non-viral genetic information into the chicken germ line.
Recognition of Cotton Contaminants via X-Ray Microtomographic Image Analysis (2004)

Technologies currently used for cotton contaminant assessment suffer from some fundamental limitations. These limitations result in the misassessment of the cotton quality, and have a serious impact on its economic value. Through our research, we have shown that X-ray microtomographic image analysis may be applied with a high degree of success to noninvasive evaluation of cotton for the recognition of contaminants. We believe that this procedure, when realized in real time, will have a serious impact on the cotton cleaning process, and indeed on the economic value of cotton.
Implementation of a circle and helix reconstruction algorithm for 256-slice CT (2007)

We implement the "circle and helix" algorithm, which is exact and of filtered-backprojection (FBP) type. The purpose is to minimize the time delay and dynamic differences between the two scans required for exact cone beam reconstruction.