gebhart/patrepeval huggingface dataset:
Inhibition of <em>Aspergillus flavus</em> Growth and Aflatoxin Production in Transgenic Maize Expressing the &#945;-amylase Inhibitor from <em>Lablab purpureus</em> L. (2019)

Aflatoxin contamination in food and feed crops is a major challenge worldwide. Aflatoxins, produced by the fungus Aspergillus flavus (A. flavus) are potent carcinogens that substantially reduce crop value in maize and other oil rich crops like peanut besides posing serious threat to human and animal health. Different approaches, including traditional breeding, transgenic expression of resistance associated proteins, and RNA interference (RNAi)-based host-induced gene silencing of critical A. flavus gene targets, are being evaluated to increase aflatoxin resistance in susceptible crops. Past studies have shown an important role of α-amylase in A. flavus pathogenesis and aflatoxin production, suggesting this gene/enzyme is a potential target to reduce both A. flavus growth and aflatoxin production. In this regard, the current study was undertaken to evaluate heterologous expression (under control of the constitutive CaMV 35S promoter) of a Lablab purpureus L. α-amylase inhibitor-like protein (AILP) in maize against A. flavus. AILP is a 36-kDa protein, which is a competitive inhibitor of A. flavus α-amylase enzyme and belongs to the lectin-arcelin-α-amylase inhibitor protein family in common bean. In vitro studies prior to the current work had demonstrated the role of AILP in inhibition of A. flavus α-amylase activity and fungal growth. Fungal growth and aflatoxin production in mature kernels were monitored in real time using a GFP-expressing A. flavus strain. This kernel screening assay (KSA) is very simple to set up and provides reliable and reproducible data on infection and the extent of spread that could be quantified for evaluation of germplasm and transgenic lines. The fluorescence from the GFP strain is closely correlated to fungal growth and, by extension, it is well-correlated to aflatoxin values. The goal of the current work was to implement this previous knowledge in a commercially important crop like maize to increase aflatoxin resistance. Our results show a 35%-72% reduction in A. flavus growth in AILP-expressing transgenic maize kernels which, in turn, translated into a 62%-88% reduction in aflatoxin levels.
Method and apparatus for drawing monocrystalline ribbon from a melt background of the invention (1980)

One of the challenges medicine faces is the constantly growing resistance of pathogens to various classes of antibiotics. In this study, we investigated the use of capillary electrophoresis (CE) to characterize and assess the physiological states of three clinical bacterial strains-methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and methicillin-sensitive S. aureus (MSSA), and Escherichia coli extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESβL)-exposed to different antibiotics. All chosen bacteria are the leading causes of healthcare-associated and hospital-acquired invasive infections in adults. In the first part of the research, it was determined the optimal incubation time of the tested strains with antibiotics, represented as an optimal time of 24 h. In the second part, we have compared two approaches: flow cytometry (FC) as a standard method and CE as a proposed alternative approach. The viability of clinical strains treated with different class antibiotics calculated in CE measurements was strongly correlated (>0.83 for MSSA, >0.92 for ESβL and MRSA) with the viability obtained on the basis of FC measurements. As a result, CE has a chance to become a modern diagnostic method used in clinical practice. The CE cutoff was found to be 50%; above this value, the strain shows resistance to the action of the antibiotic.
A tunable visible and ultraviolet laser on S2 (<i>B</i>3Σ<i>u</i>−–<i>X</i>3Σ<i>g</i>−) (1977)

Laser action has been achieved on the B3Σu−–X3Σg− transition of S2 by optical pumping with a frequency-doubled dye laser and a nitrogen laser. The observed lasing is line tunable from 365 to 570 nm. The S2 molecule is a promising candidate for an efficient scalable ultraviolet laser system.
Statistical trajectory models for phonetic classification (1994)

This talk presents phonetic models that capture both the dynamic characteristics and the statistical dependencies of acoustic attributes in a segment-based framework. The approach is based on the creation of a track, Tα, for each phonetic unit α. The track serves as a model of the dynamic trajectories of the acoustic attributes over the segment. The statistical framework for scoring incorporates the auto- and cross-correlation properties of the track error over time, within a segment. On a vowel classification task [W. Goldenthal and J. Glass, ‘‘Modeling Spectra Dynamics for Vowel Classification,’’ Proc. Eurospeech 93, pp. 289–292, Berlin, Germany (1993)], this methodology achieved classification performance of 68.9%. This result compares favorably with other studies using the timit corpus. This talk extends this result by presenting context-independent and context-dependent experiments for all the phones. Context-independent classification performance of 76.8% is demonstrated. The key to implementing the context-dependent classifier consists of merging tracks trained separately on left and right contexts to synthesize any desired context during classification. This method allows one to synthesize a track for triphone contexts not seen in the training set. Using a total of 4167 gender-dependent biphone tracks, 58 phonetic statistical models, and no phone grammar, a context-dependent classification performance of 80.5% was achieved. This result increases to 85.8% when a trigram phone grammar is added.
Catalyst versus Substrate Control of Forming (<i>E</i>)-2-Alkenes from 1-Alkenes Using Bifunctional Ruthenium Catalysts (2018)

Here we examine in detail two catalysts for their ability to selectively convert 1-alkenes to (E)-2-alkenes while limiting overisomerization to 3- or 4-alkenes. Catalysts 1 and 3 are composed of the cations CpRu(κ2-PN)(CH3CN)+ and Cp*Ru(κ2-PN)+, respectively (where PN is a bifunctional phosphine ligand), and the anion PF6–. Kinetic modeling of the reactions of six substrates with 1 and 3 generated first- and second-order rate constants k1 and k2 (and k3 when applicable) that represent the rates of reaction for conversion of 1-alkene to (E)-2-alkene (k1), (E)-2-alkene to (E)-3-alkene (k2), and so on. The k1:k2 ratios were calculated to produce a measure of selectivity for each catalyst toward monoisomerization with each substrate. The k1:k2 values for 1 with the six substrates range from 32 to 132. The k1:k2 values for 3 are significantly more substrate-dependent, ranging from 192 to 62 000 for all of the substrates except 5-hexen-2-one, for which the k1:k2 value was only 4.7. Comparison of the ratios for 1 and 3 for each substrate shows a 6–12-fold greater selectivity using 3 on the three linear substrates as well as a >230-fold increase for 5-methylhex-1-ene and a 44-fold increase for a silyl-protected 4-penten-1-ol substrate, which are branched three and five atoms away from the alkene, respectively. The substrate 5-hexen-2-one is unique in that 1 was more selective than 3; NMR analysis suggested that chelation of the carbonyl oxygen can facilitate overisomerization. This work highlights the need for catalyst developers to report results for catalyzed reactions at different time points and shows that one needs to consider not only the catalyst rate but also the duration over which a desired product (here the (E)-2-alkene) remains intact, where 3 is generally superior to 1 for the title reaction.
Fungal Secondary Metabolism (2012)

Definition: Fungal secondary metabolites (SMs) comprise a vast collection of compounds expendable\nfor these organisms under laboratory conditions. They exhibit enormous chemical diversity, and usu-\nally belong to four major families: terpenoids, polyketides, non-ribosomal peptides, or a combination\nof the last two. Their functions are very diverse and are normally associated with a greater fitness\nof the producing fungi in their environment, which often compete with other microorganisms or\ninteract with host plants. Many SMs have beneficial applications, e.g., as antibiotics or medical drugs,\nbut others, known as mycotoxins, are harmful to health.
Towards single-microorganism detection using surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (2007)

The identification and discrimination of microorganisms is important not only for clinical reasons but also for pharmaceutical clean room production and food-processing technology. Vibrational spectroscopy such as IR, Raman, and surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) can provide a rapid ‘fingerprint’ on the chemical structure of molecules and is used to obtain a ‘fingerprint’ from microorganisms as well. Because of the requirement that a single bacterium cell and noble metal nanoparticles must be in close contact and the lack of a significant physical support to hold nanoparticles around the single bacterium cell, the acquisition of SERS spectra for a single bacterium using colloidal nanoparticles could be a challenging task. The feasibility of SERS for identification down to a single bacterium is investigated. A Gram-negative bacterium, Escherichia coli, is chosen as a model for the investigation. Because the adsorption of silver nanoparticles onto the bacterial cell is an exclusive way for locating nanoparticles close to the bacterium cell, the absorption characteristics of silver nanoparticles with different surface charges are investigated. It is demonstrated that the citrate-reduced colloidal silver solution generates more reproducible SERS spectra. It is found that E. coli cells aggregate upon mixing with silver colloidal solution, and this may provide an additional benefit in locating the bacterial cell under a light microscope. It is also found that a laser wavelength in the UV region could be a better choice for the study due to the shallow penetration depth. It is finally shown that it is possible to obtain SERS spectra from a single cell down to a few bacterial cells, depending on the aggregation properties of bacterial cells for identification and discrimination.
Process for upgrading a hydrocarbon fraction. [cracking, hydrogenating, desulfurizing, demetalating, and denitrifying] (1974)

A process is claimed for cracking, hydrogenating, desulfurizing, demetalating, and denitrifying a hydrocarbon fraction containing paraffins, olefins, olefin-equivalents, or acetylenes, as such or as substituents on ring compounds, and sulfurous, metallic and nitrogenous components: comprising cracking hydrogenating, desulfurizing, demetalating, and denitrifying said hydrocarbon fraction by contacting said hydrocarbon fraction with a water-containing fluid at a temperature in the range of from about 600/sup 0/ to about 900/sup 0/F, under super-atmospheric pressure, in the absence of externally supplied hydrogen, and in the presence of an externally supplied catalyst system containing a sulfur- and nitrogen-resistant catalyst selected from the group consisting of at least one soluble or insoluble transition metal compound and transition metal deposited on a support, said transition metal in said catalyst being selected from the group consisting of ruthenium, rhodium, iridium, osmium, and combinations thereof, wherein sufficient water is present in the water-containing fluid and said pressure is sufficiently high so that the water in the water-containing fluid has a density of at least 0.10 gram per milliliter and serves as an effective solvent for the hydrocarbon fraction, and wherein hydrogen is generated in situ; and lowering said temperature or pressure or both to thereby make the water inmore » the water-containing fluid a less effective solvent for the hydrocarbon fraction and to thereby form separate phases, wherein essentially all the sulfur separated from the hydrocarbon fraction is in the form of elemental sulfur.« less
Interaction of Bordetella pertussis Adenylate Cyclase with CD11b/CD18 (2003)

Adenylate cyclase toxin (CyaA) is one of the major virulence factors produced by Bordetella pertussis, the whooping cough agent. CyaA belongs to the repeat in toxin protein family and requires a post-translational fatty acylation to form cation-selective channels in target cell membranes and to penetrate into cytosol. We have demonstrated recently that CyaA uses the alphaMbeta2 integrin (CD11b/CD18) as a specific cellular receptor. Here we show that the acylation of CyaA is required for a productive and tight interaction of the toxin with cells expressing CD11b. In addition, we demonstrate that the catalytic domain is not required for binding of CyaA to CD11b and that the main integrin interacting domain of CyaA is located in its glycine/aspartate-rich repeat region. These data decipher, for the first time, the interaction of CyaA with CD11b-positive cells and open new prospects for understanding the interaction of Bordetella pertussis with innate and adaptive immune systems.
<scp>l</scp>‐carnitine decreases glycolysis in liquid‐stored platelets (2000)

LC at 5 mM: may improve the quality of platelet concentrates that are stored beyond 5 days. There was no indication that LC at this concentration would promote bacterial growth. It may be a useful additive to platelet preservation.
Optoelectronic properties of 2D Ruddlesden-Popper halide perovskite semiconductors (2017)

International audience
Effect of DNA polymorphisms related to fatty acid composition in adipose tissue of Holstein cattle (2011)

Fatty acid composition of adipose tissue has been recognized as an important carcass trait because of its relationship with eating quality such as favorable beef flavor and tenderness. Therefore, we investigated the effects of genetic polymorphisms of liver X receptor, alpha (LXR), stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD), Fatty acid synthase (FASN), and Fatty acid binding protein 4 (FABP4) on fatty acid composition in intramuscular fat tissue of Holstein steers. The major allele frequencies were 0.705 in SCD, 0.518 in FABP4, 0.888 in FASN, and 0.984 in LXR. Genotyping of SCD showed significant effect on C14:0, C14:1, C18:0 and saturated fatty acid (P < 0.05). In addition, the result suggested that SCD genotype possibly had effect on composition of C18:1 and monounsaturated fatty acid. Genotype of FABP4 had significant effect on composition of C16:0. Effect of LXR genotypes could not be analyze because of extremely biased genotype frequencies. Our results suggest that genotypes of SCD and FABP4 may in part affect meat quality in Holstein.
New Serotype 2 and Attenuated Serotype 1 Marek's Disease Vaccine Viruses: Selected Biological and Molecular Characteristics (1987)

Two new Marek's disease vaccine viruses, Md11/75C/R2 (serotype 1) and 301B/1 (serotype 2), were evaluated in chickens with maternal antibodies (ab+) or without maternal antibodies (ab-). Strain Md11/75C/R2 was mildly pathogenic in ab--chickens, but this pathogenicity was markedly reduced in ab+ chickens. Md11/75C/R2 spread less by contact and replicated better, both in vivo and in vitro, than CVI988/C, another serotype 1 vaccine virus. Strain 301B/1 was similar to SB-1, another serotype 2 vaccine virus: both were nonpathogenic for ab--chickens, spread readily by contact, and replicated well in vivo. In vitro, 301B/1 grew more rapidly and produced larger plaques than SB-1. Notable characteristics of strain CVI988/C included absence of pathogenicity, poor replicative ability, and the absence of one epitope detected by a common serotype-1-specific monoclonal antibody. All four viruses could be distinguished from each other by restriction enzyme analysis of viral DNA. We conclude that Md11/75C/R2, although exceptionally protective, may require further attenuation. On the other hand, 301B/1, which in other studies induced higher levels of protection than SB-1, is nonpathogenic and may be considered for use as a commercial vaccine.
Exploiting the interaction between Grp94 and aggregated myocilin to treat glaucoma (2014)

Gain-of-function mutations in the olfactomedin domain of the MYOC gene facilitate the toxic accumulation of amyloid-containing myocilin aggregates, hastening the onset of the prevalent ocular disorder primary open-angle glaucoma. Aggregation of wild-type myocilin has been reported in other glaucoma subtypes, suggesting broader relevance of misfolded myocilin across the disease spectrum, but the absence of myocilin does not cause disease. Thus, strategies aimed at eliminating myocilin could be therapeutically relevant for glaucoma. Here, a novel and selective Grp94 inhibitor reduced the levels of several mutant myocilin proteins as well as wild-type myocilin when forced to misfold in cells. This inhibitor rescued mutant myocilin toxicity in primary human trabecular meshwork cells. Mechanistically, in vitro kinetics studies demonstrate that Grp94 recognizes on-pathway aggregates of the myocilin olfactomedin domain (myoc-OLF), accelerates rates of aggregation and co-precipitates with myoc-OLF. These results indicate that aberrant myocilin quaternary structure drives Grp94 recognition, rather than peptide motifs exposed by unfolded protein. Inhibition of Grp94 ameliorates the effects of Grp94-accelerated myoc-OLF aggregation, and Grp94 remains in solution. In cells, when wild-type myocilin is driven to misfold and aggregate, it becomes a client of Grp94 and sensitive to Grp94 inhibition. Taken together, the interaction of Grp94 with myocilin aggregates can be manipulated by cellular environment and genetics; this process can be exploited with Grp94 inhibitors to promote the clearance of toxic forms of myocilin.
Single Step Bi-reforming and Oxidative Bi-reforming of Methane (Natural Gas) with Steam and Carbon Dioxide to Metgas (CO-2H<sub>2</sub>) for Methanol Synthesis: Self-Sufficient Effective and Exclusive Oxygenation of Methane to Methanol with Oxygen (2015)

Catalysts based on suitable metal oxide supports, such as NiO/MgO and CoO/MgO, were shown to be active for single step bi-reforming, the combined steam and dry reforming of methane or natural gas with H2O and CO2 exclusively to metgas (CO-2H2) for efficient methanol synthesis. Reactions were carried out in a tubular flow reactor under pressures up to 42 bar at 830-910 °C. Using a CH4 to steam to CO2 ratio of ∼3:2:1 in the gas feed, the H2/CO ratio of 2:1 was achieved, which is desired for subsequent methanol synthesis. The needed 2/1 steam/CO2 feed ratio together with the reaction heat for the endothermic bi-reforming can be conveniently obtained by the complete combustion of a quarter part of the overall used methane (natural gas) with oxygen of the air (oxidative bi-reforming). Complete combustion of a part of methane followed by bi-reforming leads to the production of metgas (H2/CO in 2:1 mol ratio) for self-sufficient exclusive methanol synthesis. The long sought after but elusive efficient and selective oxygenation of methane to methanol is thus achieved in an effective and economic way without any oxidation byproduct formation according to CH4 + 1/2O2 → CH3OH.
Integration of NMR With Other Openhole Logs for Improved Formation Evaluation (2000)

Summary The recently introduced measurement of total porosity from nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) tools can help to identify the hydrocarbon type and to improve the determination of formation total porosity (ϕt) and water saturation (Swt) in combination with other openhole logs. In shaly formations, porosities are difficult to estimate in the presence of hydrocarbons, especially those for gas and light oils. Water saturations are even more difficult to estimate because critical parameters such as clay cation exchange capacities/unit pore volume (QV), the formation factor (F) and formation water resistivity (Rw) might not be known. The latter quantities are essential inputs into the Waxman-Smits and dualwater model saturation equations. In the typical case of shaly gas-bearing formations, both the total porosity corrected for the gas effect and the gas saturation (Sxgas) in the flushed zone can be derived by combining total NMR porosity (ϕNMR) and density porosity (ϕdensity). Adding resistivity logs such as Rxo and Rt helps to differentiate between gas and oil. Furthermore, the flushed zone water saturation (Sxot) computed from 1 − Sxgas can be used in many ways. One procedure uses Sxot in conjunction with the Rxo saturation equation to determine QV or F. Another technique uses Sxot in conjunction with the saturation point (SP) to estimate QV when Rw is known. Yet, another method estimates QV directly from the NMR short relaxation time part of the T2 distribution and use Sxot in conjunction with SP to estimate Rw. The new interpretation procedure follows the sequential shaly sands approach: first, determine porosity, second, determine shaliness, and, third, determine saturation. The new procedure improves on the classical method by offering new ways to compute QV, F and Rw. The methodology is applied to a number of field examples.
A reconfigurable camera add-on for high dynamic range, multispectral, polarization, and light-field imaging (2013)

We propose a non-permanent add-on that enables plenoptic imaging with standard cameras. Our design is based on a physical copying mechanism that multiplies a sensor image into a number of identical copies that still carry the plenoptic information of interest. Via different optical filters, we can then recover the desired information. A minor modification of the design also allows for aperture sub-sampling and, hence, light-field imaging. As the filters in our design are exchangeable, a reconfiguration for different imaging purposes is possible. We show in a prototype setup that high dynamic range, multispectral, polarization, and light-field imaging can be achieved with our design.
Properties of Transparent Conductive Ga-Doped ZnO Films on Glass, PMMA and COP Substrates (2008)

The dependences of the structural, optical and electrical properties of highly transparent conductive Ga-doped ZnO (GZO) films on thickness have been studied. GZO films were prepared on unheated glass, polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) and cyclo olefin polymer (COP) substrates by ion plating deposition with direct-current arc discharge. Polycrystalline GZO films with good adherence to a substrate having a (0002) preferred orientation have been obtained. Very little difference was found between the resistivity values of the GZO films on the glass substrate and those of the GZO films on the different polymer substrates, at any given film thickness. On both plastic substrates, the resistivity of the GZO films decreased from 2×10-3 to 5×10-4Ωcm with increasing film thickness.
Nonreciprocal Phased-Array Antennas (2019)

From radio to optical frequencies, phased-array antennas are ubiquitous in modern technology and find wide application in communication and radar systems, imaging, sensing, and radio astronomy, among many other endeavors. These devices provide identical responses in transmission and reception, due to the constraints imposed by time-reversal symmetry. Here, however, the authors present the concept of $n\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}o\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}n\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}r\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}e\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}c\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}i\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}p\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}r\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}o\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}c\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}a\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}l$ phased-array antennas, and demonstrate that such structures significantly extend the functionalities of common arrays by efficiently enabling independent, dynamic control of transmitted and received radiation patterns at the same operating frequency.
A technique for reducing rectifier reverse-recovery-related losses in high-power boost converters (1998)

A circuit technique that reduces the boost power converter losses caused by the reverse-recovery current of the rectifier is described. The losses are reduced by inserting an inductor in the series path of the boost switch and a rectifier to control the di/dt rate of the rectifier during its turn off. The energy from the inductor after the boost switch turn off is returned to the input or delivered to the output via an active snubber.