gebhart/patrepeval huggingface dataset:
Effects of Magnesium and Zinc Additives on Corrosion and Cobalt Contamination of Stainless Steels in Simulated BWR Coolant (1999)

In water-cooled nuclear reactors, measures to decrease the radiation fields due to the deposition of 60Co on out-of-core components are important to control occupational doses of radiation and to reduce costs. In this respect, dosing of minor amounts of certain metal ions to the primary coolant can be effective. The beneficial effect of adding Zn to boiling water reactors has been known for some time now. As an alternative to Zn, Mg is investigated in the present study. The deposition of 60Co onto typical materials of construction is investigated in neutral, partially oxygenated water at 562 K and 10.2 MPa in the presence and the absence of Mg. For comparison, studies are also conducted in the presence of Zn; rather high concentrations of both additives in the coolant are employed to indicate their relative effectiveness in a reasonably short testing period. The ability of the additives to exclude 60Co pickup by oxides on three types of stainless steel is evaluated. The corrosion rates of stainless steels, the morphology of their oxides, and the pickup of Mg or Zn are determined. Preliminary decontamination studies of the exposed materials are also described. A qualitative mechanism to describe the observed 60Co pickup is discussed.
<i>Trypanosoma brucei</i> Guide RNA Poly(U) Tail Formation Is Stabilized by Cognate mRNA (2000)

Guide RNAs (gRNAs) are small RNAs that provide specificity for uridine addition and deletion during mRNA editing in trypanosomes. Terminal uridylyl transferase (TUTase) adds uridines to pre-mRNAs during RNA editing and adds a poly(U) tail to the 3' end of gRNAs. The poly(U) tail may stabilize the association of gRNAs with cognate mRNA during editing. Both TUTase and gRNAs associate with two ribonucleoprotein complexes, I (19S) and II (35S to 40S). Complex II is believed to be the fully assembled active editing complex, since it contains pre-edited mRNA and enzymes thought necessary for editing. Purification of TUTase from mitochondrial extracts resulted in the identification of two chromatographically distinct TUTase activities. Stable single-uridine addition to different substrate RNAs is performed by the 19S complex, despite the presence of a uridine-specific 3' exonuclease within this complex. Multiple uridines are added to substrate RNAs by a 10S particle that may be an unstable subunit of complex I lacking the uridine-specific 3' exonuclease. Multiple uridines could be stably added onto gRNAs by complex I when the cognate mRNA is present. We propose a model in which the purine-rich region of the cognate mRNA protects the uridine tail from a uridine exonuclease activity that is present within the complex. To test this model, we have mutated the purine-rich region of the pre-mRNA to abolish base-pairing interaction with the poly(U) tail of the gRNA. This RNA fails to protect the uridine tail of the gRNA from exoribonucleolytic trimming and is consistent with a role for the purine-rich region of the mRNA in gRNA maturation.
A Promising Outlook for Imaging Radar: Imaging Flash Radar Realized Using Photonic Spatial Beam Processing (2018)

Since their conception in the early 1900s, radar systems have mostly used a single RF beam to probe the environment in search of objects of interest. Traditionally, this is accomplished by scanning the beam over a defined region and using time of flight to determine the range of objects located within the beam. As such, a key figure of merit is the spatial extent, or angular divergence, of the RF beam because it defines the lateral (or cross-range) resolution of detectable objects, while the operational bandwidth (BW) of the radar determines the range resolution of detectable objects. In combination, these two metrics often define the overall capability of the radar system.
Critical role of Lyn kinase in inhibition of neutrophil apoptosis by granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (1996)

The signal pathway for control of apoptosis in human neutrophils is currently unknown. In this study, we provide the first evidence that a Src family tyrosine kinase, Lyn, plays a key role in inhibition polymorphonuclear (PMN) cell death. Several nuclear proteins associated with apoptosis, i.e., p53, cdc2, and Rb, were absent from PMN. Bcl-2, known to inhibit apoptosis, was also not expressed. Programmed cell death that rapidly occurred in PMN could be arrested by granulocyte-macrophage CSF (GM-CSF), but this activation did not induce p53, cdc2, retinoblastoma, or Bcl-2 expression. Instead, GM-CSF produced a rapid activation of Lyn and Hck, but not Fgr, tyrosine phosphorylation within 1 min. Co-immunoprecipitation studies indicated that only Lyn, but not Hck, was physically coupled to GM-CSF receptor. By histologic assessment and evaluation of DNA fragmentation, only antisense Lyn, but not antisense Hck or antisense Fgr, could reverse the cell survival advantage provided by GM-CSF. Therefore, the physical coupling of Lyn to GM-CSF receptor and its early activation are required for inhibition or delay of apoptosis in PMN.
Biological Role of Xanthomonadin Pigments in <i>Xanthomonas campestris</i> pv. Campestris (2000)

Previous studies have indicated that the yellow pigments (xanthomonadins) produced by phytopathogenic Xanthomonas bacteria are unimportant during pathogenesis but may be important for protection against photobiological damage. We used a Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris parent strain, single-site transposon insertion mutant strains, and chromosomally restored mutant strains to define the biological role of xanthomonadins. Although xanthomonadin mutant strains were comparable to the parent strain for survival when exposed to UV light; after their exposure to the photosensitizer toluidine blue and visible light, survival was greatly reduced. Chromosomally restored mutant strains were completely restored for survival in these conditions. Likewise, epiphytic survival of a xanthomonadin mutant strain was greatly reduced in conditions of high light intensity, whereas a chromosomally restored mutant strain was comparable to the parent strain for epiphytic survival. These results are discussed with respect to previous results, and a model for epiphytic survival of X. campestris pv. campestris is presented.
Estimating Plasma Glucose from Interstitial Glucose: The Issue of Calibration Algorithms in Commercial Continuous Glucose Monitoring Devices (2010)

Evaluation of metabolic control of diabetic people has been classically performed measuring glucose concentrations in blood samples. Due to the potential improvement it offers in diabetes care, continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) in the subcutaneous tissue is gaining popularity among both patients and physicians. However, devices for CGM measure glucose concentration in compartments other than blood, usually the interstitial space. This means that CGM need calibration against blood glucose values, and the accuracy of the estimation of blood glucose will also depend on the calibration algorithm. The complexity of the relationship between glucose dynamics in blood and the interstitial space, contrasts with the simplistic approach of calibration algorithms currently implemented in commercial CGM devices, translating in suboptimal accuracy. The present review will analyze the issue of calibration algorithms for CGM, focusing exclusively on the commercially available glucose sensors.
C3a is a chemotaxin for human eosinophils but not for neutrophils. I. C3a stimulation of neutrophils is secondary to eosinophil activation. (1995)

Inflammatory action of the potent chemotaxin C5a has been well characterized on a variety of human cell types, including neutrophils, monocytes, basophils, and eosinophils. The cellular effects of C3a are less well defined. Contradictory reports have been published for C3a activation of neutrophils. Recent reports that C3a activates both basophils and eosinophils prompted us to reinvestigate the effects of C3a stimulation on eosinophils. We hypothesized that C3a activation of eosinophils, cells that are present in most neutrophil preparations, might lead to neutrophil activation. Using neutrophils of 98% purity, we observed no evidence of cellular activation after stimulation with either C3a, recombinant human C3a (rhC3a), or the synthetic C3a analogue C3a 57-77, Y57. Eosinophils purified to > 98% purity displayed concentration-dependent polarization, chemotaxis, and enzyme release by stimulation with C3a, rhC3a, and the synthetic C3a analogue. An inactive form of C3a, C3adesArg, failed to stimulate either eosinophils or neutrophils. Using neutrophil preparations containing 5-9% eosinophils, up to 20% of neutrophils became polarized after exposure to C3a. Likewise, we demonstrated that supernatant from C3a-stimulated eosinophils promotes neutrophil chemotaxis. Eosinophil polarization experiments were repeated in the presence of antibody to the C5a receptor (C5aR) to show that C3a and C5a interact with different receptors. C3a activates eosinophils in the presence of anti-C5aR antibody at concentrations that fully block C5a activation. We conclude that eosinophils are directly activated by either C3a or C5a, whereas C3a failed to activate neutrophils. C3a acts on eosinophils via a receptor that is distinct from C5aR. Since neutrophils are indirectly stimulated by C3a, eosinophils contaminating neutrophil preparations may explain earlier reports that C3a activates human neutrophils.
InAs/AlSb quantum cascade lasers operating near 20 µm (2013)

InAs‐based quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) operating near 20 µm are demonstrated. A double metal waveguide fabricated by transfer of the laser active region onto a host InAs substrate has been employed in these devices. The threshold current density of 1.6 kA/cm 2 at 80 K is lower than that of InP‐based QCLs emitting in the same spectral region. The lasers operated in pulsed mode up to 170 K.
LIFE-STYLE CORRELATES OF RISK FACTOR CHANGE IN YOUNG ADULTS: AN EIGHT-YEAR STUDY OF CORONARY HEART DISEASE RISK FACTORS IN THE FRAMINGHAM OFFSPRING (1987)

This paper describes the life-style and behavioral correlates of change in coronary heart disease risk factors measured eight years apart in the young adult offspring of the Framingham Heart Study cohort. Changes in total cholesterol, lipoprotein cholesterols (high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) cholesterol), and blood pressure were observed longitudinally in 397 men and 497 women who were aged 20-29 years at entry into the study. Stepwise multiple linear regression procedures were used to identify characteristics and their changes that were significantly associated with risk factor changes in each sex. The attribute most strongly and consistently related to lipoprotein and blood pressure changes in both sexes was change in body mass index (p less than or equal to 0.01 or p less than or equal to 0.001). In addition to weight gain, increases in alcohol consumption in men (p less than or equal to 0.001) and beginning oral contraceptive use in women (p less than or equal to 0.01) were associated with increases in blood pressure over the study period. Weight loss, stopping or decreasing cigarette consumption (p less than or equal to 0.01), increasing alcohol intake (p less than or equal to 0.01), and, in women, discontinuing oral contraceptive use (p less than or equal to 0.01) also were independently related to improvements in lipoprotein profiles during follow-up. After adjustment for all life-style correlates of risk factor change, simple self-assessments of physical activity or activity change were negatively associated with changes in VLDL cholesterol (p less than or equal to 0.01) and the total cholesterol/HDL cholesterol ratio (p less than or equal to 0.05) in men and positively associated with changes in HDL cholesterol (p less than or equal to 0.05) in women. Sociodemographic and behavioral characteristics that made a further independent contribution to increases in the total cholesterol/HDL cholesterol ratio in men were blue-collar occupation and trait Type A behavior pattern (p less than or equal to 0.05). Unexplained, but provocative, results of this study included the associations of interim vasectomy with increases in total cholesterol in men (p less than or equal to 0.05) and of number of livebirths with decreases in total cholesterol and HDL cholesterol in women (p less than or equal to 0.01). These findings are among the first to offer prospective evidence which suggests that habits and behaviors during young adulthood have a substantial effect on lipid and lipoprotein profiles in men and women.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Note: A new sesquiterpene glycoside from Dendrobium nobile Lindl. (2004)

A new sesquiterpene glycoside with a picrotoxane-type aglycone has been isolated from the stems of Dendrobium nobile Lindl. Its structure was elucidated as 7,12-dihydroxy-5-hydroxymethyl-11-isopropyl-6-methyl-9-oxatricyclo[6.2.1.0(2,6)]undecan-10-one-15-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside on the basis of spectroscopic data and chemical methods.
Identification and characterization of new DNA replication terminators in <i>Bacillus subtilis</i> (1995)

A functional DNA replication terminator of Bacillus subtilis contains two overlapping binding sites, A and B, for the replication terminator protein (RTP). A degenerate 17-mer oligonucleotide corresponding to the consensus B site has been used to detect four new terminators in the B. subtilis chromosome, in addition to the previously identified and closely spaced IRI and IRII. All the new terminators lie in the terminus region of the chromosome, on both sides of IRI and IRII, with their positions spanning < 10% of its length. Their DNA sequences are characterized by clearly identifiable A- and B-binding sites. They bind RTP in a manner indistinguishable from IRI, although precise affinities have not been compared. Each new terminator is functional in causing fork arrest when present in a plasmid replicating in B. subtilis. Three of the four were tested for polarity in fork-arrest activity and exhibited the polarity expected. The total of six terminators now identified in B. subtilis have been named TerI-TerVI. TerI and TerII correspond to the previously identified IRI and IRII, respectively. The chromosomal orientations of all but one of the terminators (TerIV) have been established and they conform to an arrangement similar to that in Escherichia coli in which two opposed groups of polar terminators provide a replication-fork trap ensuring that the approaching forks meet within a restricted region of the chromosome. The development of a strikingly similar arrangement of terminators in the two organisms, despite the lack of any detectable similarity in their respective DNA terminators and terminator proteins, emphasizes the importance of the replication-fork trap in each case.
Engineering Bispecificity into a Single Albumin-Binding Domain (2011)

Bispecific antibodies as well as non-immunoglobulin based bispecific affinity proteins are considered to have a very high potential in future biotherapeutic applications. In this study, we report on a novel approach for generation of extremely small bispecific proteins comprised of only a single structural domain. Binding to tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) was engineered into an albumin-binding domain while still retaining the original affinity for albumin, resulting in a bispecific protein composed of merely 46 amino acids. By diversification of the non albumin-binding side of the three-helix bundle domain, followed by display of the resulting library on phage particles, bispecific single-domain proteins were isolated using selections with TNF-α as target. Moreover, based on the obtained sequences from the phage selection, a second-generation library was designed in order to further increase the affinity of the bispecific candidates. Staphylococcal surface display was employed for the affinity maturation, enabling efficient isolation of improved binders as well as multiparameter-based sortings with both TNF-α and albumin as targets in the same selection cycle. Isolated variants were sequenced and the binding to albumin and TNF-α was analyzed. This analysis revealed an affinity for TNF-α below 5 nM for the strongest binders. From the multiparameter sorting that simultaneously targeted TNF-α and albumin, several bispecific candidates were isolated with high affinity to both antigens, suggesting that cell display in combination with fluorescence activated cell sorting is a suitable technology for engineering of bispecificity. To our knowledge, the new binders represent the smallest engineered bispecific proteins reported so far. Possibilities and challenges as well as potential future applications of this novel strategy are discussed.
Multi-objective Hadoop Configuration Optimization Using Steady-State NSGA-II (2016)

Hadoop configuration optimization is very challenging because of the complexity of its framework. And optimized Hadoop parameter configuration settings depend significantly on the performance of MapReduce applications in the cluster. Although much research has been conducted on Hadoop parameters configuration optimization, configuring its resource setting parameters to minimize the execution time of MapReduce jobs in clusters still needs a lot of continuing researches. Further, determining the type of machine instances that should be used to minimize the resource usage cost for executing applications in clusters is also difficult. This paper addresses these problems by optimizing the instance resource usage and execution time of MapReduce tasks using a multi-objective steady-state Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm II (ssNSGA-II) approach. In this approach, the instance resource usage cost of MapReduce tasks is calculated based on the cost of machine instance types and the number of machine instances in the Hadoop cluster. The optimized configuration is identified by selecting an optimal setting that satisfies two objective functions associated with instance resource usage and execution time minimization, from Pareto optimal front solutions. Although dynamic machine instance type is considered within the search process in our system, dynamic cluster size is out of consideration and intended to be carried out in our future. Experiments conducting using workloads from the HiBench benchmark on a high specification 6-node Hadoop cluster verify the efficacy of our proposed approach.
Somatic complications of psychotropic medications in a patient with multiple CYP2 drug metabolism deficiencies. (2007)

A 54-year-old woman presented with severe anxiety, multiple somatic complaints, medication intolerance and adverse drug reactions (ADRs) to numerous prescribed psychotropic medications. Multiple drug metabolizing deficiencies were suspected. Molecular analysis was performed for the CYP2 family of Cytochrome P450 (CYP450) drug metabolism isoenzymes by DNA typing CYP2D6, CYP2C9, and CYP2C19 genes. A multiple deficiency in CYP2 drug metabolism was discovered. The patient was a double carrier of null alleles for CYP2D6, a carrier of a null allele for CYP2C19 and a carrier of a deficient allele for CYP2C9. These alleles were confirmed by Mendelian inheritance in her nuclear family, where her brother had a similar multigene CYP2 deficiency. The patient improved clinically with discontinuation of psychotropic medications, suggesting that much of her symptomatology was drug-induced. DNA typing for multigene CYP2 deficiencies is diagnostically useful in individuals with histories of multiple ADRs, which could be avoided by DNA-guided individualized prescription.
Structural and functional domains of the Drosophila ncd microtubule motor protein. (1993)

Nonclaret disjunctional (ncd) is a kinesin-related microtubule motor protein that is required for proper chromosome distribution in Drosophila. Despite its sequence similarity to kinesin heavy chain, ncd translocates with the opposite polarity as kinesin, toward microtubule minus ends. We have expressed different regions of the protein in bacteria and analyzed the proteins for function. Results indicate that ncd consists of three domains: a basic, proline-rich N-terminal "tail," a central alpha-helical coiled-coil stalk, and a C-terminal motor domain. The ncd N terminus proteins bundle microtubules in motility assays and show ATP-independent binding to microtubules in solution. Truncated proteins, lacking the tail but containing the predicted motor domain and differing lengths of the stalk, did not support microtubule gliding in in vitro assays but showed microtubule-stimulated MgATPase activity in solution. Addition of a nonspecific N terminus to two of the truncated proteins restored directional gliding and rotation of microtubules in motility assays, demonstrating that these properties map to the predicted mechanochemical domain of ncd. Physical properties of the C terminus proteins indicate that the stalk region is important for dimerization and that the ncd protein probably exists and functions as a dimer.
Enhanced expression of HLA molecules and stimulation of autologous human tumor infiltrating lymphocytes following transduction of melanoma cells with gamma-interferon genes. (1993)

Gene therapy for cancer is being tested in clinical trials using tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) or tumor cells modified by the insertion of genes coding for interleukin 2 or tumor necrosis factor alpha. In the present study, we investigated the feasibility of transducing human tumor cells with genes coding for gamma-interferon (IFN gamma) or alpha-interferon (IFN alpha), which are two other cytokines that can enhance host antitumor immune responses. Tumor cells from 12 melanoma and 2 renal cell carcinoma patients were transduced with retroviral vectors containing the gene for IFN gamma. Northern blot analysis showed IFN gamma transcripts only in the IFN gamma gene-transduced cells. In both IFN gamma-secreting and non-secreting tumor lines, the cell surface expression of HLA class I and class II molecules increased following transduction. However, the magnitude of the increase in HLA expression appeared to be greater in tumor lines secreting IFN gamma. Two melanoma cell lines were successfully transduced with an IFN alpha retroviral vector. Melanoma cells transduced with the IFN alpha gene contained IFN alpha RNA transcripts and secreted large amounts of IFN alpha. In contrast to cells transduced with the IFN gamma gene, the expression of HLA class II molecules was not increased in the IFN alpha gene-transduced cells. Finally, we tested the ability of HLA.DR+ melanoma cells, which had been transduced with the IFN gamma gene, to stimulate specific cytokine release by autologous CD4+ TIL. Specific secretion of cytokine by TIL occurred when the TIL and IFN gamma gene-transduced tumor cells were cultured together but not when TIL were cultured alone or with control nontransduced tumor cells. These results suggest that molecules newly expressed on the transduced cells promoted antigen presentation and T-cell responses against the transduced tumor cells. The insertion of the IFN gamma gene into melanoma cells may be useful either for active immunization against melanoma or for the generation of TIL to be used in adoptive immunotherapy.
Comprehensive characterization of <i><scp>RSPO</scp></i> fusions in colorectal traditional serrated adenomas (2017)

The present study identified RSPO fusion transcripts, including three novel transcripts, in one-third of colorectal TSAs and showed that PTPRK-RSPO3 fusions were the predominant cause of RSPO overexpression in colorectal TSA.