gebhart/patrepeval huggingface dataset:
Increased frequency of mannose-binding lectin insufficiency among children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (2002)

Epidemiological data indicate that acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) could be induced by interactions between the immune system and early childhood infections. Mannose-binding lectin (MBL) plays a critical role in the immune response in early childhood before specific immune protection develops. We investigated whether there may be an association between childhood ALL and low-producing MBL genotypes. Serum MBL levels depend on normal (A) or defective (O) alleles, and on normal (Y) or reduced (X) promoter activities. For this study, 137 noninfants with ALL and 250 controls were classified into 3 MBL genotype groups according to their influence on the serum level of functional MBL: group I, YA/YA and YA/XA (higher levels); group II, XA/XA and YA/O (intermediate levels); and group III, MBL insufficiency with XA/O or O/O (MBL-deficient) genotypes. Compared with controls, cases more often had low-level genotypes (I/II/III: 63 [46%]/44 [32%]/30 [22%] vs 145 [58%]/65 [26%]/40 [16%]; P =.02) and MBL deficiency (8.8% vs 2.8%; P =.009). Thus, the ALL odds ratio for MBL-deficient versus nondeficient individuals was 3.3 (95% CI, 1.3-8.7), whereas the ALL odds ratio for group I versus group II/III genotypes was 0.62 (95% CI, 0.41-0.94). MBL group III patients were significantly younger at diagnosis than patients in group I/II (median, 3.9 vs 5.2 years; P =.04). The study shows that the presence of low-level MBL genotypes is associated with an increased risk of childhood ALL, particularly with early age at onset.
Ultrasonic plastic welding of CF/PA6 composites to aluminium: Process and mechanical performance of welded joints (2019)

Due to environmental challenges and need for action with regard to CO 2 emission, reducing the weight of vehicles has become one of the most important goals of car manufacturers in Europe. Materials like fibre-reinforced plastics and aluminium are the core of the research for lightweight design. However, efficiently joining these materials together is still a challenge. When thermoplastic composites are used, direct joining (i.e. without adhesives or fasteners) with the metal substrate can be obtained using welding technologies which melt the thermoplastic at the interface. In this study, ultrasonic plastic welding was investigated as a candidate technology for joining aluminium and carbon fibre-reinforced thermoplastics. The goal was to understand the main mechanisms involved in the welding process and how they affect the performance of the joint. Initially, the technique proved to be successful, but moderate strengths were obtained. Therefore, several surface pre-treatments of aluminium were analysed to improve the performance in terms of lap shear strength; mechanical, chemical and physical treatments were also carried out. With laser structuring, strengths comparable to adhesive bonded joints were obtained, but in a much shorter process time. Other treatments led to considerable improvements as well. The encouraging results achieved represent an important step in the development of ultrasonic plastic welding for multi-material joining in the automotive industry.
Statistical analysis of contrail lifetimes from a satellite perspective (2017)

The study of the lifetimes of contrails from a satellite perspective benefits from the extended coverage and close temporal monitoring. However, the initial stages of the contrail development are not observed from a satellite platform due to the sub-pixel size of the forming cloud. The final stages may be unobserved as well when the contrails get spatially diluted and when they lose contrast with their background. In this paper we apply a Weibull distribution model to describe the survival rate of contrails during their observed life-span and adjust its two defining parameters (lambda and k) to fit a dataset of over 2300 contrails. Using the Weibull distribution, it is possible to estimate the expected further lifetime of the contrails after satellite observation ceased. Depending on the actually observed lifetime, the expected extension can range from about 1 to 4h, but the overall mean of this duration is about 1.3h. The time elapsed between contrail formation and first satellite observation is estimated from the initial width distribution of the contrails. Under the assumption of a 5km/h spreading rate, the average age of contrails at the time of their first satellite detection is 1.5+-0.4h. Using a Monte Carlo simulation, we are able to compute the cumulative distribution of the complete (i.e. initial spreading, tracking, and after-tracking periods) lifetime of persistent contrails. This complete lifetime has a mean value of 3.7+-2.8h. The Weibull distribution (k<1) shows that the probability to survive increases with contrail age, which corresponds to the actual decay rate of contrails in nature. Additionally, we analyse lifetime differences between daytime and nighttime contrails. We find that nighttime contrails have slightly shorter lifetimes than daytime contrails. Although this difference is statistically significant, it remains to be shown whether this has important physical consequences.
Hexagonal structures for two-dimensional photonic crystals (2002)

Periodic dielectric structures have been recently proposed to inhibit spontaneous emission in semiconductors. From this suggestion, the new concepts of photonic band gap and photonic crystal have been developed. Zero-threshold lasers, waveguides, antenna substrates, filters and polarizers are promising applications. We propose a new class of two-dimensional periodic dielectric structures with hexagonal symmetry. We study the gap opening according to whether the dielectric constant of the cylinders is larger or smaller than that of the background. A potential application for the creation of photonic crystals in the optical domain is discussed.
Hot spot cooling using embedded thermoelectric coolers (2006)

Localized areas of high heat flux on microprocessors produce hot spots that limit their reliability and performance. With increasingly dense circuits and the integration of high power processors with low power memory, non-uniform thermal profiles will become more dramatic and difficult to manage. Chip scale thermal solutions designed to keep hot spots below a critical temperature unnecessarily overcool the rest of the CPU and add to heat-sink load. Localized hot spot cooling solutions, even active systems that contribute some additional heat, can do a better job controlling hot spot temperatures when efficiently integrated with a heat spreader. Embedded thermoelectric cooling (eTEC) is a promising approach to reduce the temperature of highly localized, high heat flux hot spots generated by today's advanced processors
Anomalous Radial Migration of Single DNA Molecules in Capillary Electrophoresis (2002)

We report the unexpected radial migration of DNA molecules in capillary electrophoresis (CE) with applied Poiseuille flow. Such movement can contribute to anomalous migration times, peak dispersion, and size and shape selectivity in CE. When Poiseuille flow is applied from the cathode to the anode, DNA molecules move toward the center of the capillary, forming a narrow, highly concentrated zone. Conversely, when the flow is applied from the anode to the cathode, DNA molecules move toward the walls, leaving a DNA-depleted zone around the axis. We showed that the deformation and orientation of DNA molecules under Poiseuille flow was responsible for the radial migration. By analyzing the forces acting on the deformed and oriented DNA molecules, we derived an expression for the radial lift force, which explained our results very well under different conditions with Poiseuille flow only, electrophoresis only, and the combination of Poiseuille flow and electrophoresis. Factors governing the direction and velocity of radial migration were elucidated. Potential applications of this phenomenon include an alternative to sheath flow in flow cytometry, improving precision and reliability of single-molecule detection, reduction of wall adsorption, and size separation with a mechanism akin to field-flow fractionation. On the negative side, nonuniform electroosmotic flow along the capillary or microfluidic channel is common in CE, and radial migration of certain analytes cannot be neglected.
Basic and Clinical Physiology of the Inner Ear Receptors and their Neural Pathways in the Brain (2000)

The six receptors of the inner ear (cochlea, two otolith organs and three semicircular canals) share a common transduction unit made up of a sensory hair cell, a first order sensory neuron and the synapse between them. Displacement of the stereocilia in a particular direction leads to excitation of the hair cell and activation of the neuron. Electrical and mechanical reflections of these stages of transduction can be recorded non-invasively in humans and in animals. These include cochlear microphonic potentials, otoacoustic emissions, auditory and vestibular evoked potentials. The ability to record these activities can be used to track the development of inner ear function in the fetus and neonate and to study the effects of various ototoxic agents (e.g. noise) and drugs.
Effect of powder synthesis procedure on calcium site occupancies in barium calcium titanate: A Rietveld analysis (1993)

(Ba,Ca)TiO3 samples with the ratio of (Ba+Ca) to Ti as unity but prepared by (i) a semiwet route involving (Ba,Ca)CO3 solid solution precursors and TiO2 and (ii) the conventional dry route involving BaCO3, CaCO3, and TiO2 powders, exhibit diffuse and BaTiO3-type sharp ferroelectric phase transitions, respectively. Rietveld analysis of neutron powder diffraction data from the two types of samples shows that, whereas in the samples prepared by the semiwet route, Ca2+ exclusively occupies the Ba2+ site, nearly half of the substituted Ca2+ occupies the Ti4+ site in the case of samples prepared by the dry route. We show that Ca replacement at the Ba site leads to diffuseness whereas Ca introduction at the Ti site leads to sharpening of the transition. To our knowledge, this is the first clear demonstration of the powder synthesis procedure affecting the substitutional sites in multicomponent ceramics and this, in turn, influencing their physical behavior drastically.
Monosaccharide-NAIM Derivatives for D-, L-Configurational Analysis (2011)

The D-, L-enantiomeric pairs of common monosaccharides (xylose, ribose, rhamnose, arabinose, fucose, glucose, mannose, galactose, N-acetylgalactosamine, glucuronic acid and galacturonic acid) were derivatized with 2,3-naphthalenediamine to form the corresponding D-, L-aldo-NAIM derivatives. A simple and facile capillary electrophoretic method was established for sugar composition analysis by simultaneously determining the migration times of these aldo-NAIMs using borate buffer at high pH (100 mM, pH 9.0). The methodology is also applicable to sialic acid (ketose monosaccharides). The quantitation level of the proposed method was in the 10~500 ppm range and the LOD was 1 ppm. The enantioseparation of D, L pairs of aldo-NAIMs were also achieved by using modified sulfated-α-cyclodextrin as the chiral selector in phosphate buffer (300 mM, pH 3.0). In addition, the combination by reductive amination of amino-aldo-NAIM agent and D-, L-enantiomeric pairs of monosaccharides formed a diastereomeric pair for saccharide configuration analysis. Aldo-NAIM derivatives are thus shown to be rapid and efficient agents for analyzing saccharide compositions and configurations with good linearity and short analysis times via capillary electrophoresis.
Inhibition of Cell Migration by 24-kDa Fibroblast Growth Factor-2 Is Dependent upon the Estrogen Receptor (2001)

The single-copy gene for fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2) encodes for multiple forms of the protein with molecular masses of 24, 22.5, 22, and 18 kDa. We reported previously that the 24-22-kDa FGF-2 forms inhibit the migration of endothelial and MCF-7 cells by 50% and 70%, respectively. Here we show that this inhibition of migration is mediated by the estrogen receptor (ER). We have found that depletion of the receptor in either cell line abrogates the inhibitory activity of 24-kDa FGF-2 while re-introduction of the ER into deficient cells once again promotes the inhibitory response. To determine whether exposure to 24-kDa FGF-2 resulted in the activation of the estrogen receptor, 3T3 cells were cotransfected with estrogen receptor cDNA and an estrogen regulatory element-luciferase gene reporter construct and treated with 24- and 18-kDa FGF-2. The high molecular weight form stimulated luciferase activity 5-fold while 18-kDa FGF-2 at the same concentration had no effect. Treatment of ER-positive MCF-7 cells transfected with the reporter construct only showed the same results. Inclusion of the pure estrogen antagonist ICI 182,780 blocked the increase in luciferase activity by 24-kDa FGF-2, further indicating that the response was estrogen receptor dependent. Expression of dominant negative FGF receptor 1 inhibited ER activation, indicating that this was the cell surface receptor mediating the effect. Although growth factor-dependent activation of the ER was reported to require mitogen-activated protein kinase-induced phosphorylation at Ser(118) in COS and HeLa cells, this mechanism is not involved with the activation by 24-kDa FGF-2. These results suggest that the addition of 55 amino acids to the amino-terminal end of 18-kDa FGF-2 by alternative translation alters FGF-2 function and allows for the activation of a second signaling pathway involving the estrogen receptor.
Some Thoughts on National and Cultural Identity (1994)

Japanese and Americans of Japanese ancestry have been linked in the American political realm and in popular imagination since the beginning of Japanese migration to the United States in the late nineteenth century. Mostly, the conflation of a foreign Japanese identity with a Japanese American one has resulted in both tremendous racism and cultural misunderstanding. Anti-Japanese immigration and naturalization laws and the World War II incarceration of over 120,000 Japanese Americans are evidence of the former impulse; the continued expectation and interpretation of an essential “Japanese-ness” in the art and expression of Japanese Americans exemplifies the latter.
Changes in Oil Content of Transgenic Soybeans Expressing the Yeast <i>SLC1</i> Gene (2009)

The wild type (Wt) and mutant form of yeast (sphingolipid compensation) genes, SLC1 and SLC1-1, have been shown to have lysophosphatidic acid acyltransferase (LPAT) activities (Nageic et al. in J Biol Chem 269:22156-22163, 1993). Expression of these LPAT genes was reported to increase oil content in transgenic Arabidopsis and Brassica napus. It is of interest to determine if the TAG content increase would also be seen in soybeans. Therefore, the wild type SLC1 was expressed in soybean somatic embryos under the control of seed specific phaseolin promoter. Some transgenic somatic embryos and in both T2 and T3 transgenic seeds showed higher oil contents. Compared to controls, the average increase in triglyceride values went up by 1.5% in transgenic somatic embryos. A maximum of 3.2% increase in seed oil content was observed in a T3 line. Expression of the yeast Wt LPAT gene did not alter the fatty acid composition of the seed oil.
LASER Anneal to Enable Ultimate CMOS Scaling with PMOS Band Edge Metal Gate/High-K Stacks (2006)

For the first time, we report on the beneficial result for minimizing the activation thermal budget using LASER anneals with metal-oxide-gate-electrode/high-k dielectric MOSFETs. With LASER activation, EOT for PMOS conductive metal-oxide gated devices is reduced 4-5Aring compared to conventional RTP activation methods leading to more aggressive ultimate CMOS scaling when using a conductive metal-oxide for the PMOS gate electrode
Quantitation of Integrated HIV Provirus by Pulsed-Field Gel Electrophoresis and Droplet Digital PCR (2018)

We utilized pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) to purify high-molecular-weight DNA from HIV-infected cells. This purification, in combination with our previously described droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) assay, was used to develop a method to quantify proviral integrated HIV DNA free of lower-molecular-weight species of HIV DNA. Episomal 2-long-terminal-repeat (2-LTR) circles were completely cleared from HIV DNA samples. Technical replicates of the complete assay, starting with the same specimens, resulted in no statistical differences in quantification of integrated HIV <i>gag</i> sequences in cellular DNA from cells from HIV-infected subjects after prolonged treatment with antiretroviral therapy (ART). The PFGE ddPCR assay was compared to the <i>Alu-gag</i> quantitative PCR (qPCR) assay, the most widely used assay to measure proviral integrated HIV DNA. Spearman's rho nonparametric correlation determined PFGE ddPCR results to be positively correlated with <i>Alu-gag</i> qPCR results (<i>r</i> = 0.7052; <i>P</i> = 0.0273). In summary, PFGE ddPCR is a sensitive, reproducible, and robust method to measure proviral integrated HIV DNA and is theoretically more accurate than previously described assays, because it is a direct measure of integrated HIV DNA.
Dispersion-relation phase spectroscopy of intracellular transport (2011)

We used quantitative phase imaging to measure the dispersion relation, i.e. decay rate vs. spatial mode, associated with mass transport in live cells. This approach applies equally well to both discrete and continuous mass distributions without the need for particle tracking. From the quadratic experimental curve specific to diffusion, we extracted the diffusion coefficient as the only fitting parameter. The linear portion of the dispersion relation reveals the deterministic component of the intracellular transport. Our data show a universal behavior where the intracellular transport is diffusive at small scales and deterministic at large scales. Measurements by our method and particle tracking show that, on average, the mass transport in the nucleus is slower than in the cytoplasm.
Query Expansion based on Concept Clique for Markov Network Information Retrieval Model (2008)

Query expansion is a common technique used to improve retrieval effectiveness. In this paper, we propose a novel query expansion technique based on concept clique for Markov network information retrieval model. This technique strengthens the simple relationships between terms in the following two ways:(1) terms in a clique express a similar concept and will be added into query expansion, so that it is effective to expanded into some terms with low similar to query terms but highly related to query topic; (2) query term dependencies are used to select concept cliques as candidates. The selection of concept cliques based on a connected graph is effective to avoid topic drift during expanding polysemous query terms. Experiments on several collections show that new approach makes significant improvements and more effective on collections with polysemous terms.
Gene expression during maize kernel development (1994)

Abstract Relationships have been investigated between gene transcript abundance, enzyme activities and storage product accumulation in developing maize ( Zea mays L.) kernels from 10 to 55 days postpollination (DPP). At the early stages of kernel development, there was very little increase in dry weight but kernels accumulated high concentrations of sugars and amino acids. At the end of this ‘lag’ phase (at 15 DPP), many transcripts appeared with little evidence of their translation. The initiation of the kernel-fill period at 20 DPP was characterized by a sudden rise in total RNA, increases in enzyme activities, and the initiation of storage product accumulation. Zein accumulation during this phase was highly correlated with α-zein transcript abundance. Starch accumulation was correlated with both the activity of ADP-GIc pyrophosphorylase and the abundance of gene transcripts encoding this enzyme ( Shrunken-2 and Brittle-2 ). DNA content of kernels increased linearly up to 30 DPP as a result of endoreplication, but had no apparent relationship to gene expression. DNA may accumulate as a storage product. Kernel-fill terminated when the moisture content fell below 36% and was marked by a decline of transcripts and a reduction of enzyme activities.
Diacid architecture effect on the synthesis and microstructure of rigid‐rod poly(benzobisthiazole)s (2006)

Abstract Six poly(benzobisthiazole)s (PBTs) have been synthesized by the solution polycondensation of 2,5‐diamino‐1,4‐benzenedithiol in poly(phosphoric acid) (PPA) with systematically varied diacids to demonstrate the diacid architecture effect of the aromatic heterocyclic rigid‐rod polymers. The role of PPA is identified and the effects of phosphorus pentoxide and water on PBT during polycondensation are discussed. Polymer properties such as the inherent viscosity and decomposition temperature are correlated to the diacid chemistry. The effect of diacid architecture on the synthesis and microstructure of PBT is studied. The results are discussed in terms of resonance, symmetry, and solubilization of the diacids. Copyright © 2006 Society of Chemical Industry
Human Antibodies Fix Complement to Inhibit Plasmodium falciparum Invasion of Erythrocytes and Are Associated with Protection against Malaria (2015)

Antibodies play major roles in immunity to malaria; however, a limited understanding of mechanisms mediating protection is a major barrier to vaccine development. We have demonstrated that acquired human anti-malarial antibodies promote complement deposition on the merozoite to mediate inhibition of erythrocyte invasion through C1q fixation and activation of the classical complement pathway. Antibody-mediated complement-dependent (Ab-C') inhibition was the predominant invasion-inhibitory activity of human antibodies; most antibodies were non-inhibitory without complement. Inhibitory activity was mediated predominately via C1q fixation, and merozoite surface proteins 1 and 2 were identified as major targets. Complement fixation by antibodies was very strongly associated with protection from both clinical malaria and high-density parasitemia in a prospective longitudinal study of children. Ab-C' inhibitory activity could be induced by human immunization with a candidate merozoite surface-protein vaccine. Our findings demonstrate that human anti-malarial antibodies have evolved to function by fixing complement for potent invasion-inhibitory activity and protective immunity.
Intrinsic Gilbert damping constant in Co/sub 2/MnAl Heusler alloy films (2005)

Intrinsic /spl alpha/-damping constants of Co/sub 2/MnAl Heusler alloy films prepared by magnetron sputtering were investigated. After deposition of Co/sub 2/MnAl films, the films were annealed at 200-400/spl deg/C to control the crystal structure and the atomic order between Co, Mn, and Al sites. Ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) technique was used to obtain /spl alpha/ values of Co/sub 2/MnAl films in this study. Out-of-plane angular dependences of the resonance field (H/sub R/) and linewidth (/spl Delta/H/sub pp/) of FMR spectra were measured and fitted using the Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert (LLG) equation. The authors were able to fit all experimental results well because of the lack of inhomogeneities in prepared Co/sub 2/MnAl films. The /spl alpha/-damping constants obtained from the fitting results decreased with increasing annealing temperature and showed a minimum value of 0.007 at 300/spl deg/C. It was found that a degree of B2 structure order can sensitively affect /spl alpha/-damping constants of Co/sub 2/MnAl films.