gebhart/patrepeval huggingface dataset:
Speech coding with time-varying bit allocations to excitation and LPC parameters (2003)

The authors explore the benefits of time-varying bit allocation to excitation and LPC (linear predictive coding) parameters for the case of codebook-excited LPC. The overall bit rate in the experiment was 4.8, 6.4, or 8.0 kb/s. In each case, permissible bit rates for the LPC component were 0, 24, 36, or 48 bits per frame, one of which was selected for each speech frame using a brute-force search maximum performance. Average SNR gains over conventional time-invariant methods were modest, on the order of 1 to 2 dB, but gains for certain speech segments were as high as 3 to 5 dB. Perceptually, gains due to variable bit allocation were most noticeable in the 6.4 kb/s system, especially with female speakers. However, even in this case, the benefits of flexible bit allocation were somewhat offset by distortions due to other inadequacies in the coding algorithm.< <ETX xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">></ETX>
NURBS‐enhanced finite element method (NEFEM) (2008)

Abstract An improvement to the classical finite element (FE) method is proposed. It is able to exactly represent the geometry by means of the usual CAD description of the boundary with non‐uniform rational B‐splines (NURBS). Here, the 2D case is presented. For elements not intersecting the boundary, a standard FE interpolation and numerical integration are used. But elements intersecting the NURBS boundary need a specifically designed piecewise polynomial interpolation and numerical integration. A priori error estimates are also presented. Finally, some examples demonstrate the applicability and benefits of the proposed methodology. NURBS‐enhanced finite element method (NEFEM) is at least one order of magnitude more precise than the corresponding isoparametric FE in every numerical example shown. This is the case for both continuous and discontinuous Galerkin formulations. Moreover, for a desired precision, NEFEM is also more computationally efficient, as shown in the numerical examples. The use of NEFEM is strongly recommended in the presence of curved boundaries and/or when the boundary of the domain has complex geometric details. The possibility of computing an accurate solution with coarse meshes and high‐order interpolations makes NEFEM a more efficient strategy than classical isoparametric FE. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Coordination Chemistry of Polyoxometalates: Rational Synthesis of the Mixed Organosilyl Derivatives of Trivacant Polyoxotungstates α‐A‐[PW<sub>9</sub>O<sub>34</sub>(<i>t</i>BuSiO)<sub>3</sub> (RSi)]<sup>3−</sup> and α‐B‐[AsW<sub>9</sub>O<sub>33</sub>(<i>t</i>BuSiO)<sub>3</sub>(HSi)]<sup>3−</sup> (1996)

Trivacant polyoxotungstates such as α-A-[PW9O34]9− ions react with tBuSiCl3 to afford the anion 1. This can react further with other trichlorosilanes to give α-A-[PW9O34(tBuSiO)3(RSi)]3− ions (R = H, Me, Et, CHCH2, CH2CH2CH2Cl). Similar arsenic compounds are also reported.
The Wnt signaling pathway and bone metabolism (2007)

Understanding the role that the Wnt signaling pathways play in the regulation of bone metabolism offers great promise for the developmental of new paradigms and pharmaceutical strategies for the treatment of various diseases such as osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. Progress in this regard has already been made.
Scalable Agentless Cloud Network Monitoring (2017)

With the growth of Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) in cloud computing, and the Internet of Things (IoT), network monitoring of the global infrastructure will continue to expand, as cybersecurity will become of primary importance. Current network monitoring approaches, particularly those that are agent-based, are proprietary, costly, and may not scale. This paper proposes a lightweight, scalable agentless system which can be configured, setup, and begin monitoring network health within minutes. The architecture utilizes a polling script to query Simple Network Monitoring Protocol (SNMP) demon for metrics, Prometheus Time Series Database instances for storage, and a Grafana Dashboard for metric presentation and alerting. The system design removes the learning curve necessary for most open source monitoring systems, while still providing similar metrics. The approach demonstrated here shows the ease and security with which specific site network monitoring can be deployed in a cloud configuration. Data from the network monitoring can be forwarded to a central analysis site for assessment and correlation. The proposed system is scalable, extensible for use in most cloud hosting environments, and provides network managers with direct control over the monitoring process and dashboard.
Effect of Surface Passivation Removal on Planarization Efficiency in Cu Abrasive-Free Polishing (2005)

Selective removal of surface passivation on protruded Cu film is a critical factor of Cu planarization. For a stress-free Cu abrasive-free polishing (Cu AFP) process, due to the lack of mechanical abrasion by abrasives, a polishing pad is used instead of abrasives to remove surface passivation during Cu planarization. Thus, the planarization efficiency in Cu AFP relates to the efficiency of surface passivation removed by a pad. Comparing Cu oxides with a non-native Cu-BTA (Cu-Benzotriazole) monolayer used as surface passivation, this study found that an oxide-free Cu surface should be required in Cu AFP. When Cu oxides function as surface passivation in Cu AFP, they are removed with greater difficulty by a pad resulting in low planarization efficiency. Contrary to Cu oxides, high planarization efficiency can be obtained with non-native Cu-BTA as surface passivation in Cu AFP.
Transcriptional activation and subsequent control of the human heat shock gene during adenovirus infection. (1983)

A cDNA copy of the major human heat shock mRNA was cloned. The clone is complementary to the mRNA encoding the major 70-kilodalton heat shock protein as shown by hybrid arrest translation. We utilized the cloned DNA to measure induction of the gene during adenovirus infection. The mRNA increases in abundance approximately 100-fold during a wild-type adenovirus infection but does not increase more than 2-fold during an infection in which there is no E1A gene function [high multiplicity of infection of an E1A (-) mutant]. Furthermore, by measuring transcription in isolated nuclei, we found that the induction was transcriptional and was mediated by the E1A gene product. The induction was not maintained, however. After a peak level was obtained, transcription returned to preinfection levels. This decline was also reflected in the cytoplasmic mRNA abundance indicating a rapid turnover of the heat shock mRNA. This rapid turnover of the heat shock mRNA appears to be induced by the viral infection since the heat shock mRNA was found to be stable when synthesized in an adenovirus-transformed cell line.
Optimizing live migration of virtual machines across wide area networks using integrated replication and scheduling (2011)

Migrating virtual machines (VM) at run time within acceptable time limits is significantly challenging due to large size of the virtual disk files. In this paper, we propose our framework called cloudspider to overcome this challenge by combining replication and scheduling of VM images into a common framework. In particular, we replicate VM images apriori onto a few chosen cloud sites and select one of the replicas of the VM image to be the primary copy. Based on dynamically changing cost parameters at these cloud sites, the scheduler can appropriately select a different replica of a VM image to be the primary copy. The updates at the primary copy are incrementally propagated to the remaining copies. In order to bring down the cost of storage requirement due to the additional replicas our work proposes the use of deduplication techniques. In this paper we address the question of replica placement of VM images when disparate VM images have varying degrees of commonality and latency requirements. The replication algorithm has been implemented and tested using an open-source cloud simulator called CloudSim and the initial results are quite promising.
The effect of antiprogestin on integrin expression in human endometrium: an immunohistochemical study (1998)

Integrins are cell surface receptors for the extracellular matrix and connect extracellular cell adhesion proteins to cytoskeletal components. Several investigators have recently described the expression of different integrins in the human endometrium as markers of receptivity. In the present study we investigated the effect of various doses of the antiprogestin mifepristone on the endometrial expression of integrins during the implantation phase. Endometrial biopsies from healthy fertile women were obtained in the midluteal phase. The study included one control and one, two or three treatment cycles. In treatment cycles either 2.5 (n = 9) or 5 mg (n = 5) of mifepristone was administered once weekly, 0.5 mg daily (n = 5), or 200 mg as a single dose administered on day 2 after the luteinizing hormone surge (day LH + 2; n = 8). By using polyclonal antibodies against integrin alpha(v)beta3, subunit beta3 and subunit alpha4 we found reduced immunostaining for alpha4 and beta3 subunit in glandular epithelium after treatment with mifepristone while alpha(v)beta3, expression appeared to be unaffected. No differences between treatment groups were noted. This study demonstrates that treatment with mifepristone interferes with integrin distribution during the implantation window. This may imply that the contraceptive effect of mifepristone is primarily due to impaired endometrial receptivity. However, since no effect was shown on the distribution of the vitronectin receptor, this integrin might be regulated differently by other factors such as cytokines.
Diagnosis of scan-chains by use of a configurable signature register and error-correcting codes (2004)

In this paper a new diagnosis method for scan designs with many scan-paths based on error correcting linear block codes with N information bits and K control bits is proposed, where N is the number of scan-paths. The new approach can be implemented on a modified STUMPS-architecture. In diagnosis mode the test has K times to be repeated. In the K repetitions of the test the outputs of the scan-paths are connected to a configurable signature register (with disconnected feedback logic) according to the coefficients of the K syndrome equations of the code. By monitoring the one-dimensional output sequence of the configurable signature register the failing scan-cells in the different scan-paths can be identified with the resolution of the selected error correcting code. Since for the relevant codes, e.g. (shortened) Hamming codes, T-error correcting BCH-code, the ratio K/N decreases very fast with an increasing number N the method is useful for a large number of scan-paths.
Gate dielectric degradation mechanism associated with DBIE evolution (2004)

The degradation mechanism of breakdown spots in ultrathin gate dielectrics metal-oxide-semiconductor transistor associated with dielectric-breakdown-induced epitaxy (DBIE) evolution is physically analyzed using high resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM). The initial soft breakdown location triggered by percolation path happens randomly along the transistor channel, and then evolves to the formation of DBIE in the vicinity of the percolation path. If the breakdown leakage current is not limited, DBIE will grow and the effective breakdown location will successively shift to either source or drain of the transistor channel. For most of the hard breakdown events studied, DBIE eventually shorts the gate electrode to either source or drain region, leading to a typical one-sided hard breakdown seen electrically, which confirms by HRTEM images.
Ancestral Residues Stabilizing 3-Isopropylmalate Dehydrogenase of an Extreme Thermophile: Experimental Evidence Supporting the Thermophilic Common Ancestor Hypothesis (2001)

Ancestral amino acid residues were inferred for 3-isopropylmalate dehydrogenase (IPMDH), and were introduced into the enzyme of an extreme thermophile, Sulfolobus sp. strain 7. The thermostability of the mutant enzymes was compared with that of the wild type enzyme. At least five of the seven mutants tested showed higher thermal stability than the wild type IPMDH. The results are compatible with the hyperthermophilic universal ancestor hypothesis. The results also provide a new method for designing thermostable enzymes. The method only relies on the first dimensional structures of homologous enzymes that can be obtained from genetic databases.
Characterization of Drug Resistance-Associated Mutations in the Human Cytomegalovirus DNA Polymerase Gene by Using Recombinant Mutant Viruses Generated from Overlapping DNA Fragments (1998)

A number of specific point mutations in the human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) DNA polymerase (UL54) gene have been tentatively associated with decreased susceptibility to antiviral agents and consequently with clinical failure. To precisely determine the roles of UL54 mutations in HCMV drug resistance, recombinant UL54 mutant viruses were generated by using cotransfection of nine overlapping HCMV DNA fragments into permissive fibroblasts, and their drug susceptibility profiles were determined. Amino acid substitutions located in UL54 conserved region IV (N408D, F412C, and F412V), region V (A987G), and delta-region C (L501I, K513E, P522S, and L545S) conferred various levels of resistance to cidofovir and ganciclovir. Mutations in region II (T700A and V715M) and region VI (V781I) were associated with resistance to foscarnet and adefovir. The region II mutations also conferred moderate resistance to lobucavir. In contrast to mutations in other UL54 conserved regions, those residing specifically in region III (L802M, K805Q, and T821I) were associated with various drug susceptibility profiles. Mutations located outside the known UL54 conserved regions (S676G and V759M) did not confer any significant changes in HCMV drug susceptibility. Predominantly an additive effect of multiple UL54 mutations with respect to the final drug resistance phenotype was demonstrated. Finally, the influence of selected UL54 mutations on the susceptibility of viral DNA replication to antiviral drugs was characterized by using a transient-transfection-plus-infection assay. Results of this work exemplify specific roles of the UL54 conserved regions in the development of HCMV drug resistance and may help guide optimization of HCMV therapy.
Bioconductor’s EnrichmentBrowser: seamless navigation through combined results of set- & network-based enrichment analysis (2016)

The EnrichmentBrowser package implements essential functionality for the enrichment analysis of gene expression data. It combines the advantages of set-based and network-based enrichment analysis in order to derive high-confidence gene sets and biological pathways that are differentially regulated in the expression data under investigation. Besides, the package facilitates the visualization and exploration of such sets and pathways.
Role of Maternal Autologous Neutralizing Antibody in Selective Perinatal Transmission of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Escape Variants (2006)

Perinatal human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) transmission is characterized by acquisition of a homogeneous viral quasispecies, yet the selective factors responsible for this genetic bottleneck are unclear. We examined the role of maternal autologous neutralizing antibody (aNAB) in selective transmission of HIV-1 escape variants to infants. Maternal sera from 38 infected mothers at the time of delivery were assayed for autologous neutralizing antibody activity against maternal time-of-delivery HIV-1 isolates in vitro. Maternal sera were also tested for cross-neutralization of infected-infant-first-positive-time-point viral isolates. Heteroduplex and DNA sequence analyses were then performed to identify the initial infecting virus as a neutralization-sensitive or escape HIV-1 variant. In utero transmitters (n = 14) were significantly less likely to have aNAB to their own HIV-1 strains at delivery than nontransmitting mothers (n = 17, 14.3% versus 76.5%, P = 0.003). Cross-neutralization assays of infected-infant-first-positive-time-point HIV-1 isolates indicated that while 14/21 HIV-1-infected infant first positive time point isolates were resistant to their own mother's aNAB, no infant isolate was inherently resistant to antibody neutralization by all sera tested. Furthermore, both heteroduplex (n = 21) and phylogenetic (n = 9) analyses showed that selective perinatal transmission and/or outgrowth of maternal autologous neutralization escape HIV-1 variants occurs in utero and intrapartum. These data indicate that maternal autologous neutralizing antibody can exert powerful protective and selective effects in perinatal HIV-1 transmission and therefore has important implications for vaccine development.
Super High Sensitivity Enhancement by Photo-Sensitized Chemically Amplified Resist (PS-CAR) Process (2013)

Over the past decade, the low intensity of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light sources has been the most critical issue in the development of a promising, next-generation, high volume manufacturing (HVM) EUV lithography method. Specifically, enhancing the sensitivity of EUV resists to compensate for this low intensity is one of the most critical challenges for HVM implementations of EUV lithography. However, EUV light source power intensity remains one order less than the required value. Sensitivity enhancement of an EUV resist without any loss in other important properties such as resolution is inadequate to compensate for the low intensity of EUV sources in conventional EUV single exposure. Therefore, we propose a method for increasing the resist sensitivity considerably by combining the lithography of 1st EUV pattern exposure with a 2nd UV flood exposure (PF combination lithography) and a photosensitized chemically amplified resist (PS-CAR). This method achieves high sensitivity enhancement not only with EUV but also with electron-beam, ArF, and other types of pattern exposure. Thus, a sensitivity increase of more than one order without any loss in space resolution was achieved compared with conventional lithography by PF combination lithography of 1st EB pattern exposure with 2nd UV flood exposure and PS-CAR. Differences between EB and EUV resists include energy absorption processes, and the resist sensitivities of EUV can be predicted easily from the exposure results of EB lithography. Therefore, the reaction mechanism of EUV pattern exposure-UV flood exposure combination lithography of PS-CAR can be essentially evaluated with EB pattern exposure-UV flood exposure combination lithography of PS-CAR.
Nonlinear photooxidation of diamond surface exposed to femtosecond laser pulses (2015)

We present an experimental investigation of photooxidation of a diamond surface exposed to femtosecond laser pulses that induce transient high concentrations of free carriers (>1022cm−3) while the lattice stays cold. Etching rate measurements and a laser-induced plasma study indicated that the rate of desorption of carbon species is proportional to the square of the induced plasma density, which contrasts with previous investigations of diamond etching by nanosecond pulses. We discuss how laser-induced ionization of diamond occurs and how it affects the photoreaction mechanism.
Multiple Extended Target Tracking With Labeled Random Finite Sets (2015)

Targets that generate multiple measurements at a given instant in time are commonly known as extended targets. These present a challenge for many tracking algorithms, as they violate one of the key assumptions of the standard measurement model. In this paper, a new algorithm is proposed for tracking multiple extended targets in clutter, which is capable of estimating the number of targets, as well the trajectories of their states, comprising the kinematics, measurement rates, and extents. The proposed technique is based on modeling the multi-target state as a generalized labeled multi-Bernoulli (GLMB) random finite set (RFS), within which the extended targets are modeled using gamma Gaussian inverse Wishart (GGIW) distributions. A cheaper variant of the algorithm is also proposed, based on the labelled multi-Bernoulli (LMB) filter. The proposed GLMB/LMB-based algorithms are compared with an extended target version of the cardinalized probability hypothesis density (CPHD) filter, and simulation results show that the (G)LMB has improved estimation and tracking performance.
Active control of surface plasmon–polariton waves (2005)

We outline a new concept for active plasmonics that exploits light-induced nanoscale structural transformations in the waveguide material. The concept is illustrated by numerical modelling and test experiments on a gallium–dielectric interface. We also discuss other possible implementations of the concept such as an electro-plasmon modulator, a plasmon detector and a switch that controls one plasmon wave with another.
Тайны эстетрола (2023)

E4, естественный эстроген, который вырабатывается только печенью плода человека, ведет себя как агонист ядерных рецепторов ERα и как полный или частичный антагонист мембранного рецептора ERα (MISS ERα). Механизм антагонистического действия E4 на уровне мембранной передачи эстрогенного сигнала может быть объяснен кинетикой лиганд-рецепторного взаимодействия. А функциональная нагрузка может заключаться в том, что избыток E4 в кровотоке плода позволяет предотвратить усиление прокоагулянтного потенциала крови матери, который возрастает с прогрессированием гестации и нарастанием плазменного уровня Е2. Это явление позволяет защитить развивающиеся ткани от микротромбов. За счет комплексного действия E4 имеет лучший фармакологический профиль по сравнению с другими эстрогенами: при достаточной эффективности (блок синтеза гонадотропинов для контрацепции и устранение климактерических симптомов при менопаузальной гормональной терапии) данный гормон демонстрирует лучший профиль безопасности (отсутствие значимого влияния на гемостаз). Дополнительно E4 имеет отличные фармакокинетические характеристики, что вместе с фармакологическими свойствами E4 делают его полезной молекулой для гормональной терапии и контрацепции. Однако противоречивое влияние E4 на состояние эндотелия требует дальнейшего изучения свойств этого нового эстрогена, особенно в контексте возможного включения его в состав менопаузальной гормональной терапии. Это связано с более высоким риском кардиоваскулярных осложнений у пациенток старшей возрастной группы.
Evaluation of the Trimeric Autotransporter Ata as a Vaccine Candidate against Acinetobacter baumannii Infections (2012)

Acinetobacter baumannii is a multidrug-resistant (MDR) nosocomial pathogen for which immunotherapeutic alternatives are needed. We previously identified a surface autotransporter of A. baumannii, Ata, that bound to various extracellular matrix/basal membrane proteins and was required for full virulence, biofilm formation, and the adhesion of A. baumannii to collagen type IV. We show here that Ata binding to collagen type IV was inhibited by antibodies to Ata. In addition, in the presence of complement and polymorphonuclear cells (PMNs), antibodies to Ata were highly opsonic against A. baumannii ATCC 17978 and showed low to moderate killing activity against four heterologous A. baumannii strains, whereas in the absence of PMNs, antibody to Ata efficiently promoted complement-dependent bactericidal killing of all of the tested A. baumannii isolates. Using a pneumonia model of infection in both immunocompetent and immunocompromised mice, we found that, compared to normal rabbit sera, antisera to Ata significantly reduced the levels of A. baumannii ATCC 17978 and two MDR strains in the lungs of infected mice. The ability of Ata to engender anti-adhesive, bactericidal, opsonophagocytic, and protective antibodies validates its potential use as an antigenic target against MDR A. baumannii infections.