gebhart/patrepeval huggingface dataset:
Engineering hepatocyte growth factor fragments with high stability and activity as Met receptor agonists and antagonists (2011)

The Met receptor tyrosine kinase and its ligand hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) play an important role in mediating both tumor progression and tissue regeneration. The N-terminal and first Kringle domains (NK1) of HGF comprise a naturally occurring splice variant that retains the ability to activate the Met receptor. However, NK1 is a weak agonist and is relatively unstable, limiting its therapeutic potential. Here, we engineered NK1 mutants with improved biochemical and biophysical properties that function as Met receptor agonists or antagonists. We first engineered NK1 for increased stability and recombinant expression yield using directed evolution. The NK1 variants isolated from our library screens acted as weak Met receptor antagonists due to a mutation at the NK1 homodimerization interface. We introduced point mutations that restored this NK1 homodimerization interface to create an agonistic ligand, or that further disrupted this interface to create more effective antagonists. The rationally engineered antagonists exhibited melting temperatures up to approximately 64 °C, a 15 °C improvement over antagonists derived from wild-type NK1, and approximately 40-fold improvement in expression yield. Next, we created disulfide-linked NK1 homodimers through introduction of an N-terminal cysteine residue. These covalent dimers exhibited nearly an order of magnitude improved agonistic activity compared to wild-type NK1, approaching the activity of full-length HGF. Moreover, covalent NK1 dimers formed from agonistic or antagonistic monomeric subunits elicited similar activity, further signifying that NK1 dimerization mediates agonistic activity. These engineered NK1 proteins are promising candidates for therapeutic development and will be useful tools for further exploring determinants of Met receptor activation.
Novel poryether antibiotics X-14667A and X-14667B from Streptomyces cinnamonensis subsp. urethanofaciens Discovery, fermentation, biological as well as ionophore properties and taxonomy of the producing culture. (1981)

X-14667A and X-14667B are two novel polyether antibiotics produced by Streptomyces cinnamonensis subsp. urethanofaciens. The antibiotics are active in vitro against Gram-positive bacteria and exhibit high affinity for monovalent cations.
Identifying explosives by dielectric properties obtained through wide-band millimeter-wave illumination (2015)

A method for extracting dielectric constant from free-space 18 - 40 GHz millimeter-wave reflection data is demonstrated. The reflection coefficient is a function of frequency because of propagation effects, and numerically fitting data to a theoretical model based on geometric optics gives a solution for the complex dielectric constant and target thickness. The discriminative value is illustrated with inert substances and military sheet explosive. In principle, the measurement of reflectivity across multiple frequencies can be incorporated into Advanced Imaging Technology (AIT) systems to automatically identify the composition of anomalies detected on persons at screening checkpoints.
Termini of Bottom-Up Fabricated Graphene Nanoribbons (2013)

Atomically precise graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) can be obtained via thermally induced polymerization of suitable precursor molecules on a metal surface. This communication discusses the atomic structure found at the termini of armchair GNRs obtained via this bottom-up approach. The short zigzag edge at the termini of the GNRs under study gives rise to a localized midgap state with a characteristic signature in scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). By combining STM experiments with large-scale density functional theory calculations, we demonstrate that the termini are passivated by hydrogen. Our results suggest that the length of nanoribbons grown by this protocol may be limited by hydrogen passivation during the polymerization step.
Lunar Dust-Tolerant Electrical Connector (2010)

An electrical connector was developed that is tolerant of the presence of lunar dust. Novel features of the connector include the use of a permeable membrane to act both as a dust barrier and as a wiper to limit the amount of dust that makes its way into the internal chamber of the connector. The development focused on the Constellation lunar extravehicular activity (EVA) spacesuit s portable life support system (PLSS) battery recharge connector; however, continued research is applying this technology to other lunar surface systems such as lunar rover subsystems and cryogenic fluid transfer connections for in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) applications. Lunar dust has been identified as a significant and present challenge in future exploration missions. In addition to posing contamination and health risks for human explorers, the interlocking, angular nature of lunar dust and its broad grain size distribution make it particularly harmful to mechanisms with which it may come into contact. All Apollo lunar missions experienced some degree of equipment failure because of dust, and it appears that dust accumulation on exposed material is unavoidable and difficult to reverse. Both human EVA and ISRU activities are on the mission horizon and are paramount to the establishment of a permanent human base on the Moon. Reusable and dust-tolerant connection mechanisms are a critical component for mission success. The need for dust-tolerant solutions is also seen in utility work and repair, mass transit applications, construction, mining, arctic and marine environments, diving (search and rescue), and various operations in deserts, where dust or sand clogging and coating different mechanisms and connections may render them difficult to operate or entirely inoperable.
Production of butene oligomers as transportation fuels using butene for esterification of levulinic acid from lignocellulosic biomass: process synthesis and technoeconomic evaluation (2012)

Levulinic acid (LA) is a valuable platform chemical upon which biorefining strategies for the production of chemicals, fuels and power can be established. Herein, we report the results of process synthesis and technoeconomic analysis studies for the conversion of lignocellulose derived LA to liquid fuels through the intermediate formation of levulinate esters. In this strategy, esterification of levulinic and formic acids with alkenes (i.e., butene) produces hydrophobic esters, which extract the unconverted LA from the aqueous sulfuric acid solution. Following the γ-valerolactone (GVL) production from LA and levulinate esters, GVL is converted to butene, hence providing the butene required for esterification and butene oligomers. The minimum selling price of butene oligomers from a 1365 dry tons per day of loblolly pine processing facility is calculated to be $4.92 per gallon of gasoline equivalent. Our analysis shows that the biomass feedstock price is the main cost driver.
Near outage limit joint network coding and decoding for the Semi-Orthogonal Multiple-Access Relay Channel (2012)

In this paper, we investigate the benefit of Joint Network Channel Coding (JNCC) for a new class of Multiple Access Relay Channel (MARC), defined as follows: (1) Independent sources communicate with a single destination in the presence of a relay; (2) The relay is half-duplex and applies a Selective Decode and Forward (SDF) strategy, i.e, it forwards only a deterministic function of the error-free decoded messages; (3) The sources are allowed to transmit simultaneously during the listening phase of the relay, but are constrained to remain silent during its transmission phase. We refer this model to as Semi-Orthogonal MARC (SOMARC), which leverages better the broadcast nature of the radio channel than its more conservative orthogonal counterpart, referred to as Orthogonal MARC (OMARC). All links are subject to slow fading and additive white Gaussian noise. This paper aims at measuring the advantage brought by the SOMARC over OMARC from both an information-theoretic and a practical code design perspective.
Diagnostic and Clinical Implications of the Different Genotypes of Hepatitis C Virus (1994)

ABSTRACT Hepatitis C virus (HCV) samples in 155 sera, from patients with chronic non–A, non–B liver disease and blood donors, were grouped into four genotypes (I, II, III, and IV) by amplification of core–gene sequences by polymerase chain reaction with type–specific primers. HCV genotypes were compared with various HCV–associated antibodies detectable by the first–generation ELISA (ELISA–1) with C100–3 protein and a second–generation immunoblot assay with four recombinant HCV proteins. Antibodies to C100–3 protein and those to its subsequence (5-1-1) were detected in 13 (93%) and 12 (86%), respectively, of 14 sera with genotype I HCV; 56 (79%) and 58 (82%) of 71 sera with genotype II; 13 (34%) and 6 (16%) of 38 sera with genotype III; and 11 (34%) and 4 (13%) of 32 sera with genotype IV. Amino acid sequences of C100–3 of genotype I HCV are conserved by ˜90% in genotype II, but only by ˜75% in genotypes III and IV. The sensitivity of ELSA–1, therefore, would be influenced by heterogeneity in C100–3 sequences of different genotypes.
A Metal–Organic Framework with Optimized Open Metal Sites and Pore Spaces for High Methane Storage at Room Temperature (2011)

Holey MOF! Open copper sites and optimal pore spaces in UTSA-20 (see picture), a MOF based on the novel trinodal (3,3,4) net, has made UTSA-20 into the material with the highest methane storage density (0.22 g cm−3) in micropores, and one of the few porous MOFs with storage volume capacity (195 cm3 cm−3) surpassing the DOE methane target of 180 cm3 cm−3 at room temperature and 35 bar. Detailed facts of importance to specialist readers are published as ”Supporting Information”. Such documents are peer-reviewed, but not copy-edited or typeset. They are made available as submitted by the authors. Please note: The publisher is not responsible for the content or functionality of any supporting information supplied by the authors. Any queries (other than missing content) should be directed to the corresponding author for the article.
An Inferential Matching Method for Customer Service Mapping System (1993)

A mapping system using a commercialized residential map is getting attention as an effective management tool in public service sectors. Utilization of a residential map by linking with an existing customer database allows efficient round inspection and quick response for customer's claims.A conventional matching method for linking between an customer database and a residential map is simple comparison of customer's names and resident's names. This simple method is applicable only for a limited number of data, but it is not feasible in linkage of a large number of data because of extremely long computational time and low matching ratio.In this paper, we propose an inferential matching method which enables automatic matching for a large volume database. This method rationalizes matching process by adaptive focusing of candidate-data. These data are selected in corporate with calculated matching certitude. We applied the method for 200, 000 customer data and the result shows the significant improvement of matching ratio from 30% to 60% in comparison with the conventional method.
Micro-structured high-efficiency semiconductor neutron detectors (2008)

Perforated semiconductor diode detectors have been under development for several years at Kansas State University for a variety of neutron detection applications. The detectors are fabricated from high purity n-type Si. Sinusoidal trenches are etched into the substrate, into which shallow p-type junctions are diffused. The trenches are then backfilled with <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">6</sup> LiF powder to make the device sensitive to neutrons. Thermal neutron measurements from a 0.0253 eV diffracted neutron beam yielded 17% intrinsic detection efficiency for devices with 50 micron deep trenches and 29% intrinsic detection efficiency for devices with 100 micron deep trenches.
Tofacitinib Suppresses Natural Killer Cells In Vitro and In Vivo: Implications for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (2022)

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal and incurable neurodegenerative disease with few therapeutic options. However, the immune system, including natural killer (NK) cells, is linked to ALS progression and may constitute a viable therapeutic ALS target. Tofacitinib is an FDA-approved immunomodulating small molecule which suppresses immune cell function by blocking proinflammatory cytokine signaling. This includes the cytokine IL-15 which is the primary cytokine associated with NK cell function and proliferation. However, the impact of tofacitinib on NK activation and cytotoxicity has not been thoroughly investigated, particularly in ALS. We therefore tested the ability of tofacitinib to suppress cytotoxicity and cytokine production in an NK cell line and in primary NK cells derived from control and ALS participants. We also investigated whether tofacitinib protected ALS neurons from NK cell cytotoxicity. Finally, we conducted a comprehensive pharmacokinetic study of tofacitinib in mice and tested the feasibility of administration formulated in chow. Success was assessed through the impact of tofacitinib on peripheral NK cell levels in mice. We found tofacitinib suppressed IL-15-induced activation as measured by STAT1 phosphorylation, cytotoxicity, pro-inflammatory gene expression, and pro-inflammatory cytokine secretion in both an NK cell line and primary NK cells. Furthermore, tofacitinib protected ALS neurons from NK cell-mediated cytotoxicity. In mice, we found tofacitinib bioavailability was 37% in both male and female mice; using these data we formulated mouse containing low and high doses of tofacitinib and found that the drug suppressed peripheral NK cell levels in a dose-dependent manner. These results demonstrate that tofacitinib can suppress NK cell function and may be a viable therapeutic strategy for ALS.
Short Range Telemetric Sensors using Microwave Correlators (1985)

A new generation of sensors using microwaves should be derived from the classical concept of correlation. These systems are possible to be made with quite simple components (patch antennas, hybrid coupler, diodes or dual gate FET); they should concern applications devoted to telemetry, cinemometry and goniometry.
The Characteristics of Iron Ore Slimes and Their Influence on The Flotation Process (2020)

The flotation has been successfully applied to process the iron ore for the particle size (Ps) from 10 µm up to 150 µm. The presence of the slimes (Ps < 10 µm) is harmful on the reverse flotation of quartz, so they are usually prior removed by hydrocyclones. The main effects of the presence of slimes on the flotation are related to the increase on reagents consumption, the froth stability, and decrease on the selectivity. The lower floatability of coarse quartz particles (+74 µm) combined with the presence of slimes, even in small quantities, drastically affect the flotation response. This paper shows a study of characterization of a typical iron ore slime, aiming to create a better understanding of its role on the concentration by flotation. The main characteristics of typical slimes from the Iron Ore Quadrangle in Brazil are the presence of almost 70% of hematite, 25% of quartz, and 5% of kaolinite, as the main silicates gangue minerals. Furthermore, the particle size distribution revealed that 80% of the hematite and the kaolinite are below 20 µm. The affinity between the ultrafine kaolinite of the slimes with the corn starch is harmful to the reverse flotation of quartz, as the starch has an important depressing action over the hematite. The presence of 20% of hematite −20 µm decreased the recovery to the froth of quartz + 74 µm from 97% to 62%, where the slimes coating seems to be the main responsible.
Understanding effects of printhead geometry in aerosol jet printing (2020)

Abstract Aerosol jet printing offers a versatile, high-resolution digital patterning capability broadly relevant to flexible and printed electronic systems. Despite its promise and numerous demonstrations, the theoretical principles driving process outputs have not been thoroughly explored. Here a custom-built, modular printing system is developed to provide a head-to-head comparison of two print nozzle geometries to better understand the technology. Print resolution data from a range of process parameters are analyzed using a support vector machine framework. The linear deposition rate is identified as a key variable, which can confound careful studies of printing performance. Taking this into account, a clear difference is observed between the printheads, corresponding to a difference in resolution of 57% ± 11% under typical conditions. Models to understand differences in aerodynamic and mass transport effects identify enhanced drying within a large diameter printhead as a likely cause of this difference. Overall, this study provides improved understanding of the aerosol jet printing process, including valuable insight to inform process optimization, robust data analysis, ink formulation, and printer geometric design.
A Novel Surface NMR Pulse Sequence for Improved Estimation of Longitudinal T1 Relaxation Times (2012)

Obtaining estimates of permeability from NMR methods requires the ability to measure relaxation time parameters that are most sensitive to pore geometry. While surface-NMR (SNMR) measurements can reliably quantify the effective transverse relaxation time T2*, transverse relaxation times are sometimes dominated by the influence of magnetic geology. The longitudinal relaxation time T1 is known to provide a more robust link to pore geometry, but previous attempts to measure T1 by SNMR, have shown mixed success due to fundamental limitations the commonly applied “pseudo-saturation recovery” (PSR)experiment. Recognizing a need for improved measurements, we have developed a new paradigm of experiments for quantifying T1, which we refer to as the “crush recovery” (CR)sequence. The CR sequence utilizes two pulses: a first pulse of fixed amplitude and a second smaller pulse with an amplitude that is varied between measurements. The first pulse of the CR sequence is not intended to generate saturation with 90 degree tip angles, as in the PSR sequence; rather, the initial pulse acts to crush or decoherently scatter the magnetization orientation, leaving an effectively saturated condition of zero net longitudinal magnetization over a range of shallow to intermediate depths. A second pulse, applied after a short delay, is then used to probe the magnetization that recovers by T1 between the two pulses. The amplitude of the second pulse is varied to provide depth resolution of T1 recovery within the “crushed” zone. Fixing the amplitude of the initial pulse provides constant initial conditions, such that the data measured after the second pulse can be inverted using the standard SNMR imaging kernel. Inversion of a CR dataset for a single delay time yields depth-separated free induction decay signals where the amplitude of the signal components are linearly weighted by the observed T1 recovery at each depth. Given a complete set of CR data acquired with multiple delay times, the inversion provides estimates of both T1 and T2* as a function of depth. Further, the covariance of the observed signal with T2* and T1, provides the opportunity to estimate a two-dimensional distributions of T2* versus T1 at each depth. We illustrate the success and advantages of this new approach though a combination of synthetic and real field data examples.
A new active interphase reactor for 12-pulse rectifiers provides clean power utility interface (1996)

In this paper, a new active interphase reactor for twelve-pulse diode rectifiers is proposed. The proposed system draws near sinusoidal currents from the utility. In this scheme, a low kVA [0.02 P/sub o/ (PU)] active current source injects a triangular current into an interphase reactor of a twelve-pulse diode rectifier. This modification results in near sinusoidal utility line currents with less than 1% THD. It is further shown that a low kVA, 12-pulse system with an autotransformer arrangement [kVA rating of 0.18 P/sub o/ (PU)] can be implemented with the proposed active interphase reactor. The resulting system draws clean power from the utility and is suitable for powering larger kVA AC motor drive systems. Detailed analysis of the proposed scheme along with design equations is illustrated. Simulation results verify the concept. Experimental results are provided from a 208 V, 10 kVA rectifier system.
Intraocular scattering compensation in retinal imaging (2016)

Intraocular scattering affects fundus imaging in a similar way that affects vision; it causes a decrease in contrast which depends on both the intrinsic scattering of the eye but also on the dynamic range of the image. Consequently, in cases where the absolute intensity in the fundus image is important, scattering can lead to a wrong estimation. In this paper, a setup capable of acquiring fundus images and estimating objectively intraocular scattering was built, and the acquired images were then used for scattering compensation in fundus imaging. The method consists of two parts: first, reconstruct the individual's wide-angle Point Spread Function (PSF) at a specific wavelength to be used within an enhancement algorithm on an acquired fundus image to compensate for scattering. As a proof of concept, a single pass measurement with a scatter filter was carried out first and the complete algorithm of the PSF reconstruction and the scattering compensation was applied. The advantage of the single pass test is that one can compare the reconstructed image with the original one and see the validity, thus testing the efficiency of the method. Following the test, the algorithm was applied in actual fundus images in human eyes and the effect on the contrast of the image before and after the compensation was compared. The comparison showed that depending on the wavelength, contrast can be reduced by 8.6% under certain conditions.
Improved On-Chip Measurement of Delay in an FPGA or ASIC (2007)

An improved design has been devised for on-chip-circuitry for measuring the delay through a chain of combinational logic elements in a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). In the improved design, the delay chain does not include input and output buffers and is not configured as an oscillator. Instead, the delay chain is made part of the signal chain of an on-chip pulse generator. The duration of the pulse is measured on-chip and taken to equal the delay.