gebhart/patrepeval huggingface dataset:
Improved algorithm on rule-based reasoning systems modeled by fuzzy Petri nets (2003)

In this paper, we propose a complete and efficient algorithm to perform the fuzzy inference of a rule-based system modeled by fuzzy Petri nets (FPN). The algorithm is developed to simulate the inference process from the starting propositions to the goal propositions. The structures of the FPN are in more generic forms, compared to those applied in previous papers. The formal description of models and the fuzzy reasoning algorithm are described in detail, with several illustration examples. The differences between other algorithms are also presented.
Ceramic Waste Powder for Eco-Friendly Self-Compacting Concrete (SCC) (2018)

Abstract Self-compacting concrete (SCC) was developed in the 1980s in Japan and has since received wide attention and use in the construction industry worldwide. Numerous investigations have been conducted on SCC to establish comprehensive knowledge of its mixture requirements and performance. The use of high powder content, mostly cement, is one of the SCC mixture’s requirements, although it is not desirable, as it will increase the cost and has other negative environmental effects. The use of industrial solid waste materials such as slag, fly ash, and limestone powder as fillers in SCC has proven to be a successful way of solid waste recycling without impairing SCC properties. Ceramic waste powder (CWP) produced during the manufacture of ceramic tiles is dumped in landfills and will cause soil, air, and groundwater pollution which pose a serious problem on the society. The use of CWP as a partial replacement of portland cement in SCC can convert the landfilled waste material to a valuable ingredient and will also contribute to the reduction in the overall energy consumption and CO2 emission accompanying the production of portland cement. In this study, the utilization of CWP, in large quantities, as a partial cement replacement in making SCC will be evaluated. Its effect on hardened concrete properties, durability characteristics, and microstructure development is studied. It is found that CWP can be used successfully to partially replace cement in large quantities to produce eco-friendly SCC.
Isolation of Marine Streptomyces, Characterization and Metabolites' Screening for Antibacterial Activity (2015)

To combat drug resistant, searching of new broad-spectrum antibiotics is urgent and Marine Streptomyces can be potential new sources of antibacterial agents. With this aim, present study was carried out to search new, safe and effective antibacterial compounds. Twenty nine strains were isolated from marine sediments and soil samples of mangrove forest, Sundarban, Bangladesh using spread plate technique. Among them AIAH-5 and AIAH-10 were finally selected for further study owing to their promising activity against a series of pathogenic strains (done by streak plate method). The organisms were identified on the basis of cultural, morphological and biochemical properties. At least four compounds were isolated by chromatographic means, from the crude extracts of both organisms. But pure compounds, AI-5 and AI-10 were finally selected for their highest antibacterial efficacy. Antimicrobial activities of both AI-5 and AI-10 were performed against a series of pathogenic microorganisms. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of the compound AI-5 and AI-10 varied between 8- 32 and 1- 4 µg/ml, respectively against a wide range test bacteria. The minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of the compound AI-5 and AI-10 were ranges from 16- 128 and 2- 16 µg/ml, respectively. The compound AI-5 and AI-10 also exhibited satisfactory activity against azithromycin and ciprofloxacin induced resistant Escherichia coli strain. This study demonstrates the diversity of the mangrove forest, Sundarbans, Bangladesh as a rich and interesting source of antibiotic molecules producing new and potential marine bacterial species.
Augmented hypoxic cerebral vasodilation in men during 5 days at 3,810 m altitude (1996)

The fractional increase in cerebral blood flow (CBF) velocity (VCBF) from the control value with 5-min steps of isocapnic hypoxia and hyperoxic hypercapnia was measured by transcranial Doppler in six sea-level native men before and during a 5-day sojourn at 3,810 m altitude to determine whether cerebral vasoreactivity to low arterial O2 saturation (SaO2) gradually increased [as does the hypoxic ventilatory response (HVR)] or diminished (adapted, in concert with known slow fall of CBF) at altitude. A control resting PCO2 value was chosen each day during preliminary hyperoxia to set ventilation at 140 ml.kg-1.min-1 for this and the parallel HVR study, attempting to establish control cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and brain extracellular fluid pH values unaltered by acclimatization. The relationship of CBF to SaO2 was nonlinear, steepening at a lower SaO2. A hyperbolic equation was used to describe hypoxic cerebrovascular reactivity: fractional VCBF = x[60/ (SaO2-40)-1], where X is the fractional increase of VCBF at 70%.X rose from 0.346 +/- 0.104 (SD) at sea level to 0.463 +/- 0.084 on altitude day 5 (P < 0.05 by paired t-test, justified by the a priori experimental plan). For comparison with CO2 sensitivity, from these X values, we estimate the rise in CBF in response to a 1% fall in SaO2 at 80% to be 1.30% at sea level and 1.74% after 5 days at altitude. CBF sensitivity to increased end-tidal PCO2 rose from 4.01 +/- 0.62%/Torr at sea level to 5.12 +/- 0.79%/Torr on day 5 (P < 0.05), as expected, at the lower PCO2 due to the logarithmic relationship of PCO2 to CSF pH. This change was not significant after correction to log PCO2. We conclude that the cerebral vascular response to acute isocapnic hypoxia may increase during acclimatization at high altitude. The mechanism is unknown but is presumably unrelated to the parallel carotid chemosensitization that, in these subjects, increased the HVR by 60% in the same 5-day period from 0.91 +/- 0.38 to 1.46 +/- 0.59 l.min-1.% fall in SaO2-1).
Radial migration of spherical particles in couette systems (1970)

Abstract Several studies have been made in Couette systems of the primary motion (angular translation and rotation) of spheres suspended in viscous liquids. Radial migration trajectories, however, have been unreported for single spheres. In this study, a prediction of radial migration is developed and compared with experimental measurements. The predicted trajectories were found to agree well with the measured ones. Ultimately, radially migrating spheres reached an equilibrium position located approximately midway between the cylinder walls. The model developed predicted an equilibrium position just slightly inside the midpoint, while measured equilibrium positions fell between the midpoint and 0.4, the annular thickness from the inner cylinder walls. The differences in equilibrium positions are attributed to the approximate nature of the model.
P572 Half of children with acute severe colitis have predominant single faecal bacterial species, mostly Escherichia coli: Microbiome results from the PRASCO trial (2019)

Acute severe ulcerative colitis (ASC) is one of the few medical emergencies of gastroenterology. We previously reported the clinical results of the PRASCO randomised controlled trial in which oral antibiotics (AB) improved disease activity after 5 days of treatment in children with ASC. This suggests that the microbiome is implicated in the aetiology and progression of ASC. We thus aimed to explore the microbiome of children enrolled in the PRASCO trial. In the PRASCO trial, 26 children with ASC were randomised: 11 received IV corticosteroids (IVCS) and 15 received four oral AB's (amoxycillin, doxycillin/ciprofloxacin, metronidazole, vancomycin) in addition to IVCS. Stool samples were collected at regular intervals during admission. Metagenomic sequencing was performed using Illumina Nextera XT library preparation kit on a HiSeq platform. After filtering low quality and human reads using the KneadData pipeline, species-level taxonomic abundances were inferred for all samples using MetaPhlAn2. At baseline before treatment, 14/26 (54%) children harboured more than 30% of a single species: 9 (35%) with Escherichia coli, 2 (7.7%) Haemophilus species, and 1 (3.8%) each with Klebsiella pneumoniae, Barnesiella intestinihominis or Parabacteroides sp. (none with Fusobacterium varium). interestingly, of the 15 children in the AB arm, 11 (73%) had a transient relative bloom of >50% Enterobacteriaceae (mainly E. coli) after treatment, compared with only 3/11 in the IVCS only arm (p = 0.02). Despite this, disease activity at Day 5 was lower in the AB arm and time to remission was shorter (p = 0.049). When analysing all samples, several species of Lachnospiraceae family and Clostridium bartlettii were significantly and positively associated with remission. C. bartletti and R. torques (previously observed to be depleted in IBD and known butyrate producers) were lower in children with more severe disease. This is the first report of microbiome pattern in ASC, showing provocative results. Over half of children with ASC have gut microbiomes highly enriched (>30%) at baseline with a specific species, mostly Enterobacteriaceae. This association may suggest that some ASC episodes are triggered by yet unknown enteric infections. While our antibiotic cocktail transiently exacerbated this enrichment it reduced disease activity, possibly due to niche availability after treatment, which can subsequently be filled by butyrate-producing microbes. In addition, the enrichment is relative to other species; it is possible that the absolute count was much lower in the AB group. Dysregulation of butyrate production may be associated with ASC in children. This study was supported by grants from: IOIBD, Helmsley Charitable Trust and Janssen
Analysis of the effect of transverse modes on free-space optical interconnect performance (2005)

Vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) and microlenses can be used to implement free space optical interconnects (FSOIs) which do not suffer from the bandwidth limitations inherent in metallic interconnects. A comprehensive link equation describing the effects of both optical and electrical noise is introduced. We have evaluated FSOI performance by examining the following metrics: the space–bandwidth product (SBP), describing the density of channels and aggregate bandwidth that can be achieved, and the carrier-to-noise ratio (CNR), which represents the relative strength of the carrier signal. The mode expansion method (MEM) was used to account for the primary cause of optical noise: laser beam diffraction. While the literature commonly assumes an ideal single-mode laser beam, we consider the experimentally determined multimodal structure of a VCSEL beam in our calculations. It was found that maximum achievable interconnect length and density for a given CNR was significantly reduced when the higher order transverse modes were present in simulations. However, the simulations demonstrate that free-space optical interconnects are still a suitable solution for the communications bottleneck, despite the adverse effects introduced by transverse modes.
An open-ended photothermal cell for <i>i</i> <i>n</i> <i>v</i> <i>i</i> <i>v</i> <i>o</i> measurements (1987)

A new photothermal open-ended cell particularly adapted for in vivo spectroscopic measurements is described. The detector is a transparent LiNbO3 crystal or a crystalline quartz transducer in direct contact with the sample. The cell can be attached to an optical fiber cable for light excitation. The cell has a high signal-to-noise ratio and its frequency variation is proportional to ω−1.16. In vivo and in vitro measurements performed on green leaf and carbon black samples are presented.
A CMOS imager and 2-D light pulse receiver array for spatial optical communication (2009)

This paper presents a CMOS imager and 2-D Light Pulse Receiver (LPR) array for car-to-car and road-to-car spatial optical communication. Using the prototype sensor with 640×240 image pixels and 640×240 LPR cells implemented with 0.18μm CMOS technology. Both imaging and 60fps optical communication at the carrier frequency of 1MHz are successfully performed. The measured signal amplitude and the calculation results of photocurrent shows that the spatial optical communication up to 100m is possible.
Graybox stabilization (2002)

Research in system stabilization has traditionally relied on the availability of a complete system implementation. As such, it would appear that the scalability and reusability of stabilization is limited in practice. Towards redressing this perception, the authors show for the first time that system stabilization may be designed knowing only the system specification but not the system implementation. We refer to stabilization designed thus as being "graybox" and identify "local everywhere-eventually specifications" as being amenable to design of graybox stabilization. We illustrate the design of graybox stabilization using timestamp-based distributed mutual exclusion as our example.
High-frequency acoustics and bio-optics in ecosystems research (2009)

Abstract Holliday, D. V., Donaghay, P. L., Greenlaw, C. F., Napp, J. M., and Sullivan, J. M. 2009. High-frequency acoustics and bio-optics in ecosystems research. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 66: 974–980. The propagation of light and sound in the ocean’s interior is modified by the presence of phytoplankton, zooplankton, fish, gas bubbles, and dissolved and suspended material. Information is encoded in the levels and spectral characteristics of acoustic and optical scattering and absorption. Using acoustics and optics allows us to study the distribution of marine life and learn about ecosystem-relevant processes. Two studies are highlighted. In the first, multifrequency, upward-looking echosounders deployed near autonomous, bio-optical profilers were used to track vertical migration and the formation and size structure of <1 m thick, zooplankton layers in relation to the biomass and size structure of thin phytoplankton layers. In the second, a multifrequency sonar was used to track the temporal (seasonal) evolution of zooplankton biomass and size structure in the Bering Sea at intervals of 20 min. This paper focuses on how advanced technologies are being used to observe processes, distributions, and behaviour of marine life that have, until now, been hidden, as it were, from biological oceanographers.
Proteasome dysfunction in<i>Drosophila</i>signals to an Nrf2-dependent regulatory circuit aiming to restore proteostasis and prevent premature aging (2013)

The ubiquitin-proteasome system is central to the regulation of cellular proteostasis. Nevertheless, the impact of in vivo proteasome dysfunction on the proteostasis networks and the aging processes remains poorly understood. We found that RNAi-mediated knockdown of 20S proteasome subunits in Drosophila melanogaster resulted in larval lethality. We therefore studied the molecular effects of proteasome dysfunction in adult flies by developing a model of dose-dependent pharmacological proteasome inhibition. Impaired proteasome function promoted several 'old-age' phenotypes and markedly reduced flies' lifespan. In young somatic tissues and in gonads of all ages, loss of proteasome activity induced higher expression levels and assembly rates of proteasome subunits. Proteasome dysfunction was signaled to the proteostasis network by reactive oxygen species that originated from malfunctioning mitochondria and triggered an Nrf2-dependent upregulation of the proteasome subunits. RNAi-mediated Nrf2 knockdown reduced proteasome activities, flies' resistance to stress, as well as longevity. Conversely, inducible activation of Nrf2 in transgenic flies upregulated basal proteasome expression and activity independently of age and conferred resistance to proteotoxic stress. Interestingly, prolonged Nrf2 overexpression reduced longevity, indicating that excessive activation of the proteostasis pathways can be detrimental. Our in vivo studies add new knowledge on the proteotoxic stress-related regulation of the proteostasis networks in higher metazoans. Proteasome dysfunction triggers the activation of an Nrf2-dependent tissue- and age-specific regulatory circuit aiming to adjust the cellular proteasome activity according to temporal and/or spatial proteolytic demands. Prolonged deregulation of this proteostasis circuit accelerates aging.
[O1–09–05]: MIDLIFE AFFECTIVE SYMPTOMS ARE ASSOCIATED WITH LOWER BRAIN VOLUMES IN LATER LIFE: EVIDENCE FROM A PROSPECTIVE UK BIRTH COHORT (2017)

Life course affective problems are a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD). Individuals with affective symptoms in older age show neuropathological changes associated with pre-symptomatic AD, including increased β-amyloid (Aβ) levels and greater cortical atrophy. Although affective problems show temporal continuity, it is unclear when in the life course this process begins, and which neuropathologies are involved. We investigated prospective associations between life course affective symptoms and subsequent Aβ status and brain volume in a population-based birth-cohort sample aged 70 years, still mostly free of AD, controlling for potential confounders. A random sub-sample of 240 healthy study members were drawn from the Medical Research Council National Survey of Heath and Development (NSHD, the British 1946 birth cohort) for 18F-florbetapir PET and multi-modal MRI imaging at age 69–70 years. Prospectively-assessed affective symptoms spanning age 13–69 years were the primary exposures; Aβ status was quantified by cortical grey matter standard uptake value ratios (SUVR) with cerebellar reference region on a 10 minute window of PET data starting at ∼50 minutes after injection. the cutoff for Aβ+ was defined as SUVR =>1.078; brain and total intracranial volumes (TIV) were calculated from volumetric MR scans. Affective symptoms at ages 13–15, 43 and 60–64 years were not associated with Aβ or brain volume at age 70 (all p>0.05). However, higher level of affective symptoms at age 53 was associated with lower brain volume (β=-0.07, p=0.04, 95% CI=-0.01,-0.11), adjusting for TIV, sex, smoking history, adult socioeconomic status, and APoE status. Affective symptoms in midlife were associated with increased brain atrophy at age 70 but not with amyloid load, indicating differential paths to AD risk. This association was not observed for symptoms at other stages of the life course, suggesting a sensitive period for this exposure. In NSHD, study members were at highest risk of severe affective symptoms in midlife, which may explain the temporal specificity of association. Future research should focus on elucidating mechanistic pathways between affective problems and subsequent atrophy, amyloid accumulation and AD.
Development of a Solid-Phase Microextraction-Based Method for Sampling of Persistent Chlorinated Hydrocarbons in an Urbanized Coastal Environment (2004)

Solid-phase microextraction (SPME) has been used as an in situ sampling technique for a wide range of volatile organic chemicals, but SPME field sampling of nonvolatile organic pollutants has not been reported. This paper describes the development of an SPME-based sampling method employing a poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS)-coated (100-microm thickness) fiber as the sorbent phase. The laboratory-calibrated PDMS-coated fibers were used to construct SPME samplers, and field tests were conducted at three coastal locations off southern California to determine the equilibrium sampling time and compare the efficacy of the SPME samplers with that of an Infiltrex 100 water pumping system (Axys Environmental Systems Ltd., Sidney, British Columbia, Canada). p,p'-DDE and o,p'-DDE were the components consistently detected in the SPME samples among 42 polychlorinated biphenyl congeners and 17 chlorinated pesticidestargeted. SPME samplers deployed attwo locations with moderate and high levels of contamination for 18 and 30 d, respectively, attained statistically identical concentrations of p,p'-DDE and o,p'-DDE. In addition, SPME samplers deployed for 23 and 43 d, respectively, at a location of low contamination also contained statistically identical concentrations of p,p'-DDE. These results indicate that equilibrium could be reached within 18 to 23 d. The concentrations of p,p'-DDE, o,p'-DDE, or p,p'-DDD obtained with the SPME samplers and the Infiltrex 100 system were virtually identical. In particular, two water column concentration profiles of p,p'-DDE and o,p'-DDE acquired by the SPME samplers at a highly contaminated site on the Palos Verdes Shelf overlapped with the profiles obtained by the Infiltrex 100 system in 1997. The field tests not only reveal the advantages of the SPME samplers compared to the Infiltrex 100 system and other integrative passive devices but also indicate the need to improve the sensitivity of the SPME-based sampling technique.
The Role of the Thymus in a Genetically Controlled Defect of the Immune Response at the Carrier Level (1974)

The genetic control of the immune response may be either specific for antigenic carrier or for determinant. We describe here results which show that a carrier-dependent strain defect in immune response is reflected in thymocytes. These results are in agreement with our hypothesis that the genetic defect in the immune response is reflected in thymocytes when the poor response is at the carrier level, whereas it is expressed in the bone marrow population when the low responsiveness is strictly at the determinant level. SWR mice are low responders to multichain polyproline. Furthermore, this mouse strain does not produce antibodies to determinants such as peptides of phenylalanine and glutamic acid (Phe,Glu) or to the loop peptide of lysozyme when attached to polyproline, although they respond well to the same antigenic determinants when conjugated to multichain poly(DL-alanine). Transfer experiments in which irradiated SWR recipients were injected with excess of DBA/1 thymocytes (which do not exhibit a defect in response to polyproline) mixed with graded numbers of SWR marrow cells, prior to immunization with poly(Tyr,Glu)-poly(Pro)--poly(Lys), have indicated that the poor response potential of SWR mice to polyproline is not reflected in their bone marrow cells. Allogeneic transfers in which mixtures of thymocytes and marrow cells from high and low responders were injected into irradiated mice, followed by immunization with poly(Tyr,Glu)-poly(Pro)--poly(Lys) or poly(Phe,Glu)-poly(Pro)--poly(Lys) have demonstrated a clear defect in the thymus derived population of SWR mice when the response potential to polyproline and to determinants attached to it was tested.
5.5–7.5 MeV Proton Generation by a Moderate-Intensity Ultrashort-Pulse Laser Interaction with<mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><mml:msub><mml:mi mathvariant="normal">H</mml:mi><mml:mn>2</mml:mn></mml:msub><mml:mi mathvariant="normal">O</mml:mi></mml:math>Nanowire Targets (2011)

We report on the first generation of 5.5-7.5 MeV protons by a moderate-intensity short-pulse laser (∼5×10(17) W/cm(2), 40 fsec) interacting with frozen H(2)O nanometer-size structure droplets (snow nanowires) deposited on a sapphire substrate. In this setup, the laser intensity is locally enhanced by the snow nanowire, leading to high spatial gradients. Accordingly, the nanoplasma is subject to enhanced ponderomotive potential, and confined charge separation is obtained. Electrostatic fields of extremely high intensities are produced over the short scale length, and protons are accelerated to MeV-level energies.