gebhart/patrepeval huggingface dataset:
Utility of Galactomannan and (1-3)-Beta-D-Glucan Assays in the Diagnosis of Invasive Aspergillosis (2019)

Objective: The utility of serum and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) galactomannan (GM) and (1-3)-beta-D-glucan (BDG) assays in the diagnosis of Invasive Aspergillosis (IA) remains unclear. Variable false positive and false negative rates complicate physician understanding and proper interpretation of test results, which may contribute to overuse of empiric treatment with antifungals. The purpose of this study is to examine the utility of GM and BDG assays for the diagnosis of IA.

Methods: A retrospective chart review was conducted of Michigan Medicine patients who had at least one GM or BDG assay completed from June 2013 to March 2016 to compare diagnostic evidence of IA as defined by EORTC/MSG guidelines to the results of the GM and BDG assays. Effects of piperacillin-tazobactam and solid organ transplants on test efficacy were also evaluated.

Results: GM serum, GM BAL, BDG serum, and BDG BAL assays had a sensitivity of 47.3%, 88.0%, 80.0%, and 100%, respectively and a specificity of 87.1, 58.3%, 40.0%, and 16.7%, respectively. The specificity of the GM serum assay was 87.1% for all patients, compared to 44% in patients on piperacillin-tazobactam. The overall specificity the four assays was 75.8% in patients with a solid organ transplant, compared to 57.6% in patients without a solid organ transplant.

Conclusions: This study found that GM BAL, BDG serum, and BDG BAL assays to have increased sensitivity than previously reported data but significantly lower specificity, thus suggesting that the negative predictive value of these tests is higher than previously stated. Therefore, they could be used as screening assays; however, the positive predictive value is lower than previously found, so positive results should be used cautiously. Use of piperacillin-tazobactam decreased specificity of GM serum assay, as expected. Patients with solid organ transplants had increased specificity compared to patients without transplants, which differs from previous findings.
Extracellular proteins in breast tumor cytosol. (1987)

Several proteins have been quantitated in cytosols prepared from benign and malignant tumors of the breast; orosomucoid, albumin, transferrin, complement 4, C-reactive protein alpha 2-macroglobulin and hemoglobin. With the exception of hemoglobin, concentrations of the proteins measured were significantly intercorrelated. Their relative abundance was close to that reported in blood, except for alpha 2-macroglobulin and hemoglobin which were present in lower amounts. From hemoglobin measurements it can be concluded that blood contamination contributed less than 10% to the cytosol proteins measured. When compared to albumin, none of the proteins investigated occurred in concentrations sufficient to indicate local synthesis of a magnitude that would significantly influence tumor environment. From the present data it can be concluded that extracellular proteins constitute about 50% of total cytosol protein. This indicates an exceptional capillary leakage in breast tumors possibly related to abnormal hormonal influences. There were, however, large individual variations and about 10% of the cytosols could be predicted to contain negligible amounts of cell-derived protein. There was a highly significant difference between benign and malignant tumors in their cytosol content of extracellular protein, benign tumors containing nearly twice as much albumin. It is suggested that measurement of an extracellular protein (albumin) should be included in tumor characterization to correct for cellularity and representativity of tumor samples used for steroid receptor determinations and for measurements of other parameters using "cytosol" protein to express specific activity.
Detecting local heterogeneity and ionization ability in the head group region of different lipidic phases using modified fluorescent probes (2015)

Local heterogeneity in lipid self-assembly is important for executing the cellular membrane functions. In this work, we chemically modified 2-(2'-hydroxyphenyl)benzoxazole (HBO) and attached a C8 alkyl chain in two different locations to probe the microscopic environment of four lipidic phases of dodecyl β-maltoside. The fluorescence change in HBO and the new probes (HBO-1 and HBO-2) shows that in all phases (micellar, hexagonal, cubic and lamellar) three HBO tautomeric species (solvated syn-enol, anionic, and closed syn-keto) are stable. The formation of multi tautomers reflects the heterogeneity of the lipidic phases. The results indicate that HBO and HBO-1 reside in a similar location within the head group region, whereas HBO-2 is slightly pushed away from the sugar-dominated area. The stability of the solvated syn-enol tautomer is due to the formation of a hydrogen bond between the OH group of the HBO moiety and an adjacent oxygen atom of a sugar unit. The detected HBO anions was proposed to be a consequence of this solvation effect where a hydrogen ion abstraction by the sugar units is enhanced. Our results point to a degree of local heterogeneity and ionization ability in the head group region as a consequence of the sugar amphoterism.
Coupled modelling of hydro‐mechanical behaviour of unsaturated compacted expansive soils (2011)

SUMMARY The Barcelona basic model cannot predict the mechanical behaviour of unsaturated expansive soils, whereas the Barcelona expansive model (BExM) can only predict the stress–strain behaviour of unsaturated expansive soils without the water‐retention behaviour being incorporated. Moreover, the micro‐parameters and the coupling function between micro‐structural and macro‐structural strains in the BExM are difficult to determine. Experimental data show that the compression curves for non‐expansive soils under constant suctions are shifted towards higher void ratios with increasing suction, whereas the opposite is true for expansive soils. According to the observed water‐retention behaviour of unsaturated expansive soils, the air‐entry value increases with density, and the relationship between the degree of saturation and void ratio is linear at constant suction. According to the above observation, an elastoplastic constitutive model is developed for predicting the hydraulic and mechanical behaviour of unsaturated expansive soils, based on the existing hydro‐mechanical model for non‐expansive unsaturated soil. The model takes into consideration the effect of degree of saturation on the mechanical behaviour and that of void ratio on the water‐retention behaviour. The concept of equivalent void ratio curve is introduced to distinguish the plastic potential curve from the yield curve. The model predictions are compared with the test results of an unsaturated expansive soil, including swelling tests under constant net stress, isotropic compression tests and triaxial shear tests under constant suction. The comparison indicates that the model offers great potential for quantitatively predicting the hydraulic and mechanical behaviour of unsaturated expansive soils. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Functional consequences and rescue potential of pathogenic missense mutations in tripeptidyl peptidase I (2010)

There are 35 missense mutations among 68 different mutations in the TPP1 gene, which encodes tripeptidyl peptidase I (TPPI), a lysosomal aminopeptidase associated with classic late-infantile neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis (CLN2 disease). To elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying TPPI deficiency in patients carrying missense mutations and to test the amenability of mutant proteins to chemical chaperones and permissive temperature treatment, we introduced individually 14 disease-associated missense mutations into human TPP1 cDNA and analyzed the cell biology of these TPPI variants expressed in Chinese hamster ovary cells. Most TPPI variants displayed obstructed transport to the lysosomes, prolonged half-life of the proenzyme, and residual or no enzymatic activity, indicating folding abnormalities. Protein misfolding was produced by mutations located in both the prosegment (p.Gly77Arg) and throughout the length of the mature enzyme. However, the routes of removal of misfolded proteins by the cells varied, ranging from their efficient degradation by the ubiquitin/proteasome system to abundant secretion. Two TPPI variants demonstrated enhanced processing in response to folding improvement treatment, and the activity of one of them, p.Arg447His, showed a fivefold increase under permissive temperature conditions, which suggests that folding improvement strategies may ameliorate the function of some misfolding TPPI mutant proteins.
Biomedical Applications of Zinc Oxide Nanomaterials (2013)

Nanotechnology has witnessed tremendous advancement over the last several decades. Zinc oxide (ZnO), which can exhibit a wide variety of nanostructures, possesses unique semiconducting, optical, and piezoelectric properties hence has been investigated for a wide variety of applications. The most important features of ZnO nanomaterials are low toxicity and biodegradability. Zn(2+) is an indispensable trace element for adults (~10 mg of Zn(2+) per day is recommended) and it is involved in various aspects of metabolism. Chemically, the surface of ZnO is rich in -OH groups, which can be readily functionalized by various surface decorating molecules. In this review article, we summarized the current status of the use of ZnO nanomaterials for biomedical applications, such as biomedical imaging (which includes fluorescence, magnetic resonance, positron emission tomography, as well as dual-modality imaging), drug delivery, gene delivery, and biosensing of a wide array of molecules of interest. Research in biomedical applications of ZnO nanomaterials will continue to flourish over the next decade, and much research effort will be needed to develop biocompatible/biodegradable ZnO nanoplatforms for potential clinical translation.
L-Amino Acid Inhibition of Epinephrine-Induced Hyperglycemia (1971)

L-Amino acids, when administered intra-peritoneally either individually or as mixtures to fasted rats, blocked the epinephrine-induced hyperglycemic response. The injection of 2.5 mmoles/kg of either arginine, lysine, leucine, isoleucine, threonine, or tryptophan inhibited epinephrine-induced hyperglycemia 76–89%. The same dosage of methionine or valine had less effect on the hyperglycemic response (42 and 32% respectively). By contrast phenylalanine and histidine did not exhibit significant inhibitory actions (4 and 6% respectively) at the same dosages. Equivalent amounts of bovine serum albumin, casein hydrolysate, or a mixture of 10 essential amino acids were no more inhibitory than either valine or methionine alone. In addition the non-metabolizable amino acids, α-aminoisobutyric acid and 1-aminocyclo-pentanecarboxylic acid are about as potent as methionine and valine in blocking epinephrine hyperglycemia. Several metabolites of tryptophan, namely indole-3-acetic acid, quinolinic acid, and hydroxyanthranilic acid blocked epinephrine hyperglycemia 87–99%. Xanthurenic acid, kynurenic acid, and serotonin inhibit the response 48–65%. DL-Kynurenine was the least potent exhibiting a 24-percent inhibition. In addition the tryptophan analogue, DL-α-methyltryptophan produced an 47-percent inhibition. The fact that no correlation could be found between the capacities of the amino acids to produce hypoglycemia and their capacity to inhibit epinephrine-induced hyperglycemia suggests than insulin is not involved in preventing the hyperglycemic response. This idea is supported by the observation that tryptophan inhibits epinephrine-induced hyperglycemia to the same extent in both intact and diabetic rats.
PRECIPITATION AND ITS INFLUENCE ON THE PHASE-TRANSITION IN CU-14.1 WT-PERCENT A1-4.2 WT-PERCENT NI SHAPE-MEMORY ALLOY (1993)

The precipitation behaviour of a Cu-14.1 wt% Al-4.2 wt% Ni shape memory alloy and its effect on the phase constituents, fine structure and thermoelastic martensitic transformation have been studied using x-ray diffraction analysis, transmission electron microscopy and acoustic emission techniques. In the 700 K step-quenched specimens, a gamma2-phase with a complex cubic structure precipitates coherently from the parent phase. The gamma2 precipitate is rich in alloying elements which causes the retained parent phase to be poor in the alloying elements and hence increases the martensite transition temperature of the step-quenched specimens. The coherent strain field may influence the structure types and the fine structures of the transformed martensite. Finally, the cooling rate of the retained parent phase during quenching influences the domain size of the parent phase and the martensites transformed from the parent phase.
Spatio-temporal reprojection for virtual and augmented reality applications (2020)

Late-stage reprojection is a vital tool for reducing power and compute requirements and improving\nperceptual latency in extended reality (XR) systems. While rotational reprojection is a well-studied\ntopic for which several implementations have been published, the more advanced type\nof reprojection, spatial reprojection, is largely uncharacterized and unpublished. Depth-aware\nspatio-temporal reprojection can reproject a depth volume to account for the full six-degrees-of-\nfreedom of user motion. By reprojecting application frames with the full range of user motion\nwith a sufficiently high level of accuracy, dropped frames and display latency can potentially be\nalmost completely resolved. In addition, with the advent of remote-rendering and edge-compute-based\narchitectures, the reprojection of rendered application frames can mitigate latencies\nintroduced by the transmission of frames across great distances. This thesis aggregates and\nreviews prior related work in the domain of 3D image-based reprojection and warping algorithms,\nexamining the applicability of previous reprojection algorithms to XR applications. We evaluate\nthree different methods for solving the warp equation, weighing their characteristics, advantages,\nand disadvantages across several representative XR scenarios. Finally, the thesis presents two\nnovel implementations of full depth-aware spatio-temporal reprojection, as well as deep performance\ncharacterizations on multiple representative platforms. In particular, the algorithms’ resilience to occlusion artifacts, high-frequency depth features, and large perspective displacements are examined\nand characterized. This paper also presents a detailed analysis of the structural similarity index\nmeasure (SSIM) of reprojected frames to characterize the quality of the algorithms’ output and the\ncontribution to the overall user experience.
科艺共舞。神与物游——旅游规划中的科学与艺术 (2013)

作为一种旅游价值实现与道德实践过程，旅游规划本身就是一个多元复杂的系统工程，是一个不断修正、完善、提升的动态过程。科学求真与艺术求美在这一历程中的关系时分时合，错综复杂，展现了科学与艺术的精彩浪漫之旅。
Internalization of prolactin receptor and prolactin in transfected cells does not involve nuclear translocation (1997)

Prolactin (PRL) interacts with a specific, well characterized plasma membrane receptor (PRLR) that is coupled to signal transduction pathways involving Jak2, Fyn, and MAP kinases, and signal transducers and activators of transcription (STAT). Although a few previous studies have indicated nuclear translocation of PRL in IL-2 stimulated T lymphocytes, PRL-dependent Nb2 lymphoma cell lines and 235-1 lactotrophs, the mechanisms of nuclear targeting remain unknown and conflicting results have been reported concerning the putative nuclear translocation of the PRLR. We therefore decided to investigate nuclear translocation of PRLR and PRL in various cell lines transfected with an expression plasmid encoding PRLR, using confocal laser microscopy. We have constructed various cDNAs of the long and short forms of the rat PRLR containing an oligonucleotide encoding a Flag epitope inserted either just before the N-terminal amino acid or in the C-terminal end of the mature receptor (named N-terminal or C-terminal Flag-tagged PRLR). The corresponding receptors function as the PRLR in transfected cells: they are expressed at the plasma membrane and in compartments of the secretory pathway, they bind PRL with normal affinity (Kd= 4x10(-10) M) and have the same capacity to stimulate the transcriptional activity of a milk protein (beta-casein) gene as wild-type PRLR. In addition, the tagged receptors are much more efficiently immunodetected using anti-Flag antibodies, as compared to anti-PRL antibodies (U5 or U6). Immunofluorescence combined with detailed confocal laser microscopy showed that addition of PRL (0 to 12 hours) to COS-7, CHO and NIH-3T3 transfected fibroblasts induces rapid internalization of the receptor (long form), without any translocation to the nucleus. Using PRL-R tagged both in the N-terminal or C-terminal regions of the mature receptor excludes the possibility of a cleaved fragment which could have been subsequently imported into the nucleus. An absence of nuclear translocation of PRLR was also observed in a 293 cell line stably expressing the receptor, and in physiological targets for PRL, i.e. in Nb2 lymphoma cells expressing the Nb2 form of the receptor or in BGME mammary gland epithelial cells upon overexpression of a Flag-tagged PRLR. Similarly, the short form of the PRLR was not detected in nuclei of transfected COS cells upon PRL treatment. Clearly, our results provide evidence that internalization of the plasma membrane PRLR does not lead to nuclear translocation of the receptor, or part of it, in most fibroblasts and epithelial cells at physiological concentrations of PRL. Also, in co-localization experiments, PRL was internalized without nuclear translocation. Activation of STATs transcription factors and MAP kinases, as well as translocation of these proteins to the nucleus following their phosphorylation, probably remains the intracellular mechanism coupling stimulation to nuclear events.
Fecal Markers in Inflammatory Bowel Disease (2010)

A noninvasive, sensitive, and specific diagnostic tool to support differential diagnosis in patients with suspicion of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), confirm an IBD, differentiate ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, establish a prognosis of disease course, and evaluate response to therapy is still missing. Fecal markers constitute a promising alternative to currently available tests. The usefulness of fecal calprotectin and lactoferrin in clinical practice has been confirmed. These tests can serve to predict relapse in IBD and rule out IBD in undiagnosed symptomatic patients. Fecal calprotectin can support the differential diagnosis between IBS and IBD and distinguish disease flare from other causes of symptoms. This paper reviews the role of fecal markers associated with inflammation in inflammatory bowel disease (Adv Clin Exp Med 2010, 19, 2, 251–255). Streszczenie
Effect of adrenergic receptor activation on post-herpetic neuralgia pain and sensory disturbances (1997)

Patients with acute herpes zoster, and to a lesser extent post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN), have been reported to respond to local anesthetic blockade of the sympathetic nervous system. In animal models of nerve injury, local injection of adrenergic agonists after nerve injury, but not before, excites nociceptors. In some patients with chronic neuropathic pain, local application of norepinephrine evokes pain. In 15 subjects with PHN, the role of adrenergic receptors in PHN pain was assessed in a two-session double blind study comparing the response to cutaneous infiltration of epinephrine or phenylephrine (30 micrograms in 3 ml) with the response to normal saline in both the painfully affected skin and mirror-image normal skin. Two adjacent sites were studied on each side of the body, one site for injection and the other for measuring sensory effects of the injection. In the morning part of each session, mirror-image normal skin was injected. In the afternoon portion of each session, skin in the most painful area affected by PHN was injected. Injection of saline or the adrenergic agonist in normal skin produced mild and transient pain without development of allodynia and without affecting overall PHN pain intensity. In PHN skin, injection of saline and the adrenergic agonist produced an equivalent degree of transient pain that was slightly greater than injection into mirror-image normal skin. After injection of the adrenergic agonist into PHN skin, both overall PHN pain and allodynia severity were significantly greater than after saline injection, peaking at 10-15 min post-injection. Even when PHN has been present for years, adrenergic receptor stimulation in PHN skin increases pain, most likely through direct activation of C-nociceptors in the painful skin. Increased allodynia is most likely mediated centrally and driven by the increase in C-nociceptor input.
Molecular prenatal diagnosis of thalassemia in Taiwan (2000)

Abstract Objective: Thalassemia is a highly prevalent genetic disorder in Taiwan. The major goal of this study was to present a feasible protocol for the prenatal diagnosis of thalassemia. Method: Prenatal investigation of thalassemia was performed on 57 at‐risk cases at the Mackay Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan. We developed a method using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and high‐throughput DNA sequencing to detect mutations. All diagnoses were confirmed after delivery. Result: Prenatal testing revealed 16 normal fetuses, 24 α‐thal‐1 carriers, eight Hb Bart's hydrops fetalis, seven β‐thalassemia minor, and two β‐thalassemia major fetuses. No false‐positive or false‐negative cases were found during the postnatal follow‐ups. Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that prenatal diagnosis of thalassemia syndromes in Taiwan is successful with the use of a rapid and accurate molecular method.
The influence of chemical structure of DNA and other oligomer radiopharmaceuticals on tumor delivery. (2006)

Deoxyribose nucleic acids (DNAs) and their many chemically distinct synthetic analogs (collectively 'oligomers') provide a rich variety of molecules with different properties, each attractive as a potential drug. The main impediment to the successful development of these drugs is often identified as its delivery. Delivery usually refers to the cell membrane transport required to bring the oligomer into the cytoplasm or nucleus and therefore into the vicinity of the mRNA target (antisense and RNA interference technology) or DNA target (gene therapy). Since these drugs are intended for systemic administration in most cases, the term 'delivery' should be expanded to include pharmacokinetics as woell. However, most studies of nonradioactive drugs emphasize pharmacology and efficacy at the expense of pharmacokinetics. Fortunately, by tracing radioactivity in the living subject, the development of radiopharmaceuticals for nuclear imaging is providing valuable data on pharmacokinetics as well as cell membrane transport of a limited, but important number of oligomers, primarily in connection with antisense therapy and pretargeting of tumors. This review is concerned with the influence of chemical structure on the delivery properties of radiolabeled oligomers primarily for nuclear imaging studies and largely in mouse models of tumors.