gebhart/patrepeval huggingface dataset:
Engineering the Response to Vascular Injury (2003)

Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) is expressed locally in the vessel wall after angioplasty and induces growth arrest and apoptosis in endothelial cells (ECs), thereby delaying reendothelialization. Prior studies have shown that direct antagonism of TNF-alpha, using a systemically administered soluble receptor, can enhance endothelial recovery and reduce neointimal thickening. These studies have also shown that downregulation of the transcription factor E2F1 was a key mechanism of TNF's effect on ECs. We now show that Ad-E2F1 overexpression at sites of balloon injury accelerates functional endothelial recovery, consistent with the prior in vitro findings. Moreover these studies also reveal divergent effects of TNF-alpha and overexpression of E2F1 on ECs versus VSMCs. TNF-alpha exposure of VSMCs had no affect on proliferation or apoptosis, in contrast to the effect seen in ECs. In Ad-E2F1-transduced VSMCs, however, TNF-alpha-induced marked apoptosis in contrast to the survival effect seen in ECs. Finally, these studies suggest that differential activation of NF-kappaB may play a key role in mediating these opposing effects. Nuclear translocation and transcriptional activity of NF-kappaB was markedly attenuated in Ad-E2F1-transduced VSMCs, whereas it remained active in similarly treated ECs when the cells were exposed to TNF-alpha. These studies reveal that overexpression of Ad-E2F1 primes VSMCs to TNF-alpha-induced apoptosis. Furthermore, E2F1 potentiates VSMC death by blocking antiapoptotic signaling pathway through inhibition of NF-kappaB activation. The divergent responses of VSMCs and ECs to E2F1 overexpression provide unique therapeutic possibilities: simultaneously targeting the cell cycle of two different cell types, within same tissue microenvironment resulting in opposite and biologically complimentary effects.
Root Fractions of Korean Red Ginseng (Panax Ginseng) Have Differential Effect on Blood Pressure and Blood Glucose Control In Healthy Individuals (2006)

BACKGROUND Considering increased prevalence of metabolic syndrome in North America, novel therapies that positively affect multiple metabolic risk factors are desirable. Previous studies have demonstrated the pharmacological properties of Korean Red Ginseng of undefined composition to lower blood pressure. OBJECTIVES The present study assessed the acute efficacy of two root fractions–root body and rootlets-of the same batch of Korean Red Ginseng (KRG) having different ginsenoside composition, on blood pressure (BP) and postprandial blood glucose levels. DESIGN Randomized, controlled, double-blind, crossover. METHODS After a 12-hour overnight fast, 13 healthy individuals (Gender:6M:7F, Age:28±10, BMI: 24.1±3kg/m2, SBP: 108±6, DBP: 66±4mmHg) were randomly assigned to receive 3g of either KRG body or rootlet fraction or cornstarch placebo, 40min prior to meal. Part 1: The blood pressure was measured with Ambulatory BP Monitors (90207, SpaceLabs Medical) at 10min intervals for 180min after ingestion of ginseng or placebo. Part 2: Capillary blood samples were taken 60min prior to a meal containing 50g available carbohydrate at which time ginseng or placebo capsules were taken and at 0, 15, 30, 45, 60, 90 and 120min post meal. RESULTS Compared to the placebo, 3g of the rootlet fraction of ginseng root significantly lowered systolic blood pressure at 80min (P<0.05), whereas root body reduced blood glucose iAUC by 19%. CONCLUSION The rootlet fraction of ginseng significantly improved hemodynamic control while the root body fraction had a positive effect on glycemia. This preliminary study supports further investigation of KRG's efficacy on acute and long-term cardiovascular risk factors.
Design Technology Selection for Obsolescence Management Cost Avoidanc (2014)

Human adenoviruses (AdVs) have been extensively studied as vectors for gene therapy and vaccination. However, little attention has been paid to AdV vaccine development and treatment. Currently, there is a lack of information concerning the immunogenicity of AdV major capsid proteins. Here, using AdV7 as a model, we compared the immunogenicity and protection efficacy of its three major capsid proteins in DNA forms, pFiber, pHexon and pPenton, on a mouse model. Quantification of antigen-specific antibodies showed that pHexon induced highest IgG in sera while pPenton induced highest IgA in respiratory mucosae. A neutralization assay revealed that pPenton elicited the highest neutralizing activity against the homologous AdV7 in both sera and bronchoalveolar lavages (BALs). In addition, sera and BALs from mice immunized with either of the three constructs had cross-neutralizing activities against the heterologous AdV3. Furthermore, pHexon and pPenton induced Th1/2- and Th1/17-biased cellular responses, respectively, with pFiber being the weakest in the induction of cellular responses. Virus challenge assay showed that, pPenton group had the fastest virus clearance rate, followed by pFiber and pHexon groups. Likewise, the inflammation in the lung was well controlled in pPenton group against virus challenge. Taken together, our data demonstrate that penton base is better than fiber and hexon as a vaccine candidate against AdVs. Our findings provide important information for the development of subunit vaccines against AdVs.
Effects of Combined Stresses on Fracture of Alumina and Graphite (1970)

A unique method was developed for mechanical testing of brittle materials to create an unlimited number of stress ratios in the tension‐tension and tension‐compression quadrants. The stress states are achieved by internal and external pressurization of tubular specimens in a special pressure vessel. Failure envelopes were determined for polycrystalline alumina and fine‐grained isotropic graphite. The modified maximum strain energy and Coulomb‐Mohr theories fit the data best; these theories should be plotted as bands representing probability of failure. The biaxial tensile strengths of alumina and graphite are lower than their uniaxial tensile strengths; the tensile strengths decrease as the compressive stress in the orthogonal directions increases.
How About Tomorrow? Optimal Procrastination and the Implications for Delay in Submitting to Conferences (2000)

In these times of academic stress in which one's time budget is a binding constraint, procrastination and delay may be an optimal response to deadlines imposed by conference organizers. We formulate a model of optimal procrastination using optimal stopping theory. Whilst the date of the conference is known and the "soft" deadline is also known by the authors of the paper, the "hard" deadline for the publication of the conference proceedings and program is only known by the organizers. Organizers possess a lower and upper limit on the numbers of participants determined by their budget and the capacity of the conference venue. The authors wold like to submit papers as late as possible subject to these constraints. The question this paper attempts to address is "What is the optimal period of procrastination for the authors?"
Effects of Reinforcements on Ductility of Concrete (1970)

To study and compare the reinforcing action of stirrups, randomly distributed short fibers, and compression reinforcement in improving ductility of plain concrete, over-reinforced and under-reinforced beams and prisms were tested in continuously increasing as well as cyclic loading. Reinforcement appears to increase ductility primarily by retarding growth of longitudinal microcracks. As a result, although overall ductility of over-reinforced beams was improved by the addition of compression steel, its presence did not significantly influence the behavior of concrete in the compression zone. Stirrups and fibers substantially improved the ductility of concrete as evidenced by the increased ultimate compressive concrete strains and toughness. Spacing of reinforcement appears to have a small influence on cracking and on ductility for a spacing less than about 1 in. Only small size beams and prisms were tested in this investigation.
Signed Directed Graph modeling of industrial processes and their validation by data-based methods (2010)

This paper is concerned with the fusion of information from process data and process connectivity and its subsequent use in fault detection and isolation and hazard assessment. The Signed Directed Graph (SDG), as a graphical model for capturing process topology and connectivity to show the causal relationships between process variables by flow and information paths, has been widely used in root cause and hazard propagation analysis. An SDG is usually built based on process knowledge as described by piping and instrumentation diagrams. This is a complex and experience-dependent task, and therefore the resulting SDG should be validated by process data before being used for analysis. This paper introduces two validation methods. The first method is based on cross-correlation analysis of process data with assumed time delays. The resulting correlation coefficients can then be validated by examining the paths in SDGs of all the variable pairs and also comparing the signs with the directions of causal relations. The second method is based on transfer entropy, where the information transfer from one variable to another can be computed to validate the corresponding arcs in SDGs. A case study of an industrial process is presented to illustrate the application of the proposed methods.
Temporal sequencing of brain activations in menopausal hot flashes (2008)

The insula, associated with interoception and representation of internal physiological states is a terminus in the thermoreceptive spinothalamocortical pathway within which the dorsal raphe (DR), is an early signaling region. Menopausal hot flashes (HF) are internal thermal events that activate the insula but the precedents of this activity are unknown. We assessed the time course of activity in the DR and insula in the context of HFs using fMRI conducted on 20 postmenopausal women with HFs (mean age 52 yrs). Subjects were heated with ventral and dorsal heating pads (42°C) throughout. HF onset was signaled with an increase of 2μmho/30 s in sternally recorded SCL's acquired synchronously with fMRI. Data were analyzed using SPM2 in a 30 image (1 minute) tri‐partitioned (Baseline, Pre‐Flash, post‐Flash: 10 images/partition) window around HF onset. Extracted time series from the raphe and insula were normalized to the mean activation value in Baseline. A significant interaction between partition and region, F (2,2388)=3.39, p <.034, indicated a rise in DR but not insula activity in the pre‐Flash partition. These results document a temporally ordered pattern of detectable physiological events associated with endogenously generated thermal events, and suggest that activity in the human medulla, central to homeostatis, precedes the detectable onset of menopausal flashes and the response of regions such as the insula.
Does salvage radiation therapy (SRT) change the biology of recurrent prostate cancer (PCa) based on PSA doubling times (PSADT)? Results from the SEARCH database. (2012)

203 Background: SRT offers a second opportunity for PCa control after biochemical recurrence in men treated with radical prostatectomy. Although some retrospective data suggest an overall survival benefit, we hypothesized that in men with radio-resistant tumors, SRT may indeed promote transformation to a more aggressive cancer due to radiation-induced mutations. To test this, we used PSADT as a surrogate for cancer aggressiveness and compared PSADT before and after SRT in men who failed SRT. Methods: Of 288 men who underwent SRT in the Shared Equal Access Regional Cancer Hospital (SEARCH) database since 1988, we detected 78 with SRT failure defined as PSA ≥ 0.2 ng/mL above the post-SRT nadir. Of these, 44 had PSADT available before and after SRT, which was compared using Wilcoxon’s paired test with men serving as their own controls. We also tested predictors of PSADT change using multivariable logistic regression. Results: There were no differences in PSADT before and after SRT (10.6 vs. 12.2 months; P=0.85). However, in some individual cases large changes were observed. Only seminal vesicle invasion showed a trend towards an association with a shorter post-SRT PSADT relative to the pre-SRT PSADT (P=0.067). Conclusions: Overall, the PSADT after and before SRT were statistically similar suggesting that after SRT failure, PCa does not emerge with more aggressive biologic features. Further studies are needed to identify predictors and the clinical relevance of individual PSADT changes noted in our study. (Note: Authors R. L. Muller and S. J. Freedland received support from DoD Award Number W81XWH-10-1-0155).
Root and Soil Parasitic Nematodes of Deepwater Rice Areas in Bangladesh (1979)

This article 'Root and Soil Parasitic Nematodes of Deepwater Rice Areas in Bangladesh' appeared in the International Rice Research Newsletter series, created by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI). The primary objective of this publication was to expedite communication among scientists concerned with the development of improved technology for rice and for rice based cropping systems. This publication will report what scientists are doing to increase the production of rice in as much as this crop feeds the most densely populated and land scarce nations in the world.
Inhibition of Neointima by Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitor in Porcine Coronary Artery Balloon-Injury Model (2001)

Because hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) stimulates growth of endothelial cells exclusively without replication of vascular smooth muscle cells, we hypothesized that HGF may play a role in cardiovascular disease. In human vascular smooth muscle cells, angiotensin II suppressed local vascular HGF production in a dose-dependent manner. Using a rat balloon-injury carotid artery model, we demonstrated that blockade of angiotensin II inhibited neointimal formation, accompanied by a significant increase in local HGF production. However, the relation of vascular HGF to endothelial function was not clarified. Moreover, it is important to test the hypothesis in animal models that are more similar to human restenosis. Thus, in the present study, we used a porcine coronary artery balloon-injury model to study the role of angiotensin II in regulation of the local HGF system in vivo. Expression of HGF mRNA was significantly decreased in balloon-injured coronary arteries versus intact vessels. An angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor (perindopril) significantly inhibited neointimal formation after balloon injury compared with vehicle (P:<0.05). In addition, vasodilator response of balloon-injured coronary arteries to bradykinin was restored by perindopril treatment, whereas no vasodilator response was observed in balloon-injured vessels treated with vehicle. Vasodilator response of balloon-injured arteries induced by perindopril was completely abolished by N:(w)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester. Of particular interest, vascular HGF mRNA was significantly increased in balloon-injured vessels treated with perindopril as compared with vehicle. Overall, the present study demonstrated that ACE inhibitor significantly inhibited neointimal formation, accompanied by significant improvement of endothelial dysfunction and a significant increase in local vascular HGF mRNA in vivo in a porcine coronary artery balloon-injury model. Given the strong mitogenic activity of HGF on endothelial cells, improvement of endothelial dysfunction by perindopril might be due to increased local HGF expression through enhancement of reendothelialization after balloon injury, in addition to its direct effect, ACE inhibition. Downregulation of the local vascular HGF system may play an important role in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease.
New role for spinal Stargazin in α‐amino‐3‐hydroxy‐5‐methyl‐4‐isoxazolepropionic acid receptor‐mediated pain sensitization after inflammation (2006)

Considerable evidence has demonstrated that alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) receptor blockade has an antinociceptive effect on inflammatory pain. Stargazin (STG) is the first transmembrane protein known to associate with AMPA receptors and regulate their synaptic targeting. However, it is not known whether STG is involved in inflammatory pain processing by regulating AMPA receptor function. In the present study, we investigated the effect of knockdown of spinal STG on AMPA receptor-mediated pain sensitization after inflammation. Antisense technology was employed to knock down STG expression in the spinal cord. We show that STG was expressed and interacted with AMPA receptor subunit GluR2 in the spinal cord. Intrathecally injected STG antisense oligodeoxyribonucleotide (ODN) specifically decreased STG expression in the lumbar spinal cord and dose dependently inhibited formalin-induced inflammatory pain in the second phase. More important was our finding for the first time that this specific STG antisense ODN diminished AMPA (0.1 mug)-enhanced formalin pain and lost its effect if pretreated with AMPA receptor antagonist CNQX. Our results demonstrate a new role for STG in central sensitization of inflammatory pain by interacting with AMPA receptors in the spinal cord.
Les Mines JAG ltée: Permis de levé géophysique: 2011GF004: Levé de résistivité électrique apparente par induction électromagnétique en domaine fréquentiel Promis-10) - secteur du Lac Ango (ZEC Owen). (2011)

Ce rapport présente les résultats d'un levé de résistivité électrique par induction électromagnétique en domaine fréquentiel réalisé dans la partie est de la propriété Témiscouata et plus spécifiquement, dans la partie nord de la ZEC Owen. Le levé de résistivité électrique par induction électromagnétique, effectué au cours du mois de juillet 2011, a permis l'obtention de 1094 mesures réparties sur une distance de 52,3 km, le long de 6 chemins forestiers dans la ZEC Owen. Les données de résistivité électrique apparente ont été mesurées à l'aide du système d'induction électromagnétique Promis-10 de Iris Instruments (France).
Using FlAsH To Probe Conformational Changes in a Large HEAT Repeat Protein (2012)

We have investigated the use of FlAsH, a small fluorogenic molecule that binds to tetracysteine motifs, to probe folding of the 15-HEAT repeat protein PR65A. PR65A is one of a special class of modular non-globular proteins known as tandem repeat proteins, which are composed of small structural motifs that stack to form elongated, one-dimensional architectures. We were able to introduce linear and bipartite tetracysteine motifs at several sites along the α-helical HEAT array of PR65A without disrupting the structure or stability. When the linear tetracysteine motif CCPGCC was used, FlAsH fluorescence reported globally on the folding of the protein. When the tetracysteine motif was displayed in bipartite mode through the engineering of pairs of cysteines on adjacent HEAT repeats, FlAsH fluorescence became a reporter of local conformation and of oligomerisation. Thus, by designing FlAsH-binding sites at different locations along the repeat array one can interrogate specific properties of PR65A, paving the way for structure-function analysis of this protein both in vitro and in the cell.
Kaposiʼs sarcoma-associated herpesvirus/human herpesvirus type 8 encephalitis in HIV-positive and -negative individuals (1997)

Objective: Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV), or human herpesvirus 8, has been implicated as the causative agent of Kaposi's sarcoma. Retrospective studies show that the risk of development of Kaposi's sarcoma is significantly lower in AIDS patients who received ganciclovir or phosphonoformic acid (PFA) therapy. Therefore, in vitro antiviral drug sensitivity of KSHV was studied. Methods: The KSHV genome is a latent episome in lymphoma cells such as the BCBL-1 cell line. Lytic KSHV DNA synthesis is induced by the phorbol ester 12-O-tetradecanoyl phorbol-13-acetate in BCBL-1 cells; this system was used to evaluate the effects of antiviral drugs on KSHV DNA synthesis. Results: Linear (lytic) KSHV DNA synthesis and virus secretion was inhibited in BCBL-1 cell cultures by cidofovir (median inhibitory concentration, 0.05 μM), ganciclovir (5.1 μM) and PFA (97 μM), and by aciclovir (75 μM). Prolonged incubation of BCBL-1 cells with antiviral drugs had no effect on episomal KSHV DNA synthesis. Conclusions: The antiviral drug assay developed shows that KSHV is very sensitive to cidofovir, moderately sensitive to ganciclovir and PFA, and weakly sensitive to aciclovir. Therefore, low doses of cidofovir, or high doses of PFA or ganciclovir could suppress clinical reactivation of KSHV. Antiviral drugs did not inhibit episomal virus DNA synthesis, suggesting that the latent form of viral DNA is replicated by host DNA polymerases. Consequently, no benefit can be expected from antiviral drugs in KSHV-positive B-cell lymphomas or during latency.
<title>Scene cut detection in three-dimensional discrete cosine transform-based video codec</title> (2005)

This paper describes how a scene cut detector could be utilized in a video codec based on the three-dimensional discrete cosine transform (3D DCT). In the 3D DCT based video codec, data is processed with 8x8x8 cubes, hence a set of 8 images need to be available in a memory at a time. A change of video scene may occur between any of those images stored in the memory. Rapid scene change within an 8x8x8 cube produces significant high frequency coefficients into the temporal dimension of the DCT domain. If the important high frequency coefficients are discarded, the information between the scenes is mixed around the scene cut position causing ghost artifacts into the reconstructed video sequence. Therefore, an approach to handle each of the eight possible scene change situations within an 8x8x8 cube is proposed. The proposed method includes the utilization of the 8x8x4 DCT, forced-fill, repeat previous frame, and average to previous frame techniques. By utilizing a scene cut detector into the 3D DCT based video codec, unnecessary quality drops could be avoided without reducing the compression ratio. Notable quality improvements could be achieved for images around a scene cut position.
Distribution of Protein Phosphatase Inhibitor‐1 in Brain and Peripheral Tissues of Various Species: Comparison with DARPP‐32 (1992)

The distribution of inhibitor-1, a cyclic AMP-regulated inhibitor of protein phosphatase-1, was analyzed in various brain regions and peripheral tissues of various species by immunolabeling of sodium dodecyl sulfate-poly-acrylamide gel transfers using specific antibodies. The distribution of inhibitor-1 was directly compared to that of DARPP-32, a structurally related cyclic AMP-regulated inhibitor of protein phosphatase-1. In rat CNS, a single immunoreactive protein of M(r) 30,000, identified as inhibitor-1, was widely distributed. In contrast, DARPP-32 was highly concentrated in the basal ganglia. Inhibitor-1 was detected in brain tissue from frog (M(r) 27,000), turtle (M(r) 29,000/33,000), canary (M(r) 26,000), pigeon (M(r) 28,000), mouse (M(r) 30,500), rabbit (M(r) 26,500), cow (M(r) 27,000), and monkey (M(r) 27,500), but not from goldfish. Inhibitor-1 was detected at various levels in most peripheral tissues of the species studied; however, it was not detectable in certain tissues of particular species (e.g., rat and cow liver). DARPP-32 was detected in brain tissue of all the species tested except frog and goldfish, but was not detectable in most peripheral tissues. Both inhibitor-1 and DARPP-32 were concentrated in the cytosol and synaptosomal cytosol of rat striatum. The developmental expressions of inhibitor-1 and DARPP-32 in rat striatum differed: the level of inhibitor-1 peaked in the first postnatal week and then declined by the third postnatal week, whereas the level of DARPP-32 increased to a peak level by the third postnatal week and remained elevated thereafter.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)