gebhart/patrepeval huggingface dataset:
Studies of the In Vivo Behavior of Human C′3 in Normal Subjects and Patients* (1967)

The metabolic behavior of C'3 labeled with radioactive iodine was investigated in 10 normal subjects and in 20 patients with diseases in which complement is thought to play a pathophysiological role. The mean fractional catabolic rate of C'3 in normal subjects was 2.3 +/- 1.0% of the plasma pool per hr, whereas the fractional catabolic rate of C'3(i), the inactive conversion product of C'3 produced by complement activation, was at least five times as great. Increased catabolic rates were found in some patients with acute glomerulonephritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, idiopathic nephrotic syndrome of childhood, and progressive glomerulonephritis. Depressed synthesis was found in each of four studies of patients with progressive glomerulonephritis and seemed to be the major factor in the lowering of plasma C'3 concentrations regularly observed in patients with this disease. Of three patients with acute glomerulonephritis, synthesis rates of C'3 were markedly depressed in one subject, at the lower limit of normal in another, and entirely normal in the third. Increased extravascular: plasma pool ratios were observed in the studies of C'3(i) metabolism in a normal subject, and of C'3 metabolism in two of three patients with acute glomerulonephritis, in one of four patients with systemic lupus erythematosus, and in one patient with idiopathic nephrotic syndrome. The increased pool ratios are possibly compatible with tissue attachment of part of the injected C'3 or its conversion products. No important abnormalities of metabolism were found in patients with acquired hemolytic anemia, paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria, hereditary angioneurotic edema, or rheumatoid arthritis.By means of antigen-antibody crossed electrophoresis, C'3(i) could be demonstrated in the fresh plasma of three of eight patients who had acute glomerulonephritis. This finding was used as evidence for in vivo complement activation in this disease. Since C'3(i) was demonstrated only in plasma from patients with very low plasma concentrations whose onset of symptoms was very recent, there may be two phases in the metabolism of C'3: early complement activation with resultant increased catabolism and later depressed synthesis, both of which lead to lowered serum concentrations.
Comparison of three methods for optical characterization of point-focus concentrators (1995)

Three different methods for characterizing point-focus solar concentrator optical performance have been developed for specific applications. These methods include a laser ray trace technique called the Scanning Hartmann Optical Test, a video imaging process called the 2f Test, and on-sun testing in conjunction with optical computer modeling. Three concentrator test articles, each of a different design, were characterized using at least two of the methods and, in one case, all three. The results of these test are compared. Excellent agreement was observed in the results, suggesting that the techniques provide consistent and accurate characterizations of solar concentrator optics.
Biotin‐Functionalized Cellulose‐Based Monolayers as Sensitive Interfaces for the Detection of Single Molecules (2006)

There's plenty of room on the microplate. We can immobilize and detect molecular recognition events over a broad concentration range by using laser-induced confocal single-molecule spectroscopy. For this purpose, we coated a glass-bottom microplate with a newly synthesized biotin–cellulose composite by dipping (Langmuir–Blodgett technique). Subsequent immobilization with streptavidin created a sensitive surface for capturing biotinylated targets.
Elucidating the Structure of Cyclotides by Partial Acid Hydrolysis and LC−MS/MS Analysis (2009)

We describe here a rapid method to determine the cyclic structure and disulfide linkages of highly stable cyclotides via a combination of flash partial acid hydrolysis, LC-MS/MS, and computational tools. Briefly, a mixture of closely related cyclotides, kalata B1 and varv A purified from Viola yedoensis was partially hydrolyzed in 2 M HCl for 5 min by microwave-assisted hydrolysis or for 30 min in an autoclave oven (121 degrees C and 15 psi). The partially hydrolyzed peptide mixture was then subjected to LC-MS/MS analysis, with the disulfide linked-peptides fragmented by collision activated dissociation (CAD). A computer program written in-house (available for download at http://proteomics.sbs.ntu.edu.sg/cyclotide_SS ) was used for interpreting LC-MS/MS spectra and assigning the disulfide bonds. Time-point analysis of single-disulfide fragments revealed that nonrandom acid catalyzed fragmentation mostly occurred at the turns which are solvent-exposed and often contain side chain functionalized amino acids such as Asx/Glx and Ser/Thr. In particular, the most susceptible bond for acid hydrolysis in kalata B1 and varv A was found to be the highly conserved N25-G26 which is also the head-to-tail ligation site of the linear precursor proteins, indicating that formation of the three disulfide bonds might precede cyclic structure closure by N25-G26 ligation. This observation is consistent with the recent report that the N25-G26 bond formation is the last step in the cyclotide biosynthetic pathway. The process demonstrated here can potentially be a high throughput method that is generally applicable to determine disulfide bonds of other relatively low-abundance cyclotides.
Piezoelectric Micromachined Acoustic Transducer with Electrically-Tunable Resonant Frequency (2019)

International audience
Surface chemistry and mechanical property changes of wood‐flour/high‐density‐polyethylene composites after accelerated weathering (2004)

Abstract Although wood–plastic composites have become more accepted and used in recent years and are promoted as low‐maintenance, high‐durability building products, they do experience a color change and a loss in mechanical properties with accelerated weathering. In this study, we attempted to characterize the modulus‐of‐elasticity (MOE) loss of photostabilized high‐density polyethylene (HDPE) and composites of wood flour and high‐density polyethylene (WF/HDPE) with accelerated weathering. We then examined how weathering changed the surface chemistry of the composites and looked at whether or not the surface changes were related to the MOE loss. By examining surface chemistry changes, we hoped to begin to understand what caused the weathering changes. The materials were left unstabilized or were stabilized with either an ultraviolet absorber or pigment. After 1000 and 2000 h of accelerated weathering, the samples were tested for MOE loss. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy was employed to monitor carbonyl and vinyl group formation at the surface. Changes in the HDPE crystallinity were also determined with FTIR techniques. It was determined that structural changes in the samples (carbonyl group formation, terminal vinyl group formation, and crystallinity changes) could not be reliably used to predict changes in MOE with a simple linear relationship. This indicated that the effects of crosslinking, chain scission, and crystallinity changes due to ultraviolet exposure and interfacial degradation due to moisture exposure were interrelated factors for the weathering of HDPE and WF/HDPE composites. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 94: 2263–2273, 2004
Binding to Large Enzyme Pockets: Small‐Molecule Inhibitors of Trypanothione Reductase (2014)

The causative agents of the parasitic disease human African trypanosomiasis belong to the family of trypanosomatids. These parasitic protozoa exhibit a unique thiol redox metabolism that is based on the flavoenzyme trypanothione reductase (TR). TR was identified as a potential drug target and features a large active site that allows a multitude of possible ligand orientations, which renders rational structure-based inhibitor design highly challenging. Herein we describe the synthesis, binding properties, and kinetic analysis of a new series of small-molecule inhibitors of TR. The conjunction of biological activities, mutation studies, and virtual ligand docking simulations led to the prediction of a binding mode that was confirmed by crystal structure analysis. The crystal structures revealed that the ligands bind to the hydrophobic wall of the so-called "mepacrine binding site". The binding conformation and potency of the inhibitors varied for TR from Trypanosoma brucei and T. cruzi.
Técnicas de reconocimiento del habla: entre la precisión y la velocidad (2001)

La tesis Reconocimiento del habla en grandes vocabularios y en tiempo real de Monika Woszczyna esta disponible en ingles en http://www.is.cs.cmu.edu/~monika/thesis/html/Thesis_E.html A medida que los sistemas de reconocimiento de voz avanzan, los desarrolladores se enfrentan al dilema de optar entre incrementar la velocidad o la precision. La autora ha experimentado con nuevos algoritmos, orientados a conseguir que ambas caracteristicas dejen de ser opuestas y excluyentes. A continuacion, reproducimos algunos extractos de su tesis que repasan las principales tecnicas de reconocimiento de voz y algunas soluciones para mejorar su funcionamiento. As voice recognition systems improve, developers are facing the dilemma of having to choose between increasing speed or precision. The author has experimented with new algorithms, with the aim of finding a way so these two features are no longer opposed and mutually exclusive. The article includes various excerpts from the author’s doctoral thesis summarizing major voice recognition techniques and provides some solutions aimed at improving the final output.
Development of a Venus flytrap-inspired robotic flytrap (2012)

Nature provides the best models for robots. Inspired by the stick insect, the jellyfish, the butterfly, the lobster, and the inchworm, several kinds of biomimetic locomotions have been proposed, analyzed and investigated in our past researches. Besides the insects and underwater animals, some carnivorous plants which are capable of rapid movement, such as mimosa, the Venus flytrap, the telegraph plant, sundews and bladderworts, are of great interest for the biomimetic robot design. Carnivorous plants, such as Venus flytrap, can be turned on in a controlled manner to capture prey by using their trigger hairs as detecting sensors. In order to implement a Venus flytrap-inspired robotic flytrap, we designed this biomimetic locomotion by using two ionic polymer metal composite (IPMC) actuators. First, we proposed a conceptual structure of the robotic flytrap which consisted of two IPMC lobes and one proximity sensor, and designed the control circuit for the robotic flytrap. Then, we evaluated the deformation and generated bending force of the IPMC actuator by using different applied signal voltages. In addition, we developed a prototype robotic flytrap and utilized a proximity sensor to imitate the trigger hairs of the actual Venus flytrap. The trapping experiment was carried out to verify its feasibility. To evaluate its grasping ability, we measured the maximal grasping payloads with different applied voltages. At last, to reduce the gaps between two IPMC lobes, we improved the robotic flytrap by using three lobes. The experimental results showed a good performance.
Cathode Degradation in Thallium Bromide Devices (2015)

Thallium bromide (TlBr) is a wide bandgap, compound semiconductor with high gamma-ray stopping power and promising physical properties. However, performance degradation and the eventual irreversible failure of TlBr devices can occur rapidly at room temperature, due to “polarization”, caused by the electromigration of Tl <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">+</sup> and Br <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">-</sup> ions to the electrical contacts across the device. Using the Accelerated Device Degradation (ADD) experiment, the degradation phenomena in TlBr devices have been visualized and recorded. This paper focuses on “ageing” of the device cathode at various temperatures. ADD is a fast and reliable direct characterization technique that can be used to identify the effects of various growth and post-growth process modifications on device degradation. Using this technique we have identified cathode degradation with the migration of Br <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">-</sup> ions and an associated generation and growth of Thallium-rich fractal “ferns” from the cathode. Its effect on the radiation response of the device has also been discussed in this paper. The chemical changes in the cathode were characterized using Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy.
Factors Relating to Dental Stain Formation in the Rat (1985)

A series of studies was conducted to investigate the use of the rat as an in vivo model for studies of dental stain and to identify dietary factors which influence stain formation in this model. It was determined that appreciable amounts of stain formed on the molar teeth of rats provided a synthetic diet containing lactalbumin, and the amount of stain increased throughout a four-week test period. Stain formation was also observed when rats were provided their diet by gastric intubation. Topical applications of chlorhexidine generally resulted in an increase in stain formation, as did the presence of tea in the drinking water. These studies support the use of the rat for investigations of dental stain.
Identification of a neuronal nitric oxide synthase in isolated cardiac mitochondria using electrochemical detection (2001)

Mitochondrial nitric oxide synthase (mtNOS), its cellular NOS isoform, and the effects of mitochondrially produced NO on bioenergetics have been controversial since mtNOS was first proposed in 1995. Here we functionally demonstrate the presence of a NOS in cardiac mitochondria. This was accomplished by direct porphyrinic microsensor measurement of Ca(2+)-dependent NO production in individual mitochondria isolated from wild-type mouse hearts. This NO production could be inhibited by NOS antagonists or protonophore collapse of the mitochondrial membrane potential. The similarity of mtNOS to the neuronal isoform was deduced by the absence of NO production in the mitochondria of knockout mice for the neuronal, but not the endothelial or inducible, isoforms. The effects of mitochondrially produced NO on bioenergetics were studied in intact cardiomyocytes isolated from dystrophin-deficient (mdx) mice. mdx cardiomyocytes are also deficient in cellular endothelial NOS, but overexpress mtNOS, which allowed us to study the mitochondrial enzyme in intact cells free of its cytosolic counterpart. In these cardiomyocytes, which produce NO beat-to-beat, inhibition of mtNOS increased myocyte shortening by approximately one-fourth. Beat-to-beat NO production and altered shortening by NOS inhibition were not observed in wild-type cells. A plausible mechanism for the reversible NO inhibition of contractility in these cells involves the reaction of NO with cytochrome c oxidase. This suggests a modulatory role for NO in oxidative phosphorylation and, in turn, myocardial contractility.
Abstract 14210: Comparison of Two Recent Ceramide-based Coronary Risk Prediction Scores: CERT and CERT-2 (2020)

Introduction: The Coronary Event Risk Test (CERT) is a validated cardiovascular risk predictor that uses circulating ceramide concentrations to allocate patients into one of four risk categories. This test has recently been updated (CERT-2), now additionally including phosphatidylcholine concentrations. Hypothesis: We hypothesize that CERT and CERT-2 have the power to predict cardiovascular mortality in patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD). Methods: We investigated a patient cohort of 999 patients with established CVD. Results: Overall, comparing survival curves (figure) for over 12 years of follow up and the predictive power of survival models using net reclassification improvement (NRI), CERT-2 was the best predictor of cardiovascular mortality, surpassing CERT (NRI=0.456; p=0.01) and also the 2019 ESC-SCORE (NRI=0.163; p=0.04). Patients in the highest risk category of CERT as compared to the lowest category had a HR of 3.63 [2.09-6.30] for cardiovascular death; for CERT-2 the corresponding HR was 6.02 [2.47-14.64]. Among patients with T2DM (n=322), the HR for cardiovascular death was 3.00 [1.44-6.23] using CERT and 7.06 [1.64-30.50] using CERT-2; the corresponding HRs among non-diabetic subjects were 2.99 [1.20-7.46] and 3.43 [1.03-11.43], respectively. Conclusions: We conclude that both, CERT and CERT-2 scores are powerful predictors of cardiovascular mortality in CVD patients, especially in those patients with T2D, performance is even higher with CERT-2.
In-plane Rotational Contact of Beams in 3D Space (2016)

Contact between beam elements is a specific category of contact problems which was introduced by Wriggers and Zavarise in 1997 for normal contact and later extended by Zavarise and Wriggers to include tangential and frictional contact. In these works, beam elements are assumed to have rigid circular cross-sections and each pair of elements cannot have more than one contact point. The method proposed in the early papers is based on introducing a gap function and calculating the incremental change of that gap function and its variation in terms of incremental change of the nodal displacement vector and its variation. Due to complexity of derivations, specially for tangential contact, it is assumed that beam elements have linear shape functions. Furthermore, moments at the contact point are ignored. In the work presented in this licentiate thesis, we mostly adress the questions of simplicity and robustness of implementations, which become critical once the number of contact is large.In the first paper, we have proposed a robust formulation for normal and tangential contact of beams in 3D space to be used with a penalty stiffness method. This formulation is based on the assumption that contact normal, tangents, and location are constant (independent of displacements) in each iteration, while they are updated between iterations. On the other hand, we have no restrictions on the shape functions of the underlying beam elements. This leads to a mathematically simpler derivation and equations, as the linearization of the variation of the gap function vanishes. The results from this formulation are verified and benchmarked through comparison with the results from the previous algorithms. The proposed method shows better convergence rates allowing for selecting larger loadsteps or broader ranges for penalty stiffness. The performance and robustness of the formulation is demonstrated through numerical examples.In the second paper, we have suggested two alternative methods to handle in-plane rotational contact between beam elements. The first method follows the method of linearizing the variation of gap function, originally proposed by Wriggers and Zavarise. To be able to do the calculations, we have assumed a linear shape function for the underlying beam elements. This method can be used with both penalty stiffness and Lagrange multiplier methods. In the second method, we have followed the same method that we used in our first paper, that is, using the assumption that the contact normal is independent of nodal displacements at each iteration, while it is updated between iterations. This method yields simpler equations and it has no limitations on the shape functions to be used for the beam elements, however, it is limited to penalty stiffness methods. Both methods show comparable convergence rates, performance and stability which is demonstrated through numerical examples.
Dynamic evolution of a hydroxylated layer in ruthenium phosphide electrocatalysts for an alkaline hydrogen evolution reaction (2020)

Highly electroactive ruthenium phosphide nanofiber catalysts with different Ru/P ratios demonstrate near zero overpotentials for alkaline hydrogen evolution reaction.
Stability of Negatively Charged Platelets in Calcium-Rich Anionic Copolymer Solutions (2014)

Controlling the stability of anisotropic particles is key to the development of advanced materials. Here, we report an investigation, by means of mesoscale molecular dynamics simulations, of the stability and structural change of calcium-rich dispersions containing negatively charged nanoplatelets, neutralized by calcium counterions, in the presence of either comb copolymers composed of anionic backbones with attached neutral side chains or anionic-neutral linear block copolymers. In agreement with experimental observations, small stacks of platelets (tactoids) are formed, which are greatly stabilized in the presence of copolymers. In the absence of polymers, tactoids will grow and aggregate strongly due to large attractive Ca(2+)-Ca(2+) correlation forces. Unlike comb copolymers which only adsorb on the external surfaces, block copolymers are found to intercalate between the platelets. The present results show that the stabilization is the result of a free energy barrier induced by the excluded volume of hydrophilic chains, while the intercalation is due to bridging forces. More generally, the results shed new light on the recent finding of the first hybrid cementitious mesocrystal.
[Study on the molecular epidemiology characteristics of Pseudomonas cocovenenans subsp. farinofermentans isolated from China with rDNA fingerprinting]. (1998)

After the chromosomal DNA digestion by Bgl II and EcoRV, rDNA fingerprinting for Pseudomonas cocovenenans subsp. farinofermentans was made using biotin-labeled 16S + 23S rDNA as a probe. Fifty one strains of P. cocovenenans subsp. farinofermentans isolated from some areas of China were divided into 20 ribotyes, 52.9 percent of which were RT6, 9 and 2. In most cases, there were 2 or more ribotypes in each province or city. Though same ribotypes were isolated from different provinces, each ribotype existed in part of an area. The ribotype of RT6 was detected in samples from 4 incidents of food poisoning in Guizhou, Jiangsu and Hebei provinces, which indicated that these incidents may be caused by the same clone. With discrimination and cluster analysis of ribotypes, the rDNA fingerprinting may effectively contribute to analyzing the homogeneity of different strains, tracing the transmission route, and exploring the evolution and epidemiological characteristics of P. cocovenenans subsp. farinofermentans.
Engineering a microcirculation for perfusion control of ex vivo–assembled organ systems: Challenges and opportunities (2018)

Donor organ shortage remains a clear problem for many end-stage organ patients around the world. The number of available donor organs pales in comparison with the number of patients in need of these organs. The field of tissue engineering proposes a plausible solution. Using stem cells, a patient's autologous cells, or allografted cells to seed-engineered scaffolds, tissue-engineered constructs can effectively supplement the donor pool and bypass other problems that arise when using donor organs, such as who receives the organ first and whether donor organ rejection may occur. However, current research methods and technologies have been unable to successfully engineer and vascularize large volume tissue constructs. This review examines the current perfusion methods for ex vivo organ systems, defines the different types of vascularization in organs, explores various strategies to vascularize ex vivo organ systems, and discusses challenges and opportunities for the field of tissue engineering.