gebhart/patrepeval huggingface dataset:
Electrospun Scaffolds as Cell Culture Substrates for the Cultivation of an In Vitro Blood–Brain Barrier Model Using Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (2022)

The human blood-brain barrier (BBB) represents the interface of microvasculature and the central nervous system, regulating the transport of nutrients and protecting the brain from external threats. To gain a deeper understanding of (patho)physiological processes affecting the BBB, sophisticated models mimicking the in vivo situation are required. Currently, most in vitro models are cultivated on stiff, semipermeable, and non-biodegradable Transwell<sup>®</sup> membrane inserts, not adequately mimicking the complexity of the extracellular environment of the native human BBB. To overcome these disadvantages, we developed three-dimensional electrospun scaffolds resembling the natural structure of the human extracellular matrix. The polymer fibers of the scaffold imitate collagen fibrils of the human basement membrane, exhibiting excellent wettability and biomechanical properties, thus facilitating cell adhesion, proliferation, and migration. Cultivation of human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) on these scaffolds enabled the development of a physiological BBB phenotype monitored via the formation of tight junctions and validated by the paracellular permeability of sodium fluorescein, further accentuating the non-linearity of TEER and barrier permeability. The novel in vitro model of the BBB forms a tight endothelial barrier, offering a platform to study barrier functions in a (patho)physiologically relevant context.
Shrinking of Solid-state Nanopores by Direct Thermal Heating (2011)

Solid-state nanopores have emerged as useful single-molecule sensors for DNA and proteins. A novel and simple technique for solid-state nanopore fabrication is reported here. The process involves direct thermal heating of 100 to 300 nm nanopores, made by focused ion beam (FIB) milling in free-standing membranes. Direct heating results in shrinking of the silicon dioxide nanopores. The free-standing silicon dioxide membrane is softened and adatoms diffuse to a lower surface free energy. The model predicts the dynamics of the shrinking process as validated by experiments. The method described herein, can process many samples at one time. The inbuilt stress in the oxide film is also reduced due to annealing. The surface composition of the pore walls remains the same during the shrinking process. The linear shrinkage rate gives a reproducible way to control the diameter of a pore with nanometer precision.
Are the definitions for chronic diarrhoea adequate? Evaluation of two different definitions in patients with chronic diarrhoea (2015)

Loose stools defined according to the Bristol Stool Form scale seem to be the best predictor of having an organic cause of the diarrhoea.
Classification system for cervical spine deformity morphology: a validation study (2022)

This initial validation of a CD morphological classification system reiterates the importance of dynamic plain radiographs for the evaluation of patients with CD. The overall reliability of this CD morphological classification has been demonstrated. The overall accuracy of the classification system was not impacted by rater experience, demonstrating its simplicity.
Intrahost-diversity of influenza A virus in upper and lower respiratory tract derived samples from a college community (2021)

ABSTRACT Motivation Influenza is a rapidly mutating RNA virus responsible for annual epidemics causing substantial morbidity, mortality, and economic loss. Characterizing influenza virus mutational diversity and evolutionary processes within and between human hosts can provide tools to help track and understand transmission events. In this study we investigated possible differences between the intrahost genomic content of influenza virus in upper respiratory swabs and exhaled aerosols thought to be enriched for virus from the lower respiratory tract. Results We examined the sequences of specimens collected from influenza A virus (IAV) infected college community members from December 2012 through May 2013. We analyzed four types of IAV samples (fine ≤5 µm aerosols (N=38), coarse &gt;5µm aerosols (N=27), nasopharyngeal (N=53), and oropharyngeal swabs (N=47)) collected from 42 study participants with 60 sampling instances. Eighteen (42.9%) participants had data from four sample types (nasopharyngeal swab, oropharyngeal swab, coarse aerosol, fine aerosol) included in the analysis, 10 (23.8%) had data from 3 sample types, 10 (23.8%) had data from 2 sample types, and 4 (9.5%) had data from one type of sample included in the analysis. We found that 481 (53.3%) consensus single nucleotide polymorphisms are shared by all sample types and 600 (66.5%) are shared by at least three different sample types. We observed that within a single patient consensus and non-consensus single nucleotide variants are shared across all sample types. Finally, we inferred a phylogenetic tree using consensus sequences and found that samples derived from a single patient are monophyletic. Conclusions Single nucleotide polymorphisms did not differentiate between samples with varying origin along the respiratory tree. We found that signatures of variation in non-consensus intrahost single nucleotide variants are host and sample, but not site specific. We conclude that the genomic information available does not allow us to discern a transmission route. Future investigation into whether any site-specific mutational signatures emerge over a longer period of infection, for example in immunocompromised hosts, can be interesting from the virus evolution perspective.
MT1JP inhibits glioma progression via negative regulation of miR‑24 (2019)

Long noncoding RNAs have been reported to be dysregulated and have pivotal roles in various human malignancies, including glioma. Previous studies revealed that metallothionein 1J (MT1JP) has important regulatory functions in the development of gastric cancer. However, the biological role and potential mechanism of MT1JP in glioma remain unknown. The present study suggested that MT1JP expression was significantly downregulated in glioma tissues and glioma cell lines, and the decreased expression of MT1JP was associated with glioma progression and poor survival of patients with glioma. Additionally, overexpression of MT1JP significantly inhibited the proliferation and invasion of glioma cells. Furthermore, it was revealed that MT1JP interacted with microRNA-24 (miR-24), which has previously been reported as an oncogene in glioma, negatively regulating its expression level. Rescue experiments revealed that the tumor suppressive functions of MT1JP may be mediated by the negative regulation of miR-24. Collectively, the data suggested that MT1JP inhibited the progression of glioma by negatively regulating miR-24 and may serve as a novel diagnostic biomarker and therapeutic target for glioma.
HIV infection (2004)

Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in HIV patients generally increases the CD4 cell count, but the level of CD4 cell restoration remains very heterogeneous. IL-7 is the main cytokine controlling the size of the T-cell pool. We assessed the hypothesis that pre-HAART IL-7 plasma levels may affect CD4 cell restoration after treatment. A positive correlation was found in a cohort of 18 patients between pre-HAART IL-7 plasma levels and CD4 cell increases after 20 +/- 7.8 months of HAART.
Contrasting Effects of Cyclooxygenase-1 (COX-1) and COX-2 Deficiency on the Host Response to Influenza A Viral Infection (2005)

Influenza is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide despite extensive research and vaccine availability. The cyclooxygenase (COX) pathway is important in modulating immune responses and is also a major target of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and the newer COX-2 inhibitors. The purpose of the present study was to examine the effect of deficiency of COX-1 or COX-2 on the host response to influenza. We used an influenza A viral infection model in wild type (WT), COX-1-/-, and COX-2-/- mice. Infection induced less severe illness in COX-2-/- mice in comparison to WT and COX-1-/- mice as evidenced by body weight and body temperature changes. Mortality was significantly reduced in COX-2-/- mice. COX-1-/- mice had enhanced inflammation and earlier appearance of proinflammatory cytokines in the BAL fluid, whereas the inflammatory and cytokine responses were blunted in COX-2-/- mice. However, lung viral titers were markedly elevated in COX-2-/- mice relative to WT and COX-1-/- mice on day 4 of infection. Levels of PGE2 were reduced in COX-1-/- airways whereas cysteinyl leukotrienes were elevated in COX-2-/- airways following infection. Thus, deficiency of COX-1 and COX-2 leads to contrasting effects in the host response to influenza infection, and these differences are associated with altered production of prostaglandins and leukotrienes following infection. COX-1 deficiency is detrimental whereas COX-2 deficiency is beneficial to the host during influenza viral infection.
New onset delirium prediction using machine learning and long short-term memory (LSTM) in electronic health record (2022)

Leveraging LSTM to capture temporal trends and combining it with the LightGBM model can significantly improve the prediction of new onset delirium, providing an algorithmic basis for the subsequent development of clinical decision support tools for proactive delirium interventions.
Selective Prediction of Financial Trends with Hidden Markov Models (2011)

Focusing on short term trend prediction in a financial context, we consider the problem of selective prediction whereby the predictor can abstain from prediction in order to improve performance. We examine two types of selective mechanisms for HMM predictors. The first is a rejection in the spirit of Chow's well-known ambiguity principle. The second is a specialized mechanism for HMMs that identifies low quality HMM states and abstain from prediction in those states. We call this model selective HMM (sHMM). In both approaches we can trade-off prediction coverage to gain better accuracy in a controlled manner. We compare performance of the ambiguity-based rejection technique with that of the sHMM approach. Our results indicate that both methods are effective, and that the sHMM model is superior.
Compact and efficient mid-IR OPO source pumped by a passively Q-switched Tm:YAP laser (2018)

We describe a compact and efficient mid-infrared (mid-IR) source based on zinc germanium phosphide (ZGP) and cadmium silicon phosphide (CSP) optical parametric oscillators (OPOs), operating in near degenerate condition, directly pumped by a 1.94 μm thulium (Tm)-doped yttrium-aluminum-perovskite (YAP) laser. The Tm:YAP laser is passively Q-switched by a chromium-doped zinc sulfide saturable absorber, and is operated to 4 W average power with a peak power of 29 kW. The laser emission was used to pump CSP and ZGP doubly resonant linear OPO cavities, generating a maximum 3.5-4.2 μm mid-IR emission of 2.5 W for CSP and 2.3 W for ZGP, with maximum optical conversion efficiencies of 65% and 58%, respectively, achieved for the two OPO crystals.
Dead‐Band Effect and Minimum Pulse Width (2011)

This chapter mainly focuses on analysis of the dead band effect and minimum pulse width (MPW), which are the short-timescale factors determined by the topology and characteristics of semiconductors applied to a real system. Technically, they both offer reliable operation of the system, the price being distortion of the electrical waveforms and the macroscopic control algorithms. Whether in a DC-AC inverter or in a DC-DC converter, these influences exhibit some similarities. However, settings of these factors vary with topologies, power rating, semiconductors, applications, and control algorithms. The chapter addresses their influences and propose some solutions based on appropriate topologies and control algorithms. It considers two examples - the phase-shift control in a DC-DC converter and the DC pre-excitation for a DC-AC inverter - to illustrate their influences and proposes relevant solutions to mitigate their side effects. Controlled Vocabulary Terms DC-DC power converters; Direct current-Direct current converters; inverters; semiconductors
Scheduling and resource binding for low power (1995)

Abstract: Decisions taken at the earliest steps of the design process may have a significant impact on the characteristics of the final implementation. This paper illustrates how power consumption issues can be tackled during the scheduling and resource-binding steps of high-level synthesis. Algorithms for these steps targeting at low-power data-paths and trading off, in some cases, speed and area for low power are presented. The algorithms focus on reducing the activity of the functional units (adders, multipliers) by minimizing the transitions of their input operands. The power consumption of the functional units accounts for a large fraction of the overall data-path power budget.
Using Tissue Expanders in Spinal Surgery for Deficient Soft Tissue or Postirradiation Cases (1991)

Prior irradiation and scarring can complicate wound closure following spinal surgery. Implanted tissue expanders were used six times in four patients to aid skin closure. Three patients had prior irradiation for cancer, and one had myelomeningocele. The average interval between placement and removal of the expanders was 46 days. Two late failures occurred because of prominent hardware. These expanders may provide adequate myocutaneous covers following spinal surgery in difficult cases.
Protease-antiprotease imbalance in patients with severe COVID-19 (2021)

International audience
Beneficial effects of air inclusions on the performance of ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) mouthguard material (2002)

The regulated air inclusions improved the impact characteristics of the EVA mouthguard material, the material most commonly used in mouthguards world wide.
Dynamically-balanced folded-beam suspensions (2015)

We present a complete methodology for designing a new folded-beam suspension which responds as a linear spring at the fundamental resonance. This is in sharp contrast to the response of standard folded-beam suspensions. The static response of the standard folded-beam suspension is linear over a wide range of motions. But, surprisingly, the dynamic response of the standard folded-beam suspension is strongly nonlinear for small motion amplitudes that are larger than the width of the flexure beams. We have previously shown experimental evidence of this problem with the standard suspension. In contrast, the stiffness of the new dynamically balanced folded-beam suspension is not affected by motion amplitude. In the present work we show new experimental evidence demonstrating that the new design solves this problem.
Quantitative assessment of hemodynamic and structural characteristics of in vivo brain tissue using total diffuse reflectance spectrum measured in a non-contact fashion (2016)

Here we present a new methodology that investigates the intrinsic structural and hemodynamic characteristics of <i>in vivo</i> brain tissue, in a non-contact fashion, and can be easily incorporated in an intra-operative environment. Within this methodology, relative total diffuse reflectance spectra (R<sub>TD</sub>(λ)) were acquired from targets using a hybrid spectroscopy imaging system. A spectral interpretation algorithm was subsequently applied to R<sub>TD</sub>(λ) to retrieve optical properties related to the compositional and structural characteristics of each target. Estimation errors of the proposed methodology were computationally evaluated using a Monte Carlo simulation model for photon migration under various conditions. It was discovered that this new methodology could handle moderate noise and achieve very high accuracy, but only if the refractive index of the target is known. The accuracy of the technique was also validated using a series of tissue phantom studies, and consistent and accurate estimates of μ<sub>s</sub>'(λ)/μ<sub>a</sub>(λ) were obtained from all the phantoms tested. Finally, a small-scale animal study was conducted to demonstrate the clinical utility of the reported method, wherein a forepaw stimulation model was utilized to induce transient hemodynamic responses in somatosensory cortices. With this approach, significant stimulation-related changes (p < 0.001) in cortical hemodynamic and structural characteristics were successfully measured.
Theoretical study of hydroxyl radical (OH˙) induced decomposition of <i>tert</i>-butyl methyl ether (MTBE) (2020)

We have characterized the various pathways for OH radical (OH˙) induced decomposition of tert-butyl methyl ether (MTBE) and found an oxidative pathway that leads to complete degradation under the prerequisite that OH radicals are present in excess. A simple polarizable continuum model is used to predict the behavior in an aqueous medium and the behavior is unchanged compared to that in the gas phase. The computational study has also revealed some of the fundamental aspects of hydrogen transfer from asymmetric ethers; the ˙OH assisted hydrogen abstraction has a barrier when the reaction takes place at a distance from the heteroatom, that is, at the tert-butyl group, whereas hydrogen abstraction from the methyl group proceeds without a barrier. The addition of ˙OH to (CH3)3COCH2˙ also proceeds without a barrier, and so does hydrogen abstraction from the resulting adduct ((CH3)3COCH2OH) to form (CH3)3COCH(OH)˙. However, a barrier is yet again found in the hydrogen abstraction from the latter to form (CH3)3COCH[double bond, length as m-dash]O and yet again in the formation of the formyl radical (CH3)3COC[double bond, length as m-dash]O˙ by hydrogen abstraction. The latter is the last step before the final stage of complete oxidation of MTBE to form CO2.
Therapeutic Antibodies in Clinical Use and Leading Clinical Candidates (2009)

This chapter contains sections titled: Approved Therapeutic mAbs in Oncology Approved Therapeutic mAbs for the Treatment of Autoimmune and Inflammatory Disorders (AIID) Approved Therapeutic mAbs for Infectious Diseases, Respiratory and Cardiovascular Disorders Therapeutic Antibodies in Clinical Phase III Trials for Oncology Therapeutic Antibodies in Clinical Phase III Trials in AIID, Infectious Diseases, and Other Disorders Market Outlook Acknowledgments References
Pycnogenol® as an Adjunct in the Management of Childhood Asthma (2004)

A randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study involving 60 subjects, aged 6-18 years old, was conducted over a period of 3 months to determine the effect of Pycnogenol (a proprietary mixture of water-soluble bioflavonoids extracted from French maritime pine) on mild-to-moderate asthma. After baseline evaluation, subjects were randomized into two groups to receive either Pycnogenol or placebo. Subjects were instructed to record their peak expiratory flow with an Assess Peak Flow Meter each evening. At the same time, symptoms, daily use of rescue inhalers (albuterol), and any changes in oral medications were also recorded. Urine samples were obtained from the subjects at the end of the run-in period, and at 1-, 2-, and 3-month visits. Urinary leukotriene C4/D4/E4 was measured by an enzyme immunoassay. Compared with subjects taking placebo, the group who took Pycnogenol had significantly more improvement in pulmonary functions and asthma symptoms. The Pycnogenol group was able to reduce or discontinue their use of rescue inhalers more often than the placebo group. There was also a significant reduction of urinary leukotrienes in the Pycnogenol group. The results of this study demonstrate the efficacy of Pycnogenol as an adjunct in the management of mild-to-moderate childhood asthma.
Anti-Candidal Activity and In Vitro Cytotoxicity Assessment of Graphene Nanoplatelets Decorated with Zinc Oxide Nanorods (2018)

<i>Candida albicans</i> is the most common pathogenic fungus that is isolated in nosocomial infections in medically and immune-compromised patients. The ability of <i>C. albicans</i> to convert its form from yeast to hyphal morphology contributes to biofilm development that effectively shelters <i>Candida</i> against the action of antifungals molecules. In the last years, nanocomposites are the most promising solutions against drug-resistant microorganisms. The aim of this study was to investigate the antifungal activity of graphene nanoplateles decorated with zinc oxide nanorods (ZNGs) against the human pathogen <i>Candida albicans</i>. We observed that ZNGs were able to induce a significant mortality in fungal cells, as well as to affect the main virulence factors of this fungus or rather the hyphal development and biofilm formation. Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) formation in yeast cells resulted one of the mechanisms of ZNGs to induce mortality. Finally, the toxicity of this nanomaterial was tested also on human keratinocyte cell line HaCaT. Our data indicated that ZNGs resulted not toxic when their aggregation state decreased by adding glycerol as emulsifier to ZNGs suspensions or when HaCaT cells were grown on ZNGs-coated glasses. Overall, the results that were obtained indicated that ZNGs could be exploited as an antifungal nanomaterial with a high degree of biocompatibility on human cells.
Magnetic Properties and Heat-treatment Conditions of Permanent Magnet Wires Produced by Spinning Method in Rotating Liquid (2013)

This paper presents magnetic properties of permanent magnet wires developed for applications of micro magnetic actuators. Nd-Fe-B and Sm-Co permanent magnets have been contributed to improve efficiency of electrical machines and magnetic actuators and to miniaturize their size and weight. Recently use of Nd-Fe-B based permanent magnets in micro machines is also paid attention to improve moving performance such as increasing torque and reducing energy losses. Our target is producing a 0.2mm diameter wire-shaped permanent magnet directly by using a spinning method in rotating liquid for a medical application. In this paper, the magnetic properties of Nd-Fe-B and Sm-Co based permanent magnet wires developed with different nozzle orifice size (0.1 mm, 0.2 mm and 0.3 mm in diameter) are discussed. The result shows that the coercive force of the wire samples made by using the nozzle whose orifice sizes is 0.1 mm was improved
The Nϵ‐Rule for Serine, but Not Cysteine Catalytic Triads (2022)

Catalytic triads, composed of a serine or cysteine nucleophile, a histidine, and a third triad residue (typically Asp/Glu/Asn), are common in enzyme active sites and catalyze a wide variety of chemical reactions. Two types of triads can be distinguished: We refer to them as Nδ- or Nϵ-configured, depending on whether the histidine imidazole Nδ or Nϵ atom is close to the nucleophile Oγ/Sγ. In this study, we have analyzed triad configuration. In structural triads, the more stable Nδ-configuration predominates. For catalytic triads, the configuration depends on the nucleophile. When it is a cysteine residue, both configuration types occur, depending on the family. However, when the nucleophile is a serine residue, the less stable Nϵ-configuration is almost exclusively found. We posit that the energetically less favored conformation is selected for in serine triads to facilitate the otherwise difficult proton transfer from the nucleophile to the histidine residue.