gebhart/patrepeval huggingface dataset:
Effect of MtTW15 Mammosomatotropic Tumors on Pancreatic Islet Hormones (1983)

The effects of hypersecretion of growth hormone and prolactin on islet endocrine cells have been studied by radioimmunoassays, immunocytochemistry, and morphometry in randomized samples of pancreata from MtTW15 mammosomatotropic tumor-bearing and control rats. The randomized sampling procedure, validated by immunoassays, allowed evaluation of both hormone content (immunoassay) and endocrine cell population (immunocytochemistry) on samples derived from the same origin. Hyperinsulinemia (2x) and non-fasting hypoglycemia in 10-wk-tumor rats were normalized 3 wk after tumor removal. Pancreatic weight was doubled, but proportional to body weight increases. Islet/pancreas ratio was constant (1.29 +/- 0.05%) and the same in tumor, tumor-removed, and control animals, but average islet dimensions were increased by 30% and average area doubled in tumor animals. Frequency analysis showed fewer small (less than 70 micrometers) and more large (greater than 140 micrometers) islets in tumor animals, but no change in average islet shape shown by average axis ratios of 1.4 in all groups. Pancreatic content of insulin and glucagon was doubled, while that of somatostatin was constant. These changes were not completely reversed in tumor-removed animals. Similarly, a significant doubling in islet-derived mass was mainly due to a doubling of the B-cell mass as the average proportion of endocrine cells per islet shifted from 66%, 26%, and 18% to 81%, 18%, and 3% for B-, A-, and D-cells of control and tumor-bearing rats, respectively. Immunocytochemically detectable insulin was found in duct cells of tumor animals, but not controls. Whether such cells represent a functional reserve remains to be determined.
ChemInform Abstract: Imidoyl Dichlorides as New Reagents for the Rapid Formation of 2‐Aminobenzimidazoles and Related Azoles. (2016)

Abstract Arylenediamines (I) and (IV) as well as vicinally difunctionalized arenes undergo efficient reaction with imidoyl dichlorides (II) and (XI) to yield benzimidazoles and a variety of related heterocycles.
Indocyanine Green Laser Angiography Improves Deep Inferior Epigastric Perforator Flap Outcomes following Abdominal Suction Lipectomy (2015)

Indocyanine green angiography is an excellent vascular imaging modality for intraoperative use to assess flap perfusion, and improves outcomes in DIEP flaps when harvested after prior abdominal suction lipectomy.
Construction of SARS-CoV-2 virus-like particles in plant (2022)

The pandemic of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has caused a public health emergency, and research on the development of various types of vaccines is rapidly progressing at an unprecedented development speed internationally. Some vaccines have already been approved for emergency use and are being supplied to people around the world, but there are still many ongoing efforts to create new vaccines. Virus-like particles (VLPs) enable the construction of promising platforms in the field of vaccine development. Here, we demonstrate that non-infectious SARS-CoV-2 VLPs can be successfully assembled by co-expressing three important viral proteins membrane (M), envelop (E) and nucleocapsid (N) in plants. Plant-derived VLPs were purified by sedimentation through a sucrose cushion. The shape and size of plant-derived VLPs are similar to native SARS-CoV-2 VLPs without spike. Although the assembled VLPs do not have S protein spikes, they could be developed as formulations that can improve the immunogenicity of vaccines including S antigens, and further could be used as platforms that can carry S antigens of concern for various mutations.
Monolithically Integrated InP-on-Si Microdisk Lasers with Room-Temperature Operation (2019)

We present the first monolithic integration of InP microdisk room-temperature lasers on silicon by template-assisted-selective-epitaxy and compare their performance with previously demonstrated GaAs microdisk lasers. InP allows for future integration of QWs for the NIR.
Characterization of via holes on printed circuit boards (2005)

When high speed digital signals propagate on printed circuit boards (PCBs), all the on board discontinuities are a concern for the electronic designers. Among them, the via holes, allowing the signals to jump from an external PCB layer to an internal one, are of paramount importance. The paper compares the transmission performances of three different kind of single ended and differential vias (through, blind and buried), providing the better solution for propagating high speed digital signals on a multi-layer PCB.
Unique Line Defect Discovered in BaSnO3 Thin Film (2018)

Research of epitaxially grown thin films at the atomic scale has been performed in a daily routine, and defects with dimensions ranging from 0-D [1] to 3-D [2] have been widely explored. In particular, a recent discovery of a new line defect in NdTiO3 hinted at the presence of more unique line defects in perovskite materials Here, we report a newly-discovered line defect in perovskite BaSnO3 thin films. The line defect is formed along the film growth direction and shows a unique atomic configuration, compositionally and structurally different from the host BaSnO3 perovskite crystal.
Flexible optical transmission: M-QAM, hybrid formats, and probabilistic shaping (2018)

With the advent of the coherent age the implementation of massive digital signal processors (DSP) co-integrated with high speed AD and DA converters became feasible allowing for the realization of huge flexibility of transponders. Today the implementation of variable transponders is mainly based on variable programming of DSP to support different modulation formats and symbol rates. Modulation formats with high flexibility are required such as pragmatic QAM formats and hybrid modulation formats. Furthermore, we report on an implementable probabilistically shaping technique allowing for adjusting the bitrate. We introduce fundamental characteristics of all modes and describe basic operation principles. The modifications of the operational modes are enabled simply by switching between different formats and symbol rates in the DSP to adjust the transponders spectral efficiency, the bitrate and the maximum transmission distance. A fine granularity in bitrate and in maximum transmission distance can be implemented especially by hybrid formats and by probabilistically shaped formats. Furthermore, latter allow for ~+25% increase of the maximum transmission distance due their operation close to the Shannon limit as a consequence of their 2D Gaussian like signal nature. If the flexibility and programmability of transponders is implemented, it can be utilized to support different strategies for the application. The variability in symbol rate is mainly translated into variability in bitrate and in bandwidth consumption. Contrary the variable spectral efficiency translates into a variation of the maximum transmission reach and of the bitrate. A co-adjustment of both options will lead to a superior flexibility of optical transponders to address all requirements from application, transponder and fiber infrastructure perspective.
Liquid-cooled 24 W mid-infrared Er:ZBLAN fiber laser (2009)

A 24 W liquid-cooled CW 3 microm fiber laser with a multimode-core Er-doped ZBLAN fiber has been developed. The output power of 24 W and an optical-to-optical efficiency of 14.5% (with respect to incident pump power) were obtained with 975 nm diode pumping. Efficient cooling was implemented by a combination of fluid cooling over the entire length of the fiber and conductive cooling at both end faces of the fiber. Consequently, stable high-power operation was demonstrated. To our knowledge, this is the highest output power obtained by a 3 microm fiber laser. Furthermore, the high power can be further scaled up, since the output power in the present work is limited only by the available pump power.
P01.07: Comparison of the volume perfusion index with current 3D power Doppler indexes, an in‐vitro study (2012)

To compare the accuracy and repeatability of the volume perfusion index (VPI), -a mathematical model for calculation of flow developed by our team-, with the current available indexes for three-dimensional power Doppler quantification (VI,FI and VFI) in an experimental in-vitro study. A phantom of flow was designed by using a mechanical pump generating a pulsatile flow with known values and by using elastic artificial vessels and blood mimicking fluid. A set of three and four-dimensional power Doppler volumes was obtained at different flow settings. Three dimensional volumes were quantified by using the VOCAL software included in the machine's software. Four-dimensional flow measurement was evaluated by using a previously validated algorithm. Repeatability was evaluated through the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC)for single unpaired tests and the Bland-Altmann (B-A) plot. Accuracy was tested by comparing the actual values against the obtained indexes with a polynomial regression model. Phantom design was successful in generating a pulsatile-like flow and volumes could be taken in 92% of cases. ICC (95% CI) was 0.34 (0.23–0.51) for VI; 0.41 (0.3–0.51) for FI and 0.56 (0.43–0.69) for VFI. For VPI, it was 0.69 (0.48–0.79). B-A plot showed an inter-observer variability (%) (95% CI) of 48 (23–76) for VI; 62 (33–68) for FI; 29 (21–48) for VFI and 22 (15–29) for VPI. r-value (95% CI) was 0.45 (0.33–0.49) for VI; 0.53 (0.38–0.6) for FI; 0.62 (0.51–0.79) and 0.83 (0.65–0.9) for VPI (P < 0.01). Volume Perfusion Index exhibits a more robust internal validity than the traditional three-dimensional power Doppler indexes and might reflect more accurately actual changes in flow.
Workspace Optimization of a Very Large Cable-Driven Parallel Mechanism for a Radiotelescope Application (2007)

The 6-DOF cable-driven mechanism under study in this paper is a feed positioning device for the Large Adaptive Reflector (LAR). The LAR is a concept of a very large orientable radio antenna. The study aims at optimizing the geometry of the cable mechanism to maximize the portion of the desired workspace in which the mechanism can remain in static equilibrium under the predicted external forces and torques. A general test to rapidly compute if the set of external forces and torques can be balanced is developed. This test is applicable to mechanisms with an arbitrary number (minimum six) of cables. Architectures with six to nine cables are optimized and compared. The conclusion of this study is that the prescribed task is unlikely to be achievable by this type of mechanism. Some design guidelines to improve the performance of a large cable-driven mechanism kept under tension by an aerostat are also provided.
GENERIC SUBSTITUTES ARE NEITHER AS SAFE NOR EFFECTIVE AS BRANDED MEDICATIONS: EXPERIENCE IN MEN TREATED FOR LOWER URINARY TRACT SYMPTOMS (LUTS) (2009)

Approximately 10–20% of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) cases are diagnosed after 60 years of age. Due to the high prevalence of conditions mimicking IBD at older age – including bowel disease associated with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, diverticulitis, and microscopic colitis – differential diagnosis of IBD among older adults is frequently delayed.Late-onset IBD is characterized by a predominance of colonic disease and an overall milder disease course; disease progression and new intestinal manifestations are rare. However, older patients are less able to tolerate inflammation and their risk of mortality from severe disease is increased.Management of late-onset IBD has been insufficiently studied since older adults are underrepresented in clinical trials and specific problems of older patients such as incontinence have not been addressed. To date, treatment generally follows the same principles as in the younger. However, older patients are at higher risk of severe adverse effects of the disease and its treatments, including bone and muscle loss, infections and lymphoma. Therefore, the safety profile of a given drug is of paramount importance in older patients with IBD. Colectomy with ileo-anal pouch anastomosis for refractory ulcerative colitis can be performed safely, although functional results may be inferior to those in middle-aged patients. To decrease mortality among older patients, a timely surgical intervention is important.Patients with late-onset IBD frequently develop colorectal carcinoma within 8 years of diagnosis; therefore, colorectal cancer screening immediately after diagnosis should be considered. Further, the clinical care of older patients with IBD needs to extend to overall health, including nutrition, vaccination, bone, muscle and mental health.
Microbial gene transfer: an ecological perspective. (1999)

Microbial gene transfer or microbial sex is a means of exchanging loci amongst prokaryotes and certain eukaryotes. Historically viewed as a laboratory artifact, recent evidence from natural populations as well as genome research has indicated that this process may be a major driving force in microbial evolution. Studies with natural populations have taken two approaches- either adding a defined donor with a traceable gene to an indigenous community, and detecting the target gene in the indigenous bacteria, or by adding a model recipient to capture genes being transferred from the ambient microbial flora. However, both approaches usually require some cultivation of the recipient, which may result in a dramatic underestimation of the ambient transfer frequency. Novel methods are just evolving to study in situ gene transfer processes, including the use of green fluorescent protein (GFP)-marked plasmids, which enable detection of transferrants by epifluorescence microscopy. A transduction-like mechanism of transfer from viral-like particles produced by marine bacteria and thermal spring bacteria to Escherichia coil has been documented recently, indicating that broad host range transduction may be occurring in aquatic environments. The sequencing of complete microbial genomes has shown that they are a mosaic of ancestral chromosomal genes interspersed with recently transferred operons that encode peripheral functions. Archaeal genomes indicate that the genes for replication, transcription, and translation are all eukaryotic in complexity, while the genes for intermediary metabolism are purely bacterial. And in eukaryotes, many ancestral eukaryotic genes have been replaced by bacterial genes believed derived from food sources. Collectively these results indicate that microbial sex can result in the dispersal of loci in contemporary microbial populations as well as having shaped the phylogenies of microbes from multiple, very early gene transfer events.
CTNI-26. PHASE 2 STUDY OF DIANHYDROGALACTITOL (VAL-083) IN PATIENTS WITH MGMT-UNMETHYLATED, BEVACIZUMAB-NAÏVE GLIOBLASTOMA IN THE RECURRENT AND ADJUVANT SETTING (2021)

Abstract Current standard-of-care for glioblastoma (GBM) includes surgery followed by concurrent therapy with radiation and temozolomide (TMZ) followed by adjuvant TMZ. Almost all GBM patients experience recurrent/progressive disease despite upfront standard-of-care treatment, with a median survival of 3-9 months after recurrence. Unmethylated promoter for O6-methylguanine-DNA-methyltransferase (MGMT) is a validated biomarker for TMZ-resistance and is correlated with poor patient prognosis. VAL-083 is a bi-functional DNA-targeting agent which rapidly induces interstrand DNA cross-links at N7-guanine inducing double-strand breaks causing cell death and acts independently of MGMT DNA repair. This trial is an open-label two-arm biomarker-driven phase 2 clinical trial in MGMT-unmethylated, bevacizumab-naïve GBM patients with either recurrent (Group 1) or newly diagnosed GBM requiring adjuvant therapy after chemo-irradiation with temozolomide (Group 2). Patients receive VAL-083 IV at 30 or 40 mg/m2/d on days 1, 2, and 3 of a 21-day cycle. The primary objective of this study is to determine the effect of VAL-083 on median overall survival (mOS) in MGMT-unmethylated recurrent GBM patients (Group 1); and progression-free survival (PFS) in newly diagnosed GBM patients requiring adjuvant therapy after chemo-irradiation with temozolomide (Group 2), compared to historical controls in both groups. Tumor response is assessed by MRI every 42 days, using RANO criteria. The initial starting dose in this study was 40 mg/m2/d on days 1, 2, and 3 of a 21-day cycle, which was subsequently reduced to 30 mg/m2/d to improve tolerance due to myelosuppression. As of May 2021, Group 1 (Recurrent GBM) is fully enrolled: 35 evaluable patients have received 40 mg/m2/d and 48 evaluable patients have received 30 mg/m2/d VAL-083. In the adjuvant setting (Group 2), 35 evaluable patients have been enrolled (30 mg/m2/day). Enrollment, safety data and efficacy updates will be presented at the meeting. Clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT02717962.
Fingerprint Liveness Detection Using Convolutional Neural Networks (2016)

With the growing use of biometric authentication systems in the recent years, spoof fingerprint detection has become increasingly important. In this paper, we use convolutional neural networks (CNNs) for fingerprint liveness detection. Our system is evaluated on the data sets used in the liveness detection competition of the years 2009, 2011, and 2013, which comprises almost 50 000 real and fake fingerprints images. We compare four different models: two CNNs pretrained on natural images and fine-tuned with the fingerprint images, CNN with random weights, and a classical local binary pattern approach. We show that pretrained CNNs can yield the state-of-the-art results with no need for architecture or hyperparameter selection. Data set augmentation is used to increase the classifiers performance, not only for deep architectures but also for shallow ones. We also report good accuracy on very small training sets (400 samples) using these large pretrained networks. Our best model achieves an overall rate of 97.1% of correctly classified samples-a relative improvement of 16% in test error when compared with the best previously published results. This model won the first prize in the fingerprint liveness detection competition 2015 with an overall accuracy of 95.5%.
Accurate 3-D Capacitance of Parallel Plates From 2-D Analytical Superposition (2013)

The two conductor strip line is a classic transmission line structure which has been extensively studied and used in endless applications for decades. Unfortunately, the exact determination of the 3-D capacitance of this basic case is analytically intractable. It will be shown that accurate values of the total 3-D capacitance of a parallel plate capacitor with thin plates of any length, width, and separation can be determined from the superposition of the exact 2-D capacitance obtained from an analytic solution using elliptic integrals in a very simple manner. The accuracy is determined for a range of cases through a comparison of the analytic values with those obtained from a 3-D numerical calculation, using a work station with very large memory and processing capability. For most cases, the accuracy of the capacitance obtained by this superposition method falls nearly within the bounds of the numerical accuracy of the 3-D model and the elliptical integral evaluations. This superposition method is far more accurate than expected.
Unmasking the interplay between mTOR and Nox4: novel insights into the mechanism connecting diabetes and cancer (2019)

Cancer was recently annexed to diabetic complications. Furthermore, recent studies suggest that cancer can increase the risk of diabetes. Consequently, diabetes and cancer share many risk factors, but the cellular and molecular pathways correlating diabetes and colon and rectal cancer (CRC) remain far from understood. In this study, we assess the effect of hyperglycemia on cancer cell aggressiveness in human colon epithelial adenocarcinoma cells <i>in vitro</i> and in an experimental animal model of CRC. Our results show that Nox (NADPH oxidase enzyme) 4-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) production is deregulated in both diabetes and CRC. This is paralleled by inactivation of the AMPK and activation of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) C1 signaling pathways, resulting in 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-oxodG) accumulation, induction of DNA damage, and exacerbation of cancer cell aggressiveness, thus contributing to the genomic instability and predisposition to increased tumorigenesis in the diabetic milieu. Pharmacologic activation of AMPK, inhibition of mTORC1, or blockade of Nox4 reduce ROS production, restore the homeostatic signaling of 8-oxoguanine DNA glycosylase/8-oxodG, and lessen the progression of CRC malignancy in a diabetic milieu. Taken together, our results identify the AMPK/mTORC1/Nox4 signaling axis as a molecular switch correlating diabetes and CRC. Modulating this pathway may be a strategic target of therapeutic potential aimed at reversing or slowing the progression of CRC in patients with or without diabetes.-Mroueh, F. M., Noureldein, M., Zeidan, Y. H., Boutary, S., Irani, S. A. M., Eid, S., Haddad, M., Barakat, R., Harb, F., Costantine, J., Kanj, R., Sauleau, E.-A., Ouhtit, A., Azar, S. T., Eid, A. H., Eid, A. A. Unmasking the interplay between mTOR and Nox4: novel insights into the mechanism connecting diabetes and cancer.
First Phantom-Based Quantitative Assessment of Scandium-44 Using a Commercial PET Device (2020)

Scandium (Sc) is a promising candidate for theranostic applications due to the existence of radioisotopes suitable for both imaging and therapy. A “proof-of-concept” study regarding first-in-human use of 44Sc for imaging metastatic neuroendocrine tumours was reported recently, however, quantitative assessment of 44Sc-based PET images was not performed. The aim of this study was to evaluate quantitative capabilities of 44Sc-PET using a commercial PET scanner. The NEMA/IEC body phantom with 44Sc was acquired according to the local protocol used for whole-body oncological [18F]FDG PET examinations. Additionally, we characterised the signal recovery (recovery coefficient - RC) according to the iteration number. For all reconstructions, pertinent image corrections (normalisation, dead time, activity decay, random coincidence and attenuation) were applied. Presently, 44Sc scatter corrections are not optimised and could, thus, result in quantitative bias. To investigate the best option, the data were reconstructed using different available scatter corrections (relative -RelSC- and absolute AbsSC) and an additional prompt-gamma correction (PGC). System cross-calibration with the local dose calibrator (BGcal) and image noise, expressed by the coefficient of variation (COV), were evaluated in the homogeneous background region (5 kBq/mL) of the phantom. Maximum (RCmax) and 50% threshold recovery coefficients, corrected for background (RCA50), were measured for all spherical inserts (25 kBq/mL) of the phantom. Acceptable COV (<15%) was achievable with low iteration numbers (<3). BGcal differences were low: mean BGcal were 77.8% , 81.3% and 86.7%, for RelSC, AbsSC and PGC, respectively. RC values exceeded the present RC range recommended for [18F]FDG procedures. Using the iterations to be evaluated, RCA50 ranged from 29.9% to 59.9% for the smallest lesion (spherical insert of 10 mm diameter) and from 45.5% to 80.3% (13 mm), 66.4% to 75.6% (17 mm), 71.7% to 75.7% (22 mm), 75.1% to 78.6% (28 mm) and 76.7% to 80.9% (37 mm) for the respectively spherical inserts. The results of this study show that clinical 44Sc-PET imaging has the potential to provide signal recovery in lesions of different sizes comparable to current 18F-PET standards. In order to improve the quantitative accuracy of 44Sc PET, optimised corrections are still necessary and will be investigated further in future.