gebhart/patrepeval huggingface dataset:
Use of Resuscitation promoting factors to screen for tuberculosis infection in household-exposed children in The Gambia (2020)

Abstract Background Interferon-γ release assays (IGRA) with Resuscitation promoting factor (Rpf) proteins enhanced tuberculosis (TB) screening and diagnosis in adults, but have not been evaluated in children. Children often develop paucibacillary TB and their immune response differs from that of adults, which together affect TB disease diagnostics and immunodiagnostics. We assessed the ability of Rpf to identify infection among household TB-exposed children in The Gambia and investigated their ability to discriminate Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) infection from active TB disease in children. Methods Detailed clinical investigations were done on 93 household TB-exposed Gambian children and a tuberculin skin test (TST) was administered to asymptomatic children. Venous blood was collected for overnight stimulation with ESAT-6/CFP-10-fusion protein (EC), purified protein derivative and RpfA, B, C, D and E. Interferon gamma (IFN-γ) production was measured by ELISA in supernatants and corrected for the background level. Infection status was defined by IGRA with EC and TB disease by mycobacterial confirmation and/or clinical diagnosis. We compared IFN-γ levels between infected and uninfected children and between infected and TB diseased children using a binomial logistic regression model while correcting for age and sex. A Receiver Operating Characteristics analysis was done to find the best cut-off for IFN-γ level and calculate sensitivity and specificity. Results Interferon gamma production was significantly higher in infected (IGRA+, n = 45) than in uninfected (IGRA-, n = 20) children after stimulation with RpfA, B, C, and D ( P = 0.03; 0.007; 0.03 and 0.003, respectively). Using RpfB and D-specific IFN-γ cut-offs (33.9 pg/mL and 67.0 pg/mL), infection was classified with a sensitivity-specificity combination of 73%-92% and 77%-72% respectively, which was similar to and better than 65%-75% for TST. Moreover, IFN-γ production was higher in infected than in TB diseased children (n = 28, 5 bacteriologically confirmed, 23 clinically diagnosed), following RpfB and D stimulation ( P = 0.02 and 0.03, respectively). Conclusion RpfB and RpfD show promising results for childhood MTBC infection screening, and both performed similar to and better than the TST in our study population. Additionally, both antigens appear to discriminate between infection and disease in children and thus warrant further investigation as screening and diagnostic antigens for childhood TB.
Cisco's speaker segmentation and recognition system. (2012)

This paper presents Cisco’s speaker segmentation and recognition (SSR) system, which is a part of a commercial product. Cisco SSR uses speaker segmentation and speaker recognition algorithms with a crowd sourcing approach to create speaker metadata. The speaker metadata makes the enterprise videos more accessible and more navigable by itself, and by its combination with other forms of metadata such as keywords. This paper illustrates various functional blocks of SSR and a typical user interface. The paper describes the specific implementations of speaker segmentation and recognition algorithms. The paper also describes the evaluation data and protocols plus results for both speaker segmentation and speaker recognition tasks. Speaker segmentation results show that Cisco SSR performs comparable to the state-of-the-art on RT-03F data. Speaker recognition results show that a small set of user provided labels can be effectively transferred to a continuously expanding set of videos. 1.
Recent Advances in Hybrid Optoelectronics (2012)

Abstract Polymer/organic optoelectronic devices have drawn the attention of both the academic and industrial research communities due to the potential for a low‐cost, large‐area, solution‐processable technology alternative to conventional inorganic optoelectronics. Issues related to the stability and degradation of the organic/polymer‐based optoelectronics are hampering the progress in the field. The use of poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT : PSS) as the anode and reactive metals as the cathode, as well as the degradation of organic semiconductors in ambient atmosphere, are some of the stability issues to be addressed. To resolve these issues, in the past decade, there has been a growing interest in research of hybrid optoelectronic devices which employ metal oxides as air‐stable charge injecting/extracting layers that sandwich the photo‐responsive organic active layer and protect it from the ambient oxygen and moisture and prevent photo‐oxidation by absorbing UV light. Herein, we review the recent advances made in hybrid optoelectronics and discuss the tremendous potential of these devices.
A stochastic wire-length distribution for gigascale integration (GSI). II. Applications to clock frequency, power dissipation, and chip size estimation (1998)

For pt.I see ibid., vol.45, no.3, pp.580-9 (Mar. 1998). Based on Rent's Rule, a well-established empirical relationship, a complete wire-length distribution for on-chip random logic networks is used to enhance a critical path model; to derive a preliminary dynamic power dissipation model; and to describe optimal architectures for multilevel wiring networks that provide maximum interconnect density and minimum chip size.
Organic and nutrient removal during start-up period for domestic sewage treatment by an A/O mixed carrier system (2020)

This study combined biofilm method and A/O process reasonably to form the biological treatment system. This experiment focused on the performance of the system for domestic sewage according to the determination of COD Cr , ammonia nitrogen, total nitrogen, and total phosphorus. The A/O-mixed carrier system had a good removal effect on organic pollutants for simulated domestic sewage. At the start-up period, the average removal rates of COD Cr , ammonia nitrogen and total nitrogen were 92%, 90% and 55%, respectively. But the removal effect of total phosphorus was not ideal.
Mirror-image streptavidin with specific binding to L-biotin, the unnatural enantiomer (2022)

The streptavidin-biotin system is known to have a very high affinity and specificity and is widely used in biochemical immunoassays and diagnostics. However, this method is affected by endogenous D-biotin in serum sample measurements (biotin interference). While several efforts using alternative high-affinity binding systems (e.g., genetically modified streptavidin and biotin derivatives) have been attempted, these efforts have all led to reduction in affinity. To solve this interference issue, the enantiomer of streptavidin was synthesized, which enabled specific binding to L-biotin. We successfully obtained a functional streptavidin molecule by peptide synthesis using D-amino acids and an in vitro folding technique. Several characterizations, including size exclusion chromatography (SEC), circular dichroism spectra (CD), and heat denaturation experiments collectively confirmed the higher-order enantiomer of natural streptavidin had been formed with comparable stability to the natural protein. L-biotin specific binding of this novel molecule enabled us to avoid biotin interference in affinity measurements using the Biacore system and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). We propose the enantiomer of streptavidin as a potential candidate to replace the natural streptavidin-biotin system, even for in vivo use.
356. Engineering of Cell Surface Sialic Acids for Polymeric Gene Delivery (2006)

Uptake of plasmid vectors through the plasma membrane of a cell is a one of the barriers to efficient non-viral gene delivery. To facilitate uptake, we explored the use of ‘oligosaccharide engineering’to install non-native “receptors” in the glycocalyx of mammalian cells for use as “tags” for the targeted delivery of cationic polymer- DNA nanoparticles. In this technique, which exploits the permissivity of the sialic acid biosynthetic pathway for synthetic N-acetylmannosamine (ManNAc) analogs, mammalian cells metabolically process these non-natural monosaccharides to the corresponding sialic acids and display them on the termini of cell surface oligosaccharides. Of relevance to gene delivery, N- thioglycolyl-D-mannosamine peracetate (Ac5ManNTGc) is a novel analog containing a pendant thiol group. Upon surface display as the N-thioglycolyl-neuraminic acid (Neu5TGc) form of sialic acid, the carbohydrate-expressed thiol groups are highly accessible compared to their protein counterparts, thereby facilitating selective chemical reactions with complementary functional groups.1 In this work, we tested the ability of Neu5TGc-displayed thiols to enhance the non-viral gene delivery process by derivatizing the surface of cationic polymer-DNA nanoparticles with maleimide functional groups. Maleimide groups selectively form covalent bonds with thiol groups; consequently the additional surface-exposed thiol groups presented on Ac5ManNTGc-treated cells are expected to efficiently capture the maleimide-decorated DNA-nanoparticles and, in turn, improve the probability of uptake and eventual gene expression. To test this model, human embryoid-body derived cells (hEBD) and human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSC) were cultured in medium containing (10μM) of Ac5ManNTGc for 3 days. The treated hEBD cells and hMSC showed a 15-fold and 2–3 fold increase in cell-surface thiol expression, respectively, compared to controls that were either untreated, or treated with a ManNAc analog that did not contain thiol groups. Ac5ManNTGc- treated cells transfected with maleimide-decorated chitosan-DNA nanoparticles showed an increase in Luciferase expression, as compared to untreated cells. By manipulating the glycosylation pathway to create synthetic sugar moieties on the cell surface, this cell engineering approach provides a model to study the ligand-“receptor” interactions that would have implications on targeted drug and gene delivery. 1. Sampathkumar, S.-G., Li, A.V., Jones, M.B., Sun, Z. & Yarema, K.J. Metabolic installation of thiols into sialic acid modulates adhesion and stem cell biology. Nature Chemical Biology Advance Online Publication, 12 March 2006, doi:10.1038/nchembio1770 (2006).
Implementation of a short‐tip tapping‐mode tuning fork near‐field scanning optical microscope (2003)

We present the implementation of a short-tip tapping-mode tuning fork near-field scanning optical microscope. Tapping frequency dependences of the piezoelectric signal amplitudes for a bare tuning fork fixed on the ceramic plate, a short-tip tapping-mode tuning fork scheme and an ordinary tapping-mode tuning fork configuration with an 80-cm optical fibre attached are demonstrated and compared. Our experimental results show that this new short-tip tapping-mode tuning fork scheme provides a stable and high Q factor at the tapping frequency of the tuning fork and will be very helpful when long optical fibre probes have to be used in an experiment. Both collection and excitation modes of short-tip tapping-mode tuning fork near-field scanning optical microscope are applied to study the near-field optical properties of a single-mode telecommunication optical fibre and a green InGaN/GaN multiquantum well light-emitting diode.
Antifreeze and Rheological Properties of Injectable Triblock Copolymer Hydrogels with Supramolecular Junctions (2021)

ABC triblock copolymers composed of hydrophobic poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL), zwitterionic poly(carboxybetaine methacrylate) midblock, and P(PEGMA-UPy<sub>0.15</sub> ) containing supramolecular ureidopyrimidinone moieties, poly(ε-caprolactone-block-carboxybetaine methacrylate-block-[poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate-co-(α-methacryloyl-ω-(6-(3-(6-methyl-4-oxo-1,4-dihydropyrimidin-2-yl)ureido)hexylcarbamoyloxy)poly(ethylene glycol))]), are investigated to achieve multifunctional antifreeze hydrogels. The PCL and P(PEGMA-UPy<sub>0.15</sub> ) blocks induce the formation of physical network with a hierarchical nanostructure comprising hydrophobic PCL cores and supramolecular junctions, respectively. The super-hydrophilic nature of polyzwitterion midblocks and the confinement effect of the supramolecular junctions enhance the antifreeze performance, where the majority of water molecules remains supercooled below sub-zero temperature. The hydrogel relaxation characterized over a wide range of timescale reveals that the facile dynamics of the supramolecular junctions lead to the self-healing and injectability of the hydrogels. In conjunction with the biodegradable PCL cores, the antifreeze and rheological characteristics of the triblock copolymer hydrogels provide significant potential to use for cryo-preservable and bio-injectable drug storage and delivery.
The Role of Fuel Particle Size on Flame Propagation Velocity in Thermites with a Nanoscale Oxidizer (2014)

Abstract The effect of aluminum size on confined flame propagation velocities in thermite composites was investigated between 108 μm and 80 nm, and in all cases using nanometric copper oxide as the oxidizer. It was found that the velocity exhibited two distinct regimes; between 108 and 3.5 μm the velocity scaled as the particle diameter to the − 0.56 power, and becomes invariant of size below this. One explanation for the invariance is that the pressure‐driven flow reaches some peak velocity, controlled by the pressure gradient, pore size, and fluid viscosity. Another explanation is that the system becomes limited by the internal gas heating rate, defined by the intrinsic kinetic time scale, and which can significantly impact the effective particle heating time. The particle heating time was calculated as a function of particle size, and as a function of gas heating rates ranging from 10 5 K s −1 to infinity. It was found that at any finite gas heating rate, there exists a critical particle diameter below which all sizes take the same amount of time to heat. This is a direct artifact of the characteristic thermal relaxation time scale; if the heating rate is not sufficiently fast, then the particle will rapidly equilibrate with the gas at each time step. The inverse of thermal relaxation time was used to calculate a critical heating rate defining a transition point, and which exhibits a dp 2 scaling. This scaling sets a constraint on the kinetics, which must at least scale with dp 2 to remain in the size‐dependent regime.
Lipid composition of cultured endothelial cells in relation to their growth (1997)

Human endothelial cells in culture were examined in different growth conditions. The human endothelial cell line, EA.hy 926 cell line, was used and cells were studied either in exponential growth phase, at confluence, or growth-arrested by serum deprivation. Phospholipids were separated and analyzed by high-performance thin-layer chromatography, and their fatty acids were quantified by gas-liquid chromatography. No significant differences in the phospholipid distributions were found between exponentially growing and confluent endothelial cells in which phosphatidylcholine (PC) represented the major phospholipid. In comparison, serum-deprived cells exhibited higher proportions of sphingomyelin and lower content of PC. We also found that among the total lipids, cholesterol level for dividing endothelial cells was lower than for cells growth-arrested either by serum deprivation or by contact inhibition at confluence. The global fatty acid distribution was not affected by the growth conditions. Thus, oleate (18:1 n-9 and 18:1 n-7), palmitate (C16:0), and stearate (C18:0) were the main components of endothelial cell membranes. However, the fatty acid distributions obtained from each phospholipid species differed with the growth status. Altogether, the data indicated that subtle modulations of endothelial cell metabolism appear upon cell growth. The resulting membrane-dependent cellular functions such as cholesterol transport and receptor activities can be expected to be relevant for lipid trafficking within the vessel wall in vitro and in vivo.
Proteomic analysis of the aqueous humour in eyes with pseudoexfoliation syndrome (2019)

The concentration of complement factor 3, kininogen-1, antithrombin III and vitamin D-binding protein was increased in all eyes with PEX. Retinol-binding protein 3, glutathione peroxidase, calsyntenin-1 and carboxypeptidase E were decreased in eyes with PEX. Beta-crystalline B1 and CRYBB2 and gamma-crystalline D were up to eightfold upregulated in 4 of 10 in eyes with PEX. CONCLUSION : The results indicate that oxidative stress and inflammation are contributing factors in the formation of PEX. Knowledge about the proteome in PEX is relevant for understanding this condition.
Simultaneous control of spectroscopic and electrochemical properties in functionalised electrochemiluminescent tris(2,2′-bipyridine)ruthenium(ii) complexes (2011)

Using a combination of electrochemical, spectroscopic and computational techniques, we have explored the fundamental properties of a series of ruthenium diimine complexes designed for coupling with other molecules or surfaces for electrochemiluminescence (ECL) sensing applications. With appropriate choice of ligand functionality, it is possible to manipulate emission wavelengths while keeping the redox ability of the complex relatively constant. DFT calculations show that in the case of electron withdrawing substituents such as ester or amide, the excited state is located on the substituted bipyridine ligand whereas in the case of alkyl functionality it is localised on a bipyridine. The factors that dictate annihilation ECL efficiency are interrelated. For example, the same factors that determine ΔG for the annihilation reaction (i.e. the relative energies of the HOMO and LUMO) have a corresponding effect on the energy of the excited state product. As a result, most of the complexes populate the excited state with an efficiency (Φ(ex)) of close to 80% despite the relatively wide range of emission maxima. The quantum yield of emission (Φ(p)) and the possibility of competing side reactions are found to be the main determinants of ECL intensity.
Polymeric Reactor for the Synthesis of Superparamagnetic-Thermal Treatment of Breast Cancer (2019)

Engineered superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) have been studied extensively for their localized homogeneous heat generation in breast cancer therapy. However, challenges such as aggregation and inability to produce sub-10 nm SPIONs limit their potential in magnetothermal ablation. We report a facile, efficient, and robust in situ method for the synthesis of SPIONs within a poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) reactor adsorbed onto reduced graphene oxide nanosheets (rGO) via the microwave hydrothermal route. This promising modality yields crystalline, stable, biocompatible, and superparamagnetic PEGylated SPION-rGO nanocomposites (NCs) with uniform dispersibility. Our findings show that rGO acts as a breeding ground for the spatially distributed nanosites around which the ferrihydrite seeds accumulate to ultimately transform into immobilized SPIONs. PEG, in parallel, acts as a critical confining agent physically trapping the accumulated seeds to prevent their aggregation and create multiple domains on rGO for the synthesis of quantum-sized SPIONs (9 ± 1 nm in diameter). This dual functionality (rGO and PEG) exhibits a pronounced effect on reducing both the aggregation and the sizes of fabricated SPIONs as confirmed by the scanning transmission electron microscopy images, dynamic light scattering analyses, and the specific absorption rates (SARs). Reduced aggregation lowered the toxicity of NCs, where PEGylated SPION-rGO NCs are more biocompatible than PEGylated SPIONs, showing no significant induction of cell apoptosis, mitochondrial membrane injury, or oxidative stress. Significantly less lactate dehydrogenase release and hence less necrosis are observed after 48 h exposure to high doses of PEGylated SPION-rGO NCs compared with PEGylated SPIONs. NCs induce local heat generation with a SAR value of 1760 ± 97 W/g, reaching up to 43 ± 0.3 °C and causing significant MCF-7 breast tumor cell ablation of about 78 ± 10% upon applying an external magnetic field. Collectively, rGO and PEG functionalities have a synergistic effect on improving the synthesis, stability, biocompatibility, and magnetothermal properties of SPIONs.
Fiber Bragg Grating Inscription With Ultraviolet Radiation and Two Beam Interference in Microstructured Optical Fibers (2012)

Fiber Bragg grating inscription in microstructured optical fibers with hole structures opens new potential for sensing applications. While writing gratings in microstructured fibers, one has to take into account, that the intensity and contrast ratio of the interference pattern is strongly reduced in the light-guiding core region. Inscription experiments with nanosecond and femtosecond ultraviolet exposure reveal the feasilbility of gratings.
π-Facial stereoselectivity in the Diels–Alder reactions of benzene oxides (1991)

The Diels–Alder reactions of N-phenylmaleimide and dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate with benzene oxide (1,3,5-cyclohexatriene 1,2-oxide, 3) and its more substituted derivatives 1,2-dimethyl-1,3,5-cyclohexatriene 1,2-oxide (7) and 10-oxatricyclo[4.3.1.0]deca-2,4-diene (11) in a kinetic manner gave exclusively products of addition anti to the plane-nonsymmetrical oxygen. The structures of the adducts were determined unequivocally by nuclear Overhauser enhancements in their 1 H nuclear magnetic resonance spectra and by X-ray crystallographic methods. The π-facial stereoselectivity was rationalized in terms of unfavorable orbital interactions, steric hindrance between the dienophile and the syn face of benzene oxide, and σ-donation by the oxygen. Key words: cycloaddition, Diels–Alder, syn-anti, π-facial stereoselectivity, benzene oxide.
Supplementary Figure 4 from STING Ligand c-di-GMP Improves Cancer Vaccination against Metastatic Breast Cancer (2023)

&lt;p&gt;PDF file - 140K, Figure S4: Effect of c-di-GMP on cell viability and cell death.&lt;/p&gt;
Regression of advanced refractory ovarian cancer treated with iodine-131-labeled anti-CEA monoclonal antibody. (1997)

Advanced chemotherapy-resistant ovarian cancer has a poor prognosis, thus requiring new therapeutic modalities. A complete clinical remission, using two cycles of 131I-labeled murine MN-14 anti-CEA monoclonal antibody (MAb), given intravenously, is reported in a patient with advanced ovarian cancer refractory to paclitaxel (Taxol) therapy. The patient first received radioimmunotherapy with approximately 74 mCi 131I-MN-14 IgG, followed 4 mo later by a similar dose of radiolabeled MAb. A partial remission was seen by CT 1 mo after the first radioimmunotherapy, and a further objective response was documented after the second radioimmunotherapy. CT scans performed 6 and 11 mo after the second radioimmunotherapy showed stable and minimal residual changes. However, a whole-body PET scan with [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG-PET) was negative in these regions. The CA-125 also decreased to only 13 U/ml, compared to the baseline value of 7700 U/ml. Based on CT, FDG-PET, serum CA-125 and physical exam, the patient was in complete clinical remission for 8 mo when the CA-125 levels rose. CT also showed a new suspicious lesion, presumably a peritoneal implant. No toxicity was seen after the first injection, and only Grade 1 thrombocytopenia and Grade 2 leukopenia developed after the second injection, both reversing within 6 wk. This is a report of a complete clinical remission with radiolabeled anti-CEA antibodies in a patient with chemotherapy-refractive metastatic ovarian cancer.