gebhart/patrepeval huggingface dataset:
The prevalence of lead-based paint hazards in U.S. housing. (2002)

In this study we estimated the number of housing units in the United States with lead-based paint and lead-based paint hazards. We included measurements of lead in intact and deteriorated paint, interior dust, and bare soil. A nationally representative, random sample of 831 housing units was evaluated in a survey between 1998 and 2000; the units and their occupants did not differ significantly from nationwide characteristics. Results indicate that 38 million housing units had lead-based paint, down from the 1990 estimate of 64 million. Twenty-four million had significant lead-based paint hazards. Of those with hazards, 1.2 million units housed low-income families (< 30,000 US dollars/year) with children under 6 years of age. Although 17% of government-supported, low-income housing had hazards, 35% of all low-income housing had hazards. For households with incomes greater than or equal to 30,000 US dollars/year, 19% had hazards. Fourteen percent of all houses had significantly deteriorated lead-based paint, and 16% and 7%, respectively, had dust lead and soil lead levels above current standards of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The prevalence of lead-based paint and hazards increases with age of housing, but most painted surfaces, even in older housing, do not have lead-based paint. Between 2% and 25% of painted building components were coated with lead-based paint. Housing in the Northeast and Midwest had about twice the prevalence of hazards compared with housing in the South and West. The greatest risk occurs in older units with lead-based paint hazards that either will be or are currently occupied by families with children under 6 years of age and are low-income and/or are undergoing renovation or maintenance that disturbs lead-based paint. This study also confirms projections made in 2000 by the President's Task Force on Environmental Health Risks and Safety Risks to Children of the number of houses with lead-based paint hazards. Public- and private-sector resources should be directed to units posing the greatest risk if future lead poisoning is to be prevented.
A Stepped-Pole Writer to Minimize Side Erasure on Barium Ferrite Tape (2012)

Side erasure is investigated for non-oriented and perpendicularly oriented barium ferrite particulate tape media without a soft-underlayer. While notching is efficient to avoid side writing from the leading pole, the perpendicular head fields originating from the outer edge of the trailing pole result in curved transitions and non-negligible side erasure. We find that such side erasure effects can be suppressed by recessing part of the trailing pole, thereby forming a stepped pole. Magnetic force microscopy and cross-track profiling experiments demonstrate the efficacy of this novel stepped-pole writer design to minimize side writing effects in non-oriented and perpendicular particulate tape media. This writer geometry will enable tape recording at 50 ktpi and beyond.
Head motion evaluation and correction for PET scans with 18F-FDG in the Japanese Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (J-ADNI) multi-center study (2011)

2091 Objectives Head motion during PET scans degrades the image quality, which is an issue in a multi-center study on dementia involving inexperienced sites. This study evaluated the degree of head motion and its correction technique by J-ADNI PET QC core. Methods Brain FDG-PET scans of 172 subjects (Normal:81, MCI:55, mild-AD:36) were acquired as multi-frames data (5min*6) at 23 PET centers with 13 different camera models. Data were corrected for motions using the coregistration software by NEUROSTAT and were classified into 6 levels of motion degree ([A]:No-Motion /[B]:Mild /[C]:Mild-to-Moderate/ [D]:Moderate /[E]:Moderate-to-Severe/ [F]:Severe) according to the magnitude of the coregistration affine parameters. Bad frames were omitted because of incorrect attenuation correction. ROI analysis was performed on the images with and without motion correction. Results The 172 scans were classified into 38 [A], 76 [B], 32 [C], 13 [D], 7 [E] and 6 [F] level. Mild-AD group tended to present larger motion than MCI and Normal groups, although large motion (level [E], [F]) was also observed in a fraction of the latter. Inter-frame ROI variations for uncorrected level [F] subject was substantially larger than but was corrected to the range similar to level [A] subject. The absolute % difference in the frontal cortex ROI values between motion-corrected and uncorrected frame-averaged images for 6 subjects in each level was 0.24±0.04 % for [A], 0.37±0.12 % for [B], 0.44±0.16 % for [C], 0.46±0.25% for [D], 0.82±0.58 % for [E] and 1.39±1.07 % for [F] (mean±SD). Conclusions The head motions during PET scans significantly affects the quantitative results, which frequently occurs in demented patients but is inevitable for normal subjects, and the correction technique in J-ADNI reduces the image degradation. Research Support J-ADNI Projec
Dry etch damage in n-type crystalline silicon wafers assessed by deep-level transient spectroscopy and minority carrier lifetime (2018)

This paper compares the electrically active damage in dry-etched n-type float-zone silicon, using NF3/Ar or H2-plasma exposure and assessed by deep-level transient spectroscopy (DLTS) and recombination lifetime analysis. It is shown that the NF3/Ar-plasma damage consists of at least four different types of electron traps in the upper half of the band gap, which can be associated with vacancy- and vacancy-impurity-related complexes. In the case of H2-plasma damage, it is believed that the accumulation of point defects results in a gradual disordering of the near-surface layer. These defect levels also act as recombination centers, judged by the fact that they degrade the minority carrier lifetime. It is finally shown that lifetime measurements are more sensitive to the etching-induced damage than DLTS.
On evolutionary computation for moving target defense in software defined networks (2017)

Moving Target Defense (MTD) is a paradigm in cyber-security that proposes cyber-systems that continually change their configurations to avoid easy surveillance from adversaries. Despite its promise, MTDs have yet to be fully adopted in real world systems. Using the concepts from the general theory of MTD, this paper proposes that the goal of MTDs i.e continually adapting to their environment to evade attack is similar to the concept of an organism evolving to survive in its habitat. This implies that Evolutionary Computation (EC) techniques could be used to fulfill the goal of MTD, specifically in relation to intrusion detection in the emerging field of Software Defined Networks (SDNs). The programmable nature of SDNs provide a degree of flexibility not possible in conventional networks. Thus, making it possible to completely automate the configuration of such networks.
Microfluidic contact printing: a versatile printing platform for patterning biomolecules on hydrogel substrates (2010)

This work describes a printing platform that utilizes components of two complementary techniques—microcontact printing and microfluidic patterning—to provide a high-throughput, reusable tool for patterning biomolecularly responsive chemical features on soft materials. Hydrogel substrates imprinted with biomolecular targets (e.g., proteins or peptides) are of considerable interest because of their utility in diverse bioanalytical applications such as diagnostics and studies of cells in culture. In the system described here, a track-etched polycarbonate membrane is used to seal a PDMS microfluidic channel device to form a print head. Model ‘inks’—solutions of biotin labeled biomolecular targets—are constantly replenished via perfusion of solution through the membrane and captured on a streptavidin-incorporating polyacrylamide hydrogel-coated substrate placed in conformal contact with the print head. The patterns obtained can be controlled through modifications of channel design and secondary programming via selective membrane wetting. Multiple channel designs have been used to pattern three model classes of biomolecular inks (i.e., peptides, polysaccharides, and proteins). Hydrogels patterned with polylysine are used to illustrate a specific biological application for this soft-patterning method, in this case directing in vitro primary mammalian hippocampal neuronal growth. The short cycle time and reproducibility of this soft-patterning technique are highlighted.
Activity of cationically substituted bis-benzimidazoles against experimental Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (1993)

On the basis of a previously observed correlation between the antimicrobial activity and DNA binding strength of dicationic molecules, a series of 10 dicationically substituted bis-benzimidazoles were tested for activity in the rat model of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia. One of the compounds, 1,4-bis[5-(2-imidazolinyl)-2-benzimidazolyl]butane, was found to be more potent and less toxic than pentamidine.
Improving thermoelectric efficiency in organic-metal nanocomposites via extra-low thermal boundary conductance (2013)

In organic semiconductors, the Wiedemann-Franz law is often violated, potentially enabling independent control over electrical and thermal conductivities, as observed here with the organic-metal nanocomposites. This effect is attributed to the interface between metal particles and organic matrix materials impeding thermal transport. Thermal conductivity (kth) can be decoupled from electrical conductivity (σe) in the composite of an archetypal organic semiconductor (Copper Phthalocyanine, CuPc) and silver, with thermal boundary conductance as low as 13 MW/m2K at the interface. We show that kth decreases with volume fraction occupied by silver nanoparticles (xAg%) in the dilute limit, reaching a minimum value at a concentration xAg%(min)=18%, while σe exceeds that of the pure organic semiconductor. Further modeling indicates that ZT values of organic-inorganic nanocomposites can be potentially enhanced 10 fold around xf%(min), compared to ZT of the pure compounds. These findings suggest a novel pathway for the future design of organic thermoelectric materials.
Abstract 1137: Bub1 is a key regulator of TGF-β signaling (2014)

Abstract The transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) family of cytokines regulates many processes such as immune suppression, angiogenesis, wound healing and epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT. Early in tumorigenesis, when epithelial cells retain exquisite growth sensitivity to this ligand, TGF-β signaling elicits a tumor suppressing activity. However, transformed cells become refractory to TGF-β-mediated growth inhibition and acquire a phenotype wherein the intracellular signaling circuitry of the cells is altered, leading to tumorigenic and metastatic effects in response to TGF-β exposure. Although TGF-β activating pathways have been studied, the molecular participants are poorly defined. Here we identify budding uninhibited by benzimidazoles-1 (Bub1) as an integral component of canonical and non-canonical TGF-β signaling pathways, where Bub1 is required for TGFBRI-TGFBRII complex formation and activation. Bub1-depleted cells exhibited reductions in TGF-β dependent Smad2/3 phosphorylation, recruitment of Smad2/3 to the TGFBRI-II complex, PI3K/Akt and p38MAPK activation, Smad binding element driven promoter activity (SBE4-Luc), and invasion and migration. Furthermore, a targeted small molecule inhibitor of Bub1 kinase activity (2OH-BNPP1), as well as an inactive kinase mutant of Bub1, abrogated ligand mediated TGF-β signaling and phenotypic response. These studies demonstrate a role for the Bub1 kinase in mediating TGF-β dependent signaling beyond its established function in cell-cycle regulation and chromosome cohesion and uncover the underlying basis for the pleiotropic cellular response commonly observed upon activation of the pathway. Citation Format: Shyam Nyati, Katrina Schinske-Sebolt, Sethuramasundaram Pitchiaya, Katerina Chekhovskiy, Areeb Chator, Nauman Chaudhry, Joseph Dosch, Marcian E. Van Dort, Varambally, Kumar-Sinha, Nyati, Ray, Walter, Sooryanarayana Varambally, Chandan Kumar-Sinha, Mukesh K. Nyati, Dipankar Ray, Nils G. Walter, Hongtao Yu, Brian D. Ross, Alnawaz Rehemtulla. Bub1 is a key regulator of TGF-β signaling. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 1137. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-1137
Profiling Protease Activity in Laundry Detergents with Peptide Arrays and SAMDI Mass Spectrometry (2019)

Laundry detergent formulations include proteases to digest and clean protein-based stains. Methods that can profile protease activity and specificity in detergents could be important in guiding the development of engineered proteases for these applications. The work reported here uses peptide arrays with analysis by self-assembled monolayers for matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (SAMDI) mass spectrometry to analyze protease activity across a 324-peptide library for five commercial laundry detergents. The results showed differences in cleavage activity across different brands. The combination of peptide arrays and SAMDI mass spectrometry provides a rapid and reliable technique for analyzing protease activities in laundry detergents and has the potential to play an important role in the development of new proteases and detergent formulations.
Chemical solution deposition to epitaxial functional complex oxide nanostructures and thin films (2015)

6-10 Avril 2015
Survival Strategies in the Aquatic and Terrestrial World: The Impact of Second Messengers on Cyanobacterial Processes (2014)

Second messengers are intracellular substances regulated by specific external stimuli globally known as first messengers. Cells rely on second messengers to generate rapid responses to environmental changes and the importance of their roles is becoming increasingly realized in cellular signaling research. Cyanobacteria are photooxygenic bacteria that inhabit most of Earth's environments. The ability of cyanobacteria to survive in ecologically diverse habitats is due to their capacity to adapt and respond to environmental changes. This article reviews known second messenger-controlled physiological processes in cyanobacteria. Second messengers used in these systems include the element calcium (Ca2+), nucleotide-based guanosine tetraphosphate or pentaphosphate (ppGpp or pppGpp, represented as (p)ppGpp), cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate (cAMP), cyclic dimeric GMP (c-di-GMP), cyclic guanosine 3',5'-monophosphate (cGMP), and cyclic dimeric AMP (c-di-AMP), and the gaseous nitric oxide (NO). The discussion focuses on processes central to cyanobacteria, such as nitrogen fixation, light perception, photosynthesis-related processes, and gliding motility. In addition, we address future research trajectories needed to better understand the signaling networks and cross talk in the signaling pathways of these molecules in cyanobacteria. Second messengers have significant potential to be adapted as technological tools and we highlight possible novel and practical applications based on our understanding of these molecules and the signaling networks that they control.
Polyvalent vaccine approaches to combat HIV‐1 diversity (2017)

A key unresolved challenge for developing an effective HIV-1 vaccine is the discovery of strategies to elicit immune responses that are able to cross-protect against a significant fraction of the diverse viruses that are circulating worldwide. Here, we summarize some of the immunological implications of HIV-1 diversity, and outline the rationale behind several polyvalent vaccine design strategies that are currently under evaluation. Vaccine-elicited T-cell responses, which contribute to the control of HIV-1 in natural infections, are currently being considered in both prevention and treatment settings. Approaches now in preclinical and human trials include full proteins in novel vectors, concatenated conserved protein regions, and polyvalent strategies that improve coverage of epitope diversity and enhance the cross-reactivity of responses. While many barriers to vaccine induction of broadly neutralizing antibody (bNAb) responses remain, epitope diversification has emerged as both a challenge and an opportunity. Recent longitudinal studies have traced the emergence of bNAbs in HIV-1 infection, inspiring novel approaches to recapitulate and accelerate the events that give rise to potent bNAb in vivo. In this review, we have selected two such lineage-based design strategies to illustrate how such in-depth analysis can offer conceptual improvements that may bring us closer to an effective vaccine.
Immunogold Localization of Xyloglucan and Rhamnogalacturonan I in the Cell Walls of Suspension-Cultured Sycamore Cells (1986)

PLANT CELL WALLS SERVE SEVERAL FUNCTIONS: they impart rigidity to the plant, provide a physical and chemical barrier between the cell and its environment, and regulate the size and shape of each cell. Chemical studies have provided information on the biochemical composition of the plant cell walls as well as detailed knowledge of individual cell wall molecules. In contrast, very little is known about the distribution of specific cell wall components around individual cells and throughout tissues. To address this problem, we have produced polyclonal antibodies against two cell wall matrix components; rhamnogalacturonan I (RG-I), a pectic polysaccharide, and xyloglucan (XG), a hemicellulose. By using the antibiodies as specific markers we have been able to localize these polymers on thin sections of suspension-cultured sycamore cells (Acer pseudoplatanus). Our results reveal that each molecule has a unique distribution. XG is localized throughout the entire wall and middle lamella. RG-I is restricted to the middle lamella and is especially evident in the junctions between cells. These observations indicate that plant cell walls may have more distinct chemical (and functional?) domains than previously envisaged.
Parallel Ligand Screening on Olefin Mixtures in Asymmetric Hydroformylation Reactions (2005)

Herein we describe a new protocol for catalyst evaluation in asymmetric hydroformylation reactions where multisubstrate screening is performed\nin an array of parallel reactors. This method was successfully demonstrated using a mixture of styrene, allyl cyanide, and vinyl acetate. Using\nthis screening methodology, a set of phosphite ligands was evaluated and led to the discovery of a bisphosphite ligand that gave 88% ee and\nunprecedented &gt;100:1 branched:linear regioselectivity in asymmetric hydroformylation of vinyl acetate.
Metabolic Function of Corynebacterium glutamicum Aminotransferases AlaT and AvtA and Impact on l -Valine Production (2008)

Aminotransferases (ATs) interacting with L-alanine are the least studied bacterial ATs. Whereas AlaT converts pyruvate to L-alanine in a glutamate-dependent reaction, AvtA is able to convert pyruvate to L-alanine in an L-valine-dependent manner. We show here that the wild type of Corynebacterium glutamicum with a deletion of either of the corresponding genes does not exhibit an explicit growth deficiency. However, a double mutant was auxotrophic for L-alanine, showing that both ATs can provide L-alanine and that they are the only ATs involved. Kinetic studies with isolated enzymes demonstrate that the catalytic efficiency, k(cat)/K(m), of AlaT is higher than 1 order of magnitude in the direction of L-alanine formation (3.5 x 10(4) M(-1) s(-1)), but no preference was apparent for AvtA, suggesting that AlaT is the principal L-alanine-supplying enzyme. This is in line with the cytosolic L-alanine concentration, which is reduced in the exponential growth phase from 95 mM to 18 mM by a deletion of alaT, whereas avtA deletion decreases the L-alanine concentration only to 76 mM. The combined data show that the presence of both ATs has subtle but obvious consequences on balancing intracellular amino acid pools in the wild type. The consequences are more obvious in an L-valine production strain where a high intracellular drain-off of the L-alanine precursor pyruvate prevails. We therefore used deletion of alaT to successfully reduce the contaminating L-alanine in extracellular accumulated L-valine by 80%.
Directivity of acoustic signals from partial discharges in oil (1995)

For partial discharges in oil, the relationship between the apparent discharge magnitude, electrically measured in picocoulombs, and the acoustic signal amplitude from the same discharge, shows large variations. If the acoustic signal is detected with several detectors simultaneously, it is found that the acoustic amplitudes are correlated in a relatively narrow angular range. For larger angular separation, the acoustic amplitudes are uncorrelated and not anticorrelated. Some physical aspects of streamers in oil are illuminated by this observation and some theoretical considerations. The streamer velocity may, for example, be estimated.
Extended Charge-Transfer State of RbMn[Fe(CN)6] (2007)

Based on the maximum entropy method (MEM) charge density, we have visualized the electrostatic potential of a charge-transfer compound, RbMn[Fe(CN) 6 ], which shows the charge-transfer transition from the nominal Mn 2+ –Fe 3+ configuration to the Mn 3+ –Fe 2+ one below 220 K. In the low-temperature phase, the transferred electron spreads over the hexacyanoferrate ([Fe(CN) 6 ]) via the strong Fe t 2 g -CNπ * hybridization. Such an extended charge-transfer state is responsible for the relatively strong ferromagnetic coupling between the neighbouring Mn 3+ spins.
Autonomous NK commitment of PB-HP: expression of Th2 transcription factors. (2015)

&lt;p&gt;(A) Western blotting detects a specific 110 kDa band for pSTAT6 and a specific 48 kDa for GATA3 in the cell total lysate of PB-NKP but not of conventional NK cells. GATA3&lt;sup&gt;+&lt;/sup&gt; Jurkat cells stimulated with IL-4 were used as controls. (B Left panels) The expression of activated STAT6 and GATA3 was further confirmed, checking by confocal microscopy the nuclear localization of phospho-STAT6 and GATA3 (yellow staining) in PB-NKP. These cells were fixed, permeabilized, and stained for phopho-STAT6 or GATA3 transcription factors (green). Nuclei were stained by propidium iodide (red). As negative controls, cells were incubated with rabbit IgG, the second reagent, and propidium iodide. (B Right panels) Effects of 24 hours pre-incubation of PB-NKP with the soluble IL-15Rα chain (100 ng/ml for 60 min.) on the nuclear localization of phopho-STAT6 or GATA3. (C) Effects of 24 hours pre-incubation with the soluble IL-15Rα chain on the intracellular production of the Th2 cytokines IL-5 and IL-4 in PB-NKP. Intracellular expression of cytokines (continuous black lines) is blocked adding the soluble IL-15Rα chain (continuous red line) for 24 hours. Isotype controls (shadowed peaks).&lt;/p&gt;