gebhart/patrepeval huggingface dataset:
Abstract 1961: Inhibition of the SDF-1/CXCR4 AXIS Attenuates Chronic Hypoxia-Induced Pulmonary Vascular Remodeling (2008)

Image reconstruction processing in computed tomography (CT) has evolved tremendously since its creation, succeeding at optimizing radiation dose while maintaining adequate image quality. Computed tomography vendors have developed and implemented various technical advances, such as automatic noise reduction filters, automatic exposure control, and refined imaging reconstruction algorithms.Focusing on imaging reconstruction, filtered back-projection has represented the standard reconstruction algorithm for over 3 decades, obtaining adequate image quality at standard radiation dose exposures. To overcome filtered back-projection reconstruction flaws in low-dose CT data sets, advanced iterative reconstruction algorithms consisting of either backward projection or both backward and forward projections have been developed, with the goal to enable low-dose CT acquisitions with high image quality. Iterative reconstruction techniques play a key role in routine workflow implementation (eg, screening protocols, vascular and pediatric applications), in quantitative CT imaging applications, and in dose exposure limitation in oncologic patients.Therefore, this review aims to provide an overview of the technical principles and the main clinical application of iterative reconstruction algorithms, focusing on the strengths and weaknesses, in addition to integrating future perspectives in the new era of artificial intelligence.
A Method for Characterizing the Chemical Heterogeneity of Comb-Copolymers and Its Dependence on Synthesis Routes (2021)

The heterogeneity in chemical structure of polymers is difficult to characterize and consequently remains an often-overlooked factor in mechanistic studies of functional polymers, as well as in their industrial scale optimization. In this study, we present a method to characterize chemical heterogeneity and apply it to illustrate how it can be affected differently in different synthesis routes. The polymers used are comb-copolymer dispersants used in particulate suspensions which are composed of a polycarboxylate backbone onto which PEG side chains are grafted. The largest use of these polymers concerns concrete, where they are referred to as poly(carboxylate ether) (PCE) superplasticizers and produced at a very large industrial scale. Apart from their practical relevance, PCEs provide a good test case for studying the means and benefits of characterizing chemical heterogeneity. Indeed, the simple addition of a UV detector to a traditional SEC setup with RI detection allowed us to monitor variations in the grafting ratio in dependence on the molecular size. We show that the synthesis pathway significantly impacts the chemical heterogeneity. The suggested method is versatile and can be adapted for a wide range of hydrophilic copolymers. Thus, we present a tool to comprehensively analyze the molecular heterogeneity of dispersants and give a deep insight into their chemical dispersity.
Efficacy of a prebrushing rinse for orthodontic patients. (1991)

The oral health benefits of a prebrushing rinse, when used in conjunction with an established twice-a-day brushing regimen, was investigated in a population of orthodontic patients. Twenty children (ages 11-18) who were undergoing orthodontic treatment that required brackets and labial wires were enrolled. This randomized, double-blind, cross-over clinical trial compared five weeks of twice-daily use of a commercial prebrushing rinse (Plax) to five weeks of a placebo rinse. Three investigators rated plaque accumulation (Simplified Oral Hygiene Index) and gingival health (modified O'Leary Index) prior to treatment and after each five week session. Because one child exited from the project and three children did not satisfactorily comply with the treatment protocol, sixteen children were used for the analysis. Although both treatment groups showed plaque and gingival improvement from pretreatment scores, no differences in plaque accumulation ratings and gingival health ratings were noted between the active and placebo rinse treatments.
Cell type specific novel lincRNAs and circRNAs in the BLUEPRINT haematopoietic transcriptomes atlas (2019)

Abstract Transcriptional profiling of hematopoietic cell subpopulations has helped characterize the developmental stages of the hematopoietic system and the molecular basis of malignant and non-malignant blood diseases for the past three decades. The introduction of high-throughput RNA sequencing has increased knowledge of the full repertoire of RNA molecules in hematopoietic cells of different types, without relying on prior gene annotation. Here, we introduce the analysis of the BLUEPRINT consortium gene expression data for mature hematopoietic cells, comprising 90 total RNA and 32 small RNA sequencing experiments, from 27 different cell types. We used these data to describe the transcriptional profile of each we used guided transcriptome assembly to extend the annotation of the transcribed genome, which led to the identification of hundreds of novel non-coding RNA genes, which display a high degree of cell type specificity. We also characterized the expression of circular RNAs and found that these are also highly cell type specific. This resource refines the active transcriptional landscape of mature hematopoietic cells, highlights abundant genes and transcriptional isoforms for each cell type, and provides valuable data and visualisation tools for the scientific community working on hematological development and diseases.
A constant-power battery charger with inherent soft switching and power factor correction (2003)

A battery charging circuit, which operates as a constant power source, is proposed in this paper. By maintaining a constant output power throughout the charging process, the circuit reduces the size of thermal installation which would normally be required in the cases of constant-voltage or constant-current charging. The proposed circuit takes the form of a half-bridge converter with an additional small inductor and two extra diodes connected in parallel to two dividing capacitors. Constant power delivery is achieved by the discontinuous-voltage-mode operation of the two dividing capacitors, each of which is connected in parallel with a diode. The circuit enjoys low voltage and current stresses, and achieves soft switching with no extra components. When used off-line, the converter maintains a high input power factor and a low level of input current harmonic distortion that meets international regulations. All the above characteristics are determined only by the values of the circuit parameters, the control mechanism being noncritical. A 12 V 65 W prototype was built to demonstrate the merits of this circuit.
Pharmacological plasticity of cardiac ATP-sensitive potassium channels toward diazoxide revealed by ADP (1999)

The pharmacological phenotype of ATP-sensitive potassium (K(ATP)) channels is defined by their tissue-specific regulatory subunit, the sulfonylurea receptor (SUR), which associates with the pore-forming channel core, Kir6.2. The potassium channel opener diazoxide has hyperglycemic and hypotensive properties that stem from its ability to open K(ATP) channels in pancreas and smooth muscle. Diazoxide is believed not to have any significant action on cardiac sarcolemmal K(ATP) channels. Yet, diazoxide can be cardioprotective in ischemia and has been found to bind to the presumed cardiac sarcolemmal K(ATP) channel-regulatory subunit, SUR2A. Here, in excised patches, diazoxide (300 microM) activated pancreatic SUR1/Kir6.2 currents and had little effect on native or recombinant cardiac SUR2A/Kir6.2 currents. However, in the presence of cytoplasmic ADP (100 microM), SUR2A/Kir6.2 channels became as sensitive to diazoxide as SUR1/Kir6. 2 channels. This effect involved specific interactions between MgADP and SUR, as it required Mg(2+), but not ATP, and was abolished by point mutations in the second nucleotide-binding domain of SUR, which impaired channel activation by MgADP. At the whole-cell level, in cardiomyocytes treated with oligomycin to block mitochondrial function, diazoxide could also activate K(ATP) currents only after cytosolic ADP had been raised by a creatine kinase inhibitor. Thus, ADP serves as a cofactor to define the responsiveness of cardiac K(ATP) channels toward diazoxide. The present demonstration of a pharmacological plasticity of K(ATP) channels identifies a mechanism for the control of channel activity in cardiac cells depending on the cellular ADP levels, which are elevated under ischemia.
Preparation, purification and characterization of bovine Peyer's patch leukocytes. (1988)

An enzymatic technique for isolating bovine Peyer's patch leukocytes was developed. Enzymatic dissociation of Peyer's patches yielded a cell population rich in T and B lymphocytes containing 6-10% adherent accessory cells, as defined by morphology and nonspecific esterase staining. Analysis of Peyer's patch lymphocytes, using sheep erythrocyte rosetting and immunofluorescence with conventional antisera and monoclonal antibodies, showed that leukocytes were approximately 45% T cells and 25% Ig-positive B cells. The cell population contained functionally active T and B lymphocytes which proliferated in response to T and B cell mitogens and to exogenous human recombinant interleukin-2. The observed differences in patterns of Peyer's patch leukocyte responsiveness to these mitogens suggest some cellular heterogeneity of the bovine Peyer's patch.
Analysis and Design of High Efficiency Matching Networks (2006)

This letter presents analysis and design considerations for lumped (inductor and capacitor) matching networks operating at high efficiency (>95%). Formulas for calculating matching network efficiency are given, and it is shown that efficiency can be expressed as a function of inductor quality factor Q <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">L</sub> , capacitor quality factor Q <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">C </sub> , and transformation ratio. These formulas are used to evaluate the optimum number of L-section matching stages as a function of conversion ratio. Both simulation and experimental results are presented that validate the analytical formulation
Acetylation of Aβ40 Alters Aggregation in the Presence and Absence of Lipid Membranes (2019)

A hallmark of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the formation of senile plaques comprised of the β-amyloid (Aβ) peptide. Aβ fibrillization is a complex nucleation-dependent process involving a variety of metastable intermediate aggregates and features the formation of inter- and intramolecular salt bridges involving lysine residues, K16 and K28. Cationic lysine residues also mediate protein-lipid interactions via association with anionic lipid headgroups. As several toxic mechanisms attributed to Aβ involve membrane interactions, the impact of acetylation on Aβ<sub>40</sub> aggregation in the presence and absence of membranes was determined. Using chemical acetylation, varying mixtures of acetylated and nonacetylated Aβ<sub>40</sub> were produced. With increasing acetylation, fibril and oligomer formation decreased, eventually completely arresting fibrillization. In the presence of total brain lipid extract (TBLE) vesicles, acetylation reduced the interaction of Aβ<sub>40</sub> with membranes; however, fibrils still formed at near complete levels of acetylation. Additionally, the combination of TBLE and acetylated Aβ promoted annular aggregates. Finally, toxicity associated with Aβ<sub>40</sub> was reduced with increasing acetylation in a cell culture assay. These results suggest that in the absence of membranes that the cationic character of lysine plays a major role in fibril formation. However, acetylation promotes unique aggregation pathways in the presence of lipid membranes.
Mechanisms and Implications of Immunodominance in CD8+ T-Cell Responses (2010)

Immunodominant Major Histocompatibility Complex class I (MHC I)- associated epitopes suppress T-cell responses against cryptic epitopes. That is, when confronted with complex antigens, CD8+ T cells respond to only a few “immunodominant” epitopes and neglect other “cryptic” peptides that would otherwise be immunogenic when presented alone. Immunodominant epitopes are better immunogens than cryptic epitopes. Compared with T cells specific for cryptic epitopes, CD8+ T cells that recognize immunodominant epitopes interact with their antigen with higher avidity, are primed after a shorter duration of antigen presentation, expand more swiftly and extensively, and generate more potent effector function. Furthermore, by curtailing the duration of Ag presentation [through deletion or exhaustion of antigen presenting cells (APCs)], immunodominant CD8+ effector T cells selectively impair priming against cryptic epitopes. Immunodominance results in one major advantage and one potential drawback: that is, immunodominance favors expansion of the fittest effector T cells but may enhance the risk of immune escape by antigen-loss variants. Targeting immunodominant epitopes is probably crucial not only for success of immune responses against pathogens but also in cancer immunotherapy. Indeed, CD8+ T cells targeted to immunodominant but not cryptic minor histocompatibility antigens can eradicate leukemia and melanoma in mice. In this chapter, I will review the current state-of-the-art regarding T-cell immunodominance and discuss key elements of ongoing and future research in this area.
Phosphoramidate Prodrugs Continue to Deliver, The Journey of Remdesivir (GS-5734) from RSV to SARS-CoV-2 (2022)

Remdesivir (GS-5734) is a monophenol, 2-ethylbutylalanine phosphoramidate prodrug of a 1'-cyano-4-aza-7,9-dideazaadenosine C-nucleoside (GS-441524) that is FDA approved for the treatment of hospitalized patients with COVID-19. The prodrug, initially invented for respiratory syncytial virus, was later found to have activity toward emerging RNA viruses, including Ebola and coronaviruses. Remdesivir is among the first examples of a phosphoramidate prodrug aimed at delivering a nucleoside monophosphate into lung cells to efficiently generate the nucleoside triphosphate inhibitor of viral RNA polymerases. With remdesivir as the central case study, the present work describes the antiviral potency and in vitro metabolism evidence for lung cell activation of phosphoramidates, together with their in vivo pharmacokinetics, lung distribution, and antiviral efficacy toward respiratory viruses. The lung delivery of nucleoside monophosphate analogs using prodrugs warrants further investigation toward the development of novel respiratory antivirals.
Alkaline hydrolysis of P(VAc‐co‐MMA) particles for vascular embolization procedures (2020)

Abstract Poly(vinyl acetate) (PVAc)‐based particles are used in medical and biomedical applications, including vascular embolization (VE) procedures. However, to render the technique safer and reproducible, the hydrolysis of the microbeads must be performed in some applications in order to control the hydrophilicity of the material. For this reason, in the present work the alkaline hydrolysis of poly(vinyl acetate‐co‐methyl methacrylate)—P(VAc‐co‐MMA)—microbeads is investigated. The hydrolytic conversions of PVAc and poly(methacrylic acid) (PMMA) chains were evaluated in terms of the concentrations of methanol and acetate ions present in the reaction media, since these chemicals are by‐products of alkaline hydrolyses of the ester groups of the polymers. It was observed that all investigated variables (temperature, time, and alkaline concentration) exert important effects on the final extents of hydrolysis, although the occurrence of nonlinear synergetic effects imposes the use of multivariable statistical analyses for proper characterization of variable effects. Besides, given the heterogeneous nature of the reaction system and the higher resistance to hydrolysis offered by PMMA segments, the overall hydrolytic conversions of the microbeads were low, as required in VE procedures. Finally, hydrolyses of P(VAc‐co‐MMA) chains can also lead to cleavage of polymer chains, as confirmed by reduction of average molar masses of the analyzed materials.
Synthesisof Stable Thiazole-Linked Covalent OrganicFrameworks via a Multicomponent Reaction (2020)

The\ndevelopment of robust synthetic routes to stable covalent organic\nframeworks (COFs) is important to broaden the range of applications\nfor these materials. We report here a simple and efficient three-component\nassembly reaction between readily available aldehydes, amines, and\nelemental sulfur via a C–H functionalization and oxidative\nannulation under transition-metal-free conditions. Five thiazole-linked\nCOFs (TZ-COFs) were synthesized using this method. These materials\nshowed high levels of crystallinity, high specific surface areas,\nand excellent physicochemical stability. The photocatalytic applications\nof TZ-COFs were investigated, and &lt;b&gt;TZ-COF-4&lt;/b&gt; gave high\nsacrificial hydrogen evolution rates from water (up to 4296 μmol\nh&lt;sup&gt;–1&lt;/sup&gt; g&lt;sup&gt;–1&lt;/sup&gt; under visible light irradiation)\ncoupled with high stability and recyclability, with sustained hydrogen\nevolution for 50 h.
IDDF2019-ABS-0188 Gut microbiota modulates the chemopreventive efficacy of aspirin on colorectal cancer through impact on aspirin bioavailability (2019)

<h3>Background</h3> The gut microbiota, a pivotal regulator in colorectal cancer (CRC) development, is profoundly involved in drug metabolism. This study aims to decipher the role of the gut microbiota in aspirin-mediated chemoprevention of CRC in mice. <h3>Methods</h3> Two models, azoxymethane (AOM, 10 mg/kg) and dextran sulfate sodium (DSS, 2.0%) induced CRC and APC<sup>min/+</sup> induced CRC, were used in this study. Mice were orally administered aspirin (400 mg/L) with or without periodical antibiotics cocktail (0.1 g/L of vancomycin, 0.2 g/L of ampicillin, metronidazole and neomycin). AOM/DSS-treated germ-free mice and conventionally reared germ-free mice (conventionalized mice) were used for validation. Aspirin concentration was estimated by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC). Aspirin-degrading microbes were identified by UHPLC and16S rRNA gene sequencing. <h3>Results</h3> The tumor number and load were significantly reduced after aspirin treatment in antibiotics-treated mice in both AOM/DSS-treated and APC<sup>min/+</sup> models, but not significantly changed in non-antibiotics-treated mice. Consistently, aspirin-treated germ-free mice exhibited significantly less tumor number and load compared to those not receiving aspirin, which was not seen in conventionalized mice, suggesting that gut microbiota impairs the chemopreventive efficacy of aspirin on CRC. UHPLC analysis revealed that plasma levels of aspirin were significantly higher in microbiota-depleted mice compared to microbiota-intact mice, indicating that gut microbiota limits aspirin bioavailability. Co-incubation of aspirin-containing medium and bacteria showed that aspirin levels in medium were significantly reduced when incubated with the fecal commensal bacteria from microbiota-intact mice compared to those from microbiota-depleted mice. Screening 1,093 bacterial colonies isolated from the feces of microbiota-intact mice revealed that <i>Lysinibacillus sphaericus</i> significantly reduced the aspirin levels in aspirin-containing medium. Moreover, the germ-free mice monocolonized with <i>Lysinibacillus sphaericus</i> showed significantly lower plasma aspirin levels post aspirin administration relative to the intact germ-free mice, confirming a role of this bacterium in reducing aspirin bioavailability. <h3>Conclusions</h3> Gut microbiota modulates the chemopreventive efficacy of aspirin on CRC through impact on aspirin bioavailability in mice. <i>Lysinibacillus sphaericus</i> may play a critical role in aspirin degradation in the gut.
Coverage Increase at THz Frequencies: A Cooperative Rate-Splitting Approach (2023)

Numerous studies claim that terahertz (THz) communication will be an essential piece of sixth-generation wireless communication systems. Its promising potential also comes with major challenges, in particular the reduced coverage due to harsh propagation loss, hardware constraints, and blockage vulnerability. To increase the coverage of THz communication, we revisit cooperative communication. We propose a new type of cooperative rate-splitting (CRS) called extraction-based CRS (eCRS). Furthermore, we explore two extreme cases of eCRS, namely, identical eCRS and distinct eCRS. To enable the proposed eCRS framework, we design a novel THz cooperative channel model by considering unique characteristics of THz communication. Through mathematical derivations and convex optimization techniques considering the THz cooperative channel model, we derive local optimal solutions for the two cases of eCRS and a global optimal closed form solution for a specific scenario. Finally, we propose a novel channel estimation technique that not only specifies the channel value, but also the time delay of the channel from each cooperating user equipment to fully utilize the THz cooperative channel. In simulation results, we verify the validity of the two cases of our proposed framework and channel estimation technique.
The Efficacy and Potential Mechanisms of Chinese Herbal Medicine on Irritable Bowel Syndrome (2017)

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is one of the most common functional bowel disorders (FBD), which is characterized by recurrent abdominal pain, abdominal bloating/distention associated with defecation or changed bowel habits. Currently, there is no evidence of obvious anatomic or physiologic abnormalities on the routine diagnostic examinations. There are multiple pathological factors involved in IBS responsible for its heterogeneous nature, although the exact etiology and pathology of IBS are not well known and it is disappointed to develop biomarkers for this disorder. These factors including low-grade inflammation, activation of immune system, changed intestinal microorganism, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), malabsorption of bile acid (BA), increased number of mast cells (MCs). Current pharmacologic treatment for IBS focuses on alleviation of its symptoms, but not on the elimination of its cause. Although there are a lot of conventional chemical medicines for IBS available, due to the limited clinical benefits, high medical expenses and severe side effects, many IBS patients have turned to alternative medicine, particularly Chinese herbal medicine (CHM). Chinese herbal therapies have been used for thousand years in eastern Asia and have been provided that they are effective in relieving symptoms among IBS patients. Generally, traditional Chinese herbal formulae (CHF) consisting of CHM can be easily adjusted in accordance with concrete conditions, which means the treatment is based on syndrome differentiation and varied from individual to individual. Meanwhile, CHF/CHM containing many different ingredients may act on multiple sites/pathways with potential synergistic effects and chemical reactions.