gebhart/patrepeval huggingface dataset:
Time course of increased plasma cytokines, cortisol, and urea nitrogen in pigs following intraperitoneal injection of lipopolysaccharide. (1997)

The emerging view is that reduced feed intake, lean muscle accretion, and growth in immunologically challenged pigs is the result of increased cytokine activity, but this has not been directly tested. To begin addressing this issue, 72 crossbred barrows and gilts (11.55 +/- .19 kg BW) were not fed for 12 h and then injected i.p. with 0, .5, or 5 micrograms/kg of Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Blood was collected by jugular puncture at 0, 2, 4, 8, 12, and 24 h after injection. Plasma levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin-6 (IL-6), cortisol, plasma urea nitrogen (PUN), NEFA, and triglycerides were determined. Immunological stress was induced by LPS as indicated by increased secretion of TNF-alpha, IL-6, and cortisol. In pigs receiving 5 micrograms/kg of LPS, plasma TNF-alpha was increased 10-fold at 2 h after injection and was still elevated (P < .01) at 4 h. In these same pigs, plasma concentration of IL-6 was increased at 2 h and peaked at 4 h with levels exceeding baseline values by 200-fold (P < .01). Cortisol was elevated at 2, 4, and 8 h after injection (P < .01). The increased secretion of cytokines and cortisol in pigs injected with 5 micrograms/kg of LPS was followed by an increase in protein degradation, as evidenced by PUN values that were increased two- and threefold at 8 and 12 h after injection, respectively. However, unlike previous reports in laboratory animal species, plasma glucose, NEFA, and triglycerides were not altered by LPS. Nonetheless, as the period of feed deprivation progressed from 12 to 36 h, plasma NEFA and triglycerides increased (P < .05) and plasma glucose tended to decrease. We believe that immunological challenge induces cytokine synthesis and secretion in swine which, in turn, may induce protein catabolism.
Application of the Gyrolab Microfluidic Platform to Measure Picomolar Affinity of a PD-L1-Binding Adnectin™ Radioligand for Positron Emission Tomography (2020)

Advances in <i>in vitro</i> display and protein engineering yield therapeutics with affinities in the picomolar range. The Gyrolab<sup>®</sup> microfluidics platform uses the kinetic exclusion assay principle to measure subnanomolar solution affinities. This work describes application of the Gyrolab solution affinity module and the new multi-curve analysis feature to determine affinity of the PD-L1 Adnectin™ positron emission tomography radioligand, which was measured as 20 pM for human PD-L1. We also report key parameters that affect assay signal-to-background ratio and data quality, such as detection reagent concentration. Gyrolab offers the necessary throughput for rapid assay development with low sample consumption, as demonstrated in this study, which also provides helpful tips for assay optimization for solution affinity measurement.
Encapsulation (2016)

In the past, aggregation and self-assembly have been associated principally with micellar and colloidal systems of molecules; however, with the advent of supramolecular chemistry, molecular self-assembly has been opened to a much wider understanding that has facilitated access to a variety of different shapes and sizes, along with the construction of new and fascinating molecular topologies. This document aims at defining more than 150 terms related to aggregation and self-assembly in the particular case of macromolecules. The list is restricted to the most commonly encountered terms.
Computer modelling of the NAD binding site of ADP‐ribosylating toxins: active‐site structure and mechanism of NAD binding (1991)

Five ADP-ribosylating bacterial toxins, pertussis toxin, cholera toxin, diphtheria toxin, Escherichia LT toxin and Pseudomonas exotoxin A, show significant homology in selected segments of their sequence. Site-directed mutagenesis and chemical modification of residues within these regions cause loss of catalytic activity and of NAD binding. On the basis of these results and of molecular modelling based on the three-dimensional structure of exotoxin A, the geometry of an NAD binding site common to all the toxins is deduced and described in the paper. For diphtheria toxin, sequence similarity with exotoxin A is such that its preliminary structure can be computed by molecular modelling, whereas for the other toxins similarity appears to be restricted to the NAD binding site. Moreover, an analysis of molecular fitting of the NAD molecule into its binding cavity suggests a new model for the conformation of the bound NAD that better accounts for all available experimental information.
Epigenetic coordination of signaling pathways during the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (2013)

There is highly specific epigenetic regulation at genes and enhancers across several pathways critical to EMT. The sites of these changes in chromatin state implicate several inducible transcription factors with critical roles in EMT (NF-κB, AP-1 and MYC) as targets of this reprogramming. Furthermore, we find evidence that suggests that these transcription factors are in chromatin-mediated transcriptional feedback loops that regulate critical EMT genes. In sum, we establish an important link between chromatin remodeling and shifts in cellular reprogramming.
Overcoming the Technological Challenges of Contacting Homogeneous High Sheet Resistance Emitters (HHSE) (2011)

Contacting homogeneous high sheet resistance emitter (HHSE) with the current screen-printing (SP) technology is challenging to the industry. This is due to inability to make uniform HHSE to circumvent local points of high series resistance, which normally control the series resistance of a solar cell. Because of this, the front Ag paste must be able to contact emitters with a wide range of sheet resistance to accommodate such non-uniformities. In this paper we report on successful contacting of HHSE with emitter sheet resistance variation of ≥40-Ω/ with commercial front Ag paste PV16A from Dupont. We investigated this through the fabrication of cells with emitter sheet resistances of 65, 75, 85, 95 and 105- contacted with the same SP H-pattern having 65 gridlines and 3 bus bars in order to assess accurately, without shading effect, the impact of the sheet resistance on open circuit voltage (VOC) and short circuit current density (JSC). We found that emitter sheet resistance in the range of 65-105-Ω/ low average series resistance (RSERIES) of 0.711-1.05-Ω-cm2 and high fill factor (FF) of 0.768-0.787. The 85 and 95-Ω/ emitter gave the best average efficiency of 18.3%, followed by 18.2% for the 65 and 75 Ω/ 8.1% for the 105-Ω/ is is the first ever screen-printed contact with 18.1% efficiency on 105-Ω/ HHSE. The slightly low FF of 76.8% is due to higher series resistance, which can be attributed to emitter resistance since the gridline spacing used was not optimized for such high sheet resistance. However, the shunt resistance and ideality factor were excellent, which suggests the paste is not encroaching the shallow emitter junction.
Developmental exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls PCB153 or PCB126 impairs learning ability in young but not in adult rats (2008)

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are persistent organic pollutants present in the food chain and in human blood and milk. Exposure to PCBs during pregnancy and lactation leads to cognitive impairment in children. The underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Some PCBs are endocrine disrupters. The aim of this work was to assess whether exposure of rats to PCB126 (dioxin-like) or PCB153 (non-dioxin-like) during pregnancy and lactation affects the ability of the pups to learn a Y maze conditional discrimination task and/or the function of the glutamate-nitric oxide (NO)-cGMP pathway in brain in vivo when the rats are young (3 months) or adult (7-8 months). After finishing the learning experiments, the function of the pathway was analysed in the same rats by in vivo brain microdialysis. The results obtained show that perinatal exposure to PCB153 or PCB126: (1) impairs learning ability in young but not in adult rats, (2) impairs the glutamate-NO-cGMP pathway function in cerebellum in vivo in young but not in adult rats and (3) affect these parameters in males and females similarly. PCB126 is around 10 000-fold more potent than PCB153. In control rats the function of the glutamate-NO-cGMP pathway and learning ability are lower in adult than in young rats. These age-related differences are not present in rats exposed to PCBs. The impairment of the glutamate-NO-cGMP pathway function induced at young age by developmental exposure to the PCBs could be one of the mechanisms contributing to the cognitive impairment found in children whose mothers ingested PCB-contaminated food during pregnancy and lactation.
Recent Research Progress on Non-aqueous Lithium-Air Batteries from Argonne National Laboratory (2013)

Rechargeable non-aqueous Li-air battery technology offers potential advantages over other existing battery systems in terms of specific energy and energy density, which could enable the driving range of an electric vehicle to be comparable to that of gasoline vehicles. Development of efficient cathode catalysts and stable electrolytes for the Li-air battery has been intensively investigated for the past several years, and a number of review articles covering different topics are already available. This review mainly focuses on the research activities on rechargeable non-aqueous Li-air batteries at Argonne National Laboratory, with the emphasis on the gains in understanding of electrolyte decomposition, the structure and magnetic properties of lithium peroxide (Li2O2), development of an air-breathing cathode, and the effect of oxygen crossover on the lithium anode. Insights from this research have led to the improvement of the electrochemical performance of Li-air batteries. Promising paths for future work on rechargeable Li-air batteries are also discussed.
The Advanced Injection Low Pilot Ignited Natural Gas Engine: A Combustion Analysis (2003)

The Advanced Low Pilot Ignited Natural Gas (ALPING) engine is proposed as an alternative to diesel and conventional dual fuel engines. Experimental results from full load operation at a constant speed of 1700 rev/min are presented in this paper. The potential of the ALPING engine is realized in reduced NOx emissions (less than 0.2 g/kWh) at all loads accompanied by fuel conversion efficiencies comparable to straight diesel operation. Some problems at advanced injection timings are recognized in high unburned hydrocarbon (HC) emissions (25 g/kWh), poor engine stability reflected by high COVimep (about 6 percent), and tendency to knock. This paper focuses on the combustion aspects of low pilot ignited natural gas engines with particular emphasis on advanced injection timings (45°–60°BTDC).
ChemInform Abstract: Efficient Synthesis Routes to Aromatic Compounds Using Ring‐Closing Olefin Methathesis Followed by Dehydration, Oxidation, and Tautomerization. (2008)

Abstract ChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance that was extracted from about 200 leading journals. To access a ChemInform Abstract of an article which was published elsewhere, please select a “Full Text” option. The original article is trackable via the “References” option.
38.1: Invited Paper : What Multi‐Touch is All About… (2010)

Abstract There is an enormous amount of effort and energy being expended by members of this community into the development of displays enhanced with some sort of multi‐touch sensing capability. However, while the engineering challenges being overcome are exciting and contributive, we should be constantly reminded of what any of this capability is for‐ simply, to serve the user. This short paper provides a post‐mortem analysis of an actual multi‐ touch application deployed in a mission‐critical environment, and offers insight into the design decisions and parameters that were significant to its success. This short paper provides a post‐mortem analysis of an actual multi‐touch application deployed in a mission‐critical environment, and offers insight into the design decisions and parameters that were significant to its success.
Evidence for the Strangeness-Changing Weak Decay Ξ [− over b] → Λ[0 over b]π[superscript −] (2015)

Using a pp collision data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3.0 fb[superscript -1], collected by the LHCb detector, we present the first search for the strangeness-changing weak decay Ξ[- over b] → Λ[0 over b]π[superscript -]. No b hadron decay of this type has been seen before. A signal for this decay, corresponding to a significance of 3.2 standard deviations, is reported. The relative rate is measured to be [f[subscript Ξ[- over b] over f[subscript Λ[0 over b]]B(Ξ[- over b] → Λ[0 over b]π[superscript -]) = (5.7 ± 1.8[+0.8 over -0.9] × 10[superscript -4]},where f[subscript Ξ[- over b] and f[subscript Λ[0 over b] are the b → Ξ[- over b] and b → Λ[0 over b] fragmentation fractions, and B(Ξ[- over b] → Λ[0 over b]π[superscript -]) is the branching fraction. Assuming f[subscript Ξ[- over b]/[subscript Λ[0 over b] is bounded between 0.1 and 0.3, the branching fraction B(Ξ[- over b] → Λ[0 over b]π[superscript -]) would lie in the range from (0.57 ± 0.21)% to (0.19 ± 0.07)%.
Conformation of End-Tethered PNIPAM Chains in Water and in Acetone by Neutron Reflectivity (2003)

Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) is perhaps the most well-known member of the class of temperature responsive polymers. It has a lower critical solution temperature (LCST) in water at about 32 °C. This very sharp transition (∼5 °C) is attributed to alterations in the hydrogen-bonding interactions of the amide group. In this work we investigated the conformation of end-tethered PNIPAM chains at the interface of silicon with D2O and d-acetone using neutron reflection. End-tethered PNIPAM layers were prepared utilizing the interaction between COOH-terminated PNIPAM and OH-terminated self-assembled monolayers (“method A”) and also by polymerizing N-isopropylacrylamide monomers from the silicon surface (“method B”). Reflectivity data from the protonated layers in deuterated water were obtained using a liquid cell over a range of temperature from 10 to 55 °C. For method A, PNIPAM molecular weights of 33K and 220K were examined. In D2O, we observed very limited change in the conformation of the tethered chains as the temperature increased through the LCST. No conformational change was detected for the lowest molecular weight PNIPAM−COOH sample (33K). Only a slight change in conformation with temperature was detected for the higher molecular weight sample (220K) and the sample from method B. The profiles indicated that the chains were well hydrated above 32 °C, consistent with the observation of very low receding water contact angles. On the other hand, a significant change in the segment concentration profiles occurred when D2O was replaced by d-acetone. Bilayer profiles were observed for all samples in D2O. By contrast, in d-acetone the profiles were composed of a single monotonically decaying layer. Surprisingly, the profiles were more contracted in d-acetone than in D2O despite the fact that PNIPAM dissolves in d-acetone but solutions of PNIPAM in D2O are cloudy above the LCST. This observation, as well as the lack of conformational change with temperature for these low surface density brushes in D2O, is explained on the basis of a concentration-dependent Flory χ parameter.
SlicerCBM: automatic framework for biomechanical analysis of the brain (2023)

Our framework provides a broader application of existing solution methods not only in research but also in clinics. We successfully demonstrated the application of our framework by predicting intra-operative deformations in nine patients undergoing neurosurgical procedures.
A Single-Stage Capacitor-Bridge Boost Converter Topology for PV-Battery Series Integration in Regulated DC Microgrids (2021)

Integration of a solar photovoltaic (PV) generation and a battery energy storage (BES) is a suitable solution for sustainable energy production and management for the next energy grid model, such as DC microgrids. Although this PV-battery integration has been widely studied in DC microgrid applications, many integrations still use legacy power electronics converter topologies such as DC-DC boost converters. This paper proposes a novel DC-DC power electronics converter topology that allows seamless integration of a solar PV array and a BES and interfaces them to a regulated DC microgrid. In the proposed topology, a single power converter stage is designed with the PV-battery DC-series integration approach. To be interfaced with the regulated DC microgrid, the PV-battery DC-series network equips a capacitor-bridge. Operation modes and switching principles are described in detail, and the asymmetrical PWM switching strategy is proposed to satisfy the inductor volt-second balance under asymmetrical system operating conditions. The feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed topology have been verified through simulation and experimental results.
Continuous Guidance Procedure for Xenon Oscillation Control (1995)

A new concept for the control of axial xenon oscillations in large PWRs has been proved to be effective. The concept is based on two additional newly defined axial offsets, AOi and AOx together with the conventional axial offset of power distribution AOp. AOi and AOx are the axial offsets of power distributions which would give the current iodine and xenon distributions under equilibrium conditions, respectively. This method can give the optimum timing for control rod operations and the target AOp. However this method cannot give continuous guidance to the operator for xenon oscillation control such as the direction and the amount of control rod movement. In order to overcome this disadvantage, we have developed a new control procedure which can provided information on the xenon oscillation at a glance by displaying the relation of the three AOs as a trajectory of (AOp-AOx, AOi-AOx) in the X-Y plane. This trajectory shows a very simple characteristic behavior. This trajectory can give continuous and clear guidance to the operator for xenon oscillation control. The behavior of the trajectory has been proved by both theoretical analysis and by numerical simulations.
Enhanced initial growth of atomic-layer-deposited metal oxides on hydrogen-terminated silicon (2003)

A route is presented for activation of hydrogen-terminated Si(100) prior to atomic layer deposition. It is based on our discovery from in situ infrared spectroscopy that organometallic precursors can effectively initiate oxide growth. Narrow nuclear resonance profiling and Rutherford backscattering spectrometry show that surface functionalization by pre-exposure to 108 Langmuir trimethylaluminum at 300 °C leads to enhanced nucleation and to nearly linear growth kinetics of the high-permittivity gate dielectrics aluminum oxide and hafnium oxide.
Inhibition of lipolysis may contribute to the acute regulation of plasma FFA and glucose by FGF21 in ob/ob mice (2009)

FGF21 is a unique member of the fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) and a novel hormone that regulates glucose, lipid, and energy homeostasis. The beneficial effects of FGF21 reported thus far have mostly been from chronic treatments. In order to better understand the mechanism for FGF21 action, we evaluated the acute effects of FGF21 in vivo and in vitro. Here we report that a single injection of FGF21 acutely reduced plasma free fatty acid levels similar to its acute effects on plasma glucose in ob/ob mice. In vitro, FGF21 inhibited lipolysis in adipocytes during a short treatment and reduced total lipase activity. These results demonstrate the potential importance of adipocyte lipolysis to the observed acute improvements in plasma parameters.
How viewing distance and object size affect judgments of shape in pictures (2010)

When viewing a picture from different distances, changes in the shape and orientation of depicted objects are often not perceived despite corresponding changes in the retinal image. For example, a slanted rectangular plane should appear to have a higher aspect ratio and a correspondingly higher slant when viewed at greater distances. We examined how perceptual judgments of shape varied with viewing distance. Observers judged the aspect ratio of a slanted rectangular plane in a depicted 3D scene while viewing the picture from different distances along its surface normal. An adaptive staircase procedure was used to determine the aspect ratio of the slanted plane that appeared square. We tested different plane sizes, and also varied the amount of information for viewing distance (binocular viewing and monocular viewing through an aperture). Perceived shape was invariant only for stimulus planes that subtended the smaller visual angles. Judgments were not invariant with larger planes under monocular or binocular viewing. The larger planes appeared to have a higher aspect ratio at greater viewing distances consistent with changes predicted by the retinal image. The failure of invariance with large planes is inconsistent with the pictorial-compensation hypothesis, which states that geometric information in the picture's content is used to recover the depicted scene layout when the picture is viewed from the wrong distance
Proposal of a miniaturized Orbitron pump for MEMS applications (2005)

The principle of the Orbitron pump is described. Its miniaturization is simulated. The application of such an ultra high vacuum pump is based on the availability of electron sources with good resistance against mbar vacuum levels. Especially field emitter cathodes are well suited to supply the active ionizing current. This electron current orbits around an anode. Ions generated along the electron path are extracted to the cathode. This is made from getter material e.g. titanium, which is sputtered by the impinging ions and in turn coats the internal surface of the pump. This generates an active getter film for chemical pumping. Employing a cathode - extractor separation smaller than 1 &mu;m allows to start the pump at a pressure as low as 1 mbar in the cavity. Using electron beam induced deposition, it was shown that a field emitter - extractor configuration can be built with dimensions of < 2 &mu;m in length, width and height. This miniaturized electron gun supplies the required current for the pump of e.g.100 &mu;A. Employing micromechanical technologies, the Orbitron pump can be built and integrated into a MEMS device to supply UHV in a volume of < 1 Mio &mu;m<sup>3</sup> on a chip. Connecting the pump with a load vacuum volume, miniature electronic, optical, or mechanical devices, which require a continuous vacuum or even UHV, can be pumped down on chip and operated by only electrical controls.
Institutional Peer Review Can Reduce the Risk and Cost of Carotid Endarterectomy (2000)

An objective, confidential peer review process that provides ongoing feedback of performance to surgeons and documents that performance in relationship with that of peers seems to be effective in reducing the morbidity and mortality rate associated with carotid endarterectomy. In addition, the review process lowered the hospital cost of performing carotid endarterectomy.